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BIOGRAPHY &F H:.'NRY E. ADAMS,

I were borri January 21· 1895 at Mayk1n_g I·1n ·t~·~t.=-=f==-==-::JL/ Kentucky, ·
. - o

on Kentucky river, .on my C_!'~~an_~d~fa.;;,~~~~~~~~ -ome place. : . •.

• In the · rall of 1895 my father &.nd mother to Virgina on ~he . ·
north !ork or the · Pound r!ver a. Fork,there J?7
"m other told me how frighten she got about me so~e one bring 1n
some wood for the fire and happen to bump me o the head:and she
were a fra1d.~'hat 1 ware ~oing to die. at that ti~e people heated
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thir home by wood I can remember when we would haft to go out 1n tt.e
snow· and c~ld to cut wood for the ft1re place o keep us warm.
Six month:, later. in the spring of IB96, my pa ents moved back into
Kentucky on Cwnb'iand r1Ter place ea.11 the 111Ul place , there w_ere a;_.
water mill there and the farc.ers brought their co.rn to be ground into
(l ·. meal f-.c:,r tJtttt to make their bread, at this pl ce my oldest sister
\ ' Cora were born on October 14- 1896. in the fal of 1898 my parents
mo.v e- back to Virginia place call· natgap there my second sister Lou1st-
-- . - . : •·
wer~.
., . .
barn Maech' I9-I899, four days after my si ter Louisa were born
on March 23--my grandfather Calep Hampton my m ther father died, I
e,c...\\'\5
went to the funeral wit.h my father James H. Ad a . my mother were not
able to t end the funeral, that 1s the first th ns I rember of my chUc
..
ho.od days ; be i.r:.g at my grandfather' funeral. Aft r my gran_d father,-dea-th 1
~

the estate were devied amoung th6 airs cy moth r bein~ the youngest
G· she got the home place and my parents move ba.c to Kentucky on cumt>-
, land river,..,plac~
r: call R~bert branch, Two years later my mother traded
place with-her brother W1laon Hampton which wee one quater of a. mile ·
south• there my parents staid-and brought up t eir family of ~-).ne
. rlj-; {,~ ~,,("
' children, they only move ~away for a short ti.ILe in 1902 my~w.ere workin4!
in the mines at Dorchester V~rgina . aiid they mo e ~ there for the wi.nter
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It were cfeaper for thee to move that way; rather~not halt to
pay board and get some oneto cut wood w,od ray mother to k~ep
us children warm.
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I were, e1zht~years old Bild what -stajed wit member or that
winter. r.c live u.p on the hill from the river and dow.en by the
river were what th~y call river botom, were where
some f ornier~ ~£i,f~ e~~ing them go to e river to do their
loundfry when there were snow on 'the gromd. ice on the rive~
they would come out bare footed brake the
dress and wade out up to their knees and their lqu.ndery,
' peo-ple then diden have -M- rub boards and _they would use a. .padle
or badll.ng stick as they ~•were call .. .The would dip. their
close in the river then put soap on then and them on a.. rock
and beat them to get them clean,- a! . d by the t e ti.ne they got

their close on the line they would be frozen

In the spring my parents move baek to the h e place on ~obert_
branch that were their last move until -ftiey gt their family grn-
en and marri~d, I~ I9I8 the tire burnt my par nts home and they
move back in Virgina· to a place my father had bought off my mother
sister Anne Hompton they live there till my f ther could build back .
where the house had burn,
When I were eleven years old in the spr 6 of 1906 I beging
C. to have trouble with my right leg which turn be polio, which
cripple~me for the rest of my life, bu~k I were able to-
Go and work B-"ld t;4ke care of my family of children which are
all married and got family of their owen, the lord sure •~re with
me and my family.

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QHAPTER 2. ·
In tall of I9IO my fat her were cutting amme treea down to get th~
logs to wa.11 up a datry and a tree tha t ho tel kick back and knock
my fa t her dow-en a r!d · broken his lag Juat be low··his knee and the bone
r
went throue}l the skin an d into the ground and 1n my father lag under
it he we re by him sefl a bout & quater mile fr~ the house up on a:.
ridge and he call for help for ha! l hour befor any one heard him
and relizned__
,.
that eoc e one were in toouble, my mother happen to go
upon the hill above the house and heard him my cousing Ivory Hampt on
were digging potatoes cl ose by and my mother t ld him she thought
my father were hurt or 1n trouble Ivory cut a roes the ridge to
where my father were -when he got to my had work his lag
out untill his shoe sole had caught •i t he had s knife out going
to rip the back of his shoe when Iwry got to Ivory we re ezcide
and he grab the log and lifted so my father co get his lag ou."t
the log were so heavey the blood s hot out ory nose, lYpryr ,
were excided h e put my father on his back an d dowen the
hill he did not git ~ar theret were some ot her f the neighbor ha.d
heard my fath er and at first Just thought it re some bne nrunlc
until~ one of the wemen said that some one~ in trouble for 1 can
hear him calling !or help and some' of the men folks started to my
father they met my father e.nd Ivory and help ring my father to the
house, it were twelve miles to go for a and that5 on horse
back at that,our neighbor Ransom WUlam went doctor but he
were lilcky he . aver taken a doctor down cwnbland r1Ter a.t
1
the foot o·f the mountian on his way back to tesburg the county
seat that where we baa. to go to get a doctor e had come over on
the river to see a sick man and had started b ck to his office.

