Document text
Approximately 3750 words
SOUTH CAROLINA WRITERS' PROJECT
LIFE HIST)RY
TITLE s THE JOHNSONS BUILD A HOUSE
Date of First Writing
Name of Person Interviewed
Fictitious Name
Street Address
January 13, 1939
Mrs. H. D. Martin
Mrs. Johnson
Lady's Island, Boaufort, S. C.
Place Lady's Island, Beaufort, S. C.
Occupation WPA worker farmer
Name of Writer Chlotilde R. Martin
Name of Reviser State Office
Project 1656
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHNSONS BUILD A ausE
Approximately 3750 words
LIFE hISTORY
A strong, robust looking women of fifty-four, with smooth olive
skin and shining black hair scarcely touched with gray, tn. Johnson
came to the door of the new, unpainted farmhouse. She gestured apologeti-
cally to the house coat the wore. "I just put it on to keep my dress clean
while I las workin'." And, indeed, the neat print dress beneath the coat
was as fresh and clean as if just donned.
She invited me into the living room and sat down to resume the
interrupted mending on large, thick new bath towels. "I got 'em for ten
oents apiece at the ten cents store ',here Jessie works. The regular price
is a quarter but these had little holes and the manager said I oould have
'en for a dime. See, you can't hardly tell there the holes was."
Mrs. Johnson Chatted away, her needle never pausing, and as each
towel was mended it was laid upon the rapidly growing little pile on top
of the ironing board.
I was glad to se inside this house. I had watched it go up slowly and,
apparently at great effort, over a period of years. Long before it had
reached the occupancy stage, the lawn and flower garden in front had been
carefully and lovingly laid out and all through the spring, summer and fall
it had been a riot of color. I had often stopped in passing to admire the
strange riot of a full-blown garden in front of skel*ton of a house. Now,
Project 1655
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHNSORS BUILD A LOUSE
Page 2
knowing the poverty of the family, I marveled. my glanoe traveled
interestedly around the large room with its unpainted, coiled walls,
open brick fireplaee and wide double windows with their gay chintz hangings.
An old upright piano stood against one wall. There mere electric lights,
a pretty floor lamp, a table or two, plain but comfortable chairs, an
electric sewing machine, a linoleum rug, and even a small radio. Glass
doors opened into the dining room where could be seen the large table,
buffet, chits closet and chairs which mike up the modern conventional dining
room sOite.
"Your house is very attractive," I observed with sincere enthusiasm.
Ars. Johnson looked up and her face glowed. "It ain't finished
yet, but I think it will be right pretty when I get it just like I want
it. We're going to paint it inside and out when we can afford it and I'm
going to build bookcases on each side of the fireplaoe. Don't you think
they will look nice?"
There were no books in evidenoso. However, knowing me.. Johnson,
T felt e:-fident that the books to fill those shelves, when they should
be completed, would be forthcoming, though just what will be their nature
is an interesting conjecture.
For gettinL books will be a comparatively easy task after the
Herculean one of getting the house, which represents a dream literally
forced into realisation over almost incredible obstacles. If ever a
Project 1656
Chlitilde R. rtin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHNSONS BUILD A HOUSE
Page 3
family had reason for discouragement, for throwing up their hands and
quitting, the Johnsons had. But they also had courage and determination
to a superlative degree. wanted to know why the Johnson. possessed it,
while so many others of their social class looked it and, therefore, vent
spineless and spiritless through life.
So I asked. "You had such a hard time building this House, Mrs.
Johnson; why did you want it so badly?"
Rocking back and forth in her chair, her needle flashing in and
out, Mrs. Johnson's answer came promptly. "Bemuse I wasn't used to
shifting from pillar to post. I had always had a home. My father owned
his farm and when Henry and I married we bought one, too, seventy-five acres,
and got along all right, for Henry did carpentry jobs on the side until
hard luck struck us. I guess it's just in my blood to want my own home and
some land."
