Dorothy Jean Gantt and Jonathan Andrew Gantt Gach

00:04 Good morning. My name is Jonathan Andrew doc 22 years old is April 19th, 2009 a Nashville and I'm grandson to my partner this morning.

00:17 My name is Dorothy Morgan Gant. I was born January 10th 1919.

00:27 Now I live in Nashville and I'm the grandfather. I mean grandmother of Jonathan.

00:36 So, how old are you and where were you born?

00:51 Why were you born in Florida?

00:55 Well, my mother was down there visiting her.

00:59 Cousin Warner Webster and her

01:04 Husband George Webster and I was born there also her my mother's aunt was down there. Who is the sister of her Father, which is my grandfather.

01:20 And

01:24 I stay down there for about 2 or 3 years.

01:29 Away from your mother and I remember her being down there with me. What are your earliest memories?

01:40 In Florida

01:44 Was Freddy was when they would give me.

01:48 Money to go get an ice cream cone after drugstore.

01:54 And I'd walk back and I

01:57 Eat that is green, but I push it down as far as every time it and so I still have an ice cream cone when it got down to the bottom still be then I remember there was a baby in the crib down there.

02:12 Your name was Kathleen. I learned later.

02:15 And I

02:18 She was a nurse. She had a bottle and the bottle in those times for some.

02:27 When she got three she throw it out a break.

02:34 So you are how old were you when you first came to Asheville? I'm going to have to guess I evidently I was 4 years old and became into Biltmore station and I am

02:50 White Sox are and I just had to show him to her cuz when I got on the yes, she had a Ford but on the train coming up.

03:09 They had they had my suitcase that had the lid inside line with chocolate soldiers all the way across and then I wanted to show her my socks when I got in Andrews.

03:27 The daughter of the people that I lived with brought me up here and she was about 14 or 15 years old. She had long blonde curly hair curls.

03:38 And I thought my mother and I showed my mother my socks and she just said her and I thought she was going to put me in the front seat cuz I felt coming special but she didn't put me in the backseat put Andrews up in the front.

03:55 And

03:58 Did you ever meet your dad I never did and never knew my father.

04:08 What are your earliest memories in Asheville? And where did you live?

04:17 We lived on Spruce Street the 1st Street where the sun?

04:23 Off of my run Avenue, but I remember on Spruce Street. We lived above a block above where Thomas Wolfe left and I went to Orange Street School from there. And I remember coming back home Monday 1 afternoon, and I had to go to the bathroom.

04:42 And I couldn't wait to get home. So I'll sit down on the steps in front of Thomas first house and I went all of the steps and he was sitting on the porch in a rocking chair everyday. I hate I don't think he could see the steps because the steps started the sidewalk and then then there's other steps that goes up to the porch. So I didn't say that, but I know they used to live on Woodfin.

05:10 How old were you?

05:13 When they lived on Warfarin, I was born then know when you have two steps. I'm going to guess about six or seven years old. I guess things that you do downtown as a kid.

05:31 Well

05:33 I did at that time. I wasn't going down town, of course, you know, but I was going to say that I'm looking Street. They didn't get to live on Wilson and Julia Thomas Wilson mother. My mother were friends and my mother lived on Vance Street Reservoir and give a call my mother to come my stay with her cuz mr. Wolf was coming home drunk and she used to do that quite often and then from Spruce Street Spruce Street then across from my house was the First Baptist Church still open.

06:19 And I went to Sunday school today and they would sing right in the corner. That's the him right in the corner. But anyway, we moved to Walnut Street whenever I'd say nine, maybe ten years old.

06:38 And that was a 30 room place with 8 bathrooms.

06:50 Are Green Gables house and lot of them, This is Ben. Come and have lunch and this one man came on 4th of July and had this big beautiful box box and you know this candy that looks kind of sugary and pastel colors.

07:22 And little roses on top funeral pressed on top and he was passing around.

07:29 It was a big candy box was passing around and I couldn't wait for him to pass it to me, but he never did and that just broke my heart and come to find out it was sold that was supposed to do that.

07:49 A baby party

07:52 With beer and two hot dogs in it you picture that it sounds like a prankster and then

08:03 Remove tomorrow Street

08:07 And

08:09 The weather in the yard there is so consequently. I was on the streets all the time.

