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<v Tunga White>—all your history? Can you tell me, do you remember your grandmother? Or your grandparents?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No.

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<v Tunga White>You don't? On either side?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Neither side . I wish that I had.

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<v Tunga White>Did your parents ever talk about them?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yes.

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<v Tunga White>What did they say about them? Do you remember?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>The most of the things they said—Well, my mother didn't like this. Or we couldn't do this, or we couldn't do that. And back in then, they were very sharing people, with the neighbors and friends and whatever, more than we are today. And my mother, she died in January of '54. My daddy got struck out here on 82 in '54. September.

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<v Tunga White>What, he died in a car crash? A car hit him?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>A car hit him.

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<v Tunga White>When was that? Right here?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Right. January and September.

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<v Tunga White>So he was just walking or something, or—

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Coming across. You know how sometimes the fast—some fast ones.

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<v Tunga White>Where were your parents from? Were they from originally here?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No, we moved here from Colquitt. Moultrie, Georgia. But I originally think my mother was from Somerset County, Maryland. And I think he was from Galveston. Yeah, from over there. But I was born in Colquitt. January 25, '34.

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<v Tunga White>January 25 is my birthday, too.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>It is?

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<v Tunga White>January 25, 1968 is my birthday.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>How about that?

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<v Tunga White>How many brothers and sisters did you have?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, I had eight. And three—no, two sisters. It was just the three of us; me and [indistinct 00:02:28].

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<v Tunga White>What did your father do for a living?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Farmer.

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<v Tunga White>He was a farmer? What kind of farming did he do?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Tobacco, corn, just the basics.

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<v Tunga White>Did he work—did he have his own land? Or did he work somebody else's land?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-uh (negative). He worked for somebody else's land. And this I can remember. You know it was this thing of first Saturday is when he got paid very little money. And then at the end of the year, he would always say, broke. You got broke. And then he didn't make no money with the peanuts. And I did a little shaking peanuts. And picking cotton.

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<v Tunga White>Did the other people in the house help shake the peanuts?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah. We all—

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<v Tunga White>Your momma? The young kids, too?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah. And housework, too.

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<v Tunga White>Did she have to work outside of the fields and your house, so like working for somebody else?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-uh (negative).

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<v Tunga White>Work at somebody else's house?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-uh (negative).

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<v Tunga White>Somebody at the door?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Come in! [INTERRUPTION 00:03:34]

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<v Tunga White>We were talking about her father and the work he used to do as a farmer. He was a sharecropper?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Um-hmm.

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<v Tunga White>And he worked picking cotton, and the tobacco?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Right.

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<v Tunga White>And peanuts, and they got that [indistinct 00:04:09]—

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And my mother worked at the house and she worked in the field, too. And we did, too.

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<v Tunga White>So would y'all go out in the morning?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>What time? It would be early. So around 6:00. And stayed 'til 6:00 in the evening sometimes.

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<v Tunga White>Did you all work on the weekends?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Weekdays. But if it was, like, you know, we got a certain time to do the peanuts, you got to do them. Because a lot of times we had to leave the [indistinct 00:04:27] to get them peanuts in a certain time.

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<v Tunga White>And you were talking about, you had to shake the peanuts. I don't know what that is. What is that?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah, they had this particular thing going long and turn the peanuts up. And you go along and shake them and stack them. But they got a new way now. But then, we scooping them up out with that pitchfork, and stack them. And I think I did it about twice. That wasn't my thing. No, no. And I couldn't pick too much cotton. But now, as far pulling, I could pull the cotton. About 100 and something. You'd weigh that cotton. Not paying nothing too much. And then eventually, in the later years, I was just like a water boy. Took them water.

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<v Tunga White>You took the water to the people out there?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Right, right.

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<v Tunga White>So would your mother go out there and work all from sunup to sundown and then come back home—

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And have to cook.

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<v Tunga White>—and do all the work?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>So did y'all help her with the work around the house?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Oh, yes. Uh-huh.

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<v Tunga White>What did you have to do in there?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, getting wood. Or bring the cows in. Milk the cows or something like that. Mostly on Saturday; that was our time, because in then, the people had big yards. And you had to sweep them yards. Ooh-ha! I hate that, and I can still remember that! Oh yeah.

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<v Tunga White>How many times did you have to sweep the yard?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Just once a week. And sometimes we had to feed the hogs. We had a bunch of hogs. And back in then, there's something that we really enjoyed is when the neighbors get ready to shell their peanuts. We'd go to each other's house. Everybody would go around and shell them. Yeah, they'd shell. Yeah. Like I said, back in them days, if one Mr Smith, is peel their haul, they shell part of theirs. And when peel ours, we shell part of ours. And then we'd feel good about giving and doing.

