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Chatham County
September 14, 1938
O. F.
OATHERIgi, AND WILL JONIS
The Janes family lives t hundred yerds from the
Xt. Carmel Baptist Church end ebout six miles south.
west of Chepel Rill, North Ceroline. The house, toeing
the Stets road, hes r Bendy yerd shelled by lergt oiks.
Its reetherboerded exterior hes never been painted,
and the inside is celled in rough plester. The seven
rooms seem edeeuete for the femily, though the living
room oonteined e bed r common feature of meny feirly
good country homes.
kis. Jones told me thet her huebend wes forty.
four years old end I judged her to be ebout the sem*
age. They heve six children, renging in ege from
seventeen yeere to fourteen months. Both Sr. and lire.
Jones lived in Reltigh et the time of their merriege
end for e few yeers efterwerds. For F while before
he married, Nr. Jones wee e mechtnic in t factory.
For e few yeers after merriage he wee r mert-outter.
On recount of ill heelth, he wee advised by e
physioien to move to the ferm. He receives an minuel
pension of 4600 re t, wounded veteran of the orld Ver.
As r preparation for the new life, he we given 22
months of vocational treinlng in egrioulture tt the
North Caroline 3trte College.
'Seven years ago they began renting the farm on
which they are still living. They have a comfortable
farm house end two hundred scree of land for which
they pay en annual (ma rental of ST5.00. They believe
that this rental is a more profitable arrangement than
buying E farm. They have maintained a oar for the past
seven years but since the early pert of the summer of
this year they have not used it and will probably do
without a car in the future.
12.. Jones remained in the public schools through
the tenth grade. Mrs. Jones stopped at the end of
the seventh grFde in order to help her parents. Five
of their children attend a consolidated school in
Chatham County. The perents are ambitious for their
children to complete the high school course, and the
seventeen year old boy will be sent to State College
if he does well in his last year in high school.
The Janes family believes that poor families
who ,re industrious and ambitious can do as well in
the country as in the city. They think their landlord
is fair towards them and that the community is a good
pltze in which to bring up children. They subscribe
to tite l'Jurham 'llorning herald, tLie Chapel Hill Weekly,
The Ladies aome Journal, and four farm periodicals.
Both hasbend and wife vote, believine the franchise
to be a duty as well es F privilege. They sense fairly
well the chrnge in politioel life. They wish the
government to continue to act as umpire between the
farmers and hope the allotments Of cotton end tobacco
lands will continue. They vote the strright Democretic
ticket.
The family are active workers in the At. Carmel
Baptist Church. They attend eeoh week the bundey
L7chool, B.Y.P.U. and 7iednendey night prayer.meeting
end during each month a_re present at the three services
conducted by the pastor. They believe that religion
safeguards metals.
There has been very little illness in the Jones
family. The fetheros health bee greatly improved
since he Otne to the ferm. One daughter recently had
her appendix removed; this is the only medical bill
of any consequence the family hes had.
cotton ie raised on the farm, but four and
F Lelf acres of tobacco were planted this yesr. The
rest uf the cle&red lend is in corn, hay, pees, end
soy -.beans. The gcrden is cde,-uate to the needs of the
family, end usutlly from 200 to 300 (marts of vegetables
eno fruits are cenned luring the summer. Most of the
food for the hogs is raised on the piece end very
little meat is bought. The corn grown upon the piece
furnizhes al the meal needed, but no wheet ir rrised.
Flour is abodt the only food purehrsed which might
be raged an the farm. }Lost of the butter they mrke
is used by the family; though some of it is sold et
th tores. The same is true of eggs.
This fsmily has rerd the government bulletins
on balanced diet for animals end people. Meet takes
r lover pl ce in the !rally rations than vegetables
and fruits. The good health of the prrents amd
children can undoubtedly be rAtributed in lent, part
to a brlanced diet.
arAed ho r the family's leisure time Ives spent.
Mrs. Jones said thet a lrrge femily on the farm does
not have much leisure. There is no "lorfing.$ The
frther and the older boys spend some time in hunting
rnd fishing. The church is the social center for the
young: people. -iundry morning, Sundey evening, rnd
Iednesdry evening nre spent Et the church. The young
peopli-: meet seprretely uorning and evening on Sundays.
Occrsionnily the B.Y.F.U. gives leocirl.s The young
people: of the oommunity ocsrsionslly "get u cerfull*
rno go to alspel Hill or Durham to the movies.. Baseball
and football genes Et Farrington end Chapel Hill are
also attended. A big outing is given the high school
class in agriculture every gummier, e trip to the mountains
or seacoast, with transportation furnished by the county.
Until three years ago the oommunity had t baseball team
which played every Satardo during the spring and summer,
but the custom has lapsed.
This family is not typical of any class of farm
families, as their income from the government of •MO
8 Year makes them independent of the speculative
cash crop taming. The tobacco they raise can be held
for e good market, and t larger proportion of effort
can be put in food and feed crops than is usually
possible.