I guess we been hard luck renters all our lives—me and Morrison both. They was ten young’uns in my family, and I was next to the youngest. We had it awful hard. . . . We went to Yadkin County and rented an old rundown farm for a share of what we could raise. The crops wasn’t any good that year, the landlord came and got what we had raised and had the auctioneers come and sell our tools and furniture. They was a bunch of people at the sale that day from all around. I was standin’ there watchin’ the man sell the things when I saw a good lookin’ man in overalls lookin’ toward me. He watched me all durin’ the sale and I knew what he was thinkin’. That was the first time I ever saw Allison. I reckon he fell in love with me right off, for we was married a few days later. Allison didn’t have no true father. His mother wasn’t married, and he was raised up by his kin folks. Then we moved to a little farm near Longtown, about ten miles away. The owner said we could have three-fourths of what we raised. The first two years the crops turned out pretty good so we could pay off the landlord and buy a little furniture . . . a bed and table and some chairs. Then the first baby came on. That was Hildreth. He’s out in the field workin’ now, suckerin’ [removing sprouts] tobacco. . . . By that time, we was able to get a cow, and that came in good, for the baby was awful thin and weak. . . .

Hildreth was only six, but he could help a lot, pullin’ and tyin’ the tobacco, and helpin’ hang it in the barn. We got out more tobacco that year than any other, but when we took it to market in Winston, they wasn’t payin’ but about twelve cents a pound for the best grade, so when we give the landlord his share and paid the fertilizer bill, we didn’t have enough left to pay the doctor and store bill. We didn’t know what we was goin’ to do durin’ the winter. Allison had raised a few vegetables and apples, so we canned what we could and traded the rest for some cotton cloth up at the store so the children would have something to wear that winter. Allison got a job helpin’ build a barn for a neighbor, but it didn’t last but two days. The neighbor gave him two second hand pairs of overalls for the work. . . .

Things are a lot better for the renter today than in the past. It used to be we couldn’t get enough to eat and wear. Now we got a cow, a hog, and some chickens. Allison bought a second-hand car and every Sunday afternoon we ride somewhere. It’s the only time we ever get away from home.

The landlord gives us five-sixths of what we raise, so we get along pretty good when the crops are fair. Of course we have to furnish the fertilizer and livestock. This year we had seven barns of tobacco and four acres of corn. Wheat turned out pretty good, too. We raised forty-three bushels, and I hear the price is going to be fair at the roller mill. I canned about all our extra fruits and vegetables. I reckon we still got about a hundred cans in the pantry.

Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers Project Collection.