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<v Tunga White>Do you remember some more of the names of the people who were all living at that time there?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>It was from Jackson, but I don't remember their last name. The Murphy's. Eugene Murphy. I remember him.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh yeah.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>They were doing the same thing; they were farming. There was a fellow, Brown. [indistinct 00:07:58] out from Moultrie, a place they called Funston, Georgia. Funston, Georgia.

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<v Tunga White>How far was that from the city? From Moultrie?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Oh, it might have been five miles. I don't know exactly, but I—

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<v Tunga White>That's all right. That's okay.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And in Funston, there was a church. A Baptist church that we went to at that time. I don't remember the name of it. That's where we went to church.

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<v Tunga White>That was the church y'all went to Sunday morning?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh.

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<v Tunga White>Was that near your house?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No, we lived a bit east of it.

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<v Tunga White>Do you remember a preacher?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No.

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<v Tunga White>Did y'all go every Sunday, though, [indistinct 00:09:26]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah. And one thing, we would come in up after we moved here, my mother was a tyrant. If we didn't go to Sunday school, then we couldn't go play with our friends. Uh-huh! I said, Lord, uh-uh (negative)! Nowhere!

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:09:53]

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No, you—uh-huh. Just sat there. And then, they only told us whatever we had to do one time. But the kids now, you got to tell them two or three times to wash the dishes. We knew! It just come natural to us. When we got through eating that we had to get up and do the dishes. So we just got on up and do. We know we had to mop. We never had to tell, "Do this, do that, do that." We just automatically knew we had to do it.

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<v Tunga White>What if you didn't do it? What [indistinct 00:10:38]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>(laughs) Well—Maybe I shouldn't really say anything on that.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>You know, one day I walked in—That's another thing. When my mother had company, she did not allow us to come in and listen. But I'd try. I came in and this lady was talking about, "I saw so-and-so the other day, and she done broke her leg."

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And me, being [indistinct 00:11:05]. "That girl's leg is not broke!" And that's all I remember. Because I was getting up off the floor. Back in then, they talking about a leg broke for pregnant. Instead of just telling us the straight truth about it. Yeah!

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<v Marva Williams Jones>So I said I saw that girl the other day. "Her leg is not broken!" And that's all I remember. I was getting up—and from that day to that day, I didn't come in on no kind of person! And when she had company and we seen them coming, out that door we had to go.

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<v Tunga White>You knew you had to go?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Um-hmm. We could not. Because if you notice my kids, "Oh, come on in. Sit down. Take a [indistinct 00:11:43] and talk." We never did that. Couldn't do it.

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<v Tunga White>So your momma and your daddy both administered discipline? Like whipping or cussing at you, all this stuff? Did they both? Or just was your momma the only one that would get on you? That would yell at you.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>My momma got on me more than my daddy. I could kind of smooth him over. But then, there were times he was strict, too. Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>Would you say they were harder on the boys than the girls?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I believe they was more harder on the boys, I believe. Me being the baby. Yeah, I kind of got [indistinct 00:12:39]. But back then, the things that my parents could afford to give us, they did. You know, at Christmas time. We didn't get a whole lot. We might have got a doll and some fruits, and all this kind of stuff. Back in then, they really made it look like Christmas. Because that [indistinct 00:13:07] back in then. And we lived in a house where we could look up and see the moon and the stars and all of that. You know what I mean? And we had the lamps. Yeah, sure did.

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<v Tunga White>What did the rooms look like in your house?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>We lived in a kind of big house. You had to go out on the porch to get to the kitchen. Maybe five or six rooms. Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:13:32]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I don't know. It might be. It might be my [indistinct 00:13:32] again. Everybody would come on—everybody, you know? People didn't get a [indistinct 00:13:32]. But there might be. There might be an older son. Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>So how were the sleeping arrangements in the house? Who would sleep in the house?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Back in then, me and my sisters, all the girls were going to be together. All the boys.

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<v Tunga White>So you were all in one—

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh. And I had two older brothers off. They were off. They were men. One of them was in the service. World War II.

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<v Tunga White>That was pretty [indistinct 00:14:53].

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:15:05].

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:15:09].

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<v Marva Williams Jones>You know, Sally kind of favored a girl that came here during the March movement from California.

