472
Yeah we traveled lots and um
but when we hit the old saying is when we hit the ground we uh
pull out for some of them
museums to see.
Yeah.
I walk the beach sometime I walk the beach.
Yeah just man bog up in that sand some of the
folks oh I'm gonna leave my shoes at the bus.
Didn't get the sand in 'em you know.
{X}
oh we just have a ball.
{NW}
See when I
Never have. Always just round
you might say Bay Minette and Stockton.
Course I've been out
a pretty good
piece but
I haven't even been to New Orleans yet but I've been
uh to Mississippi all up and down Mississippi.
It's the river.
on this
No we traveled on this bus.
We'd take the uh
trips over there
and uh go to them places that uh
{NS}
them big eating places
{X}
and
enjoy seeing a lot of people and uh
being with 'em
{D: and}
and the rest
{X}
I've never been out of Alabama.
Well
in Mississippi.
The State of
Mississippi.
That's the only one
that I remember.
The State of Florida yeah.
{X}
uh no. Uh Montgomery.
I've
been to Montgomery and around and I've been to uh
Pensacola Mobile
and I hadn't never been to New Orleans yet.
We had a lot of folks from New Orleans to visit us this weekend.
This
{X}
And we just enjoy 'em hear 'em talk about New Orleans.
Uh they say it's
pretty good sight to go over there sightseeing.
Other words we call ourselves sightseeing you know
when we leave out.
And that's mostly what it is
and we get to enjoy seeing
different things
God has created you know?
Down on the beach even we find out
that there's
uh what they call beach rice down there.
{X}
Beach rice.
It's a
{D: tossle} thing hangs down grows on that sand.
A {D: tossle} thing well it's got
it's got
uh goodies in it.
uh for the birds and animals.
{X}
And uh
I got a leaf
{X}
what the house.
And
they don't they forbid you to bother this
Say I don't know how the people got a hold to this
that gave this to me.
But they forbid you to strictly
against the la
to bother these things. You know.
{X}
So uh
I did have to get hold to this.
And um
so we see that and we see a lots of things that
new to our eyes I have a bean over there to the house about that big around.
It looks just like a lima bean.
Or it looks like a butter bean.
It's growed like it
and it grows down there in Florida below Pensacola down
on the beach that's where I got it.
One of the
{X}
and I already got a bunch of 'em.
Anybody that ever s- anybody that sees it wants it.
And if I had any
{X}
I could've planted that thing and the raised any
out here on the land you better believe I would have.
It's a beautiful bean.
Big as a it's big as a fifty-cent piece I reckon.
Yeah
{X}
Oh we just grow uh
bunch of beans
{NW}
and uh
{NS}
running beans
{NS}
well we have a running butter bean we have a running bunch uh
butter bean and a bunch of other beans.
We have both of them.
And we have bunch of beans and running bunch of beans.
Four different kinds
{C: background speech}
You should have been here in the first
third a part of the summer
Well we have shelled
butter beans on this porch
and let me tell you something about this
{X}
with a bu- butter bean.
Not only butter beans
but peas
and all kind of vegetables you might say
and we have some
good friends here that owns a market.
Uh me produce
in other words they peddle vegetables.
And these vegetables
some of 'em just bruise such as peaches and pears or apples or whatever they have
and uh they hate to throw away the good ones
parts of 'em away.
They'd bring 'em here and dump 'em on this porch.
And me and the ladies takes care of 'em and other people would call
and they'd come and help us to buy 'em
and don't throw anything away that's worth
that can be eaten.
And so that's the way we had all this
porch it's it's it's a wonderful place for that you know.
No that's right.
It's sorta like some of the cars you don't
step up on the fender you just step
{NW}
{NW}
{NW}
That's right.
Woo
Modern days with these
let's see modern days with
They grow corn
and uh pumpkins.
You should've seen the pumpkins that I raised
two years ago I believe it is.
I raised two pumpkins and they come down from the um
um
printing office. New Orleans Times
come down and take pictures.
{NS}
Of me and the pumpkins
Well yeah! I raised two special
One of 'em weighed fifty-six.
And the other one weighs
I believe sixty
something pound.
I mean they was whopping.
They was big ones I couldn't pick 'em up.
Oh yeah
Yeah you can
I I took 'em out there and butchered 'em on that table.
Uh-huh.
Took me a saw.
Sawed 'em open.
Yeah
I sawed 'em open and sawed 'em up where the ladies could get 'em.
{X}
I still got some of the seed down there
{NS}
{X}
Yeah. Gourds we grow we have a gourd family there too.
{X}
We raised some gourds out- outside.
No. A gourd is something
other just for the birds
Uh and get a bird mess.
{X}
and make dippers out of 'em.
