NannieBSpencer.txt

-n -n -n Unknown Speaker 0:04 Today is March the 18th 1994. I'm interviewing nanny Beatrice SpencerSpeaker 1 0:31 just get comfortable with it, pretty much. Okay. And before we start talking like we were talking before, just need to ask a couple questions about tell me who your grandparents were, if you can, if you know who you are, remember where they were, how long they've been here on both sides, your hand and your parents and your and, you know, just any biographical stuff like that names. When your grandparents did they move in here? AndSpeaker 2 1:03 my grandma moved with my mother, she lived with my mother until she passed.Speaker 1 1:09 And when did they move into the? I mean, when when did you who was the first one in your family to originally come into the cold?Speaker 2 1:16 When I see my when I was born, my grandmother was leading with this theme. My grandfather had passed.Speaker 1 1:25 And that's what you were talking about when you were 16. You've been on your own since years.Speaker 2 1:29 Since I sportin. married when I was 16.Unknown Speaker 1:33 Well, what was your mother's name?Speaker 2 1:35 My mother's name was paid. Make use of what was your grandSpeaker 1 1:40 grandmother's name? Jane Hendricks. Okay. And then that enabled that when youSpeaker 2 1:46 know my grandmother, dad before my mother, she died in 1932. And my mother passed in 1936. And that's when you were, I was all my father, dad and 19 and 33. And what was his name? Where you met us? And he called him video.Unknown Speaker 2:06 So you've been on your own since you're 14?Unknown Speaker 2:07 Right? I'm 16.Unknown Speaker 2:11 And who did you marry?Speaker 2 2:12 Am I Robert Spencer? Spencer virgin? And he was Was he a cold? Cold man. Okay. And he was your age across? Oh, no, he was seven years old now. Okay.Speaker 1 2:25 So he was he was 23 and you were 16. And he was working in the mall, which mine wasUnknown Speaker 2:33 with you up Eggman.Speaker 1 2:36 And And how long did y'all live over there? Oh,Speaker 2 2:41 we have steel. He passed. He passed 11 years ago, and I'm still living in it. So you've been there ever since knocking at Band Aid winners is 1936 when my mother passed, and we stay I stayed with my cousin my brother and I we stayed with our cousin a lot. And I worked and I went to school. And then 1938 Myrt November 24 1930. And what? And then you all had children? Oh yes, I had 12 children. And they're all still living. Yes. I have eight sons and four daughters. My daughter's principal ma'am. Do you have school? Our store Okay, give me all their names. Okay. Barbra Jean Soos, a Spencer and Henrietta Spencer and eliminating Spence but she's a haven. I should give them her name. Her married name. Okay. All right, Otto, Barbara Harrison, and Henrietta Frank. And Nadine has it. And then William Spencer. There's my oldest son, and John Henry Spencer. And Curtis Spencer. Stafford Spencer, wrong Spencer HERL Spencer, then Spencer, Deborah Spencer and Dwayne Spence. That's just as they come out, or I call them names.Speaker 1 4:05 He was born and did. They all graduatedSpeaker 2 4:09 high school yesterday in terms of trade, and went to college and how many have graduated from college? Staff expense reimbursement, so we use Spencer harrowsmith And I see graduating college and I may have missed one and someone went to college but didn't finish. And I had one son went back and finishing he was a teacher to be a teacher but he has a better job being insurance is justSpeaker 1 4:39 so you but you actually had for how many? Four, four or five graduate from college? Yeah. So you had 12 Children also graduated from high school, and four or five and graduate right?Speaker 2 4:50 And they took trays ahead once an engineer in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I have a son that works in there near Washington, DC He was to the computer and and I forget the other job he has.Unknown Speaker 5:05 And so your husband was Was he a coal miner?Speaker 2 5:10 Yes, he was. And then he man go to he was a one or small operators.Speaker 1 5:17 And you raised all these kids in the coal camp. Right?Speaker 2 5:22 Right. I've been in this house. I mean, it would be 52 years 20 to 3852. Is it a company now? Yes, it was. Yeah, we bought it.Speaker 1 5:32 And you bought it. We remodeled when you woke me up when you had been what renting it for years before we had rented for quite some time. And probably enough to pay for it twice. Oh, well, it was justSpeaker 2 5:44 $12 a month. For four rooms. And then Monday. So as we bought a house and enemies have eight rooms and in her basement.Unknown Speaker 5:57 Did they sell it to you for a good price? When he bought it?Speaker 2 5:59 I believe it was $1,200.12 or 18. Sunlight.Speaker 1 6:05 I think my mother paid it was like $5,400 for her house. And it was $60 a month was a rent payment. And it was all she could do to come up for that 60.Speaker 2 6:15 We thought we bought through the bank may pay for Yeah.Speaker 1 6:20 Well, they had so you raised all your What was it like raising 12 Kids in the coalSpeaker 2 6:24 field? But I did still know how to how to describe it.Unknown Speaker 6:28 Was it hard? Was it easy? Was it Was it exciting? Was it sad?Speaker 2 6:32 Was it when I can say it was saying I enjoy those we have to and we use what we have? That's right.Speaker 1 