He came back nth Mr Willam and set my fath r lag,twenty one da;ya

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the doctor hacl to come back'and set my tather ag &(39.in his lag were [
not hca11nG ric;ht and were giving him trouble hey were no hospitals !
back them days, doctor ea.id he wonte '.~ some one nth steady nerTes
. '
to help him it fell on me 1 hJ.nkered dowcn bes de the bed and put
my elbows on the bed doctor put my father lag n my Aand with one
hand under his knee and the other und~r his he 1 and 1 had to sei
there one hour while doctor ·took off the · splin · and. dressing and
1'18.sh his lag"'!md redressed and put the splints back around my father
lag when th a do·et or got though 1 coulden moTe hey had to help· me uv,.,
I had to q*it school and take care the er ps and harTe it we

had on way af getting any money only from the reduce that ~ouldA
sell from the farm, I I!la.de one or two trip~ a. eek to the eoid field
of Pardeettrgina and sold what produ.c e we coul spair to get money to
buy our close7and shoes and the litle thing t we needed.
CHAPTER 3
That winter I made my first moonshine whis ey two f~llow· came
to my father and •~ted to put a moonshir.e sti l on my father~...place
and let my father go in with them, my father n t being able to work
it fell on me to work with them, my father lag were not well enough
for him to workthia lag were mess up so uad th the had to stay in
bed flat of his back for forty days and nights be fore he could be
prop up in bed it were nine month before he cold walk on it.
I will never for get that year; that w.ere- he year of the jballey
~119+-,t
comet were seen in the sky, all summer.we had sen it rise in the
east and set in .the west and what made me ~~me ber it so well one
night I had taken some meal to the still ~lace and as I were come
back about two hunders yards fro~ the house al at once the whole
sky lite up and I look up to the east I saw thee ball like fire
rolling a _ cros the sky g~ing from ea.st to wes it all. 18:'Sted
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rollin~ a .er.as . the •• a._.._.--..- ---•-------- -- -. - _j
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( bout one minute when theJ got in the west the alls or tire went to

,' , geather and made a loud explosing which shook iehes on the table
and wondows ~nthe houses when I got to the hou e my folks wonted to 1

know· what happen I told them what I had seen b t the comet neTer
were seen after that.
When my father got able to work he went to P rdee Virgina and took
charge or a boarding house and work 1n tne min·, ne hlre two men to
da the cook1ir't", tbe coal mine company were jus getting started and
the co~pa!!y did not have enough house b~ilt to take care of all their
men ~hey needed to work the mine they built a large building for the
men to sleep and a khitchen where the men get their meals, m7
father were in charge of the kitchen, the ase 20 dozen eggs a..
week I would g~t the eggs for my father frorr. t e coun)ry stores the

C farmers br~u~t their eggs to the stores in ex hange for the little
\ thing they needed we hatl to pay troffi eight to en cents a dozen for
the eggs 1 would wrap themeggs with paper and ack them 1n two powder
can that helt tE-n dozen 1 each monday mornins I oul.d put the eg::;s on

my horse and take them six mile an to my father.

some times I would pick up from the ataes dried beans and
chickens for the boarding house.
n, father work through the winter ring he _ came back home
to help to put in the crop for if one did not srow their corn, beans