While the towels got mended, Mrs. Johnson told ma that she and Henry
had grown up on their respective parents' small farms in Colleton County,
ten miles apart. They had fallen in love and after a little schooling had
married when Henry was twenty-four and she eighteen. They began buying
their own little farm and settl d down to raise a family. The children came
quickly, nine of them, and the farm was slow in getting paid for. But they
could have oleared the $393 which they stilled owed on it had it not been
for the boll weevil. The cotton crops were destroyed for several years in
succession and then real disaster struck them in the form of a fire which
Project 1656
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHNSONS BUILD A ROUSE
Page 4
destroyed their home and everything they possessed.
"14 didn't have nothing left not even our clothes, not even a
spoonJ" Mrs. Johnson moaned, remembering.
With no insurance on the house and the mortgage on the tarn due there
was nothing the Johnsons could do but let their little fern go. Mr. Johnson
was offered a plaoe on a truck farm in Beaufort County and the family moved
there. The wages were small, only eleven dollars a week, and out of that five
dollars had to go each week for furniture which they had to buy. It was Mrs.
Johnson's task to stretch the remaining six dollars to feed and °loth* her
family of eleven. To supplement this, of course, they had vegetables from
the farm, chickens, eggs and milk, which helped out a lot. But, even so, it
was very hard and the oldest girl and boy who were in high school grew so 'dis-
couraged that they quit and went to work.
The girl, Julia, was in her last year in high school and, through the
interest of the County Rome Demonstration Agent, had secured a dining room
scholarship to 4inthrop College. "She had filled out her papers to take a
kitchen course," Mrs. Johnson explained the scholarship, but the financial
condition of the family at this time made it impossible for Julia to go, so
she got a job in a drug -store in Beaufort and later went to work in a ten
cents store. Julia is now thirty-four, married and has several children.
Jim, the boy, first got a job in a store, then went to work in a peeking
house. He is also married and as children.
Project 1656
Chlotilds R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHNSONS BUILD A HOUSE
Page 5
The next child, Jessie, got as far as the tenth grade in school
and had to give up her studies on acoount of her eyes. She, too, found
work in a ten -cents store, whore she is still employed. The next two girls,
Sadie and Sally, stopped in the ninth and seventh grads' to get married at
the ages of nineteen and sixteen, respeotively. John, the second son, fin-
ished high school with an ambition to go to oollege, for he wanted to become
a missionary. The Baptist church, of which he was a faithful member, "Unani•
mously voted him a license to preach," Mrs. Johnson related proudly, and the
minister of the church was instrumental in securing for him a scholarship to
Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, But John was there only two
months when his eyes, weakened by a sinus infection, failed and hi had to give
up his studies.
After working at odd jobs, he got into the Civilian Conservation Camp
service and was sent to a camp in Pennsylvania. Mts. Johnson is very proud
of John's record at camp where according to her, he founded and was editor
of the camp paper, organised a Sunday School, and sang in the ehuroh choir
in a nearby town. "He can sing good," his mother says. After his year at
the camp was up, John married the young postmistress in the town and went into
evangelical work of the Baptist church, has a regular charge and supplements
his income with whatever work he can find. He is now twisty -three.
"Ldith, show her the picture of John and his wife," Mrs. Johnson
directed the young girl who had just come into the room. Edith took down the
Project 1655
Chlotildo R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
TUE JOHNSONS BUILD A HOUSE
Ago 6
photograph from the mantel and brought it to me. It portrayed a nioe
looking, speetacled young man and a pretty girl wearing a white wedding
dross and veil.
"Tho next boy, Ton," Mrs. Johnson continued, "graduated from high
school last Juno. Ho is working on the bridge they are building to Parris
Island now, but he manta to go to an electrical school. I don't see no way
to send him, but Tom says he is going to save his money and go anywmy." Tom,
it is evident, has inhorited some of his mother's pluck.
The two youngest boys, Albert and Harry, are still in school, Albert
being in tho 7th grade and Harry, who was born after the family moved to
Beaufort, in the socond grade.
