James Gooch and Christy Fitch
Description
Christy Fitch (35) interviews her grandfather James Gooch (85) about moving from Neon, KY to Detroit, MI.Subject Log / Time Code
Participants
- James Gooch
- Christy Fitch
Venue / Recording Kit
Keywords
- Appalachia
- Commercial
- Democrats
- Detroit
- Dodge
- Eastern Kentucky
- economic beliefs and practices
- Factory
- family trips and excursions
- Harry Truman
- Kentucky
- labor movements and unions
- Letcher County
- memories of former times
- memories of growing up
- Mountains
- neon
- political beliefs and practices
- Railroad
- Trains
- trucks
Subjects
Transcript
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00:03 My name is Christy Fitch. I'm 35. Today is June 4th, 2011, and I'm in Lexington, Kentucky and I'm with my grandfather.
00:15 You can state your name. My name is James Gooch. I'm 85 years old.
00:23 How was born June 12th 2006?
00:28 And neon, Kentucky
00:31 And
00:33 This is my granddaughter.
00:39 About neon when you were a kid, what was it like
00:43 Well, it was just a small town surrounded by a lot of
00:48 Mining companies
00:51 And that's what made the town.
00:54 And
00:58 When the mountain got my full. After town went broke. That's the way it is today broke.
01:05 Did any of your family work in the mines?
01:09 I don't think any of never did work into mine.
01:14 Work Papa work at
01:18 What do you do on the railroad?
01:21 Well
01:23 We haven't got time to look at that. He worked at the shops.
01:30 And I worked on the railroad before I went in service.
01:35 And I
01:38 Did the same jobs as you did but by the time I work there he got promoted and worked on the passenger cars passenger train.
01:52 And now
01:55 I went in the service and that wrapped up my
01:59 Railroad time I come back and change.
02:04 Former superintendents and bosses from what have you eaten?
02:09 Hey don't want no veterans.
02:12 So they wouldn't give you a job because you were at had served in the war.
02:16 Well, I think you wanted was there ever was?
02:21 He was afraid I think.
02:28 Holiday afraid of he was afraid of
02:33 Younger men
02:40 I racked Laura I had him there and
02:45 I went down to apply for a job and he wouldn't even listen to me.
02:56 That was wrapped up my railroad job.
03:01 And me on read
03:04 What much after that after the war there's a little coal mine started?
03:11 Working out and
03:15 All that was left was
03:18 The streets of neon and they didn't last long as long as my daughter is coal mine closed and people left.
03:28 Neon left not much there anymore.
03:35 Well, I went to Detroit, Michigan.
03:40 I worked Dodge, Maine for about 6 months.
03:44 DNR are Danner commercial steel treating I work there 38 years.
03:52 How to know to go up there for work
03:56 How do you know to go up to Michigan for work?
04:04 Working on building cars
04:07 And they all seem to get jobs and Stage I figured well if they can get a job I can do so I left but I didn't.
04:18 Like working in building cars Javad heat-treated a smaller place.
04:30 How was that?
04:32 Who else moved up to Michigan when you did who else moved up to Michigan your friends or family?
04:42 But they all my family got up there and I got them all jobs or is that so?
04:49 Show my brother burn my brother-in-law Henry Hall.
04:56 And Lord came up.
05:00 But you didn't say he's
05:05 Had no.
05:08 Eunice's Brothers came up
05:13 I got him a job and he worked one day.
05:22 All of Me
05:26 KY bud got him a job. Therefore I work.
05:32 I didn't get a real job, but I just went in and took him in and introduced him to the
05:39 Amanda done they're hiring.
05:43 80 kept telling me she's
05:46 You bring any more the chair like you got so far as ha ha ra long?
05:53 He locked her boy from the mountain.
05:59 Tell me about growing up in neon. What did you all do for fun? When you're a kid? Would you play with games your kids play every word.
06:14 Till I got up and go High School play football.
06:20 How is that?
06:22 When are the servers that really was that wrapped up?
06:29 Just about wrapped up my life and Nyan. What branch of the service did you go into?
06:40 What was your job?
