Sulema Hernandez (nee Ortiz)

"She learned all on her own."

Sulema Hernandez at the age of 18. (1954)

San Antonio,Texas

October 23, 2008

Brittany Ann Gonzales

Palo Alto College

History 1302 - Fall 2008

 

INTRODUCTION
TRANSCRIPTION
ANALYSIS
TIMELINE
BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

INTRODUCTION

My Great-grandmother, Sulema Hernandez is a bold woman and her life has made her strong-willed. She led a very hard life, like many people of her time. She is a woman who has very high morals and is one of a kind. Sulema was born on July 15, 1935, in Yorktown, Texas She was the seventh child out of nine children born to Paula Ortiz. Sulema did not know who her father was and doesn't recollect who her siblings' fathers were. Her siblings, from oldest to youngest, are Adella, Porferio, Sara, Antonio, Johnny, Ortencia, Henry, and Manuela. After Sulema was born, she moved down the road to Nordheim, Texas where she lived on the ranch of the Lemke family and began work at the age of 8. Her work included taking care of her two younger siblings, working any type of crops from cotton to corn, and cleaning the houses of the ranch owners. In her free time, she did attend dances that were in old saloons in Nordheim and did often attend picture shows at only 5 cents. At the age of fifteen, she became pregnant with my grandfather and was soon married to Jesus Hernandez in May of 1951. Sulema and Jesus grew up together and once Jesus came back from WWII, they met again at a dance where six years later they were married. Through their marriage, Sulema and Jesus had three other children: Arthur, Tony, and Danny. My Great-Grandparents soon moved down to San Antonio in 1951. Eighteen years later, my Great-Grandmother had the job of a crossing guard to escort children safely across the streets. I have the upmost respect for my Great-Grandmother for she endured troublesome times with her work. She has high dignity and it is because of her that our family is strong.

 

 

TRANSCRIPTION

What are your earliest childhood memories?
"My mother was very mean to me. We never got along. She was always nice to my other brothers and sisters, but not me."

Did you ever meet your father? Who told you who your father was?
"No, what for? I never knew who he was but my mother was married to Nicholas Ortiz and supposedly he is my father. He never came around."

What was your home like as a child?
"It was a small house with just one room. We all slept in there. Our beds were made of corn husks."

From right to left the first three: Sulema's older brother Porfie, Mother, and sister Ortencia. Below Profie, on far right, is Sulema with the short hair. All the rest are unknown cousins. Circa: 1943

Would you buy or make your own clothes?
"Our clothes would be bought once a year with no shoes and old clothes would be handed down to my other brothers and sisters."

Did your family own a radio?
"We didn't have a radio. We were too poor. We didn't know about the news or what was going on. We never even got newspapers."

When growing up you spoke Spanish. How did you learn to speak English?
"Yes, I spoke Spanish growing up and I learned English on my own by just listening to others."

Who taught you how to cook or did you learn on your own?
"I taught myself how to cook."

What would your family eat and who would do all the hunting?
I would cook rice, beans, cornbread, and potatoes. We would also eat armadillo and chickens. I would kill the armadillo by using a shot gun. My brothers would do all the hunting and I would cook it."

Who were you close to growing up? Why?
"We never really had time for friends. I was sort of close to my sister Ortencia but I really didn't like any of my brothers or sisters because they were all liked by my mother."

Did your family ever celebrate Christmas? Did you get any gifts?
"All we had for Christmas was a Christmas tree with nothing on it. We never got any gifts. Too poor."

If you or any of your siblings got sick, what were some of the remedies your mother used?
"She would use a lot of Mexican remedies. They were herbal and we made them into teas and drinks."

Why weren't you able to go to school? Did you ever want to go to school?
"I had to work on the fields and help babysit and cook. I always wanted to go to school every time I saw the yellow school bus go by. I do know how to write my name and read very little. Your Big Grandpa taught me."

On days off, what would you do for fun? What town would you go to and how would you get there?
"We never had any days off. It was always work, work. We never went to town and had no reason to go. The only thing we had for fun was a festival every year in Nordheim."