That accounted for nine of the ten children, but nothing had been said
about Edith, a pretty girl with elongated brown eyes and a sweet face. She
had spoken only twice since she had come into the room, ono* to announce that
in addition to ten children, her mother had eleven 6rundohildren and, again,
to straighten her mother out when she couldn't remember what grade Harry was
in at school.
I inquired about Edith. How old was she and had she finished school?
A strango,guarded impression oame over the mother's face. Edith see
eighteen, she informed mem and, no, she had got only as far as the seventh
grade, "because school didn't agree with her." She spoke gently to Edith.
"Run see if Albert has fed the chickens."
After Edith had gone out of the room, her mother leaned towards we
Project 1655
Chlotildo R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
Tim JOHNSONS BUILD A AUSE
Page 7
oonfidontially. "Something is wrong with Edith," she explainid in a
lowered voice. "The doctor said we mustn't talk about it in front of her,
but she couldn't loam in school, although she works all right in the house
and does what I tell her to. When she was a baby one of the other girls
dropped her, although I didn't think much of it at the time. She didn't
walk 'til late and when she did start, she would walk on tip -too, aorta
stooped over. But after awhile she began to walk all right and we couldn't
see nothing wrong with her exoept that she would fuss a lot when things
didn't go to suit her. But when she started to school, she would get all
excited and nervous if the other children teased her and finally the health
nurse told us to take her to a doctor in the city. 14 took her and the
doctor said there wasn't nothing he could do for her, but told me we must
humor her and don't let nobody tease her because she might go crazy at any
time. He said she had a weak nerve in the spine. But we are having one of
these here chiropractor doctors treat her and I do believe she is getting
better. She seems all right except that she ain't got much judgement, es-
pecially about money. If she sees a dollar, she thinks we can buy almost
anything with it. All the understands the value of is a nickel.'
Edith returned toil Mrs. Johnson promptly changed the subject. "But
you was wanting to know how we built the house," she resumed. "We moved
into town, (Beaufort) but it seemed like just as soon as we got fettled in
place, they'd sell it or something and we'd have to move again. At last
we found a place with a garden spot and I planted ma a good garden. I worked
Project 1655
Chlotilde R. Lartin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHNSONS BUILD A LiOUSE
Pogo 8
it myself and as fast as the vegetables come on I'd send the children out
to sell 'em. I saved every nickel and at the end of the season I had put
sway flity dollar,. I wouldn't spend one penny of it, for I had made up
my mind that I was going to buy some land.
"Then the canning factory opened up and I got jobs for myself and all
the children who could work, leaving Bdith home to look after the little
children. I canned tomato 'til I thought sometimes I would drop, what with
the heat and standing on my feet so much. Several times I almost fainted
and they had to push my head out of a window and pour cold water on me. But
I stuck at it and when the cannery closed, I had another fifty dollar* ovoid
up, so I told henry, 'Now, I want me a place.'
"All Of us likes the country, so we decided to get some land near
enough Beaufort so that the children oould get into town to do their work.
We bought these here five acres across the bridgo just two miles from tom,
paying twenty dollars an acre for it."
Things looked bright for the Johnson', for Henry had regular work
with a weulthy northern woman who was doing oonsidorablo oonstruotion murk
in the vicinity. On the strength of this steady job, they arranged to bor-
row some money to put up a house on the land.
But "hard luck" dogged the Johnsons' heels. The wealthy northern
woman died suddenly, the work stopped and Henry Was thrown out of a job.
The prospect looked gloomy, but Ws. Johnson was not defeated. She
had her lend and was determined to have her home. She applied for a job at
Project 1655
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
TUB JOHNUNS BUILD A HOUSE.