C potatoes, and hay when winter came theJ had a a.rd time to substain
life, for you could iot go to thP. store and by like one can today .
That year my father shear crop with David I llins h€ furnish the
land a:·:d my father put 1 t 1n corn and worked t Mr. mullins got one
third my father two third and the f~der to fed the aorse~d cows,
Whenwe got the crop lay by my father took a job of cuttin~mome
...
s
timber and logging it out where it could be l to the mill.
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When 1~ co:ne tlrr.~ t.o [.' athcr the corn rr:; rather aken tlm~·orr to hrlp l
foder, the field my
rathP-r rorl: fcir mr mullcn was st.eap ar.d rock1 w~·had to haul the corn
o..1t with a slet\ thrn 1t. WPre so steep ln placos · hat we had to wrap a
chain aroun~ one runnP.r or the sl~d ard d b1ck· on the other
-
to l:ecp the slad fuoci runnins over the hnrs.c , finish gathering the·
corn on fr1<lay that r.aa one rl~y th'.lt i couirten a.ny th1nG riJlt for
my father I wel'~ the one that ns f.ri vin:3 the ho oe I had another rel-
low helping me unload and load up* that even at two oclo~k I ha~ en-
ou~ anc 1 WP.nt to the house· e;ot drcoo and told J sisters that 1 were
goir.,; to look j.or a job of 'P.Orl(, a boy 0Loyd t-~ul in) that 1 hat went .
to school ,;i th had told. me that they were wor. tin - nome or-e to deliver
for the coopany store at PardeP Vir0 1r.a ~o 1 wcr. and got the Job and
went to work on satur1o.y,sunc'ay 1 went back ho:::ie and got. me so:1e more
clothes I wor~ there for six weeks then me ar..d t1e man':-Jr ha~ a dls-
acrement abo 1lt the mule 1 1'ere dr1T1n~, that wer · one Uthe meanest
a."lam~l that 1 ,:-7er-y work he would catch ;; ou in a tig1t place th~n if
he coula he would back the wagon out or the road oTer the bank 1 found
out he were a fra.1 d or a brushy switch than any ~lse. or. friday
aft.er noon as 1 sta.ired ·out with a loac.. the er ca :.e to the back
door and he se en me with that switch and he wont d to know what 1 had ·
it ror I told hie tn ~~ke the1¼~he told m~ tot row it away which I
C. did there wer~ a steep bank about fifty feet up o t '.1e main cload, I
call on the mule to f;O he went about ha.lf way up t '. 1e hill and stop to
rest which I h&fi b r- cn lettin ~ him do the manager still ~tood in the
door -a...~d when 1 call on th~ m~le to go he s~en I did~n have my switch

C ~ he started like he .w ere zoing all and dow~n the

hill wer.t tht male wagon rig.~t in to the store ike to hit the
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mule ~o get u~ an~ he stop about the sue plac as before but When I
call on hlr.. to go he seen I ha<1 the switch he with o:.1t o! ~t
trouble I rltll1ver that load and came b~ck got another I h~d to go
two miles to cellver lant ba0 teed th'!re were a bo;; that would go
C] with me or cvon Ju~t ror the ride the ~o.na~er ~re not ln no good
mood when I got the last load and use so:-.. c cu st words Iwere one
that did not curco ar.1 one e.n~ I didcn thke it orr·any body else,
whin I cot tnt~uj'l 1 were twc =ilec to ware ho.e I tot the boy to
take the m~le to the barn and take a note tote manacer let him know
that I had qu1t,I had got paid that ~orniL~ at noon I pai d up my
board ,I went hocc and ~nt to work ~1th my cut ting t1mbo.r
two weeks after Ulat Zj' .fo.ther hac! tc go to Fa t!ee I told him to go
by the store and get ~Y pay the manager ,1told my rather that he were
sorrow the r.o.y that he talk to ~c and .if I ~Tc ro~ted a Job come and
see him. I Tork ~ith my !atn~r t~ll school stated then 1 weLt ·back
to school.
Chapter 4
J.!y next moon shining were 1n ~Ill~ Virgina On the sou th fork ot the
pound r1Tcr in the blagk 1!1ountint ~ dld not long in one place
when we got a batch run otf if there y found us we moTe
eome where ~lse, our next moTe we re back in ~e in what they cal:
Cumbland mountian my father me and J ery stidh were workin.: togeathe:
we lett Jery one day working by him s ett he sl stumble and stucJ
his foot in hot slop and burnt his lag from hi knee doll'BD which lay
hl= ap for six =ontb ••
one day me and my rather were working and were pouring domm
the rain and had bean ruing all day, around ree oclock that after
noon we heard some one whlsl~ up on the om us when one .-ere
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at a still place and heard some one were a sign tha.t 1t '
were a freind so we told him to come on·1n, stranger to us
his name were Jo~"Pa~;.' he nee running from the law- so he stayed
with us and work for so·me time my !ether eot im to help me finish
up at that place.
Cl After we got throu.;h there we move back int6 the black mountian
on the Virgina side a quater mile from 'the Ken;'ticky and Virgina lin
.
a place cal3..,Donel fork me and mr PIU.n staid the mountian at the
still place all the time, my father brought t that we needed
to work with we staid there untill we had ei gollon of moon
.
shine on hand to be iiveded in theee parts,
Mr. pain sold out his shear to my father d me Mr Pain heard
that the law were not looking for him any loner he went back to
where he came fvom and we never heard from hi any more•
It were now·april time for the farmers to f x for planting their
ceops, my uncle Dave Hampton me to stay with him for the summer and
and help him with his crops, I work·durn the eek for my uncle on
week end I boodlag my moon shine there were a mining towen just a-
cros the mountian from where my uncle live an the people would come
on that side or the m•untAt.n to get their wh~ key there were no slo01
then ann. the people had to get their ,.niskey ere ever they could
find it, after I sold all the moonshine me an my father had I sa.yed
on and help" my 'd!ncle take care of his c170ps C!Llile tirce "to
geather the corn the corn field Were three mi es my uncle place they
hall the corn to the barn on a. wa:,on my uncle put me to handle the
wagon while the men folks gaether the corn an hall 1 t in a. slad to
where I could get to it with the ifaBonnthe me folks would help me
load up the wagon and the wemen folks would h lp me un load at the