08:20 10 years old and still going to Orange Street School. Can you tell us about how you started going to order Street school? And then I went to our street school and then I was in the third grade at Orange Street school. I went to kindergarten there to first and then the first and second grade and then

08:44 Vietnam a third grade I was walking home after.

08:49 The term is over and all that the way in that time the schools had like 1 a.m. And one be like the first grade would be born a and 1B and 1A was a joke.

09:03 Christmas and then one day was after that but you had to graduate for Monday to get the one being sometimes. I didn't I had to take 1 a.m. And then I was walking home after school if that term was over and I thought you know, there's a school closer to me like on Mumford and I got tired of walking on Street school. So the next year when school started how I change schools I went to Mumford and didn't tell my mother I said I change schools opening told him what was and where I live and they tell me if you're my room was that's great. And I didn't even tell my she didn't even know it I think no, I don't know much found out whether she ever did I guess you did, but I don't remember but going downtown I used to like to

10:02 Going department stores and smell the perfume and make it there.

10:08 Jewelry, all I can stuff. It didn't my sister birthday dinner.

10:14 Millinery shop makes hats ladies hats and that's another thing she is too for Valentine's. She used to give me these big hat boxes that the lot of the hats would come in.

10:33 And I would take him to school for Valentine's Day and I decorate that box with them.

10:39 Crepe paper red crepe paper and I make little Ruffles around and put a slit in the top of the lid. So people could put your Valentine's in and I'd always polish my fingernails. So they look good when I was pushing that paperwork and then there's a street under Wall Street and her Windows. She was sitting at the window.

11:04 Overlook at that job turn around the turnaround is open cuz I went everywhere.

11:13 And I was down there and I looked up and saw her and she wonder what in the world I was doing in there and I didn't tell her I just turned around and walked on back and cross the street. There was a double door. I went indoors that I wouldn't supposed to go and sounds like you kind of went where you wanted to go and I was open this door and it was a long.

11:37 Staircase going up and up the top of the scared staircase was this lady with Nana negligee?

11:50 And

11:52 I know whenever I went to David Miller High School and

11:58 But when I change schools of the Mumford I met a girl named Dorothy.

12:04 And she didn't have a middle name, but I did and every time somebody call Dorothy we both would look so I decided I was going to go by the name Jean my middle name was Jean.

12:17 And so when we went to David Millard

12:23 And I was a boss. She did everything I told her to do she was in she look like Betty Grable. She was so cute. And I told her I'd moved.

12:34 We Livin on that street at that time not till right moving. She didn't believe me. So in order to prove it, I went on a walk down that street and I went into somebody's house such open the door unlocked and dislike. It was mine already. See you again, but I guess you just couldn't believe I can't remember the name start with somebody's house of doors open. I just walked in this like I belong there and she remembers that to this day.

13:22 Thereby have brothers and sisters. I had sex and maybe seven seems like there was another one that was born to run in New Smyrna glass bottle. Who's that follow walls, but my father's name was Hubert Market, but I never did see him and he lived in Canton. What about your younger sisters father or your sisters? My other sister's sister. How long did she live refer? I don't really you send it or not. I've got a picture of her and then

14:17 I am

14:19 My mother's first husband was only husband. She had barely here and she always drove a Ford long time.

14:32 And then she medicine for the agency for about 2 or 3 years until she was 31 with six children and

14:58 And so she must have been a pretty amazing woman to be single and take care of all his children.

15:09 Make my son.

15:12 Went to the rest of days and he figured out that she had at least 16 houses that one time that I know of three or four she had only one time and that's house on Walnut Street.

15:27 Had 30 rooms in it and shredded those out no meals, but just read those out and next door was a girl named Dorothy.

15:37 Johnson and it's that time I name is Dorothy Morrison and Morgan and you've heard of the Memphis Belle.

15:48 Well, she married Robert Morgan and

15:55 Now her name is Dorothy Morgan and just like mine was her name was Arthur Morgan with play together and I saw in the paper. I think about two years ago that her son died and she used to come to see me long time ago. I think the last time I saw her butts before she's she had this met Robert Morgan and I was home, I'd been married and I was suspecting your Aunt Barbara and she came to see me in the summertime and she told me about you just met him and they were getting married.

16:31 So when I saw this a bituary about her son.

16:37 I kind of figured that was her that was her son because her father was named Harry.