06:42 Well, I guess our job was
06:47 Taking troops
06:49 From Transformers when they take a man is getting ready for Invasion or something that take fruit from put them on transport ships.
06:59 And move them out and they would be
07:04 Or I can Mom out at sea.
07:09 And
07:12 The earliest he's like I was on.
07:17 He would come in to bring him to.
07:20 Kayak from Jorge V
07:23 Hey go in turn.
07:25 Let all of them off.
07:28 And we go back out.
07:32 Reporter get off the beach and get out of the way.
07:37 And we can work out there and we just keep going to the passenger for abs and get the troops.
07:45 After we leave
07:47 When we first went in we had tanks or something like that on a ship.
07:52 And it wouldn't they've got off the ship might on the land we backed out and we go to the transport ships and get the troops and take them.
08:06 Because the ship I was on could go right up on the beach.
08:11 Hand-held open the doors room, whatever we had you fly out of whatever.
08:19 Where did you all go to?
08:21 Where did we go to?
08:25 Well
08:27 Eras about
08:29 So what is our miles in the Pacific Ocean?
08:33 And we covered a lot of it.
08:39 About it, you know how to swim before you were in the for you were in the Navy?
08:45 Did I learn how to swim for what did you know how to swim before you join the Navy like that?
09:00 You
09:02 You don't know you can do a lot of things to do you have to
09:08 Mamaw and papaw
09:11 Well outside my mother and dad.
09:15 You better both, you know, almost over.
09:19 Or can I tell you about it, but you don't know what tell me about Mama? Cuz I don't really remember her before she passed away.
09:27 Well
09:30 I know she had red hair.
09:43 I do not know what I could tell you about my parents except.
09:49 Cuz y'all for good parts and
09:58 Dad worked all his life. He didn't know.
10:05 Had he had supported us real good to hear his family come first put him in that was that.
10:14 Wasn't was he a judge at one time stroke?
10:20 And a couple of heart attacks you
10:24 We thought we were going to lose you not half a dozen times. You had two strokes and heart attacks.
10:30 Letcher
10:32 When he had to retire from the railroad.
10:38 Hey, you didn't know what to do for.
10:42 To get Viagra live on and
10:47 Joey ran for judge
10:50 And how they express old town because
10:55 The people would admit in there.
10:58 Have been there for like 20 years.
11:02 And Dad when turn upset him.
11:06 And
11:08 He kept the job for 20 years and then he retired from
11:15 But are you Jewish?
11:18 How did I say or everybody locked me in the town and
11:23 Even if people that he find police would get them for public drunkenness or something like that at small town. That's all they
11:34 Ever had we didn't get no one murders or anything like that.
11:45 He was a
11:47 A good judge I guess as long as you want forever with manful.
11:53 Kept getting elected
12:00 What about mamaw?
12:02 Well
12:04 She was just my dad every step of the way and
12:11 Of course, they were both.
12:13 Before they ever had it for
12:16 Letcher County weather
12:19 They were fireworks down in Lincoln County in Pew Lasky County.
12:25 And my mother was from Lincoln County.
12:30 My grandfather her dad.
12:34 Used to live in neon
12:39 And
12:43 I was like
12:47 I think her and her two or three of her sisters.
12:52 Had a couple of her brother's was born there and then
12:59 But the
13:02 He left before the town ever become a town.
13:08 Are you going to
13:10 Just about the time he left up there. They discovered the cold and the mountains.
13:16 And
13:19 Everything
13:21 Federal around the mountain from never
13:24 The little fowl, Oneonta
13:28 Nicole caps around it
13:31 Made the town what it was.
13:36 Of course all over mine caps had a company store.
13:40 And The Company Store
13:43 Let them know Hoover's.
13:46 Bosses in more ways than one.
13:50 They were there. Bots on morality is working and
13:55 They cashed your check for you.
13:58 And there's a line up for the food and the
14:02 Going into the company store.
14:06 We're right behind their cashier. They cashed your check. Keep going ahead of you coming and going.
14:14 So they paid yet, but then they got it all back.
14:25 Now you said mamaw and papaw did farming in Lincoln County, Lincoln County.
14:39 And their neighboring counties, so
14:45 Hygge
14:49 He used to.