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moat or lhe road were rou;:# ar.~ rocky and on o e trip we·had all
corn we could 1set on th• 1111.eor. I were s~tting n the corn when the
wheol hit a looso on the ed.:;e of the be.nk ,uid thre11 me off of the
wa,;on be tween the r.hcels on mt oack 1 crab he bra~c b~r and keep
the wagon from rolline over mv Just hnpcn 1 h ton to the check
line and got thr. horses c:top
.
but !lot
. antill•
.
· efore the llbeel ha.d
slin my sholder if it had ,;oll over me fl! th. t e lo!ict • of corn that
r.tre or. 1 t i't'"r.ould beer. to b!l.d• we ;;ot the c ops taken co.re of then
I help cy uncle get his r:ood for the cook sto e c.nd the coll for his
fire place for the r.intcr I r.cnt back home to cchool.
Chapter 5
After ochool that wi11ter I r.cr,t to 1'0r1' 1'11 h cy father 1n the
mines at Dorchester 'lir,;ina school 1'1D.S only ix month a year it be-
e] · c;a.in in Jul:, a.r.<l W(?re out by XmaS,me a.."1.d my r thcr qere ~rking
what wi;:re call robbL'"lg pill,:rs 1 t w3re where he mine ha.d been work
out and there had been loft about twenty $~~a e feet square left to
hold up the mountian we wotld go to back end of the mine a.nd take
all the ccal out leavinG ~ne mountian sott1n~ on timber, finial the
mountian settle dov,n and burst the timbers an tne mine would fa.11
in thfre were e. low rumbling noise like thana r all the time,
it Tiere so cold that winter we work at night ,d men we came out of
•he mine we had one quater mile to where web arded our close would
C be frozen GO stii' that we co·1ld pull them off and the:, woul~. stand
up, T.hcn tiwc came to. pat in the crops my fa her stay on at the
mine I went ho~e and put in the crops, after he crop were planted
we GOt my uncle Viillson l!a:npton to help my mo h.er and the other chil-
~ren to work the crop and 1 went to look for Job I wont first to
Borton Vir§ina to see what I could fine I had work as a f.cltver boy
 Io I