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<v Tunga White>Really?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh.

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<v Tunga White>Wow. I guess everybody's got somebody somewhere.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Right.

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<v Tunga White>Do you remember her name?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No. I don't remember her name. But she came and stayed here. That's when we were really hot. No one home. Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>Do you remember going to school?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yes. That school wasn't far from that church. And then, it was an open place. No, not open; room. Each room.

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<v Tunga White>Oh.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Like this would be Miss Johnson. I had a food teacher, Miss Cobb. I never will forget her. Uh-huh, I remember Miss Cobb.

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<v Tunga White>Was she from that area?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I think she lived in town. Moultrie, maybe.

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<v Tunga White>Do you remember some of the other teachers there?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>A Miss Taylor. I remember her.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:16:26].

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah, it was about six rooms. And then they had a big stage. I remember about the time I went on the stage and forgot my speech. I got stage fright!

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<v Tunga White>Oh no! How old were you when that happened?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I was about in the fifth grade. Forgot everything!

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<v Tunga White>What kind of program was it?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>It was a Halloween program.

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<v Tunga White>What did they do when you stood there [indistinct 00:17:32]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah, come on back. I said, "Oh Lord, I'm going to get it tomorrow." But I didn't, no. She said, "You just got stage fright, and that happens." She was nice like that.

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<v Tunga White>Did that ever happen again?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-uh, no.

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<v Tunga White>About what year was that?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I don't know. That was back in the '40's or something. We moved up here in '45, I believe.

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<v Tunga White>So each teacher had their own grade? They taught only one grade, a teacher did?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Back in then, she did it all. If you was in fourth grade, everything come under that fourth grade teacher. Fifth grade. It wasn't like we changed class, and go math here and this, uh-uh (negative). There wasn't no changing no class. Not back in then.

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<v Tunga White>Did the teachers back then ever [indistinct 00:18:36]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>It might have been for those that was kind of real rough, they would go tell them. You know, talk to them. Yeah, they would. But most didn't have too many rough ones. Because back in then, the teacher could whoop them. Their friends, their neighbor could whoop them. And then you know when you get home, you're getting another. And people didn't get as mad about the kids being foolish or nothing.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And back in then, I was so afraid it was a bulldog. My neighbor. And this dog bit me. And I was too scared to tell my momma. So one day I went with my momma to this lady's house. And she said, "Well, how is your leg now?"

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And my momma said, "What you mean, how is her leg?" She said, "Marva didn't tell you about the dog bit her?" It was a bulldog, too. I'll never forget it's face. It's white. She said, "You mean to tell me a dog bit my baby, and she didn't tell me nothing about it?" I said "No ma'am, I was too scared." Yep, she really did.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And I'll tell you something else, back then. We had some White neighbor, and he was deaf and dumb. And he had this girl. And when he'd go off, she would spend the night with us.

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<v Tunga White>Really?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And we would all sleep in the same bed together, too, and whatever. They were real nice, too.

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<v Tunga White>Did he get along with your family?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah, uh-huh. And momma and everything, she said, "Yeah, you'll be right here with my kids. If she get out of hand, you know what to do." And the funny thing; you know what we did? We straightened her hair one day.

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<v Tunga White>Oh no, you did?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>We got all her hair straight. And we straightened her, and my momma had a look at that. We had that girl's hair so full of grease, ooh! "Now I got to wash it!" So we washed it. But they were real. They sure were.

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<v Tunga White>Did you play with any other White children?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>That was the only two that was around. Back in then, there would be a mile before you'd get to another house. Or half a mile. The housing things were not close together.

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<v Tunga White>And when the children got together to play, what kind of things did you all play? What would y'all do?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>There was a game of Little Sally Walker. You remember that?

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<v Speaker 3>I played that, too.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And we'd play marbles. Only with those boys. Marbles was a boys' game but we played it, too. And we'd try to play preaching. Teaching. You know, school? Rock school. That was something, you know, [indistinct 00:22:19].

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<v Tunga White>Okay.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah. Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>When you played preacher and teacher, what did you play?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Oh, I was one of the members. Clapping my hands, child. When my brother would be the preacher. Or a neighbor or something. Yeah.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And back in then, I'll tell you something, we had to learn how to cook. You don't find good cooks no more. We took care of them of kids. And I don't mean just they just saying hi. We had to see at them. See that they get food and everything. You know what I mean? Sometimes they'd leave the kids home, and they don't even know where it was. Just last week I was over on that other street. I saw this little boy come out. I said, "You better go get him!"

