Jean Crawley and Barbara Pann

Recorded October 30, 2010 Archived October 30, 2010 40:04 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id: ATL000547

Description

Jean Crawley, 75, tells her daughter, Barbara Pann, 49, about growing up and working in Cynthiana, Kentucky, losing her first husband, and being a single mother.

Subject Log / Time Code

Jean talks about her childhood and school years.
Jean talks about working for the Jockey sewing factory in Cynthiana for nine years.
Jean talks about leaving the factory and Cynthiana to go to Fort Smith, Arkansas during the Berlin Crisis, which was also around the time of the civil rights movement in the US. She remembers WW2.
Jean talks about being a single mom in the 1970s.
Jean talks about meeting and dating Barbara’s father.
Jean talks about her mother, who was the first woman in her community to drive a car in the 1930s. She taught at a one-room schoolhouse in Turkeyfoot, KY.
Jean says what she would like to tell her four grandchildren, and talks about learning by making mistakes. She remembers making financial mistakes because after WW2, she expected to get bombed any minute.
Jean talks about time she spent with her good friends Emma and Agnes.
Jean remembers the birth of Barbara.
Jean talks about the differences between Barbara and John, her two children.
Jean talks about Barbara’s father’s death. He was killed at the sewing factory.
Jean talks about people she cared for as a nurse.

Participants

  • Jean Crawley
  • Barbara Pann

Venue / Recording Kit


Transcript

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00:05 I'm Barbara paying I'm 49 years old. Today is October 30th 2010. We're in Atlanta and I'm talking with my mom.

00:19 My name is Jane Crawley. I'm 75 today is October 30th and 2010 and let the Lana and I'm talking to my daughter.

00:32 Okay.

00:37 Wellman, what are some of your earliest memories are you telling me this morning you like me to talk about the Daniel Boone family which was toys it was made out of wood and I don't know why it was called the Daniel Boone Family Blood, but it was and I think it was they were made from my ash tree because that way that's a little both limbs came the same way in my little arms on the people and they cut them off and they were about four inches long.

01:08 What were the dolls that you had what were their names that bone found mother was Rebecca and Daniel and Grandpa.

01:17 Hand brother bones that I remember about Squire is Squire Boone.

01:27 You told me that you used to get something special on your birthday when you were growing up.

01:33 Jell-O Jell-O because we did not have refrigeration and my birthday is in January. So I got Jello for my birthday.

01:45 Without fruit and I still like Jell-O without first, okay.

01:54 Can you tell me about what school was like I went to school in a small school. That's had probably 18 people at the class A little I mean, it was read sklias of 12 classes.

02:10 I wasn't a one-room schoolhouse or anytime it was about a teenage class and everybody knew everybody else and it was a little farming community school. So I wish we was pretty close to each other and then when I started High School, I started to a bigger High School which had five schools combined and that was kind of we were the first class of went to the big Consolidated School and the first class that graduated after going to school for four years there.

02:50 How do you think I schools different now than it was then I have no idea since my grandchildren all live out of state. I don't have a lot of contact for the children anymore. So I don't know what goes on in high school anymore what you do right after high school. I like to work at selling factory work for a jockey company.

03:16 What did you do past size sold?

03:20 I am

03:22 Actually him flies.

03:26 I was talking to you last night about making quota has never realize that you ever thought anything about it. But you said that you remember I said I had to make quote and he thought I was sewing something cuz you didn't like it was the quote. It was something I was making a production quota. What was it like working for the sewing Factory? Well, you saw it all day long and I can't so now and I think I saved and sewing Factory for about 9 years and he and my somebody said I can't believe you so every day and you don't have you can so you can sell your dresses or anything you need just now you can sell bracelets solid let you do it the sewing Factory.

04:20 You so did home a few times. You remember what you made a major address of use and I didn't like it, but you liked it a lot these that I hid it from you all the time beside sometimes I find it love it already placed just so I couldn't work.

04:44 How did they treat the folks in a sewing Factory we were talking about sometimes you shared a car with my dad.

04:54 Well and which at the time if I needed you to work overtime, they wouldn't tell you he was not allowed to use the telephone and so they would come and ask you to work and I are over time and I was supposed to pick your dad up at right after I got off work. And if I had to work that are overtime, then he had to sit under a tree and wait for it to show up as not at fault. As yours are gone by thought that was really silly. They could have at least called him and told him I was expected. It wasn't a large Factor. It was a small Factory. So would have been a problem to pick up the phone and call and say

05:36 Hour, and I'm not going to be able to pick you up. I can get a ride home with somebody else. Did you tell me you couldn't listen to the radio now, they had an overhead system of the radio. But over the sounds of the sewing machines. You couldn't hear it. So sometimes we say what is that song was different way.

