Timmons, Ida (1893-1986) |
Worcester County Library: Local History and Genealogy Collection, Snow Hill Branch, Snow Hill, MD
|
Interviewee: |
Ida Timmons (1893-1986) |
| Interviewer: |
Katherine Fisher |
| Date of interview: |
1982 April 29 |
| Length of interview: |
31 min |
| Transcribed by: |
Sylvia Hamilton |
| Preferred Citation: |
“Name, Oral History Collection, Date of Interview, Worcester County Library, Snow Hill Branch, Snow Hill, Maryland.” |
Topical Terms:
Farming
School
Transportation
Worcester County (Md.)—History
Worcester County (Md.)—Social life and customs
Worcester County (Md.)—Women’s History
Location Terms:
Ironshire (Md.)
Interview Begins
INTERVIEWER: What I wanted to do was to talk to you about your old days when you were young and growing up and going to school and I wondered if you would mind if we want to know some history of the early days around here and where were you born?
IDA: I was about born about five or six miles I guess west of Berlin.
INTERVIEWER: Oh! You were! Is that toward Liberty, the town?
IDA: Yes
INTERVIEWER: Ok
IDA: About a mile a mile and a half from here.
INTERVIEWER: Ok
IDA: I was born there and lived there until I was seven years old.
INTERVIEWER: Uh–huh
IDA: And then we moved on a farm in Ironshire.
INTERVIEWER: Alright, so that wasn’t too far to move was it?
IDA: No
INTERVIEWER: No
IDA:*unintelligible conversation*
INTERVIEWER: Ok
IDA: I lived there until I was 19 and my father moved back and I was born there.
INTERVIEWER: Oh alright, so you moved here to there and back again.
IDA: Yes
INTERVIEWER: Ok
IDA: After his death in 27 my mother and I moved out to her mother’s in Berlin.
INTERVIEWER: Alright in town, ok now you’re Ms. Ida Timmons right?
IDA: Yes
INTERVIEWER: Alright are you Mrs. or Ms.?
IDA: Ms. I’ve never been married.
INTERVIEWER: Alright where did you go to school?
IDA: Ironshire
INTERVIEWER: To Ironshire, how did you get- although you moved to Ironshire- when you were seven, so you started school there right?
IDA: Yes, I never went to school *unintelligible conversation* Because when I was old enough six years old, I still lived near Liberty and my parents didn’t like the teacher so they didn’t start me in school until we moved to Ironshire.
INTERVIEWER: Ironshire, alright. Do you remember who your teacher was in Ironshire?
IDA: Oh I had two or three.
INTERVIEWER: Oh you did?
IDA: I had Nelly *unintelligible*. I had Ms.*unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Oh for goodness sakes!
IDA: When I started school, she was still at the Ironshire school. She was a little older than I was and she just passed away recently. And before I quit school, she went on to Berlin. I don’t think they taught older than sixth grade. She went on to Berlin school and graduated and came back and taught at the Ironshire school.
INTERVIEWER: Isn’t that something! How did you get to school?
IDA: I had to walk!
INTERVIEWER: Was it far?
IDA: I guess it was a mile and a half between us. There were no school buses in those days. You had to get to school any way you could. And it was dirt roads, mud. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Oh my! Mud, I bet so.
IDA: (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Did you have any brothers and sisters?
IDA: I had three brothers. And they all died within five years. My oldest brother, my mother went, and my youngest brother went in 36. My youngest brother went when it was the 6th and my mother died the 26th in the same month. And then the next year 37, my youngest brother passed away then in 39, Parker my last one I had, passed away. *unintelligible conversation* I had a sister I guess. I heard mother say but I was just five years old the day she was born. She died- She died *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Right, right. I remember hearing about that. When you went to school, what was the school like? It was a one-room school, right?
IDA: Oh yes it was a one room school. There were two rooms there. They didn’t use one of the rooms only the first year or two when I started school. The country boys, the farm boys, would go in, you know, for about two months. Then they would have a teacher. Now that didn’t last many years with one teacher they didn’t use that room at all. There’s no school there now.