You can make dippers out of 'em.
People used to use 'em for dippers back yonder
way back yonder.
And I I have one over at the house or two
and it sure is useful.
Squash? Yeah
We growed 'em this year.
Grow squash.
Mushmelons.
{NS}
And uh
cucumbers.
{NS}
{X}
{NS}
Grow cucumbers.
Most anything. Fit's the line
it can grow in the garden.
I don't know of anything that won't make
{X}
and the vegetables.
Almost everything will make it.
No.
No I don't think we do.
No. They're different.
A cantaloupe is I believe it's
{D: male stone}
{X}
Mushmelon.
Mostly they taste good.
I like them more
than mushmelons
{X}
{NS}
{NS}
and we don't even have to do that now.
The ladies
sell them tomatoes they have
fruit got to do the other fruit.
And they bring here and
let us can 'em or make
juice out of 'em.
Tommy toes.
Yeah. Yeah we we can grow them too.
{X}
You know I think a tommy toe tomato is made from uh
a big tomato.
I think it's
more or less the
like you pulled it
seed out yonder and it grows in the trash?
Comes up if it don't make a tommy toe that year.
If that seed stays there the third year
you got a tommy toe to bush.
A tommy toe tomato bush now I believe that's the way the tommy toes gets here
Uh-huh.
And that's that's where the tommy toes tomato comes from.
And you know I learned
uh there's two different kinds of them tommy toes.
Some of 'em's a little bitty round one and
some of 'em's a little long one like a pear shape.
Yeah
Yeah. That's wh-
{X}
They good too.
Yeah. I've saw 'em like that. Pear-shaped.
{NS}
Peppers
Woo
{NW)
Yeah Yeah
No.
Um
I d-
I take 'em out put 'em in vinegar I mean
the long pods
I got some in vinegar.
And use the vinegar.
My beans these collards and uh
{X}
{X}
Yeah radishes. I can't think all of them
vegetables we can grow.
{X}
Turnips and mustard
{NW}
{NW}
Collards.
{NS}
That's the main thing.
Turnips mustards and collards
in the green line
And I raised some spinach this year.
I raised some spinach.
See what it's all about you know?
{NS}
{X}
Yeah. Made okra.
{X}
We got a beautiful row out there now.
Beautiful row of okra out there now.
Yeah we do. We have nice
{X}
leafy vegetables.
Well we we grow mustard and collards, and turnips,
{NS}
and lettuce.
And uh
spinach.
And
you know carrots go in the
root part with 'em
{X}
rutabagas.
Ca- yeah cabbage. I can't think of all that.
Cabbage.
Yeah we grow a lot.
Now I reckon you might like
for me to set a seal on my part of that growing.
I'm an organic man.
Yeah.
Organic.
It means there's no poison damage
No commercial.
Not too much.
And uh
{NS}
{NW}
and organic means
{NS}
away from all
{X}
{NS}
{X}
{NS}
A barnyard it was just a barnyard. Sheep.
{X}
{NS}
chickens also.
{NS}
{D: there}
{NS}
And I been lucky to do that up 'til this year. I didn't have much
stuff this year about getting barn
uh
{NS}
{X}
But I used cotton seed
{X}
it leaves more
and a little barnyard I had this year but not much.
Just a little.
I'd rather have more if I can get it
Very little if any.
I use uh
oak ashes.
Or dogwood ashes.
Or
to keep the pests off.
{NS}
Yeah.
You know lye and oak ashes.
You can't put much on
{X}
Uh early in the morning when the dew's on
and you put this on there to keep the bugs away.
And you put just
have to learn how to put just a small amount
and watch the vegetables when it grows.
I just
{NS}
put
{NS}
my vegetables out early so the won't bugs won't pester 'em.
My early vegetables.
And that helps too you know.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah and uh
in old Quincy they call it.
Yeah. Quincy.
Yeah. Yeah it's a community.
Yeah.
Just a little piece out from Stockton, not that far.
{NS}
Close to Quincy.
Right.
I was born in Stockton.
In an old field right up there
just to the right of the highway above Stockton.
Nineteen three.
Nineteen three.
She was born in Conecuh County.
{X}
right up
uh beside girl she come to Borden
She she she uh
{NS}
didn't live and die here she lived and and died in a hospital.
{X}
up in uh
now let's see
{X}
I don't know what county.
Monroe I reckon.
She died in a hospital up there.
{NS}
And um
but she was born in Conecuh County but she come to this
county after she was born.
{X}
{X}
and my mother was a nurse uh
{NS}
A nurse.{D: Granny}nurse.
{NS}
Yeah. She was a granny nurse.
That means uh
take the babies instead of a doctor.
That old
{X}
And had uh have a granny woman
to do these things.