06:02 When did you leave the sewing Factory? Where are the first time I left the sound Factory was when you was born and then I went back and looked at the cell. In fact know I went with your dad to Fort Smith Arkansas when the division was called up during the Berlin crisis, which was also about the size of the civil rights movement in Arkansas, and I've always kind of wondered if it didn't have more to do with that than it did with Berlin crisis cuz we went to Fort Smith if I have had was special day for traffic.

06:43 You were talking about Berlin. What do you remember about the Second World War?

06:54 I remember I wasn't for I can remember when it started that it about when I talk about Japan bombing Pearl Harbor and but I was about first or second grade. So I just listened to him and then everybody that had a relative in Ford. I am service at the time had a star if I had more than one child and service. So I put two or three stars or three stars or whatever. They had also had rights than books. That was a I know you had to have coffee and sugar and tires and you had to have your little ration book to get it in those funds.

07:41 You told me about looking up at planes flies fly or very low at the time but I was afraid because World War I was very frightened and follow. Somebody told me when I fix an American plane is going to Star on the wiring and red plaid slow flow low enough in those days that you could look up and see the stars are legion. We was okay with same size as usual, but they fly that low because of you.

08:21 When you left, can you tell me about the last time you left the sound Factory and I left the selling Factor the last time I went well, I really called me after I got back from Fort Smith and I asked me if I would come back to the sewing Factory. And so I went back and tell your brother John was born and

08:45 So well

08:47 They called me one day and told me that they was going to lay me off because I need to like somebody else and that's inside. My husband had a good job and that I had decided it would be a 8 and that I wasn't laying me off because I was pregnant I was lying my ass because my husband had a good job, which wouldn't be allowed today either. I don't side.

09:21 New home, I'd say I got an RC. Yes.

09:27 After your dad passed away. I started it darcis trading and I drove from Cynthiana to Lexington which was 30 miles each way till after I graduate nurses tried it and then I went to work the hospital and said they had a stay there for 27 years. How was it being a single mom? What was it? What was it like to be a single mom in the nineteen-seventies Wellwood. We bought our house. I was really glad we had I had a house because in the 1960s a woman couldn't get a house by herself even even when we got I didn't have them under certain degree and even when we got to loan it had to be yeah, if you was a child baggage so I could catch her income on your loan to get it done once your husband.

10:27 We weren't allowed to catch her out because a few of childbearing age Ulysses. Have a good rest on what special obstacles did you have because you were single mom then.

10:42 I think I did very well, but I already had a house. So I guess other than trying to be both mother and father. That was the biggest slide.

11:00 So, how was how was it nursing when you started nursing? Is there anything special memories you have when you wouldn't when you were working at the hospital?

11:12 Sure, but

11:19 I wrote a song about an old lady that was about probably by age that but she came in and filled in for other people and she wrote solves it sometime. You should have read her songs. Who's that? Her name was Miss Harrington.

11:37 So she came into work?

11:41 But she was barely able to work because

11:45 She was at her age, but everybody help. Everybody loved her. How did you meet my dad?

11:56 I made it through your uncle that's already to your uncle.

12:04 So that was a blonde that really aren't you go the movie Spaceballs. Did they want to go to downtown movie? We'd have to go to the drive-in. So he was able to smoke at the drive-in. So that's the biggest part of the places. We what was the drive-in

12:31 Do you remember the movie?

12:35 Do I remember the Blue Vase bottle is Tyler's butterface?

12:41 I know.

12:45 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and movies like that

12:52 Did you double date?

12:54 Yes, my room might Lewis and her future husband used to double-dyed sometimes.

13:08 Alright, so

13:12 What's the happiest time of your life?

13:16 Probably the happiest time of my life. I used to say and I still feel kind of guilty about it that you was in school and I didn't have much time to my surfaces and though I used to rush home and we went downtown rush home because it was Captain kangaroo's I've kept the skipper was Saul Skipper Rob and he say it's a lap time at 1 so I rushed home and my son wouldn't go to sleep till he heard the skipper Ryle size laptop. And if he didn't say that time, I couldn't leave the map said Rush albums have been here Skipper Skipper off a laptop and then I went on for with my flowers and I like I enjoyed that as much as any time.

14:08 What about something that you're very proud of?

14:13 Am I getting you and John rice?

14:23 How about a childhood Christmas memory?