Pogo 9
the relief offioe and was put to work in the sewing room. Then she ar-
ranged to have a well dug on the farm, for there was no water, agreeing
to pay 910.00 a month until the debt of $40.00 11114 paid. She also bought
an electric pump on credit and a hundred dollars worth of lumber, for which
sho was to pay at the rate of $10.00 each month. A hundred dollars worth of
lumber wouldn't build a house, but it would build a barn, so Mr. Johnson and
the boys put up the barn and the family moved in. It mos a very crude home,
but it was shelter and it was their own, and the Johnsens were proud of it.
They had no hares or mule and had to make the first year's crop with
a hoe. At the end of the year, they found small horse, which they bought
for 950.00, paying 95.00 a month, for by this tins Mr. Johnson was getting
odd carpentry jobs. He applied for farm rehabilitation and was aocepted.
But there was an obstaolo. The Rehabilitation authorities said the horse
was tpo small to do the work required and in order to get a loan, Mr. Johnson
was obliged to buy a mule from the Government.
Nevertheless, the horse had proved to be a good investment, after all,
for it had now grown into a fin* animal and Mr. Johnson was able to swap it
for 990.00 worth of lumber. With this lumber, the work on the house was bit
gun at last, everybody in the family who could handle a hammer and em, lending
a hand until all the lumber was used up. Still the house was far from. ftn•
'shod. After a time, Mr. Johnson had an opportunity to buy sixteen additional
Project 1655
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHISONS BUILD A hOUSE
hip 10
acres of land it a tax sale for a very small sum. He mortgaged this land
and bought $80.00 worth of lumber. Mho° the time same for the loan to be
repaid, however, the Johnson. were unable to meet the payment and the mortgage
was foreclosed.
Once again lark an the house was at a standstill. It lacked a roof,
flooring, ohimney, ceilings, partitions, windows and doors. Then a friend
ease to the rescue and lent the Johnsoms $160.00 and with this they were able
to complete the house sufficiently to enable than to move in. This had become
imperative for they were all sick with malarial fever due to the infection
from mosquitoes while living in the unscreened barn and two of the children
were so ill that they nearly died.
All of them who could manage to get about at all set to work on the
house again. They were able to buy six thousand used brick cheaply since the
county courthouse was being demolished to make way for a new one. Doors,
windows, screens and plumbing materials were purchased on time from a nail
order house. Every bit of work on the house was done by the family with the
exception of one tide of the fireplace, which was built by a brick mason while
Mr. Johnson and the boys laid the brit* on the other side. Jim, the oldest
boy, who is a jack at all trades, installed the plumbing and the wiring for
lights. The sons -in -1m all helped when they had any spare tine and *s.
Johnson herself coiled every bit of the inside and built the closets. When
the family moved in there was only one partition in the house, but the work
Project 1655
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHN6ONS BUILD A HOUR
Page 11
went on steadily until now it lacks only paint and the cherished bookshelves.
"I'll take you through it," Mrs. Johnson offered and she oonducted me
from mut to room proudly. Besides the living and dining rooms, there ax's
throe bedrooms, one sash for the parents, the two girls and the three boy*
still at homes bathroom, complete with fixtures, a cheerful kitchen,
breakfast room, large porches and a roomy (seller. "very room was as neat as
a pin. The bedrooms had frilled curtains at the windows and comfortable beds
dressed with attractive, hand -tufted spreads which Mrs. Johnson had made.
Not only is the house as nice a one as the family of average means could utak, but
there is an eleotric refrigerator in the breakfast room and a modern, stream.
lined porcelain sink, oabinet style, in the kitchen. On the big range stands
a pot of ribboned -orange peel ready to be boiled and crystallised.
"I always keep it on hand for the children to eat," Mrs. Johnson ex-
plained as she offered me some from a gallon jar Al the kitchen table. It
was delicious.