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<v Marva Williams Jones>"I don't know who he is." I said, "Well, whether you don't know who it is, please get him out the road!" He done walked out from the house, and whoever raising him was in that TV with the story.

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<v Tunga White>Uh-huh. Didn't even he was gone.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And we had one of them wind-up record players y'all heard about. We had one of them. And a radio.

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<v Tunga White>Who did y'all listen to on the radio and your records? On your record player?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I can't think of all of them. Doris Day and all of that. Most of the time, when listen to that radio, we would listen to Joe Louis. That boxer. Oh, yeah.

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<v Tunga White>Did the other families that you knew have radios?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>That's all they had. Like everybody got TVs now, they had them radios and them wind-ups. Some of them had them and then some of them didn't.

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<v Tunga White>Sometimes when Joe Louis was boxing, would other people come over to listen to it?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah. And watch it. Uh-huh. Yeah. And it was a long time before we had a icebox. We would dig a hole and put that ice down in that hole. And it kept! Then eventually we got able to get a icebox. We had a icebox.

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<v Tunga White>Would you dig a hole in your back yard?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh! Big enough for that block. It was block ice. And the ice truck would run every other day. And I would say, we done got onto a little—what we'd have, inside we had to keep stuff down under there, too. And then eventually got the icebox to put the ice up top.

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<v Tunga White>Do you remember how old you were when y'all got your first icebox?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Not exactly.

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<v Tunga White>Were you a young girl or a teenager?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-uh, no; not a teenager. Smaller. Yeah. And back in then, we had smoothing irons.

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<v Tunga White>What's a smoothing iron?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Can I move?

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<v Tunga White>Uh-huh (affirmative)

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<v Marva Williams Jones>To keep it nice and hot, we had to have a coal bucket.

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<v Tunga White>Oh, this is a smoothing iron. Looks like a regular iron.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>You need to put them to your fireplace, or you could put them on a coal bucket. And honey, we had them dresses, them skirts standing out. Woo!

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<v Tunga White>You need to heat this up. How you say you heat this up?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, if you got the fireplace, you'd put them next to the fireplace and let them get hot. And then a lot of them had the coal bucket. You'd get your coals and then when they get red hot, put the iron on it. And it's amazing!

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<v Tunga White>Wasn't the coal dirty?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>We had someone clean it off.

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<v Speaker 3>Clean it off.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And go on with that iron. And I mean, they could iron!

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<v Tunga White>Could you iron better with this? Or one of the irons we have nowadays?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, I ironed real good with that.

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<v Tunga White>It's so heavy! I bet you had some strong arms.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah, we had to do it. And that rub board. I don't have a rub board to show you. Rub on the clothes.

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<v Tunga White>Oh yeah. I seen one of those. Where you wash it on.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah, that's what we had to wash on.

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<v Tunga White>You had to wash, too.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And my momma made soap out of old meat skins and all of that. Old grease and tallow and stuff.

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<v Tunga White>Did you ever watch her make it? Or did you help her make it?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-uh. I just watched her.

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<v Tunga White>Tell me how.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, they'd boil it in the pot. You know them wash pots? And they'd mix different stuff into it. I got a piece in there. You want me to go get it?

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<v Tunga White>Let me just take this off. [indistinct 00:28:02] I think I've seen that. Did it make a lot of suds and stuff?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Suds. Uh-huh.

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<v Tunga White>Really?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah. And lye soap. [indistinct 00:28:24] Ooh! That was [indistinct 00:28:28].

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<v Tunga White>Really?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yep. Sure did. Yeah. [indistinct 00:28:30] then I thought, Oh, I'll just hang it up.

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<v Tunga White>Who made this?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>This was something that my husband's daddy had made.

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<v Tunga White>Oh. And why is this black like this?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>It might be a piece of meat. That's what I said, because it was made with that. Because at the time, as we washed, we used to come in 'til somebody—Just like when they made sausage, sometimes we would come in to the bone like.

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<v Tunga White>Okay. All right, I've heard lots of [indistinct 00:29:27].

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And sausage.

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<v Tunga White>So what other kinds of things did you make for each other?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>My momma did a lot of quilting. And I made one when I was in school.

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<v Tunga White>Really?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Back in '54.

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<v Tunga White>Do you have any of the quilts that you made?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Huh-uh. I didn't make but one. Believe me.

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<v Tunga White>Did it take a long time for you to make that?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, we had help with it. During class, we'd get a little help to make it.