14:27 Well, I Christmas was always out on New Year's Day Evan Christmas Eve before we had it after supper on Christmas eve Santa Claus would come and one time I and you had to go through another room from the kitchen to where the Christmas tree was that I heard some noise and I ran in there and it shared with knocked over to our sure sight eye Claus have knocked it over on the way to the Chevrolet to get out and I still don't know how the chair got knocked over cuz of what the way to get out except the door that I came through. So I don't know whether it was a setup or what I give it was.

15:09 Starbucks test Santa Claus, what did you get doll? She's got dolls.

15:19 LOL dolls, and little lady

15:25 Remember any other Christmas gifts?

15:28 I had why you never had a tricycle and they was always afraid to let me ride a bicycle or tricycle cuz I might get hurt and then your dad always said I had a Fire tablet about a drop cuz I do wasn't smart enough to ride a bicycle. How can I drive a car?

15:52 You told me recently about some stuff you got for Christmas when you are in high school.

15:58 You're what? Oh that was jacket, but I haven't grade and 7th grade. Everybody had a corduroy jacket and they had a watch and I got corduroy jacket and watch both and I felt that it was really great that I got some I really wanted for Christmas.

16:19 How about a Christmas after you got married that we remember?

16:25 My guess a lot of the Christmas before your dad passed away. Cuz I've gone back to Saint for that was another time that your cousin I was out hanging out clothes. We had caught us outside hunting clothes on a clothesline and she came by and said they was having a new sewing Factory open to say I worked at the last three differences are three different times and sound Factory and I was opening a new one and she said will you go with me to put my application in she said I really need this job. And so I put my clothes away and we both sign up for it. I got the job, but she didn't and I always felt kind of guilty about that but later she did get the job which cousin was at Pat.

17:19 How would you describe your mother?

17:23 My mother was like all other mothers, I guess she had a hard time a lot of the times but down then she's going to look back and find about I wish I did more understood more about her and sometimes when I'm someplace like Atlanta or someplace, I think she's what would she says she Evan shave really like to go places and do signs and she used to tell me that you wanted to go to mine sometime in her lifetime. And she said if you don't take me to mine, I'm going to haunt you had so have told that to several people that say that she hurt you and I and I suggest she does because every time somebody mentions mine always sucks. I didn't take my mother to mine. So when am I she's a solid me because I didn't take her to rain.

18:23 So she was one of the first women that could drive she drove should have worked in Middletown, Ohio and which was probably at least a hundred miles from her hometown, except where we live in northern, Kentucky and she said that she had it was probably the 19 and 30s or 29 or 30s and she is talking about driving home. And what a good driver. She was Kyle Stephens. I'll sec how far it and the distance was for that. She said some balance out in the middle of the road picking cherries and he bragged out because she didn't run over him because he was out in the middle of the road they can cherries and so she was really good drivers for the Busta. Been very many cars on the road. Did she have her own car?

19:13 Yes.

19:15 How that happened? I don't know she work for p lorillard Middletown Ohio, which is old gold cigarettes. So I think she had a pretty good job and one room Schoolhouse. I said, she said she went with her brother to Middletown and got this job and I paid her like several times more than she was making the teacher.

19:39 $5 * she could teach you went to something call after you got out of that's great. You could go do something call normal and I had one at wellmore Kentucky to Richmond, Kentucky. And I don't know whether she had to go more than once or not. Cuz she went to both of them at some time or other but said she could teach you to know I school education has its normal certificate to teach. How long did she teach and where did she teach she taught a turkey foot, Kentucky, but I don't know how long she told.

20:21 You have four grandchildren. Now, if you were going to give them some advice, what would you tell him?

20:30 I'll tell them the same thing. I did you you almost have to make up your own mind and and I think that you need to act good and treat people boiling and not be demanding and

20:49 And you can expect people to treat you the why even let the small Chiller expect her people to treat a bride.

21:06 What lessons have you learned in your life?

21:11 I find thirsty. I don't think there's a lesson to be learned. You just learn by making mistakes.

21:20 Mistakes, have you made good?

21:27 Well, I feel like I was taking better for that show. I like my problem my biggest mistakes mistakes and I think with you and John R. I sent you that my biggest Consulting life was getting you all rice and I didn't think much about what my future was going to be are my plans for the future for any of that. I was more interested in saying you'd and John got

21:58 Your education and got was able to I think I really

22:04 Stop Stood Beside sabori was really important and I want to judge on the be self-supporting together. I think I spent more time worrying about you that I ever thought about myself.

22:18 Well, I used to tell your aunt Marjorie I said so well, I thought they blow us up because when I got out of high school was right after World War, I just discovered atom bomb and we were all afraid of it and we always thought and I had to teach you the high school history teacher. She said it's going to happen. It's going to happen. This was. She said this is going to happen. She said every time I see a bunch of them on the news on the television. Cycle has happened. It's happened. So kind of suicide for past 50 years. And so I was telling my such a long one time. I said, I never planned because I didn't think we'd be around that long and she said don't give up. Hope Library still happen. So I don't know what's up. I'm sure with the wife. I saw her today and the Wi-Fi's last couple of days that he was in bed like inside.