14:52 Tell us about ready to go to court and they didn't go over to see Mom and
14:58 Harris saddle horse you rode a horse on a timer ride over and see her.
15:04 Course back then everybody had horses no cars around.
15:11 That was a
15:15 It was a good time and
15:20 Have been seduced places down there where there's born and raised.
15:25 I'd love to be there. Did you visit there when you are a kid?
15:33 Get his vacation. From the railroads.
15:37 It get
15:40 After they become unionized he got his
15:44 Two week vacation in
15:49 They'd come back down where they deliver more raised.
15:54 And for the record
15:58 Take all the kids weatherman.
16:01 Ashford we look forward to every Rivers going down to see Grandpa.
16:07 And
16:09 He was way out in the country.
16:12 Harrods
16:14 Whole log house if he was on the property when he bought it.
16:24 Eras
16:26 It was good times. What would you guys do down there? What would you do down there at his farm?
16:39 Hugo
16:41 Didn't have a bicycle to ride cuz I could afford it. Are the kids are at Backcountry. Go to Florida bicycle.
16:49 And all you could do is play games with each other.
16:55 Your bare feet couldn't stand around on.
17:01 Happy about it.
17:03 How did you all get there?
17:05 Trying to take a train down there.
17:09 Here with ride the train down.
17:13 Orangeburg
17:16 Get off at 3rd, and I'll come with a heavy wagon and horses out there.
17:24 Write about Five Mile regular or is the Farms is that
17:31 How
17:34 I had each one of them each one of them.
17:39 Boys that have
17:43 Fall River Joan
17:46 Xavier
17:49 Grew up and got married and left Grandpa's place.
17:55 Nearby Farms of the Rhone
17:59 Raise our families and
18:04 At that was
18:06 How about a two or three mile area is there?
18:11 At one family home.
18:14 Quarter biggest part of it
18:17 He's walking around two or three Hundred Acre Farms. That's a lot of land.
18:24 What do you grow on a farm wedding grow on the farm are needed back then corn and beans cuz they couldn't afford to buy back store and
18:47 That was
18:50 It was a f what they got by on Corsa?
18:57 Most all the women learn how to can when there's kids from their mother and they would
19:06 Can a fall a good?
19:08 And all Amanda Slaughter Hogs and beef and what have you learned?
19:16 You rephrase your vegetables on the fireman?
19:20 So you lived off on and off the farm?
19:24 By yourself
19:28 So if anybody got hungry in your family, it was your fault.
19:35 Are you couldn't vote your finger? Nobody else?
19:39 When you lived on a farm much, that was the sad part of it.
19:45 Either you had a good time, or you didn't know if you wanted to work you could may have a good time.
19:53 But if you didn't want to work
19:56 And your family didn't have all of the money so I could either.
20:03 And the goodies was new clothes and new shoes. And what have you?
20:10 And back then no clothes in the fire new shoes was
20:15 That was a
20:17 Big time when you went to the store and bought you your dad bought you new clothes and
20:24 New shoes, and then when the catalog is come out.
20:29 Marvel started ordering stuff through the mail.
20:34 Clothes like that
20:37 All them young girls. I just eat that up. They was real good to their mothers.
20:47 Ashley
20:51 That was about it for
20:54 Neon was a
20:59 Coleman Marina Cafe corner, of course try and going in and out of there passenger train.
21:10 At the railroad
21:14 That's what made me on was.
21:18 Railroad, that's where it ended.
21:22 And all of coal mine worked around it.
21:26 I knew it on all the people in the cold caption.
21:30 On the weekends with a company on for
21:34 Groceries in hallway
21:38 How can I remember?
21:41 Hot guy
21:44 I remember a lot of those little streets and neon it.
21:49 Didn't have no concrete on them.
21:54 Careers that just back for each Main Street Los it become a town.
22:02 It was had concrete.
22:06 And
22:09 Back preach no, no concrete. No nothing.
22:15 Asphalt or nothing else
22:23 When it when I was a kid there it was almost A Primitive time.
22:31 But it was a
22:33 I enjoyed every minute of it. I'd love to go back to it to live there.