16:45 And her brother is a merry and just shower steam Harry to Johnson. So I called her and she answered the phone and I said is this Dorthy Morgan? She said yes the best guess what we used to play together along the street. She took in a deep breath. She's like ours Fairview bed. And so I haven't seen it. Cuz the last time I talked to her she wasn't feeling well have been ready for this. But that was his first Memphis bills Pilots first wife and I'm a grown ups are two talking about Robert Morgan reminds me of story told me sing Wiley Post photographic studio downtown.

17:37 Panda

17:39 I came home from work. I must must have been about 16, I guess and Wiley Post was sitting in the living room on Walnut Street waiting for someone he knew that rented room and mostly men most of the rooms for rent in Two Men and there was a mother and daughter there and a husband and wife. But other than that.

18:00 They were all men. So is somebody that he knew but he had a white patch, you know, most people wear black patches on their eyes, but he have a white patch on the left. I have a smell something Stage Company next to

18:19 Your mother's been breakfast Spruce Street. Yeah, there was a majestic theater on the square.

18:28 And they put on entertainment.

18:32 Between shows films and so the truth would come in.

18:40 Amazon has a contract with them to Lorde's am and you know to keep them to the week that they rather be there and they would come in on Sunday at 6 Barkley come by train and the other one had two already left that morning. So it gave my sisters two of my sisters that lived with us to change the beds and you know getting ready for the other and your mother asked me one time. What did I do? And I said I didn't do anything you told me you should take the coat hangers to the dry cleaners and get money for it that was sent on Walnut Street.

19:23 Opinion or something like that, and I know on Water Street motherhead.

19:38 She had done.

19:41 Service to bring in.

19:44 Sheetz everybody clean sheets and bedspreads and everything and then she she would watch the

19:53 Tablet cases and towels and on Thursdays that was my job to get up in the morning for him at school. And I don't know all those pillowcases and pulled all the styles for school. What kind of things do you remember during the Depression? That sounds to me like your mother worked really hard to take care of you and your siblings Google. I mean really I mean

20:21 Like toilet paper you only use for sheets for toilet paper and I couldn't believe that you didn't use any more than that. But I guess you just do what she said we had.

20:47 Close I had the most beautiful clothes. I miss you couldn't believe once one Easter. I had six dresses fit. She didn't intend but she want me to dress maker.

20:58 She and I would argue about the length of my dress. She wanted to below my knees and I wanted it just in the middle or what my newer 6 and set it for several years, you know, we share Easter parades and people would dress up and walk up and down the street just like they did in New York and then we also had them.

21:33 Rhododendron parades that went on all week and year was up and I know that the last parade was had to clean Amarth on the floor and they asked me I got to ask me to come in interview to be the queen of Mercy, but I didn't go.

22:02 I didn't notice until recently, but why didn't you finish high school? Cuz I was in love she was going out with other girls and I was so hurt.

22:18 And it was three weeks. Thanks three weeks before graduation. Maybe two did I just couldn't go anymore to school and see him because I was hurt so bad and I was only about sixteen or think of Seventeen.

22:44 And

22:47 Then I remember before though he was in.

22:54 Training and he wrote me a letter and asked me to come up to see him about that time. I was on my way to get married and that was in 1941.

23:03 And so I just wrote back and told him I was on my way and I got married in Montgomery, Alabama and that was

23:14 The 1941 July 13th 19

23:19 And you went to another school out in Fletcher. I learned a lot of stuff.

23:31 And I went to school. I've been we had classes, but I worked in the laundry and I worked uni I wash dishes and we were supposed to.

23:43 They gave us $0.10 an hour, I think.

23:47 And they paid you to do this and then

23:53 Events ticket was $10 a month. And sometimes I have to get two of them cuz I could really eat and they had the cafeteria style in such good food. And we did a lot of canning and Eric Henry there in the bakery and a hospital and send a terrier and a pharmacy.

24:14 And fact your Uncle Rick was born out there.

24:18 And your brother was born at there in the sister was born it almost in Tibet and the same delivery room. I had $30 not going to Chapel.

24:45 And not

24:47 Thomas Jack

24:50 It's only two things I could do wrong. Going to Chapel. I'll be in late for this and being late for that or not doing this is not done yet made me stay there to work tomorrow and I worked liked it. That was kind of thinking too. And so sometimes I work. I think I worked 8 hours long time a couple times during the can't even after trouble part. We do you want you can like peaches and and tomatoes and stuff like that cuz they had her they had a farm there to the boys were at the farm and they had all kinds of crops and stuffing when the boys stay. Did something wrong. They made him dig tree stumps. Wow, so your first love didn't work out, but you met somebody else.