23:18 I'm sure you have people have lived with that. If I live with it for fifty years. I'm sure the older we get the children of more afraid of that kind of stuff and we were

23:42 How would you like to be remembered?

23:45 I'd like to be loved and still remember.

23:50 I feel like sometimes I can remember one time what you said about my happy memories your little daughter Jenny used to come up with you come to my house and she just text us forever to get here, but it don't take no time to get home and she be so glad but she's got a grown out of that now.

24:17 So how do you want to be remembered? I love to.

24:22 Remember, there's a good person somebody that might have differences your life anyway.

24:30 There's been a whole lot of people in our life. I guess let me change that.

24:40 What are some of the things that you think moments that changed your life the most?

24:47 I'll probably when your dad died was a bit probably the vaguest moment in my life. But you said your dad had I'm not our 10 people in his family including Cam and even now and they raised from

25:07 How about 8 as their ages would be like from 85 to 65 and it's hard to believe now. There's only three left out of the 10 people.

25:20 I have no

25:22 As older you get the more people you lose. I've lost a lot of free unless I've lost a lot of co-workers a lot of people I depended on

25:36 Doctors lawyers all these people at one time. I just picked up the phone and called and they're no longer around.

25:45 Can you tell me some of the people like that you some of your friends maybe that you that you've known a long time and they might have already died. But like for example, how did you get to know Emma?

26:01 Emma was she was younger that I wasn't she was in school over at Midway, Kentucky.

26:08 I am not a she and she wasn't working but her sister was working the side of bed Tucson Factory and I had my driver's license, but I didn't trust myself and your dad was in the Army. And so I asked her sister I said do you think if I came by and got in my new shoes spend the summer with her sister? And I said if I came out and got her to you think she's right around was because she had driver's license and she was younger than I was and she said Oh, I thought you'd be and so that's what I did what had to go out and get her Ever After don't we just drive around and I'll get used to driving and so we just got to be friends. What are some of your best memories with Emma?

26:57 Strawberry pie Jerry's we have whenever we going Force Lexington is about 30 miles from Cynthiana and we would go Christmas shopping. Atalax. We'd always say what I said, there was a jury's likes each other with said we got to stop and get strawberry pie but strawberry Pines season, but they said they had it all year around in that was our best strawberry pie.

27:30 How to meet Agnes

27:32 Magnus I had known from high school she was behind the baby, but she was in the life of Pride when I graduated but said she moved next door to me after when I lived on the street where you was born on Main Street and said they had and she moved and she both next door to me.

27:55 What do you remember about hanging out with Agnes? She was a telephone operator back in the days when you could all and I have several telephone operators are the knights that say 18 or 20, but it's alright one operator couldn't take care of the whole place and I go up and sit with her sometimes while she ran the telephone. It was very few calls. She worked 11 to 7, and it was very few calls made from 11 to 7.

28:29 And then lighter call near the factory came to town and they had a whole little section that was just for called years. I have to telephone company and I only called it was a height of 5 job or something like that. Anyway daytime job, so it was closed down when she was there, but during the day and now has got their own telephone the telephone calls.

29:06 Did she have any Adventures working at the telephone company where you had to go upstairs over the bike? So sometimes people wandering in off the street, which I guess you'd probably call homeless people now, but just love sometimes I like come up there, but I don't think there was ever any day Irish are never felt but she was up there by herself.

29:35 What can you remember about when I was born and how he named me and what happened before? I was born and all that stuff. Well, I went with your your item are created Georgetown that died and we came back and and I like I found about 25 four-leaf clovers at her yard that day and then you was born about 12 and she said somebody called and said they used to have it on the news and for said to stop all that but I used to have it all news who had babies. So who was in the hospital at all. And somebody called her and told her?

30:18 My sister-in-law called and said that you was born and she saw she couldn't she just left here a few hours ago and he was born in the morning and that we say I left side in the hospital for 5 days and my mother thought that you should say the hospital for dying days cuz I came home from the hospital and what's the time to get some medicine and my mother thought that was awful and I was getting that money was only 5 days old.

30:54 How to get my name

30:57 Your dad asked was David on me as I was thinking about the time. You said that her Barber Joe and so

31:09 Your dad went to the bike and it came back and said her name is Barbara Jo because somebody at the back asking me what her name was and I said Barbara Jo and I haven't quite made up my mind, which was and where did you come up with the name Barbara?