22:40 Is love to live there again.
22:44 I would love to live there.
22:49 I wish we could happen to you switch uni cell phone.
22:54 I don't see that happening either.
23:06 That ladders after the war.
23:16 I think about 48.
23:21 48 other
23:28 No. I met her before that because we got married in 48.
23:39 Cuz she's a girl alone.
23:46 She's you meant for me to forget a lot of that stuff, too.
23:57 Icy cold Mill song
24:01 Flaming Mike Roberts
24:04 As all mining camps
24:08 And all of them had hundreds of employees, so that's why Neon.
24:15 Flourish the way it is.
24:18 Ever everybody.
24:20 And those little mind gaps that part of the company stores.
24:26 When the store turn me on.
24:31 My pretty good living at all.
24:41 Democrats, aren't you?
24:44 Yes, ma'am. Tell me about the first person you ever voted for.
24:49 First president voted for how are you feeling?
24:59 Now, why are you a Democrat best party? Cuz you're stupid. They're better than the Republican Party especially for the working people.
25:20 Didn't you tell me one time that if it weren't for the Democrat Democratic party, you all wouldn't have been able to eat?
25:28 Well that was proven and in a whole lot of places not just at the mountains.
25:35 Are everything that's been passed in this country?
25:41 Can I help anybody in any way? It's been the Democratic party has done it.
25:47 Go back and check anything you want to check?
25:51 Now when you were in Michigan you were commercial was a union right? Did you ever serve as a role in any of the in the union or were you ever in it? Like a leadership role in the union wear Union steward?
26:09 I would like
26:11 Short new Union
26:15 But that was a minor thing.
26:18 What did that entail what did you have to do is a steward.
26:24 What are
26:28 If ever Foreman will go do something into and employees at
26:36 Porsche
26:38 What is covered in their contract or something like that? A lot of times it was covered the contract and the cupcakes?
26:47 Got it. Anyhow, they don't want to do something.
26:51 That's when you would.
26:53 Get the men together walk out.
26:56 Did you have that happen very often did that happen very often?
27:06 We didn't have any.
27:09 When they all the time we have a strike was.
27:14 Heaven, and I don't know if you're going to strike, but when the contractor drone out.
27:20 And they
27:22 He didn't have nothing to live by you don't have a contract to get around. Nothing to live by.
27:29 That's why unions are formed the first place.
27:35 So you all did have a strike one time.
27:38 Hey, we have described her to but it wasn't.
27:42 How do I don't think I like?
27:45 38 years I was there.
27:48 I know I didn't lose a week's time.
27:53 That's not bad. Beer on truck. I'm are.
27:59 I think the longest strike we have your 3 days.
28:05 Tell me about your siblings your siblings your brothers and sisters.
28:12 Are you going well, but I want to hear about them from you.
28:26 I don't know if I could tell you anything you are doing already know.
28:35 I know was the oldest and who's next?
28:45 And I can assist the baby by how many years I believe.
28:52 Who are you closest with? Who are you closest with? No, Justin relationship.
29:07 Well, I never said she was the oldest and then Rexy was the older.
29:13 Then burn then me.
29:17 And then it was nine years between me and Kenneth.
29:21 Were you good friends closest friends?
29:35 That's a
29:40 What else I can say about that?
29:45 Shut your your family and
29:52 That's about all I can say about it. Nobody else better not say anything about him. That's that.
30:02 Did I ever get in trouble as well?
30:07 I've got spanked every now and then.
30:12 Nothing. No.
30:15 Nothing
30:17 Never was arrested if that's what you mean.
30:25 Ever got in trouble with them. I got a job when I could.
30:30 I worked on the railroad as Dad for a while.
30:35 Had to go to the service reminder comeback did change bosses?
30:40 He wouldn't speak to the veteran.
30:48 What's your favorite car?
30:51 What's your favorite type of car?
30:55 Well, I've had just about every card. Maybe you prefer a truck, right?
31:05 I guess Play-Doh for if you could have car as I've ever had. I've had a lot of the others that just about every car is made.
31:15 But
31:17 August 4th, buddy
31:20 My favorite of all of them. How many pickup trucks have you had would you say?