And that's what she did.
And her stepmother was a granny wife too.
Stepmother.
Well that's what I'm trying to say. Uh-huh.
Yeah. Midwife.
Yeah.
Midwife yeah. I didn't understand I had forgotten that term.
Yeah.
You don't hear of 'em no more.
Unless it's a case of emergency something you know.
That they
have to do then.
I don't fi- I reckon a doctor wouldn't allow 'em now.
{NS}
They've got everything else
{X}
{NS}
They come to the doctor.
{NS}
Now I we'll have to go back down to get on the foundation
{X}
{NS}
according to the Bible.
We'll ask about Jesus' days.
Jesus
at twelve years old he was found
{NS}
talking to the doctors and the lawyers.
Watching things. Ever since
that Jesus
turned the
table of mo- moneychangers over and done away with all of this stuff worldly
{NS}
{NW}
ever since then
I noticed the doctors and the lawyers
uh working on people more than any other people
around because they're praying
down to the point where that you don't go to no other place but them
for protection or for um advice.
See?
And they've gotta charge if they do this
{NW}
and it's got to where it seems to me like
it's tremendous. Too much.
Or bless they're hearts.
So
that's where all this come from and and in
talking to the doctors and the lawyer
Well back there are these midwives and grannies uh
sorta will drop backs
see about the engines.
Back in they tribes
you know when they was to have a baby the women?
They'd go get behind a big log
or something and have the child.
And I don't know how they handled the other situation.
Used to handle it themselves.
Maybe they had midwives I don't know.
But anyhow pretty quick she'd put the little baby in a papoose they'd call it.
Put it on the back and took off.
{X}
No doctors to tell you what to do.
But back there they was to help the people.
They were very much help.
Seems as they'd
might've been in your category
{NS}
seen like you have.`
{X}
{NS}
Amen. Amen.
Most
no uh
stain or
uh at least
it wasn't too much of stain of sin.
{NS}
{X}
{NS}
And the bodies were very much more help
than they ought to be.
And so they can do these things they had to do these things.
But nevertheless
it's come on down to the doctors and lawyers now.
Reason why I mentioned that story.
And uh
it's got got us all pinned up.
{NS}
And we don't have much more
freedom to ourselves
and we don't have
we always seem like we gotta go and
{NS}
see a doctor then too you know?
{NS}
Try to do something for ourselves.
{NS}
They's some of us me for one
{NS}
that's got little petty things I can use.
Little chemicals and things that I can use.
{NS}
And uh
{NS}
mostly
it might have a bad skin or something on my hand
I can use just pure waters I can get hold to 'em.
And wash it real good.
And sometime I use a band-aid.
Hardly ever unless it's a very bad cut.
I let it get well itself.
And a few seconds after this skin has happened
after the wound has happened to the flesh
however whatever it might be
I learned if w- wash it out
and put it back as quick as possible
uh it'll start to heal.
In a few seconds it'll start to heal.
And if something or other happens
you stack a m- something or other and tear this loose
you can see the strands of meat that's already healed back.
{NS}
So if we nurse this and keep it
'til it gets really healed uh it'll just grow right up
Yeah they used uh herbs from the woods. Uh-huh.
Yeah my father had some
herbs that he used from the woods.
Even for cramping
{X}
it was called uh
buck root.
And it was really good.
And then he had a remedy him and mother
that they used for gravel.
Used for gravel. You know that one's for gravel?
It was old wild
wild grass that grows tall as he-
um horse mane or horse tail.
Grows up old wild grass
and you can dig that up
and boil it.
Make a tea and drink it
for the gravel and just
it's a short time
your gravel's gone
You can pass your water right on then.
What it is it works on the power stone well I reckon.
It just
{X}
{NS}
Then they have a little blue weed that came up
that they use for uh uh fevers
Sick stomach
{X}
Make a key outta that.
It's a little blue flower that grows and
s-
and they have one they call yellow root.
that you can go down beside these high {D: bluff}
branches at the creeks.
And you find it growing on the
in the woods.
You gather this yellow root
and bind it in little balls and bring it home.
And you can have a sore mouth
your mouth gets sore
take a little piece of that yellow root put it in your mouth and chew it
and while all that's
{D: pittle} in that soil
in the soil.
{X}
and it'll cure it.
{D: Yeah}
{X}
And you can use it for a key but I don't know what they use that for a
{X}
but I don't remember.
Key.
{NS}
But
{NS}
the yellow root's good for sore mouth.
{NS}
Sassafras
{X}
well there's two kinds there ain't but one kind
that you can use to make tea out.
Drink. It's just a
beverage that you can use
in your in your home.
At your mealtimes and at your
{X}
mighty fine
{X}
sassafras tea.
It grows in old fields and stuff.