INTERVIEWER: Alright, it’s gone. Ok did you go home for lunch or did you bring your lunch with you?
IDA: Oh I carried my lunch.
INTERVIEWER: You carried your lunch.
IDA: It was too far.
INTERVIEWER: It was too far to walk back again. What did you do for fun, for entertainment?
IDA: We had a 15-minute recess *unintelligible conversation* and we had a 15-minute *unintelligible conversation* and we had an hour of free time, but most of us, except for the kids that lived close, but we went played ball, whatever happened to be on our minds. I got my collarbone broke in 1910 I believe.
INTERVIEWER: You did?
IDA: We played sling the biscuit?
INTERVIEWER: What is sling the biscuit?
IDA: Well a group of us would take hold of a string and start to run and the one on one end would *unintelligible* and I was on the last end and they let go of my end and that’s me and I fell. And I was known as the last end and I fell and I hurt my collarbone.
INTERVIEWER: Oh my goodness! Dear! Did you ever go ice skating?
IDA: I never went ice skating but I used to slide.
INTERVIEWER: Oh (laughs).
IDA: *unintelligible conversation* (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Was there a pond near your house? Near the school?
IDA: There was a pond about a half a mile. I would guess as close as this building. We would get there and get back. But some of the boys could skate.
INTERVIEWER: Oh they could?
IDA: But I never could, I never had *unintelligible* ice skate but I wish I could roller skate but I never did.
INTERVIEWER: Ok, did you, thinking about not school now, did you ever ride on the train, go on the train?
IDA: A train?
INTERVIEWER: Yes
IDA: Yes I would go down to Ocean City when every summer came. I never stayed over there till *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Alright, do you remember how much that cost to ride that train?
IDA: No I don’t remember. I think 25 or 30 cents. But I’m not sure. I’ve forgot.
INTERVIEWER: Ok, what do you remember about Ocean City when you would go on a day like that? What would you do?
IDA: Walk up and down the boardwalk. I remember the first Ferris wheel. I was down there one day and a friend of mine, I don’t know she was *unintelligible conversation* and she come to me and she said, Ida will you ride on that Ferris wheel with me *unintelligible conversation* and I said yes I’ll go on with you and she went home and told her sister-in-law which was a friend of mine *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: (Laughs)
IDA: (Laughs) *unintelligible conversation*
INTERVIEWER: I liked that. Did you ever go to Public Landing?
IDA: Yes I’ve been on Farmer’s Day.
INTERVIEWER: Farmer’s Day, tell me what that was like.
IDA: Well, I read about it in the paper. I think it was usually held close to in July and the paper would say, I don’t know if it’s true or not. The neighborhood would get a wide load of people together and drive from miles to Public Landing on that train *unintelligible conversation* quite a few actually. *unintelligible * I had a picture of myself and some girlfriends sitting on the chairs at Public Landing, but of course I don’t have that now.
INTERVIEWER: Did you go swimming when you went there?
IDA: I *unintelligible* I never could swim.
INTERVIEWER: Alright, but you did go in the water?
IDA: Huh?
INTERVIEWER: You did go in the water though?
IDA: Oh yes.
INTERVIEWER: What did you wear?
IDA: A bathing suit.
INTERVIEWER: Oh you did? What did it look like?
IDA: Mine was black and it had a *unintelligible conversation* and bloomers under the skirt, that’s the way you went sunbathing *unintelligible*. You had to have stockings on.
INTERVIEWER: Oh my!
IDA: No lotions.
INTERVIEWER: Oh goodness, did you go bathing in Ocean City?
IDA: No I never went in the ocean. I would just bathe in it. I was only there one day with a bathing suit on. I went with my niece and her boyfriend. It was later her husband. *unintelligible conversation* She begged me to go in the ocean with her and she said please go with me and I said no it scares me to run into boats so I didn’t go. But I used to play in the waves when I was a child.