6:40 Did you raise Did you raise any chickens or pigs orSpeaker 2 6:43 when another one used to be a produce? He's dealing produce two. And he's just going down wherever so pros and grandparents? No chickens? Yeah. We had chickens there. And when he wasn't mining, he ran the program. Yeah. When he was mad, he was doing a two. I mean, when he was not actually in the mind. Yeah, we had we used to raise house to me. Sure. TheSpeaker 1 7:10 Did you? So you live right in the coal camp? Right? Black and white families together? Yes. No, there was no. Now when your kids were growing up, though. Did they go to segregated schools?Speaker 2 7:22 Well, you know, the integrated schools they went for BA and then it didn't really I went scuba SE I didn't grow up like most people, you know, people but we just got along with airbags. And at Ekman right today, those people just as nice can music they ride today. And so I hadn't had we hadn't had it for a much shorter hair.Speaker 1 7:44 So it wasn't it wasn't really an issue of where they went to school. It was just did they go? Did they get bused to school or? Oh,Speaker 2 7:51 yeah, they really have. They had to walk to the first school I went to and I went to same school. Did while school and then later my niggaz went to Kimball they had a basketball.Speaker 1 8:01 They go to Wells Dunbar was that you know, I went to you went to wells. And then where did the kids go?Speaker 2 8:08 Well, my kids went to Keystone Aetna school. Then went to Campbell school. An integrated my children went now for high school.Unknown Speaker 8:18 And, and so they all graduated fromSpeaker 2 8:21 Oh, yeah, they all graduate north for the outrageously some ways. Raise your phone like now folks.Speaker 1 8:27 Okay. Well, while you were raising all these, it's just it astonishes me and anybody that raised all I do.Unknown Speaker 8:38 Oh, well. We toil andSpeaker 1 8:44 how did the kid well, I imagined it was hard just beaten that butSpeaker 2 8:49 no, I mean, I can see it was because my husband worked and so I saw know how to man and he said pick up jobs to attack people he says foods pump he pumped those systems in where he can make earnest honest dollars when heUnknown Speaker 9:06 ended the kids did they work do they have jobsUnknown Speaker 9:11 when the database they weren't at the you know age they were and they was taught how to add to use the switch on them no, they hate man. So it's child abuseUnknown Speaker 9:31 big was your switch? Oh, IUnknown Speaker 9:34 get a switch and she I can't describe it.Unknown Speaker 9:36 Just whatever you can grabSpeaker 2 9:41 the head and legs isn't trembling till the fall to come on because he worked all the time. I didn't have to wait the I'm okay. Then. I took care of myself.Speaker 1 9:52 doing too good. He's supposed to bring his work report home ever, ever week and night we've been asked and then we begged him and we paid Money and we bought the mastering factory last Monday I said said I said I want you to start bringing that home because every day that you don't bring home I'm gonna bust your hand. I said I'm just tired of fooling with you and you know for four days in a row now he's brought it home I said did you bring it home he says under threat of death or whatever it takes us and I've just hired a further with and and I think that's you know, I'm like you and I don't think they ought to be but I told one of his teachers I call he's teaching us and then you send a panel home attorney says well that'll be embarrassing I said put it in a brown paper sack. I said because I'm not gonna put him with my belt but I said I want to paddle here at the house where I can acid everyday you will get three legs and he was in their lives toUnknown Speaker 10:49 be paid off.Unknown Speaker 10:51 So either you're hanging or there's homeworks gonna changeUnknown Speaker 10:56 right paid out I think so IUnknown Speaker 10:58 don't see any 12 year old boy I just don't see no otherSpeaker 2 11:02 way around. That's right. But you know who responsible for the train about you know about this ball rock, Spare the rod spoil the child. And it says in Deuteronomy say you can use the rod and save your child's soul from here.Speaker 1 11:18 Well, I think it's important to somehow figure out how some kids you don't have to work you know, you tell him what to do butSpeaker 2 11:24 some mess right. But you does want the added handle problem natural, getting the lessons in homework, they come in the evening and had to get on that practice, pod.Speaker 1 11:37 So you while he worked in the manage the pedal produce and did all these other things? Did you help take care of livestock andSpeaker 2 11:43 we'll see we had I used to go feed to hell. I used to. And we'll see we sold. We had to check the we raise chickens. But we hadn't done when he will buy produce even gets a crate of chickens. And we sold the chickens. But at the end we didn't really raise a businessman when he was he really wasUnknown Speaker 12:06 turned to a quarter 50 cents over whereUnknown Speaker 12:09 he was he was a good business man, you are right about.Speaker 1 12:13 I appreciate some of you go out and bring stuff back when I did. I was like, well, all this growing up that you know all that you've done here and here in the coal fields. What do you How did you see what you had to reduce it down to you know what