Bowen, Roland (William) (1906-1988)with some comments from wife Myrtle Bowen (1910-1991) |
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Worcester County Library: Local History and Genealogy Collection, Snow Hill Branch, Snow Hill, MD
|
Interviewee: |
Roland Bowen (1906-1988) with some comments from wife Myrtle Bowen (1910-1991) |
| Interviewer: | Alvin West |
| Date of interview: |
1982 April 27 |
| Length of interview: | 20 min |
| Transcribed by: | Chelsea West, Worcester County Library |
| Preferred Citation: |
“Name, Oral History Collection, Date of Interview, Worcester County Library, Snow Hill Branch, Snow Hill, Maryland.” |
Topical Terms:
Worcester County (Md.)—History
Worcester County (Md.)—Social life and customs
Location Terms:
Snow Hill (Md.)
Interview Begins
INTERVIEWER: Could you give me your name please?
ROLAND: Roland Bowen *unintelligible speech*
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me when you were born, sir?
ROLAND: January 14, 1906.
INTERVIEWER: Okay were your born at home?
ROLAND: In my old home?
INTERVIEWER: Yes.
ROLAND: Yes. I’m pretty certain I was back there in them days.
INTERVIEWER: Okay tell me your parents’ names?
ROLAND: My father was named William Bowen my mom was named Mary Bowen.
INTERVIEWER: Okay what was her maiden name?
ROLAND: Morris.
INTERVIEWER: Okay could you tell me your grandparent’s names?
ROLAND: Well which side?
INTERVIEWER: Both. Please.
ROLAND: My father’s side was Charlie Bowen and Lizzie Bowen and my mother’s side was David Morris and Maddie Morris.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. Were you raised by your parents or another relative?
ROLAND: I was raised by my parents.
INTERVIEWER: Okay do you have any brothers or sisters?
ROLAND: I had one sister but she got killed at 7 years old.
INTERVIEWER: Okay could you tell me her name please?
ROLAND: Her name was Mary Elizabeth.
INTERVIEWER: What did your parents do for a living?
ROLAND: My father worked for the state road and then he worked to a mill.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
ROLAND: He worked there and he worked home too. A little bit of land like they had in them days.
INTERVIEWER: Did you live in town or out of town?
ROLAND: I lived out of town.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
MYRTLE: You called out of town where you were raised?
ROLAND: It’s not now, it was when I was raised there.
MYRTLE: It was right over the railroad. *unintelligible speech*
ROLAND: I remember when they incorporated. When they put lights out there you see.
MYRTLE: Yeah but you still were in town sweetheart.
ROLAND: I know they wanted to incorporate so they could get lights out there. Pop told me when I was a little boy.
INTERVIEWER: Okay when were you married?
ROLAND: Let’s see, 1931.
MYRTLE: 1930.
ROLAND: 1930.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. What was the date of that?
MYRTLE: April 6.
INTERVIEWER: Do you have any children?
ROLAND: Do I?
INTERVIEWER: Yes.
ROLAND: 2 boys.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me their names?
MYRTLE: We had 3 children.
ROLAND: We had 3, we lost one.
MYRTLE: Our daughter was killed 10 years ago. Okay, William George is the first one.
ROLAND: *unintelligible speech*
MYRTLE: … and Robert James and Mary Elizabeth.
INTERVIEWER: Did you go to school sir?
ROLAND: Yeah I graduated from Snow Hill.
INTERVIEWER: Did you go to college?
ROLAND: No.
INTERVIEWER: What did you do for a living?
ROLAND: I barbered up till my health went bad and went on the state road, stayed there 23 years.
INTERVIEWER: Were your parents very religious?
ROLAND: Yeah my mother and father were.
INTERVIEWER: Okay did they…
ROLAND: Not extreme I mean.
INTERVIEWER: Did they attend one of those churches in Snow Hill?
ROLAND: *unintelligible speech* called the Protestant church then when they changed. What is it called?
MYRTLE: Grace Methodist.
ROLAND: Grace Methodist.
MYRTLE: Your mother taught Sunday school for years and your father was the superintendant or something for the church.
INTERVIEWER: Okay could you tell me some of the events in your church when you were younger? That you remember doing.
ROLAND: I don’t remember too much ’cause when I was I boy I didn’t go too much church til I got older.
INTERVIEWER: Did you … *unintelligible speech*
ROLAND: We stayed in this river most the time every chance I had *unintelligible speech* Them days you know *unintelligible speech* the swimming hole *unintelligible speech* Every Sunday after church go to the swimming hole catching bullfrogs. We didn’t have no transportation like there is now. Had to make your own pleasure. And I still like that river.
INTERVIEWER: Did you visit many other towns in Worcester County?
ROLAND: Did I do what?
INTERVIEWER: Visit many other towns in Worcester County when you were younger?
ROLAND: You know the small town of Stockton I went down there to barber about 13 years. I learned barbering here.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about your political opinions when you were younger?
ROLAND: I just act like I was raised, I was raised Democrat, that’s all I knew anything about. *unintelligible speech*
INTERVIEWER: How old were you when you first voted?