Places like that.
And there's a white kind and a brown a red kind.
One kind of it you use and the other kind you don't use.
{X}
{NW}
Well I was coming up with a mullein before you
said about that but I forgot about it.
Yeah there's a mullein.
We growing mullein here now I saw some mullein
out there yesterday.
Uh we grow
you can take this mullein
and make a poultice
to go on wounds.
And I don't remember what else that they could use
the mullein for but I think they made a tea out of it too.
But I know they used it for poultice on the wounds.
And then back in the Bible time they used fig tree
leaves for poultices
{NS}
Is that right?
No.
It's all passed by.
{X}
N- um no
Uh-uh. They didn't get to go to school very much.
It's all now.
They could both read and write.
They could both
{X}
read and write.
Yeah.
Maybe. I think.
my momma went to the fifth grade I ain't sure.
Yeah Grandpa Richardson. Yeah.
Yeah I knowed old Grandaddy Richardson.
By old man he
he was a little tardy every now and then though. I remember that.
{NW}
Yeah.
{NW}
Oh!
{NW}
Yeah I reckon it would.
{NW}
{NW}
So uh
He was in the uh
wood business in the in the woods.
He worked in the
{X}
most of his life too.
But he had a pretty good farm.
{NS}
Grandaddy Richardson did.
{NS}
He raised stock and he raised uh
a lot of hogs.
And he also he had a
dug well at his home.
I remember
he had a dug well at his home
and he used water out of his dug well.
Draw it by buckets.
{X}
{X}
Water. Yo- you pull the water out the well.
He had a dug well.
Four-cornered dug well.
he he draw it out with a
uh wooden buckets.
kegs
Yeah. Yeah.
He was. let's see I don't know I don't know where grandaddy was born.
Must have been in Baldwin County
{X}
had to believe.
Far as I know.
{X}
Yeah. Grandma Richardson.
She was she was um
uh she was a
{B}
before she married grandaddy.
Sh-
{B}
{NS}
Yeah. Yeah.
She was raised down there
{X}
akin to old Quincy.
Grand old Quincy.
I
let's see
eight I believe.
Yeah really. Sure was.
Right? Grandma was.
She raised a good thing.
Well grandpa
{B}
Now he traveled
{X}
my grandaddy did.
In uh- in a ox wagon
{NW}
{X}
{X}
He went a way down in uh
{X}
Florida way down in there with that ox wagon.
Just went down there and
{X}
I mean
stayed for a long time I don't know how long he stayed there.
But he soon come back.
Come back. He had a big family too.
He had about
eight or nine younger brothers
{NW}
{X}
Uh-huh.
It was up in Conecuh I believe.
Conecuh County
{NW}
To a mill pond.
Uh he stayed in
Pensacola Florida a long time.
And they had a ditch coming through there
going into a mill dam and he worked on that ditch
{X}
I think.
On that one then
Let's see there was one here in Baldwin he worked on a whole lot too.
Broke those logs down
{NS}
to a mill
the mill pond for the
saw mill to cut 'em.
The logging business.
{X}
Yeah.
Yeah. She was a student
{X}
no the first
ma- my mother's see this
{NS}
he married twice and this here last wife he lived with was my mother's stepmother.
{NW}
Uh but my mother's mother
the first
her mother was uh
{B}
Sh- she wa-
{B}
my mother's cousin or
and last
her stepmother was
{B}
Uh-huh.
{NS}
Yeah.
Pretty good size I believe.
Uh grandaddy
{X}
Yeah. Well wait let's see had
four children.
Yeah.
No never did tell me.
I don't remember about their school.
No. I don't remember.
Well I don't kn- yeah! My uh
grandmother on uh
my momma's side sh- she um
she could do good I think.
As far as I know now
she sh- sh- done good writing
had a pretty good education I think.
No I ain't sure about them.
I I couldn't say.
But true I like to try to
have everything as much in the truth as I can.
Yeah.
{NW}
Yeah!
{NW}
{NW}
But a bachelor now.
{X}
Baldwin County.
{X}
{NS}
what they call Hall's Fork between here and Atmore
She was born
I suppose. As far as I know.
That's where I found her at anyway.
At the time yeah.
No. Uh no um
sh- they they were Baptists.
Yes she was a Baptist.
But I been to her church longer.
She didn't passed away.
No. She still living.
I wou- let's see
I was I was seven years old now you can you can put it
I was seven year she was
I was seven years older than she was when we mar-
Twenty-six.
Married at twenty-six.
I was I was seven years older
{NS}
than she was when we married.
Let's see now.
{X}
That takes
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
{NS}
She's
She was pretty good.
{NW}
She had about
let's see
I suppose about sixth or seventh grade. I I reckon.