25:47 And while I had I went I had a lot of boyfriends after that. Just trying to find another one, but I never could and

25:57 One bedroom at my house so that on Walnut Street.

26:03 And he was kind of person it.

26:08 I wouldn't be sitting on the street, please.

26:11 He went well because he went out with girls just for sex even in the mornings didn't Moon and next time we should have tails.

26:24 My mother owned across the street from Walnut Street and she on the parking lot over there and he was driving his face over there parking lot and one month at lunch time. I had to be lit in my mother's bedroom and I slept in her bedroom was on the front of the building and I was just having to look out and he was coming back from being with a girl and parked his car and is the flower on a Spencers flight.

26:58 So you didn't much like to be seen out there cuz I didn't think I was that kind of person and he got off from work. He be staying the night at the Street sidewalk. Wanted to take me up to the square to the movie or take me out to recreation park and it Dad on the lake out there one time, you know, he liked to go boat riding with him and find lady that went on for a couple of years. And even on Saturday night's the delivery boy ever come to the door with three red roses in a pint of ice cream from him for me.

27:39 And I still wouldn't go out with him and when he came home he woke up the street underneath my mother's window and with a little love songs the Sunday.

27:54 He suggested we go down Aston Park Pritchard Park to time.

28:04 And so I woke down there and it was still daylight and I felt like it was okay and he he told me this later. He said whenever I let him hold my hand, he said it just went home. Just sold one time. I started going out with him in a while, but I still would not with others affect one night. I had three dates. Well, he was one of them and another poor fellow. He was from this Titusville and then I love calls and Ashley. I went out with my love. Nikki has a to quit school for

28:48 Dim when the

28:50 That the his name is Fred.

28:54 They take me to roses and some Force I finally started going that was then once in awhile, maybe to get it to have dinner and I'm a grandpa and a movie.

29:05 And one time we went to a carnival.

29:08 And when he came back he came over.

29:12 Beaucatcher mountain and there was a turn out there that you can park and see the city and he pulled over there and stopped and tried to make love to me and I told him or you just stop that right now. You take me home and you go get one of your other girls, so he did three years. I found a

29:38 Define temerity

29:41 And we had three children Barbara and Rick and your mother Mary.

29:48 And he they would be in the car me to come up here. We were living in Montgomery or Noble whatever and come up there on vacation since he grew up down the mountain Emily come around that curve you start first my little phone and said and the lady said no friends.

30:09 So then

30:12 Do you still play piano when you're a girl? Yeah, I started lessons when I was about five years old when I was about 10 years old. My mother was president of the

30:28 Spanish-American War auxiliary and she decided that she was going to have a banquet for their members and for the people at the Vanderbilt Hotel Banquet Hall hotel that they had the big balls on the roof, but she asked me to

31:00 Please para form white dress in a big blue ribbons around here like this. You knowing they all were there and she conducted the meeting and then I was sitting there waiting for her and then she looks over at me. To me in or what. She has concluded to meeting and she was up to me and Nod my head to go to parent and I did and I went over and started playing and it was a Strauss Waltz.

31:32 And the people the ladies got up and started talking to her over to the buffet table and got that thinking that made me so mad. I stopped and turned it in the middle of that song and got up. So I just got up. Haven't left. Where where did you work?

32:03 I worked at.

32:05 At a studio of photographic studio this woman mrs. Marker and her two daughters Evelyn and am from, Utah.

32:17 K Mrs. Murphy was a photographer and she opened up the studio and I was 10 years old and they lived with us.

32:26 And I like I say I wandered around, you know the city cuz I know everything else to do and I wondered up to her Studio cuz I knew him cuz they had rooms with us.

32:37 And the girls were say maybe your age 20 or 22 much older than me and

32:48 I wandered up there she put me to work washing pictures. My little hands got so cold. But from then on I learned how to

32:59 Color pictures and she told me how to put them in the folder and had a blue man and all that kind of stuff and more films and I worked with her for a long time and

33:14 At my house. There was a

33:17 I rather nice-looking fella named Charles Grimes.

33:21 And he fell in love with Naomi the youngest daughter.

33:25 And they got married.

33:28 And you've there's a gram still here in the Attic near Hendersonville. And he's the one that got that started that and they had two sons and a daughter and one son got killed. His name was Preston.