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<v Tunga White>Everyone has to make it?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh.

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<v Tunga White>You had a Home Economics class or something?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Right.

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<v Tunga White>Oh.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I made one quilt. And I made one, maybe two there. Someone was not very—

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<v Tunga White>So did they teach cooking, too, in that class?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh.

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<v Tunga White>What did y'all have to cook?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Cakes and different things. Sometimes one class would fix a breakfast, one class would fix a dinner.

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<v Tunga White>Did everybody have to eat and serve the food?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Um-hmm. And that cake, I don't know what happened to the cake. At that time, I said we put too much of something because it didn't do right.

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<v Tunga White>Did it come out right [indistinct 00:31:12]? So what school was this?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Oak Hill High. Right over here, right back up in here, where there was apartments. You probably seen them as you drove through that way. That's Oak Hill High. Back there.

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<v Tunga White>That was the high school?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Um-hmm. Right here.

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<v Tunga White>What was the name of the school when you went to school at [indistinct 00:31:12]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I can't remember whether Funston Elementary or what [indistinct 00:31:12].

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<v Tunga White>How far up did that school go? Up to what grade?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Back in then, I think they went to the ninth or something like that.

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<v Tunga White>When you actually got out of that ninth grade [indistinct 00:32:13]? eighth grade or ninth grade?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, we moved up here. We moved in '45 when moved on up here. I finished up over here at Oak Hill High.

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<v Tunga White>What year did you graduate?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>It was '54 I think. Yeah, I think it was '54.

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<v Tunga White>Do you remember the graduation?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Um-hmm. From every grade. We had a program. We had gowns. We didn't get no ring. And it wasn't but about 10. Our class wasn't big. Of course, the class wasn't big when we graduated from high school. It was about 20 then, when we graduated.

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<v Tunga White>Did anybody come to speak at your graduation? Somebody from the city? The town?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No, just the people. Teachers and things. I know what you're talking about; like, somebody comes to speak. Back in then we had basketball. Not too much football. But it was basketball. That's all we was into. Basketball. I played a couple of times. And then the teacher, he whipped us about then, so I got out there. I got out the [indistinct 00:34:14]. And where they played ball, they used to call it Slab City because it had a bunch of slabs around there. We just had slabs all around. So you couldn't come in. You had to come in the right way. You couldn't see the game.

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<v Tunga White>So this was at the high school you were at?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh. This Oak Hill.

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<v Tunga White>This is outside?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>Did y'all go to other places and play ball?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:34:20].

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<v Marva Williams Jones>They went to—I think they played Albany. You know, at different places. Tifton and all that. [indistinct 00:34:20] I forgot it.

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<v Tunga White>You didn't want to go to any of the games?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I went to the games that was here. But what I mean, I wasn't going to all that.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:34:47]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>In the car. Wasn't no buses back then.

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<v Tunga White>Did a lot of people—

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Cars. Some. A lot of them just go with each other. Different ones. Some of them had cars and some of them didn't. Yeah.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>In Home Ec, they did a whole lot of sewing, cooking. And the Ag boys, they did a lot of farming. They had hogs, and they would get prizes off of them. And who had the nicest garden and things like that.

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<v Tunga White>What other classes do you remember taking?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>We had Reading and Math. And we had a teacher named Kirkendall. I remember Miss Kirkendall from Tennessee, too.

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<v Tunga White>What did she teach you?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Huh? She'd teach Math. And the Home Ec teacher, I know she was from Tennessee. Miss Calhoun. And that Ag teacher was A.G. Sattler. Mr. Sattler. He got to retire now, been so long.

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<v Tunga White>Did any of the boys take Home Ec, or any of the girls take Agriculture?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No. They was all pretty easy classes, though.

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<v Tunga White>What was your favorite class?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I liked the Home Ec.

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<v Tunga White>What was the class you hated the most?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, I didn't really hate none of them too bad. But I'll tell you the most—I didn't really hate nothing, but I didn't really like taking tests.

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<v Tunga White>No, I didn't like it either.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I didn't like that test. And we did a whole lot of slipping out the window, because we had a teacher, Miss Cobb. We'd slip out. One would be talking to her, and the other one slipped on out.

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<v Tunga White>Where were y'all going?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>To the bathroom.

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<v Tunga White>You were just getting out of there?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>[indistinct 00:38:30]. Uh-huh. Yep, she didn't.

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<v Tunga White>You didn't ever get caught, did you?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>No. And then at graduating time, we was graduating from churches. We'd go to different churches. Jones Chapel, Brooks Chapel.