The land you and your family worked on was owned by the Lemke Family right? How did they treat you all?
"Yes...we were treated like Negroes. It was very horrible."

What kind of work would you do on the field?
"I would just pick things like cotton and corn. There was only one time when we went to Lubbock to go pick some cotton."

How and where did you meet Big Grandpa?
"We grew up together but we met again at the dancehall in Nordhiem after he came back from the war."

Sulema at the age of 16 with Jesus in Yorktown, Tx,in 1950.

Did Big Grandpa go to school?
"I don't think so, but he knew how to read and write Spanish."

Did Big Grandpa ever talk to you about when he was in the war?
"He did many times but he really didn't like to talk about it."

Where did you and Big Grandpa live when you first moved down to San Antonio?
We lived with my Mother-in-Law for a couple of months. She was the nicest person."

Did you like living in San Antonio? Where was your favorite place to go?
"Not really. We never had any money to go anywhere."

At a studio Downtown of San Antonio on Commerce Street. Date unknown.

What was your first job in San Antonio? How much did you get paid?
"I was a cook at Garcia's Restaurant. It was a full time job and I got paid $190 a week. Then it went up to $210, heck I should have just stayed there. I was making good money."

What was the first car Big Grandpa and you owned? Did he teach you how to drive it?
"I think it was a Ford Fairlane. I taught myself how to drive by just going up and down the driveway."

You also worked as a Crossing Guard. Did you like it and how much did you get paid?
"Not really because it was either too hot or too cold. I don't remember how much I got paid."

Where you ever able to vote?
"Now I can, but before I couldn't. My first vote was around the sixties."

Sulema at her Mother-in-Law's house. August of 1967

What do you remember about the Vietnam War?
"I was scared because my nephew, Jerry was in the war."

Where you ever afraid that one of your sons might have been drafted?
"Your grandpa couldn't go because he had your dad and the rest were to young to get drafted. Tony later enlisted and I didn't want him to go. He went on his own to go sign up and didn't tell us about it."

If you could go back and change anything in your life, what would you have done differently?
"I would have really liked to go to school. That's the only thing I would have done differently."

 

Sulema with youngest sister, Manuela. Taken 2007 on youngest son's birthday.

 

ANALYSIS

My Great-Grandmother is one of the strongest people I have met so far. I have learned through this project that she is tough, frank, honest, and would rather not live in the past. My Great-Grandmother had a very hard life. Many rumors seemed to fly around her families past and they are too painful to remember. I respect her and her emotions and I tried to be careful as to what questions to ask.

Some of the most important points made in this interview is the fact that my Great-Grandmother practically raised herself. Her relationship with her mother was not very strong and she learned almost everything on her own. She began cooking at the age of 8 and learned how to on her own. If she did something wrong, that was the only time her mother interacted. I had really never known that. Another important point is that she never met her father and never wanted to either. The fact that he left knowing his wife was with child was something that she couldn't forgive. My Great-Grandmother shows her emotions very strongly especially when she mentioned that she didn't not get along with her mother. Her voice was very sincere and somewhat saddened by the fact that she was the only one mistreated out of all her siblings. Her stories and others have taught me that in the past, Hispanics were not treated very well and were not seen as superior to other races. Also that being a woman brought on many hardships and My Great-Grandmother and her sisters were often battered and also taken advantage of. Unfortunately, I couldn't verify the rumors that have been told about my Great-Grandmother's past because I knew that it would upset her and I knew that she would immediately turn down the interview. The only drawbacks I had through this project was the fact that there were many questions that I couldn't ask my Great-Grandmother due to her hard past. Other than that, I truly enjoy talking to her because most of the time she says it like it is.

I do believe that this is a great and unique way to learn about the past because these people have seen it and they can describe it in their own words. Though, my family has many untold stories, we all love my Great-Grandmother because she has taught us that even though life may get jagged we can still pick ourselves up and move on.

 

 

TIMELINE

 

 

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

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