ROLAND: Twenty-one in them days, had to be 21.
INTERVIEWER: Where did you vote?
ROLAND: *unintelligible speech* as far as I can remember. I can’t get this right. I got registered when I was 21 I remember that.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me the transportation your parents used?
ROLAND: My dad always used horse buggy such as that.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about your family’s first car?
ROLAND: It was probably an old car.
INTERVIEWER: Okay how old were you when you got your first car?
ROLAND: That was in 1929. I was born in 1906, what is that? I guess I was 19 or 20 years old something like that.
MYRTLE: You were older than that because you graduated at 24 you said.
ROLAND: 1924.
MYRTLE: You were 24 when we were married. You know I guess you are about right
*unintelligible speech*
ROLAND: ‘29 Chevrolet. $724 brand new 4 door had everything on it.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about the food you ate when you were younger?
INTERVIEWER: The food you ate when you were younger.
ROLAND: I was raised mostly on pork. Pop raised plenty of hogs. Had meat year round and chickens like that. See he didn’t make enough money working at that mill he had to raise something to eat *unintelligible speech* He worked for 75 cents a day. I remember that.
MYRTLE: You had plenty of vegetables too.
ROLAND: Oh yeah raised vegetables. We had a couple horses. A lot of people worked that way you know.
INTERVIEWER: Did you have any favorite foods that you liked to have?
ROLAND: Yeah always like corn and I still do. And seafood. *unintelligible speech* used to go with the horse and covered wagon and sell oysters, clams, fish, and stuff.
*unintelligible speech*
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about the protection services in Snow Hill when you were younger?
ROLAND: Tell you what, son?
INTERVIEWER: The protection services like the police.
ROLAND: What did he say?
MYRTLE: Can you tell him *unintelligible speech* about protection like officers in Snow Hill.
ROLAND: No ever since I remember. I remember Mr. Will Pernum was the town cop. I remember this plain as anything.
INTERVIEWER: Was your family for or against Prohibition?
ROLAND: Now I don’t know what to tell you about that.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about how the Depression affected your family?
ROLAND: How what did?
INTERVIEWER: The Depression.
ROLAND: It affected me right bad.
MYRTLE: We had 3 small children during that time
ROLAND: Yes. I remember it bad. I mean I got by. I had plenty to eat. Had everything I wanted. I run this barber shop you see down there to Stockton and people didn’t have 25 cents for a haircut, 15 cents for a shave, a lot of them didn’t have it, they’d bring me chickens, a dozen eggs, a piece of meat or something all the time. Oysters, they’d bring oysters. Different things all the time. You just woke up the next morning and every bank closed. I remember Mr. Dave Hancock, he owned all them oyster beds, big farms and everything *unintelligible speech* and couldn’t get a nickel nowhere. Oysters laid right out there, clams, couldn’t sell them, field of potatoes just laid there and rotted, nobody couldn’t buy ‘em a nickel for nothing. *unintelligible speech*
ROLAND: I was gonna buy this home. I lacked $50 to pay you for it. I said wait till I get *unintelligible speech* the damn banks closed up that same night. I got 10 percent *unintelligible speech* I mean I’m just telling you the truth. But you know nobody just like me I saw. See the banks them days just took a man’s word for it. You invest your money you lost alright if you didn’t. No security no nothing. Just take a man’s word for it.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me some of the family remedies you had when you were younger?
ROLAND: Yeah used to go to the store then. *unintelligible speech* Your children took what was it, castor oil, when they get sick.
MYRTLE: Castor oil.
ROLAND: *unintelligible speech* I wouldn’t give none of my young’uns that either. I said if I were grown up they’d never take none of that.
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember a social class difference between the people who lived in town and the people who lived out of town?
ROLAND: Yeah there was a difference there.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about any of your experience going to Ocean City when you were younger?
ROLAND: The only thing I remember *unintelligible speech* was a *unintelligible speech* train run to Ocean City *unintelligible speech* once a summer *unintelligible speech*
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever go to any of the Forester Day picnics they had at Public Landing?
ROLAND: Oh yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about some of the events you did there?
ROLAND: Well they changed it to Farmer’s Day you know because some of the people live out there *unintelligible speech*. It was all grass and sand and kinda beach around and they’d all go down there with table cloths and spread out everything out they’d need all the way around and everybody eat one another’s place anywhere they wanted to eat. I mean it was always wide open to everybody but sooner or later, come Prohibition, it got bootleggers and got a bunch of drunks down there and you couldn’t have nothing down there the way I remember it.
*Unintelligible conversation*
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember going to the Fairgrounds in Pocomoke?
ROLAND: *unintelligible speech*
INTERVIEWER: Do you have any memorable experiences from that?
ROLAND: *unintelligible speech* (laughter) I ain’t gonna remember too much, she do.
MYRTLE: Answer the boy’s question: You were born and raised here, I wasn’t.
ROLAND: I have experience she’ll have to tell you. (laughter)
*Unintelligible conversation*
ROLAND: It might create a little disturbance now if I tell you to much about that.
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever get involved in any of the races they had at the race course on Bay Road?