at Pardee V1rG1n& before that were what i~cre looking tor the t1rat
__.]
gr,ocery store I stop at .the manager said h e w nted a man tor \he I
man that were workinc for him had give hin. no lee that he were going
to quit that week end that after noon I went ooking tor a place to
stay I found a place -with a widow: lady and he daughter the daughter
r.ere r.ork1ng the lady ask me if I drank any I told Her no she said
the last boader _they had dra,!lk so they had to let him go but I were
Just&. boy that she would board me I went to work at the store· the
next morning which were tuesday helping on th nillivery wogon to
learn the rout and the customs but when frida even came the man
change his mind and decided to stay on, that eft me with out of a
Job the manager pai~ m~ ·rour dollars for the ime 1 had work.
~.
I staJed for a few days lookin6 for a . Job d done some work a
ro:md the place for the widow la.dy I found no w'Jrk anc. when I startec
to leave and ashed the lady what I owe her board not any thing
I said I feel 1 owe you something s11e said work I had done for
her more than paid her.
I heard of a. man at Applache Virgina which were ten mile from
Norton that wontet so·.:-,e one to hri'tre a dray gon for him I got on
th~ tr~in and went to- see him he had thre one orse wagon that he
deliver for the merchant or any one that wont thing move I got
th e Job that were fr1day and he told me to to go to work on
monday morning, I need some or m1 close I home I took the trai!J
to Parde( then I ha~ walk six cilc acros the ountian I got home l:a:t
L/tt~
frid_a y even I stayea till sunday noon then I tarted back to Ap:-
lache there . were no taain run on sunday I ent aifferent way to
a towen call Roran fork another towen south wh8i 1got
to Roarn .i'ork it started to. rain and when I about two mUe out
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of Roasm Fork it stirted to rain like pourins 1 out or a bucket lt
f e;ot eo hard I stop at a tarc:cr place and ask hi to let me coc:e 1n
out of the rain ni.i;ht came on ac,d it were still raning the farmer told
me that I were welcome to atay for the ni;:;ht bu they had no place for
me to sleep I so.id thajl were alri;;ht on the flo r for when it quit
ranins I would be going but it dident quit _ran1 c; until four oclock
next mornint; I ...ot up and slip oat be fo,:<\ any ne _e;ot. up an,, wr.nt on
my way, I ~ot __to
,.. Aolachee
. Jiot·as mr Hood o.r,d f mily were settir..i
clowcn for breakfast they ask me -1t I had br:akf st I said no then
coc:e on I set dovm.r an,' had breakfast w1 th them while W6 were oat1il,,
mr Hood said I have bad news for you then he to d me the horse that I
y;ere to driTc juot died that morning that·lle ha been up all night
tr.:,·in:::; to save t:1e horse, here I were ·o·.it of a ob again but mr Hood
told me to stay ~round and he would help to fin me a Job for which
Cl -~, he did a Job mixins mortor f'or a plaoter at one dollar and fifty cent·
•
(~I.SO) for ten hours labor. I had stayed three daJs w1t;1 mr Hood be-
fore -he fomd.me a Job I help the other men tho. were workin,; for mr.
Hood to pay for my board. \'lhen I went to work f r the plaster I moTe
to a boarding house I sot a place to sleep and three meals for thirtJ
cents a day, there were twenty fiTe of us men f lks staying a: the
boarding hous•o the table W-Ore long enough to se t all twenty five a.
round it and there were plenty of food of all k a on the taole at cT1
meal. them dayo one could go to any boardin;; ho se :md got a me.al for
C ten cent, at this t,lace I seen my first person· .hat had dri:n(ing an-
till it made him see snake it were a pity sight to see he would be se1
ting 1n a. chair all a: once he would stiffin a,. go backward his hand
and feet pawing the air a:od foming at the mouth some time it would
last him for ten to f·ifteen mlneta when it wore off he were so weak

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' _ that he coul~ not get upsome one had to help 1m up snd· put him to
bedd we ask him what ma~c him act that my e said he thouzh\ that
he were in a tank full of snakes ann they wee comit3 at him lno:n
ever which way he turn ant. ht were tring to et a w1y from them.

C I work with this man six weeks he paid me 6Very cay at quiting
time he tried to get me to go to another ·.Job with him where he
had seven month work and he wo~ld learn met plaster but being a
boy and m1s";1ne heme I dside to _go homs.
Chapter 6
As I went home I went· by Roarn Fork pat Dan.el Sturgil .
that were a good fr1ene of my fathe~ there ere I sot a quated
rlth my wife Jane Ph111psJmr sturg11 wife wee misE Jane cousing1 ··
Jane and her sister nad gome over from ph111 s creak to visit themJ
me and Jane got to ~~lking like young folks ill and I made a date
toga ho~e -wi.th her which were ten miles acr s the mountian to wt~•
where she live on the south fork
Prom +:hat ti:r.r- on me and. miss Jane seen o e another often for
a bout yvro years. 1-:y f'ather at this time vrer working at Ston1ga,
Virgina. cutting mineing timber for the mine ome for props and
eome fir t1es, ~I went to work at ston16a wit my father, I had to
go by Aplachee to &et my clothes I took the rain from l.arclee to
Aplachee then the train to Stonica nhic~ W?;r ten miles from *f'll.~lll•

