Eva Soto (nee Perales)

San Antonio, Texas

October 8, 2005

Jeremy Flores

Palo Alto College

History 1302 - Fall 2005

INTRODUCTION

My great-grandmother, Eva Perales Soto, was born August 22, 1922 in Floresville, Texas to Carolina and David Perales. She is the oldest of seven children: Beatrice, Orlando, Alice, Olga, Sonia, and David Jr. Her family moved to San Antonio at about the same time she started school at Collins Garden Elementary. She attended school until the seventh grade when she was forced to stay home and take care of the family due to the untimely death of her mother while she was giving birth. She continued to be the "mother" of the family until the time of her first marriage to Guillermo "Willie" Soto in 1942. She and Willie has six children: Rachel, Guillermo Jr., Yolanda, Albert, Gloria, and Esther. Due to Willie's service in the United States Army, after the birth of their first two children they moved to Pensacola, Florida for a brief time before the birth of their last three children. She was left with all six children in San Antonio after Willie was sent to Chicago by the military. Eva lost contact of him while he was away, leaving her abandoned and strapped to care for six children. She found love again and was married in 1953 to Domingo Flores at Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church. They added to their family by having three boys: Ray, Ruben, and Roger. She spent most of her time as a housewife, sometimes taking in clothes from other families to wash and iron. Her strong belief in the Roman Catholic religion helped her to survive many hardships and miracles, including the death of Domingo in 1976 and the return of Willie in 1986. They lived together until his death in October of 2004. She now enjoys spending time with her large family, as well as keeping in touch with her surviving siblings, and listening to Mexican Ranchera music.

TRANSCRIPTION

What was life like as a little girl?
I almost don't know. I was the oldest child so I always helped out with my brothers and sisters, and I was only 13 when my mom died. Then not too long after that I was married and having my own kids.

Didn't most girls in the family help out with things and the rest of the family?
Yes, but probably not as much as I did. But once my sisters got old enough it was their responsibility to help out too.

What changed once your mother died?
I had to take full responsibility for the rest of the family since my dad was always working. My dad also acted like he had to get remarried right away. (laughs) I figured we were fine by ourselves.

What were things like once your stepmother came into the picture?
I didn't like her at first. She seemed too delicate to handle seven children.

Did you like the idea of having to leave school once your mother died?
No, I liked school. I always wanted to be a music teacher.

Why didn't you try to go back to school?
I guess I never really thought about it much after a while. There wasn't really a place for Mexican women other than in the home.

Why did you get married so young?
(Laughs) I actually was pretty old when I got married.

What makes you say that?
Most girls were married and out of their house by 16. I had an offer when I was 17, but I stayed to make sure my brothers and sisters got good guidance. It's what my mother would have wanted.

Would you have stayed home longer?
Yes, but I was in love. It was time for me to start my own family. All of my mother's sisters wondered why I hadn't left the house yet.

How was it having your first child?
(Laughs) The childbirth was awful. I loved being a mother though.

Did you always know you wanted nine kids?
I never planned on nine, but all families were big. My dad would always pick on me and tell me "You're behind in the baby making."

What did he mean by that?
He just thought it was funny because all the other girls, and family members had a whole family by 20 years old. But I had already raised six brothers and sisters.

How was it when Grandpa Soto left?
It was normal at first. It wasn't until a lot of time had gone by without hearing anything that I felt betrayed.

What did you do after that?
I just focused on taking care of my kids. That's when I started taking in clothes from other, richer families to wash and iron.

Was that your only job?
Yes, women didn't work like they do today. It was hard to take care of so many kids.

Did you ever feel insignificant as a woman?
Yes, I used to read a lot, and in the early '50s I remember seeing the word subordinate a lot. I looked it up and that's exactly how I felt.

What does subordinate mean to you?
(Long pause)I always thought of it as being inferior.

Who made you feel that way?
Men made me feel that way, especially if they saw me as a fatherless mother. White women also looked at me that way because I am Mexican.

Was there any point where you stopped feeling that way?
No, I still feel that way sometimes, because I am so old and I'm helpless.

Is there anything in your life you would change?
Hold on, let me think...(long pause) No I am who I am because of it.

Is there anything you would like to add?
No, but now what do you think of me?

ANALYSIS

This was probably one of the single most significant things I've done in my educational career. Interviewing my great-grandmother is probably something none of her countless grandchildren or great-grandchildren had ever thought of doing. I have spent lots of time with my great-grandmother, especially within the past years because of her failing health, but I had never seen this type of focus from her. She is usually a great storyteller, but I never get the serious side of her that showed me who she really is, and how her life has been a challenge. Since her quadruple bypass about three years ago, my family jokes about how she has become even more alert and "alive" than she was before. I really agree with them and saw that the day of the interview. She knew how important this was to me and showed it through the amount of time and thought she put into every response. If nothing else, I learned that there is so much more to every person that what you see on the outside on a day-to-day basis.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hazelwood, Claudia. The Handbook of Texas Online. A background and information on Floresville, Texas. The Texas State Historical Association.

Collins Garden Elementary. Website of the SAISD elementary school. San Antonio Independent School District.

Pensacola, Florida. Official website of the city of Pensacola. City of Pensacola, Florida.

Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church. Website with information of the parish. Archdiocese of San Antonio.

The definition of subordination. Website containing multiple definitions of the word subordinate. www.Dictionary.com.

Return to Oral History Projects