it was like then what would you say it was like growing up in the coal field?Speaker 2 12:34 Well, I can't say anything. The Lord was good. He made way we ate food. I stayed in she had a period of food and when I got married, my husband was working. Okay. And so I always kept the job. Yes, he surely did. And he had me and working for him. So long time when he was mad. He is a mean working for him.Unknown Speaker 12:58 So well that he actually you say for well Oh, just oh man.Speaker 2 13:00 Yeah, he were he was subcontract. No, I hate his own man.Speaker 1 13:05 Was he successful at that? Yes, sir. I bet he was anybody that made money off. Chickens had to make money. Oh. And well, then, how would you you'd say raising the kids. They all stayed alive. Yeah. And and so was religion a big part of your life?Speaker 2 13:27 Oh, yes, sir. Crisis first in my life. What church do you go to? At least I work with different churches. Now. I played the priests to church every Sunday and Eropa center org, I believe. Yeah. And then I pray for the senior citizen group. And which church you actually go to what's the album of Baptist faith with your admin is one Lord one faith one baptism. I work with our church, Presbyterians. Pista. Pei is all of my work and wholeness in and middle my community. And they receive an act to headspace respect from you know, because you're not some people, you know, right. If you don't belong 30 Right. I have a heart right God.Speaker 1 14:13 So you, your church, and church was a big part of your kid's life. Yes. And your husband?Unknown Speaker 14:20 He was a deacon of the church.Speaker 1 14:22 And okay, now that takes us to where we are now. What do you see happening now? You've raised 12 Kids, your husband lived a good life here. What do you see happening? You say your son's an evangelist?Speaker 2 14:36 Oh, my son. He's a pastor. I have two son pastors, but he's the evangelist we get Pocahontas say it once on teachers appeared mount your high school. He's the past and blue for you.Unknown Speaker 14:47 Now are you you're you are you yourself andUnknown Speaker 14:50 evangelist? Yes, I am. Oh, okay.Speaker 1 14:53 Okay, now we got I remember she told me you were coming in. Yeah.Speaker 2 14:58 I mean, the music Indigo Ask Okay, isn't itSpeaker 1 15:01 unusual in the Baptist faith for a womanUnknown Speaker 15:06 you say did rightSpeaker 2 15:12 I brought my trout first measures on palm sander. And my pastor he led me here you know bring home bases in the church. Yo Dora the minister to us all right, that to say anymore hanger, but I didn't need to stop the app stay right there. And I didn't even put me down the rear because God called me and asked ad he didn't even read. And as the other day is to your being best,Speaker 1 15:42 and people, people show up when you prove Oh, yes.Speaker 2 15:45 How often do you when that's not too often, but I play or send it but I preached a sermon be to Settings go man, I was sitting at heart this was stuff I was sitting there eating the Lord give me this message had to prepare for the coming of the Lord. Would you believe unless Twitter for as I had an invitation to preach it to church that I pray for? And I went back and presets and, and lo long last Friday. What it means memes uh, you know, we ate church to we really had a good church. There's the class some beautiful everything. So the presence of the Lord was in that place. And so when you have Christ on the inside, it makes all this okay, how much noise when they make it harder?Unknown Speaker 16:28 If you're inside, you don't know.Unknown Speaker 16:32 It is hard.Speaker 1 16:35 Do you uh, do you now the church where you go Baptist Church? Yeah. Is it? Is it primarily a black church? Or is it a bad church?Speaker 2 16:43 Now the Presbyterian Church is black and white? dispraise. Dangerous Chaplin? Yes. Been playing there? Oh, how many years now playing with this Presbyterian Church.Speaker 1 16:54 The I know that we, you know, I teach in college and I was telling my kids if the correct me if I'm wrong, I told them the importance of the black church was was that that was the only place where where people were in charge of their destiny, where they were the where they were the in charge. It was the for the black community. It was it was the political center and and the community center and the religious center. And everything that went on in the community went on there. This was I was thinking of Mississippi and Alabama, down in there, because they didn't have any control of the schools. And, you know, they were they were in charge was in the church. And that's why it was so important. Is that have you seen that to be true to his?Speaker 2 17:43 Okay, see. There? I know we have church at our church. We don't we don't have different you know, organizations come in there.Speaker 1 17:56 So it's your mostly it's just been? It's just been church toUnknown Speaker 18:00 church. Yes. That's right. That's right.Speaker 1 18:03 I think to one of the things I've seen in these interviews, though, is that black folks in West Virginia seem to have been empowered more than the lots of other places people seem very comfortable surroundings and their neighbors and their and their roles in society. And everybody seems to to be very content, pretty much the way things have gone over the last few years. Do you feel that