33:47 And the other one was Charles Junior, but they called him pal and the daughter was Sherry well.

33:56 Since I've been here this present time and I'm doing the exercise things. I meant someone that you pal and tells the lawyer in town.

34:09 And I wanted people to know that I grew up with his grandmother and his sisters and I'm in his mother and her sister so he told him and he he's a retard even walked out and he's retired judge and he's married to Palace wife's sister. So he told pal about me and Paula came over.

34:33 Pick me up and took me to lunch and he brought all the albums has a big album of lot of pictures of his mother and her sister and his grandmother. Mrs. Parker and even had a picture of me and they're really wow. So he took me last night was a three-hour lunch. That was wonderful.

34:56 No, I I didn't work it worse, but I went to

35:01 Not stare cuz I worked at practice you salon downtown at the time and I went to Vietnam. I'm already married. Now. This is this is late.

35:17 And I went in and I started the counter and the girl in, sit in front of the

35:25 What do you call where they

35:28 They complained hot plate and I her and she just talk to me or not because I've been in this many times have we talked a lot? But I thought I heard somebody call out a grilled cheese sandwich. So I waited for her to make that grilled cheese sandwich and she didn't do it. She did everything else with that and finally I told her I said somebody called out a great grilled cheese sandwiches, so she made it and then she couldn't find out who called it out. I feel awful about that.

36:02 To see Stan and she went over there taking over and he said he wanted to grill tea sandwich told her they were boost in back of me and all you could see was just a heads of people, you know, and I saw this woman, but she didn't have any teeth like this.

36:26 And so I was just kind of curious to what she was eating. So am I got up to leave I looked and she was eating fried chicken.

36:35 So what's the the best memory you have in your life in early on or are now?

36:45 But now it's really super I can't believe.

36:52 House

36:54 Have I felt like I've been taken care of.

36:58 All my life the things and I didn't appreciate a lot of things that were done for me, which I should have appreciate it. And I think young people should

37:09 But you don't realize you just think that that's what it's supposed to be the way it's supposed to be and I'm enjoying my life.

37:19 I think just as much now as I did before and it's a little different like knowing all these people that I'm exercising with and how much they have.

37:32 Dave this been so good to me and Stone near Fashion so much and all the times that cards and when I was in the hospital the cards and telephone calls that was just like almost but I did know there's 52 of them and I didn't know if y'all didn't send cards, but I didn't know how to thank so many people until I was at exercise run time.

38:01 And Renee was on the microphone.

38:06 And she was making that announcement and I happened to be passing by as I was going around the track and I stopped and I took the microphone.

38:16 And I told him that this is the first time in my life. I've loved so many people at one time and I thank them for the cards and some phone calls and see there was this perfect because I didn't know who else to do it and I will I wouldn't have done it any better and that and I really appreciated it Love by lot of people.

38:42 Yeah, because they tell me that all the time and like

38:47 What lady did exercises with me? I was downstairs.

38:54 Waiting for my ride and she was going to her car in the parking lot and she stopped and came back and she said to me she said, you know.

39:04 I just want to tell you how much you mean to me how much it means to me to know you and how much I've enjoyed it and how much I love you. I thought that was so sweet. And she just told me that again last week again, and I've been gone nearly five years now to know those people what she just told me that she just couldn't believe you know, and I get hugs all those kind of things like you had some wonderful experiences. They call me Maness things I do and then they come a nuisance.

39:40 And I don't know why yet, but I'll find out for sure and then they call me bubbles cuz I wasn't a mobile contest cuz you knows it or I'm on oxygen and they wanted they brought in.

39:59 Team of people. I mean they've already in

40:05 Mobile stuff, you know and they divided us up into about it people up into two groups and I didn't go I was just doing something and they were back at the end of the room.

40:19 But when I got to his my exercise, which was 50 minutes long, I went back there and they were about to finish because they were taking one's speech and put them down here to see who could blow the most small bubbles and his invisible the largest bubble. And so this sides let somebody to match the other side so they asked me to join them, which I had only been there about 5 or 10 minutes and I was the last one there.

40:53 And so my

40:58 She proved about eight small bubbles and they could stay at Waters to catch him and I blew 18 bigger one awesome. So I wouldn't bubble contest and they couldn't believe cuz I hadn't been there. I just woke up, you know, they've been there all the time trying to do it, you know, so I want well, thank you very much grandma for sharing stores with me. Appreciate it.