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5ampeon County
Clinton, N. C.
September ZO, 1938
A. 0. F.
J0H Aa RAE AUTREY
On e undsy night in August 1938, 1 wre e guest
of a prosperous farmer ten miles from Clinton, North
Caroline, and e mile from the highwey leading from
Clinton to Smithfield. At breakfast I told the family
thrt I wished to learn something about the tenant life
of the section. They told me I wouldn't have to go
far to find tenants, as one of them, John Autrey, lived
across the road. Aatrey appeared in the yard at that
moment, and when I went out and told him what I sought,
he invited me to his house.
The two.room house bad been built of loge and
used for storage. There were no flowers, shrubs or
shade trees in the yard, and only a nerrov strip of
white send sepersted the house from the tobacco field.
The outside of the house has been covered with Isoerds,
and the inside lined with berver—board which
had become dingy. There were no screens or curtains
at the windows. In the room which served fS living
room end bedroom were two double beds, one trunk and
t smell dresser. Clothing hung on coethengers egeinst
the wells. The kitchen contained cook -stove, a table
covered with oil.oloth end four chairs of the plainest
kind. Both rooms had linoleum floor.covering.
John end Sarah did not appear to be 4Jore than
twenty.five, and their three children were aged 6 years,
two years, and two months. In reply to my ruestion as
to whether e large family was better off than a smell
one, Aatrey started to answer but his wife said ruicklb
"I don't believe in big families." Keay country people
do not regard large families as an economic burden,
as the children work in the fields and garden. This
family is of an old Aserieen stook, probably glaglillh
in origin. Their people have known nothing but the
farm end they accept their lot without pride, but with
no resentment. They expect to live as their fathers
and mothers lived before them. I could catch no hint
that they ever planned to own either a home or a sex.
John said of his schooling, "I didn't get no
place. I can write my memo but I htt•d school so
much that I did not learn to reed A neighbor suggest.
ed that he would probably have had to spend two or
three years in eeoh grade if he had continued in school,
but such e lo r state of mentality we not apparent
from his oonvereation. The loss of hie mother when he
was tc. small child mit account for the fact that he
yes not kept at school. Sash left school while in
the fourth grade to help with the work on he ether's
form. These young parents say they intend for their
children to complete the grammar school grades End
would like for thee to finish high school. They had
no definite opinion as to the velue of an education,
but so mach stress was placed upon it in the oommnity
that they thought it would be worth while.
John and isseh have been renting farms as these
tenants for the seven years 811100 their marriage.
They will barely breek even this year because of
heavy reins, hail, snd low prices. In the three
preceding years they mode much more than during the
first three years after their marriage. Their eznerience
covers pert of the time when farmers were 'on their own'
and all the years under government control. They have
two acres of tobacco end three and t half acres of
cotton end e smell ellotment of corn. The fertilizer,
mule, end seed ere furnished by the owner and John
geV, ono.half of the tobacco, cotton, and corn, tnd
all of th.. other products of the farm. He is allowed
to raise ell the chickens end hogs he on feed and has
the free use of pasture. He sells no chickens or
eggs and he never had a 00W. He plans to have e oar
next year. John tried to give the impression that
he lived off the farm. He said, "I have four shoats
end plenty of corn end will rEise all my meat." The
eatiet1 of E bog st that moment sounded es if one of
them Tere being caught for some purpose. The landowner
liter told as that Jobn had sold his best hog that
morning to the colored tenant on the place and that he
would probably sell all his hogs End corn in order to
buy whiskey. He said of John, "He drinks only oocesionsl.
ly, but then too mush." Except for a few chickens, he
bps never raised his meet. Drinking corn linuor seems
to be k fairly oommon vice in this section. Aatrey's
family Leo c fair abundance of fruit and garden produce,
but neither he nor any other former in the section,
landowner or tenant, cultivates F garden for late
summer encl fell. Sarvh seems to be physically stronger
than John end does t good pert of the work. 4he oleo
appears to have r good mind. ...4trah has never paid
any attention to politics. John votes regularly the
straicht Democratic ticket in a county that usually
votes mpublican. He is a strong supporter of "control"
and hence hrs not been inclined to "scratch the ticket."
John and 4areh are members and regular attendants
of the neer.by church of the Disciples of Christ end
expect it to be e greet help in the rearing of their
children.
This family Us newer had r medicel bill except
the 47.CC, fee peid to the aid -wife when etoh of the
three children wes born. The Children were suffering
from t foot.diserse4 which might be crused by soil.
pollution re there ie no toilet on the piece. I
raked Serrh if she hid ever reed rnything ebout diet.
she stid, wee don't take papers but I hive heerd about
balanced diet.' They htve meet three times r day, and
at the noon rnd eveninu merle they hryt ane vegetable
nd some fruit. There wts no milk, even for the children.
The house has two rooms. It wrs origintlly built
of loge tnd used for storege. The exterior has been
covered with boerdr end the interior ir lined with
berver.boerd, dingy iu rppetrence. There tre no screens
or curtrinc. In the room which eerved for living -room
end bedroom -ere two double beds, one trunk and e emell
dreseer. Zieveral dreeees were etretched on cort.hengers
upon the yells. ?Jan linoleum covered the floor in
eroh room. La the combined kitchen rnd dining -root
there wts t table covered with oilcloth, four lein
struight beaked chtire end t cook.stove. There rere
no flowers, shrubbery or shrde.trees in the yrrd End
only r narrow strip of white sand seperrted the house
from the tobroco field.
Clinton borsts of heving the ltrgest buckle -berry
market in the nation snd one of the largest vegetable
mrrkets; but thic fumily sells no vegettbles end only
r few berries. ::4rth usuelly cent 100 luerts of
vegettbles F,nd dries some perches. From 'aeptemter to
7:Zovember the crops are sold tad tonurds the close of
this deziod the ocounts for the yetr tre settled.
The only lor,fing time on r ftrm thtt rises tob coo
rnd cattail is in the rinter, or ocersionelly during a
"rviny ape11.4 John never hunts und volunteers the
inforuation thtt he 6oes not own F gun. He bra nothing
to xeud ie to door to o7n z rtdio or gc to the
lof t the poor fvrmers' club, the filling-
str tion.
cpen6s her leisure visiting neighbors,
tn4 eoinc r ptore %hers notAln frerAtently meet etch
other.