Jesse Mendez
Did World War II effect your family?
I was only fourteen when it started, and none of my immediate family served in the war.We were only affected by the war when it came to getting supplies. We needed to have stamps to get food. For a while we could not get things like meat, sugar,or gum. Gasoline was rationed and tires were scarce. I did know two men that served. One came back with only one arm. They both died a long time ago.
What were the living conditions like growing up in Anson?
Our family lived in a two bedroom home which consisted of a kitchen and one room. In the room it held five beds. Our closest neighbor was a mile down the road. We would walk to school and were there from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. After school I worked at grocerie, gas and clothing stores and I made 60 dollars a week. I remember not having any running water, gas or light until January 1, 1952. There were not too many mexicans, mostly everyone was white.
How did you meet grandma Aurora?
she and her father used to come to anson to work for a neighbor. i met her when i was only nine and she was seven. i saw her every summer when her father would come up for work.
Was there ever a shortage of food?
no. we killed our own chickens. if we needed supplies we went to the grocerie. Sometimes the roads would get flooded and there was no way through, but it didn't take long for them to start drying up.
Were there many African-Americans in your community?
not really. they had their own subdivision outside of town. the only time they came around was to get grocerie's, even then they had to go to the back of the store and hand a written list to the clerk working. Once they had their supplies they went straight home.
What kind of work did you do?
I worked for a man who maintained a cotton buisness. People would come from everywhere to sell there cotton. I would weigh it, log it down in my book and then pay them for the cotton. We paid three cents a pound for cotton. Before thenwhen i was in school i worked at the grocerie, gas and clothing store.
What kind of labor did your father do?
My father worked as a farmer. he was only paid forty-cents a day during the great depression. He worked from sun up to sun down, six days a week. He was gone all day long.
Did your family own any vehicles?
Oh yeah we had vehicles. I preferred riding my horse though. Grandma made me get rid of it cause i almost got killed.
What the car?
No the horse. His foot got caught on a barb wire that had was on the ground. He started bucking up and then fell back. I landed first then the horse came right down and landed maybe about two inches from me. If he would of landed on me he would of crushed me. After that your grandma did not want me to get back on that horse so i sold him.
What happened to your mother?
In 1933, when i was about four years old, she past away. She had caught Pneumonia. Back then when anyone got sick there were no hospitals or medications for those things. So she died from it.
How did this effect your family life?
Some relatives came by to take me and my sisters to help out my father. I remember that i cried because i didn't want to leave with them. I wanted to stay with my father. They ended up just taking my sisters and my brother, I stayed.
What was it like after they took your brother and sisters?
My father still had to work. He would leave in the morning and would not come back till it was dark. I stayed there all alone. He would leave me a tortilla so I had something to eat. sometimes I wouln't eat it cause I missed my family so bad. There were not t.v's or radio's. I had a few toys, but of course I got bored with them real fast. I would walk over to the neighbors house, which was over a mile down the road, to play with the little girl. Her mother would always chase me away, she exclaimed, that she didn't want any filth there at her house! When my father would come home he would ask me if I ate, I would tell him that I did so he wouldn't worry about me. On his day off he would sit and drink all day. He never ate, but he would cry. I would sit by his side holding his arm, like if I could comfort him. I never knew why he cried until I got older, he missed my mother. He was lonely.
What happened to your father?
He died in August of 1960, from throat cancer.
Is the house you grew up in still there?
No, they tore it down along time ago.
Did you have any relatives that leaved close by or that would come to visit.
no, not really. I met one of my uncles once, we would write to each other, but he lived in Mexico. when I went to visit him that one time he had alot of money. I knew he was well off, I knew his kids would be well off. I dont remeber what kind of work he did. I never saw him again after that. We would still write but then we somehow just lost track of each other. I know that he probably died along time ago too.
Is there anything you would like to add?
When your grandmother and I were in Anson, we had money. I worked and always saved up what I made. When your grandmother had the kids she wouold make their clothes. The kids always looked real nice in the cloths that your grandmother used to sew. Plus, we drove around a nice car so people thought we had a lot of money, and we did. People would come over to visit but right before they would leave they'd ask me if we could loan them money, but I never lent anyone any money, I didn't trust anyone, and that was our money. I worked hard to save money for my family.
I would have never figured that only over the time period of about 70 years has life in Texas changed so much. It made me think, and put myself in my grandfathers shoes. I tried to see what he saw, felt and experianced. I did not know anything about my grandfather Jesse untili this interview, I'm 28 years old and I am only finding out right now just what kind of life my grandfather had to experiance.There were times in the interview when he would get choked up and teary eyed. He mostly cried about his parents....he misses them so much. I cried when I saw the painful look in his eyes. Things were very different in Texas. This last century it has made dramatic changes. The cost, they way of living, the economy and the people have all changed some how.I strongly believe that this type of work should be exercised. Everyone needs to learn thier history, were they came from or how we got here. The more questions that are asked the more we will learn about our past.
The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT-Austin. Anson and Hale Center, Texas are towns that Jesse Mendez lived in. This site was produced in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. Copyright © The Texas State Historical Association. Last Updated: May 6, 2004.
Clovis, California. Jesse Mendez lived in Clovis, California for a brief time in the 1960's. This is a map of where Clovis is located in California.
60 dollars a week. American Institute of Economic Research "Cost of Living Calculator." The calculator uses the Consumer Price Index to do the conversions between 1913 and the present. The source for the data is the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Consumer Price Index reflects the cost of items relative to a specific year. The American Institute for Economic Research. P.O. Box 1000. Great Barrington, Massachusetts. 01230.