Growing Up In Rural Alabama and Georgia: How To Plant A Garden OR Stubborn As A Mule!

Mule pulling a plow-Googles free pictures

     I remember when we first moved to the "Big Woods" at New Home Community, Georgia Daddy planted vegetable gardens. Now we didn't have a garden tiller, I don't even know if they were invented at that time. One of our neighbor's had a mule, he was a solid bay color and I can attest to the phrase of "stubborn as a mule". Daddy always tried to borrow him first thing in the morning because the more work he did before we got him, the more likely he would balk at pulling the plow, as he was tired and didn't want to do anymore.

Notice the ears! Googles Free Pictures

     Thankfully we didn't have a large garden! Now my Uncle Lloyd truck farmed. He grew strawberries and potatoes. During the summer when we visited, we tried to help with the strawberries, but I'm afraid we ate up the profit. Later on, after we moved back to Alabama, we helped gather up the potatoes to take to the potato grader shed where they were sorted, washed and boxed to be loaded on trucks that carried them to trains and to the market. You were given a basket, sack or bucket. and we went along the rows where a tractor had plowed the ripe potatoes up. You dumped them into a truck or wagon which brought them to the potato grader.It was hot and dusty work! 

     Of course, one of the fun perks of having a garden was helping pick the vegetables and fruit to can. Freezing the food wasn't popular at that time and the meat was kept in a smoke house. Electricity was hard to come buy and most of the wiring wouldn't support a freezer. Though I seem to remember Aunt Jessie having one on her back porch, at sometime, plugged into the light fixture outlet with an extension cord.  There was usually only one plug outlet to a room; talk about extension cords. I hated shelling blackeyed peas and peeling peaches. The peach fuzz made my hands itch! But I have to admit, the food was delicious in the winter time.

Growing Up In Rural Alabama and Georgia-About That Iron Pot For Laundry.

Borrowed from Google Free Pictures


Borrowed from Googles Free pictures


Borrowed from Googles Free pictures


Borrowed from Googles free Pictures


Borrowed from Googles Free Pictures

     I know last week the post was about my grandparents and great-grandparents, during the early 1900's. Yet, some of the issues, such as no running water, outside bathrooms and no electricity carried through until the early 1960's for rural Alabama and Georgia. My sister-in-law asked the question about hot water to do the wash.  I remember going to my Aunt Jessie's house with my Mom. She'd bring our dirty laundry and they'd combine the clothes and do the washing together. The main reason for doing this was the hot water. My Aunt Jessie had one of those black cast iron pots (see top picture) and we didn't. All of us kids drew water out of the well or tracked down to the spring and brought up the water. My brother LH and my cousin Donnie "toted the water from the spring", it was a bit of a journey. I remember the crisp sunny days when we did this. I'm trying to remember if my Aunt had a wringer washer or a wringer tub washer, (see above pictures) or if they placed the clothes in the pot. I do remember the bed clothes being placed in the hot pot while Mom and Aunt Jessie took turns stirring them with a wooden pole. Talk about white sheets!  I know, eventually, they both finally got a wringer washer and my Mom always had two tubs of rinse water side by side. She'd use the washer wringer from the washer, then wring by hand from the first tub into the second tub, then use the washer wringer from the last tub so they would dry quicker. My brother hated wash days, as he had to bring the water up from the spring. I remember my baby sister Pam got her arm caught in the wringer, and everyone was running around trying to pull the electric cord and pop the wringer open.

     One of my fondest memories is going to sleep between freshly washed sheets that had dried outside in the sun. Such a clean smell  

Memoirs: First Memories

Me, my brother and our dog Poochie 1952

Not for sure about cat's name, maybe Cat.

     What were the first memories you recollect? When I told Mother mine, she said I was around two and a half when that happened. Which brings to mind that a traumatic episode (not life or death, though that might work too) sometimes sets a memory.  Mom said I was on the bottle until I was two and a half (so I was a big baby, it was my new brother's fault, lol), when I broke my bottle and she told me that was going to be my last bottle; that was my memory, jumping up on a stool, hitting the bottle on the wall and it breaking. I wonder if this is why I take things so personally? Sometimes doing that wears me out!

     Where did you first live? Who were your first friends? When I sit here thinking about this, it does bring back the memories. Also, what about the different family members versions? Does your Mom's agree with your Aunt's, if not what's the difference and why? 

     Keep in mind that I'm writing down the answers to these topics as my memoirs in Word, or if you don't like the computer, you can create yourself a journal. Just set the memories down.

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2. Borrowed from  Google Free Pictures

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Growing Up In Rural Alabama and Georgia

My Grandmother Manila and cousin, 1914-1916

Hilley's and Harper's 1917

Turner Family 1913

One son of Riley Tatum, 1900

     From the above pictures it was really hard living in the rural areas of Georgia and Alabama. The top two are located in Alabama while the bottom two are in Georgia. Living without indoor water, bathroom and a washing machine. I think it interesting that most of the clothes are black and white, talk about showing dust and dirt.

     In the picture of the Hilley's and Harper's, my great grandpa William Ershel Hilley had a disabled left leg. In all of his pictures, he either was sitting, standing leaning against something or as in this picture he has his leg draped over a log and supported by his crutch. 

     In the Tatum, this was my ggUncle Van Buren Tatum, he lost his right arm "above the elbow" during the Civil War. If you look close, you can tell. He and his wife Peggy, applied for war injury help in 1879, he received $60.00.

     During this time it wasn't unusual to have many children. In farming, there was always a need for more hands, plus long cold winters and no birth control products.

     It was up at 4:00 am to milk the cows and feed the livestock; eat breakfast and head out to the fields. Or maybe cooking and sewing. No electricity, it was all done by daylight, candles or kerosene lamps.

Kerosene lamps borrowed from Google free pictures

Notice the silver plate used to reflect more light-

borrowed from Google free pictures