She can read and write real good I think.
Had to move about too much.
{NW}
{NS}
{NS}
I don't remember too much about it you see.
{X}
let's see
but he always moved to places and then stayed four or
five six and seven years at one place.
{X}
{NS}
{NW}
Other words the first thing I remember really
about was that little house in old Quincy.
{X}
We stayed there s-
for a good while.
I don't know how many years
but we stayed at that one a good while.
Just a little old
{NS}
house built with uh
kitchen on the side.
{X}
s-
No. It was joined to it.
Or built into it.
{NS}
Kitchen and dining room was all together.
It was cook on one end and eat in the other one.
Well we just had one real big bedroom right there.
That's as much as I can remember.
{X}
I remember them.
Momma had a
s-
we just cleaned her floors with a
big scrub mop
with shucks in it.
A piece of wood board with holes in it
put your shucks in and had a handle in it.
Put a handle in it.
And that's what she cleaned her floors with.
With the corn shucks just stuff 'em in there
and she twisted 'em up in them holes
put a lot of 'em in there and it would be solid.
{X}
the bottom a that basket
{X}
satchel but
{NS}
it was really s-
{X}
would scar them floors I mean just
{X}
dirt and grease oil
She used old uh th
stuff she used to clean with
was g- uh
washing powder.
Uh grandma dust. Um
Yeah.
Grandma dust
that's what they called it.
And uh she threw that on the floor and used sand
That stuff had to move.
And all you had to have was a muscle
to do that
scrubbing.
{NS}
So the house had you said it was just one big bedroom
Yeah.
Yeah. That's right.
And most of 'em we lived in was like that.
Uh we got to where
{X}
can have a little bit a Christmas.
A long time
{X}
{X}
{NS}
Uh she liked the man
quit building the houses and the porch you see.
Will work for it.
{NS}
They'd always
{X}
Low key
{X}
Folks know how to work.
{X}
So
{NW}
they'd rent houses rent places for us the man we worked for
in the latter days when the
{X}
you know coming down outgrown.
Got to where we could rent places so they would
{X}
and let us live in the big house
have more room
And that's the way we growed up.
S-
{NS}
Where we at now.
This little house on the end trailer combined?
Uh six years.
they've had it six years I believe.
I've got the date down on
{X}
{NW}
Yeah it was there when I come here.
Uh you know the man who owned who
lived in that little house was
retarded fellows from the railroad you see?
And they lived there
on this man's place
he was living at the time Mr Beasley
And they first lived right there where I got that little old house
on a piece of cement.
And it wasn't big enough it was too close
and it moved out there in the corner
and it's been there ever since.
I don't know how long.
{X}
Yeah
Uh but that somber little
{C: clears throat}
house with a rusty top on it.
The other one the other side I lived in it three years.
And taking care of my father here in town with my sister
and uh until he died and then I was going back to the river.
On the river now I got a little
I had a little shack up there.
And I was going back
{NS}
little shack on the river bank
{NS}
but
uh these people found out I was a gardener and they asked me would I be con-
contented uh without an-
would I like to move in this little house.
I looked at my wife I said yeah I will.
{X}
made up my mind I said I will.
And so they cleaned it up.
Me and 'em together.
And I I done moved some of my things back to Stockton.
But I came back and uh
went up I I after I
deciding I was going to live here then I
put the other furniture in here
and went up there and got the rest of that and brought it back
put it in there and I been living there in there ever since.
This little house.
Well just one room and uh
kitchen and a
{NW}
s-
cook and eat in the same room.
And then there's a little old bitty room in the back.
{X}
{NS}
In the back.
{NS}
{X}
{NW}
{NS}
{NW}
Yeah. Nothing short of the shade.
That's right.
They are hu-
{X}
awful large I'd like to know the age of 'em myself.
I wonder why they had to stoop over like that
such a beautiful trees.
Nah
And you know they'll
they'll I've seen 'em and they'll basically
they'll come clean to the ground.
Those limbs will
brush the ground.
{X}
one up yonder on the bank.
There's one of the limbs scraping the ground there
just about it I'm fixing to cut it off.
Trim up so it'll look better.
{X}
Yeah.
Yeah. And a and the fireplace was
a stick and dirt chimney.
Stick and dirt chimney.
It's a chimney and fireplace you were on about.
It's a home
ba-
built by hand you see?
{C: addressing another speaker}
Is there something we can do for you?
{NS}
{C: auxiliary speaker}
Yeah.
Yeah. He built the chimney himself.
Yeah.
{C: sound of vehicle in background}
He built the chimney himself.
{NS}
stick and dirt chimney they call it.
He's built several of them chimneys
in our buildings they was built for us to
{NS}
He used to build several chimneys
like that.