With the aid of Gowrmment farm loans and most of the family working
regularly, the debts were rapidly re used and the modern conveniences made
possible. But, just new, another period of adversity has set in for the
Johnsons. Unfavorable weather, short crops and poor markets ran up Mr. Johnsois
indebtedness to the Government to around $600.00 and this year, because he had
not made enough corn to feed his mule through the winter, he was refused
another loan. In addition, he had to give up the mule. Although this reduced
his indebtedness, it leaves him once more without a plow animal
Project 1855
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
TEE JOHNSONS BUILD A HOUSb
Page lit
lie was able to get work on the *PA, but is allowed only eleven days
a month and sines odd jobs are scarce, the famil is somewhat depressed, al-
though fir from defeated. its. Johnson's latest purchases proved this
an eleetrie washing machine and an electrio sowing neshine. She considers
these investments, rather than luxuries, for with them she is able to take
in sewing and washing and thus add to the family income. She had made twe
dollars sewing that week, she said, and had also dons several outside lashings.
She makes a specialty of washing quilts and blankets.
Mille speaking of her washings, Mrs. Johnson's brown oyes danced behind
her glasses. It seems like a poor come off when a woman who has raised ten
children and worked as hard as I have, has to take in with for a living
at fifty-four. But I thin', nand." Mhen she is needed, Mrs. Johnson also
works in the fields.
She had to give up her job in the sewing room some time ago since
only one member of a family can work on a WPA job, but she does anything
that she can think of to bring some extra money into the family treasury.
She raises tomato plants and sells them to truck farmers in the spring. Sho
also sells flower plants and checking and ego and carries farm produee regularly
to the farm, women's club market in town. In addition, she finds time to work
her acre -garden and to do the other hundreds of things which go with farn
living exeept, she says, that she is behind on her quilting.
Her cellar is stocked with food sufficient to hat them until spring,
Froject 1685
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOBESONS BUILD A ROUSE
Page 1$
for the Johnsons plant every available inch of their land and rent sixteen
acres besides. On this land they plant cotton, corn, potatoes, peas, tomatoes
and Irish potatoes for cash crops, but their °hie thought is a living for
themselves. If vegetables do not sell well they eau always be canned.
Last summer Mrs. Johnson put up seventy down elms of tonato**, besides about
forty quart jars. Lim also eanned around seven hundred jars of other vegetables
and fruits. Six hogs have already been killed and cured this winter. Most
farmers of this semitropical section complain that meat cannot be kept through
the winter except in cold storage, but the Johnsons have proved that this is
not true. With their own formular for curing moat, they have enough hanging
from the rafters of the cellar to last for months. There are also rows of
large glass jars containing canned sausage, liver and pork chops as well as
buckets of home-made lard, gallons of syrup, and orates of potatoes. Two
cows furnish all the milk they need. Although there is need just now for
money with which to buy a mule or horse, the Johnson* have no fear of going
hungry.
They own ma old -model car in which they travel bask and forth to
town, but this they consider essential for getting the father and son and
daughter who work to their jobs and Mrs. Johnsen and her produce to the
club market.
None of the children have had the luxury of music lessons, yet several
Project 1485
Chlotilde R. rtie
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHMSONS BUILD A HOUSE
Page 14
of the girls play tIA, piano by air. However, the piano, which was bought
second-hand, is old now and badly out of tune. The health of the family has
been good and the ohildren all look strong and well -nourished. Mrs. Johnson
is proud of the feet that there has boon little serious illness among the
family and when anybody gets sick, she titivate them with her omn remedies.
*We've had only one big doctor's bill in our lives," she boasted, "and that
was a hundred dollars for treating Henry's neck." A slight frown worried her
forehead. "Not that it done any good."
Henry, mild-mannered„ small•statured, blue-eyed and sixty, emu in
just then and I noticed the small sore on his nook.
"It ain't cancer," Mrs. Johnson said quickly, when he had gone, apparently
reading my thoughts. "It's some sort of a queer disease caused by some ohemioal
paition, the doctor said. Hi says he never heard of a case like it in the United
States, but that there are several in Cuba and" her face clouded "he
says there ain't no cure for it." She brightened again. "But the tooth doctor
is treating Henry with the dootor thinks he can cure hintand he says
he won't charge nothing for the treatments until he's sure they are helping
Henry and that then he'll only charge a dollar a treatment."