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<v Tunga White>How [indistinct 00:39:06]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I don't think they had any. I think they had to stop off and work. I don't think they finished nothing. I can remember my daddy, he couldn't do no reading or whatever. But my momma could read some. Mostly back in then, them boys, they'd pull them out.

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<v Tunga White>When you were younger, how many months did you have to go to school a year? Did you [indistinct 00:39:27] or was it shorter?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I think back then, I believe it was shorter. But the old ones like that, they'd come up to the eleventh. And then eventually they'd hit twelve.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:40:05]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I think they started in September. It wasn't all of us though then. Because a lot of kids didn't come in at that time because they didn't have clothes. They hadn't got their clothes. So we had to get out there and work and try to get up our clothes. So it would be in the middle of September or the last of September. And I think we always did get out in May. It wasn't June. We only went in May.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:40:34]?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Anywhere. Uh-huh. [indistinct 00:40:34] Hall. Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>Was that a Black family or a White family?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>White. [indistinct 00:41:28].

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<v Tunga White>How did you get that job?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>How did I get it?

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<v Tunga White>Um-hmm.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>I don't know, by some friends or something. You know how people talk so I worked. And it was another friend of mine, they were working. And back in then, they'd ask, "You know anybody who'd want to work?" So I did. And then, when I get out of school, I worked $8.00 a week. Can you believe it?

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<v Tunga White>$8.00 a week!

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah, and my kids laughed at me when I told them that. "Mom!" I said, that's why I say you better get an education. Yes sir. $8.00. And then they moved—If you were getting $15.00, oh man, that's top pay! Big! $15.00. Went to $15.00.

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<v Tunga White>And what were you doing there?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Housework. Doing it all. Washing, cooking, and ironing, and all of that.

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<v Tunga White>You were?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Go at about 8:00 and come back about 6:00. 5:00 or 6:00. All day long. And plus, we're taking care of kids, too! They would have to have their dinner done. Washing. Ironing.

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<v Tunga White>That sounds like a hard job!

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<v Marva Williams Jones>That was for that little amount of money. And they just laugh when I told them. I sure did.

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<v Tunga White>But you were doing that in the summertime, or in the winters?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah, but it was mostly anytime they wanted to go out, I'd babysit. 50 cents. And then sometimes, they might give me another 50 cents and give me a dollar. I'd stay there sometimes it'd be 1:00, 2:00 [indistinct 00:43:07].

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<v Tunga White>And when you were through, would they take you home?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Yeah. They come get me, and then they would take me home. But then, like when I was doing this long summer job, I had to walk there. And that was over there by where that—y'all might have heard about it—a gym got burned the other day. Y'all hearing anything of that?

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:43:47].

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Well, anyway, well gym, here in Sylvester, and I had to walk from right where I'm living now way across town. Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>Was a lot of girls your age doing the same kind of thing?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh. Yeah.

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<v Tunga White>You had your [indistinct 00:44:14]. You had to do their laundry, and all of that?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Um-hmm. And [indistinct 00:44:21], too.

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<v Tunga White>So you told me the children were being bad. Did you have permission to discipline them?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Um-hmm. And I did just that. I can remember one of the boys went in there and got his mother's lipstick. And come back and come up to me and said, "I'm a Indian." I said yes sir. And this Indian is going to get him. I whipped him and put him in the tub and scrubbed him. He had lipstick all over himself! Playing Indian. And [indistinct 00:45:00] like a Indian. Yeah, back in then, them nannies and things would beat those kids. Keep them safe. You know, they didn't bruise them up. But they'd spank them and discipline and everything. And the parents, they didn't—you know, huh-uh.

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<v Marva Williams Jones>And then I got a job at the hotel washing dishes. Pay was only—wasn't too much more.

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<v Tunga White>[indistinct 00:45:38].

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Uh-huh. But most of all my friends, they didn't mind working. We worked because then, that 50 cents, that $8.00 and $15.00, that was good. Some of them didn't get but $12.00.

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<v Tunga White>At that time, was it just you and your mom and daddy in the same house? And the rest was gone? Who lived there?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Then my parents was gone then. It was just me. Me and my sister lived together for a while.

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<v Tunga White>And you were about how old?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Oh, I was about 20, 21. Somewhere along in that age.

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<v Tunga White>How much older was your sister than you?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>She was, I think, two years.

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<v Tunga White>What was she doing?

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<v Marva Williams Jones>Working, too. Yep, she was working. And she worked at a factory.