Document text
ha thee County
Apptember 24, 1938
O. F.
11.1/31.11T'ITh
The aaLths live in the Lt. Cereal section of
Chatham County, North Caroline, seven miles southeast
of Chapel Hill end seventeen miles south of Durham.
,..tete dirt rood leading south from Durham runs within
two hundred yards of this house.
The sandy yard is dotted with large oaks end elms.
Two half -rotten sheds it the west side of the yard ers
used as E garage and a storage.r000. The ground slopes
gently from the yard towards the barn in the rear. A
poorly kept country reed connects the farm with the
Att. road.
The house is made of rough boards and res last
painted seven years ago. The elle and ceiling grit
made of rough, unpainted boards. There are five roosts.
The windows of the two front rooms are hung with cheap,
dingy curtains. There t,re no screens and no refrigerstiOn.
I was met at the door by e three year old boy clad in
garment commosly sailed a shirt -tell. The tether walked
over from the shed and invited me into the house. One
side of Jmithos face shows an ugly soar caused by
fight he had with a neighbor 022e years ego. 4re.
a portly woman of fifty years was weering e faded
werhwdreas. The *Kith* have eleven children ranging
in age frau twenty.two to two jeers. The two oldest
children have married end ere living sway from home.
The family showed neither knowledge nor interest in
their aneestry. They have moved ono* every three
years, as en average end have lived in their present
home one jeer.
Asith pays P ash rental of 7n25.00 per year on
acres. He hes to rent this large tract in order
to control sufficient allotments for s tobacco crop
thtt sill euvert t large family. He is raising no
cotton this jeer because, "I got ay cerd too lets,
but eight cent cotton would net have msde me any money
nohow." He has 5.6 scree of tobacco but dose not
expect to do as well at lest year when hie orop brought
in 1.11600.00. our tores of corn are expeoted to
furnish meal for the family and help feed the mules
and hogs. dome hey end fodder supply the roughsge
for the stook.
The family second.hand chwerclet which la
in poor condition. The children use it more then the
parents and asith explained thpt "I can't say 'Not to
thew beceuee they help me make the living, but the oar
eats up ell I asks and I oould soon own e hone on whet
it costs se." The children prefer r err end the home
mast welt.
Ekch of the ptrents htd six yetre of schooling.
There were no public high schools in their <communities
when they were young end they could not rfford tuition
st t boarding‘sohool. Two of their children heve
recently finished high eohool but the others probably
will not hrve enough interest or encousegement to go
beyond the gretmer grcdes. The only prpers they
subscribe to ere the Lurkan 1.4,0ranc Well end al
JerOirresoive Verspt.
Jmith stated thEt 1 umt hoopevelt Democrat
rlwrys vote the ht ticket becruse I believe
the ;,emocrEts Pre the farmers' best friends." Mrs.
...mith votes only ocoesionelly.
The parents of this fenny end some of the older
children belong to the ;It. Cereal Soptist Church.
The church only fourth of e nile from the house
but the frily eIwrie go in the or. They do not show
eny eefinite idees ra to the importfnce of the church,
but they ecoept the fmt thet the people of their
oommunity rogrrd the churoh EP important.
'tern life seems to give certrin benefits to this
filially. The tother thet, "Heelth is one thing
this 1Mlr hes plenty of. hith the exception of
ow operation, the Italy hie paid out little for
physician's fees. They tame leErned eomething of diet
from the papers tad sty that they try to live *Mu
frra.° They rase hogs .r.nd chiokene end bay very
little ert. Two hundred rmerts of vegetrbles rad
fruits rre canned each revs. There rre two cows and
most of the milk and butter ire used by the family.
Only ooccsionally are butter, chickens, end eggs taken
to the market. In only two yetre hre the entire bread
'apply been reised rt home.
One of the boys belongs to the community orchestra.
/bout two nights in the month the young people of the
femily gather et e nsighbore home and listen to the
orohestre. '4ome six timer r year they bold in ice.
cream festival at the me of one of the farmers. Cnoe
e week t crowd fills the or end goes to Chepel Hill
or Lurhem to the movies. Four timee year g °social°
ie held by the B.Y.P.U. On 4xturdrys. revere of the
Young P00Ple cad t few of the parents go to Farrington
or Chrpel Hill to football or breebr11 games. ::)Tx clear
iunday efternoans„ from ten to twenty boys end girls
go for a ',Trak into the woods end pastures.