31:28 I can think of three I can think of three.
31:36 Doesn't maybe two dozen. I don't know I can but I don't remember the cars. I've been profoundly head.
31:44 Now let me ask this cuz I know we only have a few minutes left. What's one thing that you would want me to make sure that Emma knows about you and Emma's kids knows about you.
31:57 MMA knows about me. I don't know what you're teaching your daughter about me. What do you want her to know about you, but you stay in for your family or
32:20 I don't know of anything and our family that you don't know if you are you at you should know.
32:28 Ain't none of none of them ever been in jail or prison tour.
32:35 I think we've all had a fart a good life.
32:40 Oh.
32:44 Most all of us Christian people so hot
32:49 Are all the speak for yourself?
32:57 Don't don't care.
33:00 Go around start. No trouble.
33:03 It's the best way to stay out of trouble.
33:10 That's one thing I've learned in this world.
33:16 And I didn't have to learn it the hard way.
33:23 Ashley is going then you can learn when you're a kid in the mountains.
33:29 You learn the good and bad and you learn it.
33:33 The way you want to
33:37 If you if you want to learn the bed, you can learn it in about 4, so you don't have to be in the big city today.
33:45 Has it say up in the mountains of a rotten person?
33:58 Asher
34:01 But I don't.
34:06 I hear you call somebody rotten person and
34:10 You better be willing the back of your words.
34:15 A lot of people take sat as fighting words.
34:26 But me I've had enough fighting.
34:30 I don't want to fight no more with you, but that's enough of that.
34:35 We don't fight.
34:39 You know that.
34:42 Well, tell me about Mom.
34:46 Did you teach her how to shoot again?
34:49 No, did you get her first BB gun?
34:53 You didn't.
34:55 Who got her first BB gun?
34:59 Your mother
35:01 First BB gun
35:03 Oh, I don't know why my daughter learn trying to teach her out and sat down the barrel or something, but
35:13 How did barnova I do again from BB gun?
35:25 I don't think great about it for.
35:28 I don't know. I don't even know she had one to talk about taking it out and shooting at the stop sign.
35:36 Oh well, and that was something that the kids used to do I guess but I don't remember giving her a BB though.
35:53 Sherdog
35:56 Not really not going to give her a a a gun.
36:02 It wouldn't be a BB gun. Would it be?
36:07 Bb8 much of a gun.
36:11 But if I was going to give real under something and be something to protect yourself with
36:18 And that's be all in.
36:21 Be in the
36:26 But I don't think I'll ever have to give her one.
36:34 I certainly hope I don't ever have to give her one, but I'll guarantee you one thing.
36:41 She would I bet you she could take a gun right now and had was as low as a man could.
36:49 How many for safe do you know?
36:55 Well
36:59 Do I tell me about?
37:01 About stuff that you've lived in your life.
37:04 No rush. Don't get too nosy nosy too much about never done anything that I'm ashamed of.
37:18 Never done anything to hurt anybody intentionally except those that I was supposed to.
37:28 So
37:32 There have said that and that is that.
37:42 I don't ever remember having.
37:46 Outside of a fist fight or something much.
37:50 Never had to go to jail over any them. So.
37:55 I got a quiet life. I guess you'd call it.
37:58 Did you have fist fights when you are neon?
38:02 Fish fries don't ever kid hit fit fat. Okay, I didn't say so.
38:15 Somebody might slap your face realize about somebody's face, but that's
38:21 That ain't much fattening.
38:28 But somebody slap her man face.
38:32 There's there's going to be fat.
38:37 That's why you want to be careful about whose face you slept.
38:47 Anything else grandpa that you want to share?
38:51 It is a thing. I want to see.
38:56 No, I don't know anything.
38:59 That you don't already know, you know about everything you can about me and our family.
39:06 So, I don't know whether you think that I can tell you.
39:09 If you don't already know too much of
39:17 How to time that went want to thank you Grandpa for coming down today and in talking with me and sharing your stories, are you something you already knew?
39:38 But I had everybody that I know or care about.
39:44 Knows everything I've told you.
39:47 So I don't think anybody going to learn anything new from it.