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever travel much other than to Public Landing or to Ocean City?
IDA: No I don’t know much about those things. Snow Hill.
INTERVIEWER: Ok you didn’t go here, you went to Berlin?
IDA: Yes, I didn’t care too much.
INTERVIEWER: You would go into Berlin wouldn’t you?
IDA: Yes it was a dime for the country people to go to Berlin for the afternoon but *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember some of the stores when you would go into Berlin?
IDA: No *unintelligible conversation*
INTERVIEWER: Was there a shoe store? Where would you get shoes?
IDA: Where would we get what?
INTERVIEWER: Shoes
IDA: *unintelligible*
INTERVIEWER: Shoes you put on your feet?
IDA: Oh, I’d get them at Purnell’s. I would get *unintelligible* Madison shoes. *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Did they button up?
IDA: Some you buttoned up and some had a nice strap. They were shoe button*unintelligible conversation* a button hooked at the end and you could run it through the eye of the shoe pull it and button through. It’s been years since I wore them and they liked wearing those high top shoes *unintelligible conversation* and people thought they were awful. The dresses were too short.
INTERVIEWER: (Laughs) Oh goodness! When you were living on your farms, did you have animals? Did you have cows, kids and things?
IDA: We had cows. We had horses, which worked on the farm with the horses *unintelligible* with the tractor. *unintelligible* we had sheep.
INTERVIEWER: You had sheep?
IDA: I fed so many lambs with a bottle. *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: I bet you that was fun.
IDA: The worst job I had was when *unintelligible conversation* then she died and I had to train it with the bottle *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: I bet you did.
IDA: One year I had twins and I had to *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Did they really? Did you name your horses? Did your horses have names? Like pets.
IDA: We had the one in Ironshire we called Charles. I don’t remember what the other two were but when we lived there the last time we had one named Queen and we had a mule we called Jake and a horse we called King.
INTERVIEWER: Ok, Queen, King and Jake. What did you use the mule for?
IDA: The what?
INTERVIEWER: What did you use the mule for?
IDA: The manure?
INTERVIEWER: The mule?
IDA: Oh, he did the work of a horse.
INTERVIEWER: Ok, would he work with the horse?
IDA: Oh yes, we had Queen. She didn’t like to work sometimes and she would get smart and wouldn’t want to work then one day *unintentional conversation* she started to run and Jake was right beside her *unintelligible conversation*. (Laughs) I don’t know what would have happened if it wasn’t for him.
INTERVIEWER: (Laughs) Did you learn to drive a horse and buggy?
IDA: No I never did.
INTERVIEWER: Ok, you didn’t. Do you remember when your father got his first car? First automobile?
IDA: He never had one.
INTERVIEWER: He didn’t have one?
IDA: No
INTERVIEWER: Alright, did you have pets at home? Cats or dogs?
IDA: Did I have what?
INTERVIEWER: Did you have cats or dogs on the farm?
IDA: We had dogs. I don’t remember much about them but one. The one in Ironshire, he was a Shepard and an old sheep dog. *unintelligible conversation* My mother said Ida I have a baby for you and I thought it was real one (laughs) and that dog growed up with me till we moved to Ironshire. *unintelligible conversation* and the day we moved we left him there *unintelligible conversation* he was jumping up and down. He acted like he hadn’t seen us for a week.
INTERVIEWER: I bet so. Did you have, you were talking about gathering wood. Did you have chores to do around the farm? Jobs to do?
IDA: I didn’t have no chores *unintelligible*. I did what I could.
INTERVIEWER: Alright, no chores, whatever.
IDA: Yes whatever and I worked in field picking corn. I worked in the fields pulling grain. I learned to cut chaff pulling blades.
INTERVIEWER: Alright, tell me what pulling blades is? I don’t know what that is.
IDA: It’s pulling blades off *unintelligible*.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, ok, separating. Ok
IDA: They don’t *unintelligible conversation*
INTERVIEWER: Right, right. Do you remember any really big snows when you were young, bad weather? Snow being real deep?