"how did the sore starti" I inquired.
We were back in the living roam and Mts. Johnson had taken up her mending
again. "The trouble goes back twenty-five years," she replied. "It was when
Projeet 1655
Chlotilds N. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOHNSONS BUILD A HOUSN
Page 15
Henry was hauling fertiliser, one winter, and he needed a overcoat to wear
on the trutk, so he bought one for two dollars at a seeond-hand clothing
store. The coat looked like it hadn't hardly ever been worn, but after
awhile it begun to nib his neck on both sides. The places would get rough
and irritated, then they would heal up and scale off, but it didn't give
him no serious trouble until the time he had malarial fever when we was
living in the barn a few years ale. One side of his nook broke out into a
sore and it wouldn't heal. The doctor thinks the trouble has been going on
all these twenty-five years and that it was caused by a chemical from either
the overcoat or the fertiliser.
Mrs. Johnson let her fingers lie idle in her lap and the bright
vivacity died out of her brawn eyes. "Looks like we don't have nothing but
hard luok and trouble. We're in it so deep right now that I *tuft hardly
sleep at night."
Why, I thought you were getting along so well!"
Mrs. Johnson shook her head. "NO, we ain't a -tall. We're just in a
peck of troubke it's the niggers in the neighborhood. They didn't want us
to come here in the first place, for there wasn't no white people around here
and they had been having everything to suit theirdelves. They was used to
letting their stock run loose after they gathered their corn and peas, but
since we keep something growing all the tine, we objected and when they paid
no attention, we reported it to the law. That made gem mad and started the
trouble.
Project 1666
Chlotilde R. Martin
Besufort, S. C.
THE JOHNSONS BUILD A HOUSE
Pap 16
Than at a tax sal. we bought two sores of land which some of
then had owned and they kicked up such a raw about it that, although
we 'vs been paying texas on it for eight years, we 'vs nevor been able
to plant it. Is had it surveyed and they pulled up the stakes said
the boundaries was wrong and even sold sons trees of fin it. Henry
wouldn't attempt to plant it until the sheriff cams and looked at it and
said everything was all right and for him to go ahead. But when he went
out to plant the land, one of the nigger* same at him with an axe they
had already threatened to kill him several times, but Henry had just let
it go. This ti.;:e he wont to the sheriff and the sheriff advised him to
have the niggor arrested. He did and then the others got furious. The
very next day one of than oome right into our front yard and begun to out
down a cherry tree. When Lenry told him to stop and he wouldn't, henry
sent one of the boys into tows to get the sheriff and they put this one
in jail, too. Tho sheriff told Henry to carry a pistol with him all the
time and use it if he had to and that's what he's doing.
"But, now, it seems like the magistrate on this island is against
us, for he come out yesterday and tried to got us to drop the ease. He
said the niggers might kill some of us or burn us out and that it was a
bad thing to get tom against you."
My, what did you tell him, Mrs. Johnson?" I wanted know.
Project 1668
Chlotilde R. Martin
Beaufort, S. C.
THE JOENSONS BUILD A aouss
Page 17
Mrs. Johnson's eyes snapped. "I told him that we had elected
him to protect us that that vas his job and that if a man couldn't
feel safe to plant his own land, why we might as well not have no lawn
a -tall." She sighed. 'But that won't help none if they kill Henry, or
Henry has to kill one of them. I tell you it's got me so bothered up
I can't even think!'
'Don't worry. I'm sure it will turn out all right,' I tried to
console her as I got up to go and felt confident that it would. 7he
Johnsona would be hard to down for they have worsted adversity too often.
Mrs. Johnson is the motivating fors* in the foully, carrying the others
along on the momentum of her exhaustless energy and indomitable courage.
Better preserved than many a woman of her age who has led a life of ease,
she does the work of five ordinary women willingly and intelligently, her
unconscious sense of adventure and humor and her yearning for beauty con-
stituting her protection against defeat and despair.
ta END