He was you know
call 'em stick and dirt that's what it is.
They dig a hole and put clay in it
it's with clay
and cut up a lotta pine straw in that hole
and make the mud up with water
make up the dirt
and they uh cut the sticks
as long as they want
or as wide as they want the chimney
{NS}
and they start to building 'em
they take this mud
and ball it up and put it on these sticks.
And lay another one on top of that one you know?
And lay 'em up like that.
Stick and dirt chimney
all the way to the top
of the house yeah.
We would run them other fires
and uh you got to be careful
when you build a fire you know not to put much
heat down there
Burnt your sticks out the chimney'd fall down.
Going well uh anyway
and if you don't mind
your red coal you'll
put on too much wood at a time.
And you got to be careful
Yeah.
We take some
I call 'em tire spanners
were plenty of wood then you know.
Go out there and cut you some good splinters
and strike a match
and stick to this
start your pot and lay your wood on it.
Now back yonder ago before then they
had to use rocks. Flint rocks.
{NS}
And knock a fire out of the flint rock
on the cotton.
S- s- s- s-
set the cotton a fire.
Then they could start
{NS}
fire from the cotton.
{NS}
That's the way it used to be back there.
But my father always was lucky to have matches.
Striking matches we had to be careful not
strike too many matches and waste 'em we had to be careful.
Took care of them matches.
Yeah. You could have wood like that.
And uh keep the fire a long time keep the heat in the fireplace.
We used oakwood most at the back.
Called 'em back log.
Back log. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Back log.
And I've heard my father talk about
back yonder in the
time that they had to use flint rocks to get fire from
there's a lot of
ti- timber fell in the woods then.
Big logs. And they'd set
any one of these logs afire
and it would burn for weeks and weeks
and weeks and weeks and weeks not even a month
to before it burned up.
And they'd get
they'd go get the fire from that log they'd say
get the fire outta that log
{X}
that's the way they used to do that going without matches.
{NS}
Yeah you could have uh
rocks lay 'em on rocks or
something to keep 'em off of the ashes you know.
Or you might find some old pieces of iron something or another.
A brick or something.
Put them logs on.
And uh
we could get a spark started from them then the next day
if they're still
{X}
Yeah. Yeah you can buy 'em now that they call firedogs.
Uh dog irons or something like that.
And people makes 'em now
for theirself mostly.
These ladies got
{X}
they use a chimney every winter.
These ladies do.
And they got some at the
one of the neighbors
made 'em over here at the place
uh shop.
He had a shop over there and he made them some of them firedogs.
He was here long as he lived.
{X}
{NS}
{X}
Oh called a mantel shelf yeah.
Uh yeah. Mantel boards.
Oh yeah.
Yeah I remember hearing my uncle
tell Aunt Elmer
{NW}
that was
papa's baby brother after he married and had a family
uh tell us said
he's going there to hunt something he'd laid up
on the mantel shelf and there's so much gets laid on a shelf
do you know junky.
{NS}
{X}
She says Elmer
Says where is the uh plow stock?
Eh where's the plow stock. Said I see everything up here but the plow stock.
{NW}
{NW}
{NW}
{NW}
Ah she said crazy.
Something like that you know
{NW}
{NW}
{NW}
He meant she didn't
{X}
{X}
Yeah.
{NS}
Said I see everything up here but the plow stock.
{NS}
Rough wasn't it
{X}
He throwing out
{X}
{X}
{NW}
No there wasn't no
brick over it but they had them uh sticks
they run them sticks out in there.
And they made a
a board that'll hold this clay
uh way take they take some kind of metal if they could get it
and put under this clay
under the clay like they do bricks now you know
{D: build all}
And they'd put that there to hold the
lay up and then that'd between the
m- metal and wood.
To keep the fire from getting so hot in there.
And they used to rest of it too.
That's the way they done it.
Yeah um
{X}
enjoy the heat from the fire yeah.
Yeah you could sit there
in front of the fireplace.
{X}
where there's a big fan that they'll have to keep
moving out you know and moving in
to keep everybody warm.
They can all hug up there at one time.
But in the
a lotta times they got to where they built brick chimneys
and rock chimneys
and uh they could put a big heap
fire in that could
take care of a big family you know.
Because they could uh
a lot of 'em
standing around the back.
And every warm way back out in the room.
Keep the room warm back there.
And never build your chimney in the south end of the house. Never.
Always if possible build it in the north end of your house.
You put it in the south end you see the cold wind'll just
pour right in there and it'll dry it right on up
and you couldn't get no more.
But you put it in the north end of the house
{X}
um you'd be uh warm
to be in there then instead of in the cold.
{NS}
Just rush your cold out.
Yeah.
That's the way it was.