IDA: We had snow but I can’t remember a really big snow. My father used to in a big snow, he *unintelligible conversation* for the cows *unintelligible conversation* of course he bought corn, he always bought the *unintelligible conversation* corn. We ate what we had on our farm.
INTERVIEWER: Alright, did you grow wheat? For bread or for flour?
IDA: In my late years, my father did when we first moved to Ironshire. He would cut it with what you call a *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Alright I know what that is.
IDA: You do?
INTERVIEWER: Yes I’ve seen a picture of that in a book.
IDA: It wasn’t as easy as you think *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Where would take that to get it ground into flour?
IDA: Now I don’t remember if it was in Berlin when I was a child. In later years there was a flour mill *unintelligible conversation* but now it’s been turned into a *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: It is, wasn’t it at one time called Adams?
IDA: Huh?
INTERVIEWER: Wasn’t it Adams? A-D-A-M-S. Adams flour mill.
IDA: I don’t remember. I think it was Krillins.
INTERVIEWER: Krillins, alright. Ok you’re right. Did you have corn meal ground also?
IDA: We didn’t have corn meal ground then but my father used to *unintelligible conversation*. The real problem was there was no mill.
INTERVIEWER: Now the pond you used to skate on, there wasn’t a mill associated with that?
IDA: Oh no
INTERVIEWER: That was just a pond?
IDA: Yes a little pond on the farm about half a mile *unintelligible conversation*. *unintelligible conversation* I don’t know.
INTERVIEWER: I’m not sure either. I’m not sure. In Liberty, excuse me, in Ironshire, was there a store there?
IDA: Oh yes The building is still standing there what is left of Ironshire but of course I didn’t *unintelligible conversation* but she did. I used to *unintelligible conversation* to church next to the building *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Alright, did they sell a little bit of everything?
IDA: Yes all sorts of things.
INTERVIEWER: Was there a barber shop in Liberty, in Ironshire?
IDA: No
INTERVIEWER: You had to go to Berlin to get your hair cut.
IDA: Yes get your hair cut.
INTERVIEWER: What did women do with their hair? Did they do it at home or would they go get it cut someplace?
IDA: They didn’t wash it, they wore it up. They combed it themselves. Washed it. *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: (Laughs) Oh my
IDA: There was no beauty shops in those days.
INTERVIEWER: Was there a doctor or a dentist in Ironshire?
IDA: Oh no, not in Ironshire, they had doctors in Berlin. They didn’t have cars back in the old days.
INTERVIEWER: Right, back in the old days.
IDA: If you need a doctor, you used a horse and carriage *unintelligible conversation*.
INTERVIEWER: Oh goodness, but they would come to see you if you needed them.
IDA: Oh yes, they would *unintelligible conversation* to see you. When Dr. Ball come to Berlin of course *unintelligible conversation*. Doctor’s don’t do that now.
INTERVIEWER: No they don’t. Can you think of anything else that you can remember about your childhood? Oh, do you remember the fire in Berlin? Remember there were some fires in Berlin?
IDA: Yes but I don’t remember.
INTERVIEWER: Right, because you were in Ironshire then.
IDA: Yes we were in Ironshire.
INTERVIEWER: There weren’t any fires in Ironshire were there? Can you remember any big ones?
IDA: No
INTERVIEWER: No big ones?
IDA: It was just a small place.
INTERVIEWER: Right
IDA: One country store.
INTERVIEWER: Was there a church there?
IDA: Yes there was a church.
INTERVIEWER: Oh there was, and a school?
IDA: And a school but they were half a mile from each other. Church was on Main Street in Ironshire and the school was up the road.
INTERVIEWER: And you said the school went up to about the 5th grade you said?
IDA: Yes
INTERVIEWER: Then they would go to Berlin?
IDA: Then they had go to Berlin, there was a school there.
INTERVIEWER: Was there a bus to get to Berlin? Or did you have to get there-
IDA: Oh no *unintelligible conversation*.
Tape Ends