Byrd, Elsie 1983-02-16
Elsie Byrd discusses her family reminisces over her life in Cross Cut, Texas.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: Elsie Byrd
Additional Parties Recorded:
Date: February 16, 1983
Location: Cross Cut, Texas
Interviewer: Richard Mason
Length: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Abstract
Tape 1, Side 1:
b: Cross Cut, Texas; September 16, 1900,
Family,
Father; Luke Eddington,
b: McClellan County, Texas,
Mother, Rosie Slate,
b: Kentucky,
Parents moved to Texas,
Met Luke Eddington in Brown County,
Personality of father,
Family values,
Child raising decision,
Mother; Rosie Slate Eddington,
Personality,
Birthplace,
Reasons for family's move to Texas,
Maternal Grandmother (Slate),
Seamstress,
Father (again),
Reasons for family's move to Brown County,
Paternal Grandparents' farm,
Irrigation methods,
Self sufficiency,
Marketing cotton in Brownwood, Texas,
Anecdote: Father saving for mortgage payment,
Trip to Brownwood for school supplies,
Paternal Grandparents (again),
Farming,
Self sufficiency (again),
Childhood memories,
Neighbors,
Schools,
Consolidation (1930s),
Construction of buildings,
Kid Peak school,
Farming (again),
Fighting the drought,
Crops grown,
Team animals,
Fencing,
Church,
Oil activity,
Cross Cut, before and after oil,
Local attitude toward oil workers,
Father's financial problems,
Depression,
Droughts of 1818 and 1819
Tape 1, Side 2:
Mr. Pentecost, store owner,
Feud between Praters and Moors (early 1930s),
Anecdote: Mob after "lazy" man,
Wanted to become a teacher,
Process,
Parents objections,
Community dances,
Types of dances,
Hosts,
Musicians,
Frequency of dances,
Cotton harvest,
Role of children,
Hired labor,
Electricity,
Came in c. 1944, through Rural Electric Association,
Pre-electricity,
Lighting,
Gasoline iron,
Heating,
Fuel,
Mesquite wood,
Pecan bayou,
Overflows,
House on a hill,
Dairy products,
Poultry,
Chickens,
Turkeys,
Kept grasshoppers down,
Sold at Co-op market in Brownwood,
Vaccination,
Reasons for raising turkeys,
Decline of turkey market,
Turkey ranches,
Dr. Howard; Cross Plains, Texas
Tape 2, Side 1:
Dr. Howard (continued),
Cross Cut practice,
Mrs. Howard,
Dr.'s personality and appearance,
Robert Howard,
Characteristics,
Suicide,
Dr. Howard (again),
Frankness,
Community standing,
Aging,
Caring for the aged,
Rest homes,
Funeral tradition,
Prior to funeral home,
Cross Plains Funeral Home,
Changes in standard of living,
Quality of life
Tape 2, Side 2:
Blank
Range Dates: 1890s-1983
Bulk Dates: 1918-1944
Access Information
Original Recording Format:
Recording Format Notes:
Transcript:
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