C Aplachec back up in the mountain, my father ad a place for us to

board, it v.ere night v:hen I - got to Stcx:.iga. .my father mettme at the
depo so that I r.oill.d know· where to go, at th t time I could not
drink any thin6 Y?ith my meals if I did a.11 t at I had eat would
come back up the Doctor said 1 t were .di.spesy It lasted m~ a.bout
one year be fore .I got over it. \":hen I fi.rst VIent to work with my
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rather he had a culr. to hall or snake ao wo cal 1t the tl~ber out of i

the mountain anrl thBt r.crc the menn~st enamel hat eTer ·waik on toar
legs it were dowon hill and sow~ places were et ~P enough that the
lon~ eo by it oc!t ar.d 1r the mule didnot g ~t o t of the ny the
loa.<\ Trould. ,_;o pas::-. th~ mule ar.,. cc.•Jae 1 t to r into ~ho Mnk and
Cl h~r.~ up then 1'hen you w~nt to gnt it loao~ would kick you or try
__,. one had to co.rrio n. club. for h m n.i.1 ihe time I ho.Te
to run ovor you
knock him to his knees mMy a t1~e b-~t it did ot b~ake him.
";'hen my rnthcr went back home he brouf.1\t bae a horse he Offen she
w~ ~~ a ~od ~~rker. att~r we m:?.«~ a few· trl~s ~ h!>r she 'P.'ould go
baek and forth by her self me a r.d my. fat her wn work two or three
days 1.."l the woods cuttins and hewin:3 ties then I sta1e!! ·at the land-
1nz ~~d e~t th~ tirr.ber 1p an~ stack it my rath r woul~ ta~e t he hor3e
with hie 1n the corning a.~d hook ~~ r to a loa1 and she would bring
it int o 9m: re I were at 1I unhook her an1 fas en un the ht\mcst so
1 t nould no) t'.;et hung up and s ~nd her b3.ck ooi:: .. tL-:.cs 11he would g et
ew how long 1t took
her to ?!18.ke the trip but if sh~ could she wou d get it loose her se?t
! work rith my fa t her U."l till t be to 30 t school I went back
ho!!!eand started back t o school that Wl? r e my 1 1n school, 0110

weel~ end I w~nt c!ow~n on ic ~n:,ucky riT!'!r a pla. the Pock house
to visit s om,., of my ceus&n,3 on mJ mo t her si de and in comc ing back on
t he train I zot a cin~er 1n my eye that cause me son e trouble and I
ha.~ to dorp out of school I .so~ b ::h1nd my cla s and diden go to schoo:
tty more.
Not having any thins to do I went back to mo neh1n1ng !.nd by this
t.1!%.e I we re seeing miss J'ane about e:rery wee end her fath ·: r . were
moon sh1ninG to ,mne I 'l':cre not working for m self I work for him
)3
 Ji
"'
th' n me e.n~. m1eP. Jane seen one anotherrcve·r n1£1lt , out l still
~ ~1d not plan on getting roar1ecl I h ':. ard my f ther and mother plan-
ing to borrow eome money to be able to put th~ir crop I had
aome money and I told my father and mother hat they coul<i. have
it my father said to mc. you better keep the may wont to
get marrttd I said I dont think so an<~ the took . t he money, that
were 1n Fe bt.1.a.r_y and by the first of Ap"i•il m an·r..· ja.ne r.ere lngadge
and be 5in '1'tJr our wen.don.
I bou 6ht some some meteral J1ne ano her m ther ~ilted some quilt1
for fus to start house keeping with ann my other made and €}3,Ve
us two quilts, I had a. hope chest of a set f dishes, silver.and
a pot or two. M~ and.Jane first set our wed en date for July IZ
on Jane birthnny later ~e chane e to June II 1914, I cid~n know
at that time that my sister Louisa were pla ing to get marri ed
to· so we were marrie d on th': sc,me f ay m'.'.': an Jane ha'~ our weddon
at h3r pan ents hoce, Louisa and Jo~ Ca.ntcra at my father home,
me and Jan':! r.er ~ na~ri ed by th >:- same Minstc (Rev John Sturgill)
that marri ed Jane father and mother (John P. Phillipsa.nd Victory
Mullins ) r.hich wr·re t-r.C>n ty ye.are later., 1 t w-t:re the time of of
yea.r that b e es s'l'l'arm that afte!" noon some o e came 1n ai·,c. said

the re were a swarm of bees in an a.ple tree Offie of the JLer.. folks
,e ;ot a hive 9.n a W~ ! t to hive ' h e be ~s th ey h d o en drinking and

C t~ c be~s dont likr th~ smell oi wi1ish~y the bees stung them so
bad they had to ll;!ave them WE did not have smoker v~ aoll up
soEe rat93 to· make a smoke ar;d you had to bl~ th~ smoke in to the
be : s to smoke them that were th ~ reason tha it made the bees mad
I told them to leave the bees alone for a ile and l would go
and hive them. I were not drinking any I hiv them and never· got
a sting.
 1s--1 .
lh~t ~tter noon me ~d Jane went to my father ( J.H.Adams) for d1nne1
l.
and ataed for the n1.jlt,next day w went back . to Jane father to ata1 !
• I were otill worr.1ne for hi Ja.~~ r~thcr, Ja.ne parnts told me a n d I

