TRANSCRIPTION
What was it like growing up in such a large family?
Well, growing up in a large family was hard but good, because we always had someone to talk to. Having been a part of a large family was something that I have been so fortunate of. My mother and father did everything that they could to give us what we needed and never complained.
How old were you when you began to work in the fields?
Umm, let's see I think I was about eight years old that I began to work out on the fields picking the cotton.
Was that the first job that you had? If not what was the first job that you had?
Well there was always some little jobs that we had done around the house or for other people and we would get a little something for our services, but as for working in the fields yes it was the first time.
What type of work did you do in the fields?
The main thing that we did was to pick the cotton and then we would take the seeds out from the middle. We had to make sure that we were carful picking the cotton because there we areas that were sharp and could cut you and if we were to get some blood on the cotton it would be no good.
After you would pick the cotton what would you do with it?
After we would pick the cotton we would take it in and let them weigh it so we could see how much we made that day.
Did your whole family work out in the field? If not who did and where were the others?
No, not everybody worked in the fields, but the majority of us did. The one's that did not work in the fields would help out at home with my mom and the babies.
How long did you work in the fields and why?
I did not work too long in the fields but I think I was about ten or eleven and then I went to work in the house taking care of my brothers and sisters. I would wash the clothes and make them their meals.
Did you live in the same place? If not where else did you live?
No we did not live in the same place we were constantly moving because of the cotton. Wherever the cotton grew there, we went following it. I lived in places like.. umm Mathis, Texas and Port Lavaca, Texas.
How many schools did you attend and what were some of the names?
Well when you move around a lot it is really hard to get an education in one school, but there are a few that i could remember, for example; Storm Elementary, Rhodes and then when we moved to Illinois, I went to a school in Yorkville.
Did you finish High School? If not why?
No, I did not get to finish high school. Well... with moving it was hard and then I got married very young so that is another reason that I did not get to finish.
What grade did you finish and did you get your G.E.D.?
I was able to finish through the ninth grade and began the tenth but did not finish. I did eventually get my G.E.D and began taking some college courses.
How many hours did you work in the fields?
Lets see the hours aren't like today's society where you work eight in the morning to five in the afternoon, it was more like sun up to sun down or whenever they told us to finish. The hours varied it just depended on how fast we picked the cotton.
What did you get paid for working?
The pay... well they pay was not a set pay but more on the how much the cotton we picked weighed. Our pay would fluctuate as to how much we brought in from the fields.
What did you do with the money that you earned?
With the money that I earned I would buy the things needed for school and the clothes and shoes that I needed; and only what I needed. It was never anything more than what was necessary for me to have.
What did you do for fun and with whom did you go with?
Yes we did have fun, my sisters and I would save up our money that we got to go to the stores to buy some treats or to go see a movie.
Did you and siblings ever have arguments?
No, me and my brothers/sisters would not argue because out father would not allow it. He said that when family fights that it ruins the bonds between each other. We did have small disagreements but we really didn't fight.
With the money you earned did you get to keep all of it? If not, what happened to it?
No, when we received the money we would give it to our father and her would distribute evenly among all of us.
How old were you when you got married?
I was about fifteen years old.
Did your mother and Father allow it?
My mother and father told me to wait until I finished school to get married but i wanted to get married right away, so they were somewhat against it I guess.
Was it hard going to school, working, being married and have children?
Yes, it was hard but through the grace of God and the support of my family it was possible.
Are all your brothers still living
No, out of the seven, two have died may their souls rest in peace.
How many of your sisters are still living?
All of my sisters are still with me, Thank the Lord for that.