ROLAND: No I know one time I played hooky. Went over from school to go, and Pop, he knew it, and he told Mr Pernum the town cop *unintelligible speech* stood under that tree I don’t know how long and Pop knew it. I never went no more. But he didn’t tell me. See, you remember things like that.
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever go to any of the lynchings they had in Snow Hill?
ROLAND: Go to what?
INTERVIEWER: Lynchings, when they hang people.
MYRTLE: Lynchings *unintelligible speech*
ROLAND: I tell you what, I don’t hear too good. I have some trouble hearing. No I tell you what I did. I remember when they did that lynching and I remember that time that man he killed them two people *unintelligible speech* They would burn ’em alive if the caught ’em
MYRTLE: You went to a hanging.
ROLAND: No I went to a hanging a man Grano killed two or three people an Italian. Cross from out here, and I was a little boy. Mr. Jim Olson, a friend of ours, he carried me out there to see it. He put me on his shoulder when they cut that rope, he fainted, and both of us went down together. See you remember things right plain like that.
INTERVIEWER: Were you ever involved in any wars?
ROLAND: No I was in first draft for the Second World War but I couldn’t pass. That was about the time I had to quit barbering.
INTERVIEWER: Were any of your family members ever involved in any of the wars?
ROLAND: I have a boy, a son. What war was he in, Vietnam?
MYRTLE: *unintelligible speech* was in the Vietnam War, our oldest son William George.
ROLAND: The other boy wasn’t old enough.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about some of the jobs you did around the house when you were younger?
ROLAND: Around my home?
INTERVIEWER: Yes.
ROLAND: I had to work in the garden such as that. I never helped mom ’cause she didn’t want nobody to help her with dish washing none of that stuff or cooking. Of course my mom got paralyzed after my sister was killed and I had to do a lot of work around the house then dad did too.
INTERVIEWER: Did you do much hunting when you were younger?
ROLAND: Every chance I had.
INTERVIEWER: Did you have a particular type of..
ROLAND: What?
INTERVIEWER: Was there a particular type of hunting you liked to do?
ROLAND: Well sometimes I liked to go squirrel and Pop worked them rabbit dogs, rabbit hunting, and come summertime I got more squirrel up this river *unintelligible speech*
INTERVIEWER: How old were you when you first started hunting?
ROLAND: Let’s see, my mom would let me with Pop *unintelligible speech* he’s the only one she trust me to go hunting with, I guess I was about 14 or 15 something like that.
INTERVIEWER: Tell me about some of the toys and games you played with.
ROLAND: Well I used to play a little baseball, that’s, you know, see, I was raised out here what they call *unintelligible speech* old basket factory. You’d go on about making baskets *unintelligible speech* makes tomato baskets strawberry baskets *unintelligible speech* used to call it *unintelligible speech*
MYRTLE: But he wants to know about games you played.
ROLAND: Well that’s where we played ball, one would play against the other. The low class before the big class I guess you might call it.
INTERVIEWER: Were you involved in any sports in school?
ROLAND: No *unintelligible speech* No *unintelligible speech*
INTERVIEWER: How did you get interested in being a barber?
ROLAND: Well I think the main thing was my Dad, he never shaved himself in his life. He always went to a barbershop and he’d go twice a week barbershop and once a month hair cut he always carried me with him. That’s about the only time he got in town other than Saturday night. And I guess the barber and in there *unintelligible speech* somebody to *unintelligible speech* shine shoes. See shine shoes and you help the barber in between time. The only pay he give you was what you made shining shoes. Of course he didn’t even give you money to shine no shoes and that’s where I went. Go up there every morning, old coal stove, fix that for him and go to school and, you know, went a little bit of time.
MYRTLE: But when you graduated, didn’t your father give you your barber equipment?
ROLAND: Oh yeah. When I come out of school, Pop bought me a shop down there, paid for it and all. Give me everything.
MYRTLE: For graduation.
ROLAND: *unintelligible speech* No I was about 18, 17. I don’t know. No I weren’t. Yeah. I think that’s what I was. I ain’t certain about that.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me how much you charged people for a haircut and shave when you did that?
ROLAND: I did that 13 years. A quarter for a haircut and 15 cents for a shave. And lived good.
INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me about the first paved road you remember?
ROLAND: You mean *unintelligible speech* road or concrete?
INTERVIEWER: Doesn’t matter.
ROLAND: When they first started was …
MYRTLE: *unintelligible speech*
ROLAND: Do what?
MYRTLE: *unintelligible speech*
ROLAND: I remember this was a dirt road through here. I think during the *unintelligible speech* all that stuff was around, you heard about it. *unintelligible speech*
INTERVIEWER: Have you always lived in this house?
ROLAND: Right here, no. How long we lived here?
MYRTLE: 40 years.
ROLAND: 40 years. Been a right good while.
INTERVIEWER: Did your mother make your clothes?
ROLAND: Part of ’em. Made many of ’em. Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Did she preserve foods?
ROLAND: My land, yeah. Every kind. *unintelligible speech* meat you know, always cured that.
(inaudible conversation)
End of Recording