31:27 My just like it maybe from my best friend was Barbara Byers. I might have named you Barber by Sir. Even realize that you told me the other day that the Myers had a big influence on you.

31:44 Well, there were just really good people and I think that whoever has the most influence and who you're around the most and so she moved in my friend melted in 8th grade moved away. And like I said to that's great. I want to the small school and then we went to high school and Barbara still stated. My best friend is fate all through high school, and she and they were Catholics and they were really just really good around good people and I think that they had a whole lot of influence on me.

32:27 What do you remember about my brother being born?

32:34 Well

32:37 Love your dad came home from work. And I was pretty sure I was getting ready to go to the hospital and he have your dad said do you get your coat off about I trusted I said No, not tonight. You hold your go to the hospital. And so we went to the hospital and I was our 45 minutes before he was bored and people that have been you was born at 7:45 in the morning. He was born at 7:45 at night and people who discovered Vista bars at 7:00 couldn't believe what they care about that. I'd already had the baby was back in my room.

33:25 Do you have anything that you've never told me that you like to tell me now? I figured.

33:36 Memories do you have

33:39 That you would like me to remember.

33:44 But I'd like you to remember.

33:47 I don't know. I was hope you heard members some good memories about John will always remember the bad sides and blames you for most stuff that you always was kind of like your daughter Jenny you wanted to be away from home as much as possible and Josh didn't and John servation game Etihad check your daddy's old duffle bag, and it was really heavy and we live like a half a mile from the school and they said

34:24 He was gone. That's a block away. I would have to be with your son all that mess won't be in for a long time. Let's go to town but I just couldn't wait to get home cuz I know Jen Barbara would be so happy to see me and he said he got hold of nobody was there had to care that big ol duffle bag all the way on slow. Hey, yeah, he tells me all the bad things. He remembers and always was

35:02 What about something you were happy about?

35:09 I don't know unless I'm really as happy. I'm happy most of the time.

35:19 Sometimes just a nice surprise. I used to tell you that sometimes when you all came home with a happy timer.

35:30 I'm not always look forward to you coming home because you don't come home for a bunch of anymore.

35:43 Your husband.

35:45 You want me to do that? He was scales and your dad was killed.

35:55 That I was working so hard factory. Like I said, we was never allowed to make telephone calls, so

36:03 The light of came and told me I was wanted on the telephone when I like I said, she didn't know that was a something bad. So anyway, they said the person I said Joe's been hurt, but they wanted me to come to the hospital. So somebody from the selling Factory cuz that particular day with somebody so long and I had the car and so I went to the hospital as I told me he'd been killed and and so I lost it and started screaming for chatting site without ever do but I did and people still tell them they could hear me screaming in the hospital and landline our preacher happen to be near the hospital and he came and got me and took me to the doctor's office.

36:57 And my doctor talk tablet. He said you need to go home and tell the truth and you don't need somebody else to tell him and he said from this style. You've got to start driving back about the kids and not think about yourself and so pretty much that's what I've done.

37:19 What about how you met Ed and your life together with him?

37:26 Well your cousin Margaret and his daughter was good friends as I thought that would be great for us to get together. And so he was getting ready to the hospital and I went in a serving I said, are you Miss Whitlock? And I said, yes, and so before he would help me ask me to go out with him. And so I went out with women. So two years later, I guess we got bad.

37:56 And so he always will go back his cake and play cuz otherwise we got us together.

38:04 Anything else you want to tell me this is the big one. This goes to the Library of Congress wisdom.

38:13 But you want to tell your grandchildren?

38:16 Well, there was two sides of happened. Then I guess I can say in my nursing career and one of them was an old man when it was more than he died. And he said that he was very upset with him by himself that his daughter-in-law with his son about his daughter-in-law to his house. He's throwing a fit and said she was good enough for him. And he said if I could go back in time and take those words back I take him back. So i v y Word of Wisdom wouldn't be very careful what you said what you do some writing my learn to regret it because it's always thought it was the last time something like that have all the size of 27 years.

39:06 The two things stick out and that's the one he told me. He said if I could go back in time and take those words back. He said she said the most wonderful daughter Lodge. She's treated me so good and he should I just give anything to go back in time and take those words back and the other one was a preacher who everybody said was a wonderful preacher and everybody loved him and he said I said, I was right what I said, I pray always said you had to live and fight and he said I was right, you know Mama fairy was how do I know you? All right. If you don't know you were right Sheila cell. I don't know why those two thugs stick out in my mind as bad but to probably be most important.

39:55 I think our time is up. Thank you for talking to me. Thank you.