Yeah they called that a
uh well a fireplace hearth.
Uh hearth.
Whatever they called it.
Yeah made out in front yeah.
{NW}
low down yeah just
{X}
standing yeah.
Uh-huh.
You call that a hearth.
The hearth.
{X}
Yeah.
{X}
Smut?
Well most of the smut
didn't burn itself out.
There'd come a rainy day
sprinkle a rainy day
and this s- soot would get a little damp and it would catch a fire.
What I mean by that uh
there's something or other about it
that made it catch a fire.
And it'd did just go out
well maybe after the rain stopped it
it would catch a fire.
And it'd go clean out the top of the chimney and just
clean that chimney 'til the top.
Yeah
{NS}
And you had to be careful about
fire poles on the roof you know
{X}
{NS}
wooden roofs
{X}
boards.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And this uh soot would catch a fire.
It's called soots and not smut so
and it'll just clean that chimney out.
Well also the wooden stoves they use to have put wood into cook on
uh sometime that soot'll get a fire and just
clean that
oven out under it you know the fire
made it so the fire come under it.
And you say well
{NW}
and hear it go up this pipe.
Yeah. Blow it out.
And you could use this oil what they call
s-
kerosene and coal oil and put
a little bit in that stove and that'll
that'll make it burn it out too.
Flush it out.
{X}
Yeah.
Burn that soot outta there clean the pipe out.
And uh
{NS}
the pipes is alright long as you didn't have a elbow.
Some people used heaters
in the house layer.
And put a elbow through there.
A pipe through the wall
uh out the window or something
and they had a elbow
they put on this pipe.
And that elbow would sure
fill up with that ashes and soot.
But they learnt the
latter later on after that thing they learned to split a
split a hole in the bottom of that elbow
{NS}
and that taken care of the problem.
{NS}
{X}
Firing stuff to just keep going.
Wouldn't stop a clog up
Yes sir. Cut that hole in there
just draw it on the p- pipe there.
Course with all that fresh air right in there
{NS}
and that first step
took all the
{X}
{NS}
It's really interesting.
No. A flue goes on top of the house
if it goes out the top you know.
They put the flue on top of the house and uh
run the pipe up through it.
Made a flue.
And then there's no danger of the fire catching the wood.
This flue holds a pipe a way away from the wood.
Call it a flue.
Uh no. No.
No this is all together different it's
it it's uh
stove inside you got a flue coming up through the top
to protect the fire from the wood.
But if you got a heater instead of a fireplace
{NW}
you had to have this flue around the heater.
{X}
Duct taped to it
{X}
{NS}
Yeah.
Well they'd call it a
a setting room.
Or
the best bedroom.
Other words it would be the nicest
one on the place they'd
we always give our guest the best.
We love 'em
and we try to treat 'em the best we know how and can.
At them times.
And so uh
some people was forced 'em to have
two heats
{NS}
two chimneys or two heaters.
And they would but then
{C: speech distortion}
{X}
{NS}
But if they didn't then
{NS}
they'd give him the best and tidiest room they had
{NS}
and give 'em the best
{X}
the best they could afford.
{NS}
And give 'em
{X}
heavy coat
{NS}
such as quilts. Comforts.
Called comforts. Quilts.
Uh yeah but it's hea- no heavier than a quilt.
Comfort's heavier than a quilt.
{NS}
And uh
that'd keep 'em warm.
This day and time though we'd give 'em a
give 'em electric blanket.
{NW}
If they need it.
Yeah.
{D: Handy-blandy} you better believe it is.
Have one myself.
Now these here still does.
Not patch 'em but build 'em. Make 'em.
Yes sir they got quilting they do that everywhere.
{NS}
{X}
They can't feel the hours.
{NS}
{NW}
{X}
{C: tapping sound}
Yeah. Still demand for them quilts.
That's yeah.
Most of the quilts now are light you know?
Now them old comforts too heavy too m-
too much to tight you know?
They use quilt. Make quilts.
{NS}
Such as benches. Yeah.
Yeah my grandfather had a bench on his front porch he had a big
front porch like this.
{NS}
And he had a bench made out of those
cypress lumbers from the river swamp
and it would sit as much as
twelve ten or twelve people
grown people get on that bench.
{NW}
And it was made outta heavy-duty stuff.
And it was just tremendous to know
see how that they were fixed up to take care of them
their friends and the ladies coming.
In the summer they'd put 'em out on that bench.
Just have a nice time.
And then they'd have benches
short benches in the house
that they sit 'em down.
Yeah. Yeah.
In these latter days
later days yeah they have padded
{NS}
pad uh seats for 'em.
Um covered seats I call 'em.