Jane that wt co~ld bu11~ a roo~ or two on to hc1r hoaoe if we would

llk~ to .,,,ich I old a bed roonm, o1n1ng , and k1tch~n, co~b,
l/,e a ::1d Jan· fet her cut llOw11n som~ oak tro <;s .an d. . cut
. .
them up in
s1T. f eet lon.:; blocks th!:n r1y~n them .ip 1n to boards to wall up the
room with oaflf d lumber norc hard to crt at
Chapter 7
I \!:'ere still ca1· 1ng moon shine with my fa ~h c: moon shining were
no~ steady work one could not dep en d on moons 1n1ng all togt ather
for if you didr.ot put in a crop and 11170w sumpt , n for t he winter you
had a hard ti.!.e 1r1akln~-·- end meet !or you could not go to t he storo
fe 8d for 1our stock••
Y.e and Jane 11Tc with her folks about a year my mother cave birth
to a boy s he iuce David after t he child were my mot~er d: v ~lop
milk lag a~d wer e not a ~le to doo her work f or .y sister Cora had
go t married a nd were gone and my other sist er re not old enoal11
to no the work, in April me ant Jane move in wi h my folks to h elp
out Jane h e:lp take care o!" t i1e ho us e work r.hile I still work at the
moon s hin!,llg mJ father had stay and take care o mama I had go the
moon shining m,-yself, Davi<! died July 31 I9I5.

C wh~ n • ~ went to move I had to cary ever1 thi or the

mo.mtian ,1ne quater mile . w;1ere t he wagon coul d i t ,,oh I for got
to t ell you that ·Jane folkas 11Tc I! u pon Ulses o ;· the mountian
and every t hing had to be carried up to the \':hen i:ie and Jane

s ~arted hous e keeping w~ bou.;ht a bed stead anr. ook stove I ~a · to

car., the:.. up p e 1ce at a tin e I t ook th .: rt 2 r.d put 1n & .-c"!~-
•-efir.lc

-- - -"------------..--,__-~ .•- -- -
· ;...,, - -- ---- ·---· -
 "
grain sack care 1t up to the houoe then pJt t back togcathcr,
we ota.1d with my folks eix montha then we c;,t a place one ~alt
mile so~th of my father placr on the head of·Robert bro..nch thcr
our firs t chllct w. re born1t were my f ather c! motl1cr f irEt crand-
aon a :: n the women that were there ·oarn my ta. :1 cr hat that were 1n
thl? year I')I6 ?~arch 1, 1n Fcb..aary 1918 our r rat daughter were
born in Au3ht of that ye'.'.lt·bthe flue 'brok e o t n.nd k111 so many
-core
people. on·~Kovei:tber 7 1313 we lost our nau ter or the flue and
I thought that I were going to loose my t i1ere for days 1 t
r.ere like turnine yoar hand 1r:1-:· re she 11 v c o ~•it died, Jane oiste1
and her hosba.n came to visit us and m,• Jane took one o f her bad ·
spell and they Just tum tht1r back they _sa1d after war~ that they
just knew· she were cone I raise h er arm up ver head a few time
sh•.' did not cat c·1 her breath 1 ·took her by t c sholder and 11:'t c d
b ar up ar.d tropcd her back on the bed to m e her catc:1 he r brath
I ha-1 to do tha.t b r for · s~vera.l time.
· People went wild a.r::\ tried to .:3a1nk the f e away people were
eryin.:; fof whiskey ancl I sold 1 t as fask as could make 1 t for
twenty dollars a galon but th~ one that dri so heavy haa. a worse
t1me then tnem t .•at didnot. When 11ur naught w. were 'bJ our
self, Robert branch ha..~ eleven house on i t that time ar.a there
were only one in each ~occ to \"ra.ite on the thers, the night be-
fore th~ baby bied I took t h E:; flue an,i had o go to bed my mojheer
were with us t hat ni~ta~d tna: •~re the la time that any one
stain with as wother a..~d all the others in ther bome t aken the
flue bat my fathe~ ,~e ~ld come once a day to see if we needed
any thing, t :1at night ~,that I taken the flue were the first time
I every call on the 1~~
)
I
i:7
I
;./1-JT
- - -··· - - - -
 17
the Lord to help me I asken·the Lord to heal eo I could take care
or my wife and the two childr~n and he answer prayer mother said
afew· minutes after I went to bed I went to and her being scard
about me she keep a watch on me she said I 1n a cold sweet
mama said she never had seen so big drops of s on any one as they
was on me when I woke up my teever were gone d I were able to be
up from that t1!::e on an:. wai.t on the famUy.