way? YouSpeaker 2 18:31 flash surely do. I really do. And see where that we've come along with?Speaker 1 18:39 Do you think there's still a long ways to go? Or do you think you've come a long ways and things are starting to get where they ought to be?Speaker 2 18:46 Where I feel like the things improve and slowly but they're improving accuracy improvement. But see the thing about this, I knew I had no problem. My mobile phone never had any problem with the black and white issue. Two people had respect for my Monday, my MA was Christian. And the y noticed come to our house. We used to go to their churches. AndSpeaker 1 19:09 so you see, you see them as religion is being an overriding factor ofSpeaker 2 19:15 problems. I guess you I'm sure you're saving.Speaker 1 19:21 I tell you, it's really, what do you see going into the going into the future here? What do you see as as the role of the community and your role within the community? You're going to continue to preach? Oh, yes, sir. And what what do you see happening here in McDowell County and in the future? What would you like to see happen? Well,Speaker 2 19:45 I would like to see things get better in Baghdad. I can see it then economically. Yes, sir.Unknown Speaker 19:51 And how do you see that happening?Speaker 2 19:53 Well, I can see it right now. All things are possible God we don't have the law. Work this out for us because he knows the needs of the people it was hardSpeaker 1 20:03 work things out so you're you're willing to put your faith in God that's right trust for the future yesUnknown Speaker 20:11 yeahUnknown Speaker 20:11 it's gonna be as shortSpeaker 2 20:14 as surely do and I'm gonna follow trusted God and you know some ad near him say anything about whose time and all this to give him targets to and why people just white people yes and when I was growing to and they trusted God and today this where I'm just we hear a lot of people they talk about the Democrats and Republicans access government I don't call kin I didn't call I call my Heavenly Father to scare me to to pee takes care of me and I tell these people the Lord you know we had a hard time and who's down all is to seeSpeaker 1 20:58 these if you had to sum it all up into one thing what would you This is your chance to put your whole life into one What would you is good bad happy sad you glad to where it's turned out orSpeaker 2 21:15 as I say these things could be bad but I'm fine with it as well with us as it is. You see one thing was so bad when it took prayer out of school that affected our young people quite a bit it's a demonstrate when you recognize God he said that she had no other gods before me and when you just put God on a bed it you see a new CFO for troll and wait to be fair you put God on the back burner you say new CFOUnknown Speaker 21:51 Well I tell you I did Joplin pitcher pitchingUnknown Speaker 21:54 me a CDSpeaker 1 21:56 I tell you what I would I don't know if we would get to her halftime to or if you would have time to but what I love to do is I would love to get I think it'd be wonderful if we can get a picture of you standing at the pulpit with your Bible. I think they'd be a great shot since you areUnknown Speaker 22:13 well listen I had I have rowUnknown Speaker 22:17 but all of you have a greatSpeaker 2 22:19 I'm making get one myself and Mike and my son Tony talked to him about that let me let me get it right now as a matter of fact I believe heUnknown Speaker 22:27 jumped right no he got me I got the keys Oh all rightUnknown Speaker 22:56 we're hereSpeaker 2 23:17 and you know somebody else want to take now I received my license, I received my license to be evasive from the National Baptist Convention that's where I got my licenseSpeaker 1 23:32 Well, we were talking he would like to go take a picture of you behind the pulpit if you if that's not too much, you know, whatever it's gonna be like seven or eight o'clock you know if he's later or whenever it's whenever it's convenient for you. When when it's gonna be me What day are they? Well, we today or tomorrow is the only time we're here where I tell youSpeaker 2 23:51 what I'm making getting into tomorrow, but I have to move I'm supposed to be right high. And Master I hate me. It'sSpeaker 1 24:04 okay, we're going to be over it we are going to be we're not going to just to say well, we're supposed to be somewhere at 10 o'clock. But we can maybe do something at nine o'clock before we go do this thing at 10 o'clock.Speaker 2 24:16 Well that immediate a pitch in May and then the team well it has to be himSpeaker 1 24:22 because he's the photographer. But would there beSpeaker 2 24:26 let me would I have to be the church cannot have cameras have a Bible violin and stance orSpeaker 1 24:35 just what what you could but what I thought was it would make a great shot was for you usually preach you know, wherever you'reSpeaker 2 24:42 where you know how these that see the churches I want to send just open tomorrow.Speaker 1 24:47 Y'all you can't even get imager, that's right. Oh, okay. Well, he says he got some good shots of you. Let's just go ahead and and if at a later date, we're able to work it out or tomorrow and work it out or so I feel like they were well let me ask him about just getting money get him in here talkingUnknown Speaker 25:12 let me go ahead and shut this off. We're trying toTranscribed by https://otter.ai