{NS}
And makes it much better to sit on
{NW}
but I don't see too much of that now
if it's especially if it's a big porch
you're gonna have chairs out like this
to sit on
{NS}
{X}
There but
{NS}
they have got a lot of chairs inside that
{X}
in winter around the fireplace.
Comes in
{NW}
have an awful lot of company
it's a wonder they ain't got somebody drove up to there this morning.
On a Monday morning.
They had a lotta cars
For the uh fine people.
They treat everybody right
{X}
They even can for 'em.
{X}
Well they come up with it in the latter days yeah.
I see a lot in these old gullies now throwed away.
These couches.
Them things that they throwed away they used 'em 'til they're
Come up with modern more things. Better ones.
That's the way they did 'em they carried 'em to
the shop gullets somewhere
{NS}
If that made 'em quit all that now
{X}
{NS}
every now and then.
I've heard of
Yeah I've heard of that.
I- I'd like to see that sight.
That'd be pretty good to see.
Well I don't know. I call mine a junk
room whenever I get it full like that.
Uh antique or in other words
uh some people wants to keep everything.
{NW}
I've even heard of 'em keeping uh
cooking soda boxes Arm and Hammer cooking soda boxes.
Stack them back and everything they can get a hold to
uh uh just enough to throw away.
I call it
s-
uh selectors
selecting stuff you know.
I call them selectors.
Hell I'm pretty bad about such as that myself.
That little old house out there you'd be surprised the stuff I got
put in there.
I'd uh I it's useful though I think it's useful it will be it's
can be and is.
Different things.
I got my fruit in there too.
I've heard the old saying
{NW}
{NS}
if you got something that
you oughta throw away say just keep it seven years and you'll have a use for it.
I've heard that you know?
But that's superstitious I reckon.
We're getting into that superstitious business
and I don't care too much about it
{X}
superstitious you know.
Keep things that long and every-
thing
Oh yeah. Graveyard stories.
That's something else boy.
Yeah I've heard a that.
Mm-hmm.
Uh
{C: clears throat}
Ghosts.
{NS}
Yeah hearing and seeing ghosts
and all that.
Uh
I heared it this old fella one time come along and uh
he heared something at uh
out in the graveyard
and there was telling he wa-
{X}
there was two men at the gate
and uh
he heared 'em saying
talking about
the separating the people he heared about
God was gonna separate the peo-
{NW}
And he was in the cemetery
and he heared 'em
talking at the gate
gonna separate the people
and he said me one and you one.
Me one and you one.
And he didn't know what they were doing.
And he he got mighty uneasy
thought it was a
it's either some God separating the people taking the good and the bad
and he got awful upset about
{NS}
I heard that you know?
Uh
that that that was one of the stories ghost stories.
And he couldn't imagine what it was and
he eventually got away I think and run ran away and left him
and they were going on something there for a cause
but I never did know what they cause was.
{X}
get.
Haunted. Yeah. Haunted.
Yeah yes sir I've heard a lot of that
ghost stories.
Yeah I've heard of houses being haunted and uh
they would see
uh things at night would
fog would come around and
uh see all kinds of things
and hear things
wallow about in the house.
Haunted you know they believe in that.
Yeah.
No I don't believe in all that stuff.
No I don't. If I hear something I'll find out what it is
if I can't well well done anyway.
I don't run off.
I hadn't so far
{D: I mean}
{NW}
Something could come around give me a fright but
I don't think it would.
Well that's a pretty deep question but
I think I can answer you yeah.
No difference I know of.
Yeah they call him Satan.
{NW}
Uh all kinds of old names or most
Call him old uh
Red Eyes and old
S-
Devil with Horns and I don't know what all they call it.
{NW}
I hear the lady not far from here some sweet little children at the home
and she went in the house she was outside and she
got a move on him called 'em little devils when they run out the door.
And I I thought about just there and that
and you know that just broke my heart that just broke my heart.
That wasn't no way to approach a little child you know
why so much meanness going on now
most children and growing up?
Because they wasn't never teaching
t- teached at home
uh the right thing.
They've always been scorned they've always been uh
homes like that you know?
Come outta homes like that and you can't expect
nothing else bu- but crime or
now because you never have been taught no better.
And what what a little child's looking
for when it's comes becomes to be walking
you might say of a little baby it's looking for somebody to tend it
take it up with tender love
and have mercy with it
and raise it like it ought to be
and uh some chi-
{X}
when man and woman's joined together
they should be joined together in the Lord.
{NW}
To where that they'll know
by the Bible how to raise a family.
And you know it just tears my heart to think about
we have scriptures telling us
how and what to do about these little children
and raise 'em up in the way you'd have 'em
to go and then they won't depart from us you see.
Well if I ain't got it myself how can I?
And this'll run back to the fourth or fifth generation
if not come up right.