Virgina
-~
The next time 1 ask the Lord help was in 1921 I live at Esserv1le
one friday I built a barn for my cow d it were cold and
I taken a cold and 1 ~ settle in my bronica tub and it were three
days that 1 could not swollow or eat any thing call my family doc-
tor but his r ~midy did not healp me on thursday my wife brother came
ta see us and I told my wife that I o have her brother
to take me to Glamorgan to a color lady that payed for the sick at
that time I were use my car as a taxey and Ihad been taken people to
this color lady eT.ery tuesday and saturday that haw I knew about her
I went to this lady and she paayed for me and b the time i~~ I got
back home I were well enough to eate supper and I n ever have ~een
bother with it sence
Chapter 8
Any on~ that followe ~ moonshtning and bootlagin took a lots of risk
and were alway with a guilty filling when a str 5er came a round
you never knew 1'here he were a revnew· or not, w ile I live on Robert

C Branch I had a still back of the house about a under yards farom the
house one day so-m e one came. and told my wife th t the reenew were
coming up the road Jane co~e and told me I went up on the hill and
set dowen on a log be hind some bushes and watc the revenew go by
my place on up into the mount~an they were gone a while and came

I -1
back by b~t they didnot find the still ck to work.
I /
 t

.
,. I ff
one t1:-,c I wore boot l'lgin13 sor:.£ swh1ke1 t ~e ~lack m,unt1an
on t he Virr;ir.a o1d·- of the mo.mtian t \"ill mcetin~ me th~
m1·1lc or each wock onr. :ay I wcro late meetin .. them
1 ar.::J when 1 got
clost t6 wh,:.re we were to meet I did StH no anrl I
(j h1rlc my Tl'h1okey I hiddmJ whiskey bo fore 1 mere to
meet them my brother Dallas were •~th m1 ti~c l left him up
the hollow away \"!riilc t went d.owcn to see 1f 1 one had been there
.... ~
to show up
I set dowen on a log watine to see 1! any
a chip monk Jump up on a rock I took me gun it otf a
bout that tl~e I seen two rise up about two dowen the
hollow I throw my gun 1n so~e leaves behind log 1t were rockey
a :-.d i left no tracks and I started to walk b ck up the path the wa.t
I bad come the men came a.r.d over taken me I to them and they
will haft to ~ea~t
Cl ,:alk a.little way t han they said we are
\ search you I said what for they said they he so~e one shoot I
sa.1d all r1,: ;ht the] search m1.- from h ead to f then they slid ~ere
you the noe shot that shot I said you see I no s-1111 to shoot
~1th we stood there a few minutes I aaid going my way they
said no I were at a place where the road I took the one t~ the
left place of the right my brother were bet two pa.the when

I got out or the men s1i;ht I .;;ot behind a Just as I did my

brother sto~d up n.."'ld look my:. way I s1:,'2al him to co~c to me he
knew som~ were rong when he got to me I told hirr:. what had happen
we left the path and weht aroun1 the side of the mountie.n clost --ff -

where I had h1d the whiskey I told my brothe. if he wc,ald watch I

woul~ g~t that whiskey which 1· did thE law ere back tracking me
when they come around a bend and seen me bu 1 were far cnou.;h a-

j( way t .-1at 1 could hSTC GQtcn away b:.it if had een ranins and the
 J9
bro~nd were wet and slipper/ I slip and got a p 1n 1n my side and
C back a~d seen tha~ 1 were not going to get away with the whiskey_I
~
broke the whiskey on .a rock and run off and lef them they were shoot-
ing trying to stop me Dallas thou.;ht sure thef had cought me and
(j he took acrosc.: the mountia..--i another way, I "ent up to the top of the
mountian and went out the top of the moau tian t meet my brother I
went about a qua.ter mile foun~ .. where my brother tracks went dowen
the other side"·or the mount1an, he were scared e followed the nlley
nowen to the settlment which put him abouththre mile from our home
I knew he were safe, I decided to go back and gt my gun which were
about on• mile back dowen the mo~ntian that mad me late getting
homeand when I walk in my father and some other were fixing to go
to the county seat of wise .Vi.r gina to bond me o t of ja.1.1.

Cl . some timeafter that these same men turn out be bootlagers them
\ self and they came a . cross the mountian on the entucky side and I
sold them whiskey IO and 20 gallon at a time.
ANother clost call that I had I meed some mon y and bootlaging were
slow· the law had tighten dowen on it and mao.e 1 hard to get by with
I knew a who:lesale ho·use at norton Virgina that would take all I coulc
get ta them, I took two hot water botles that h d loops on them to
hang them up by fill them with whiskey and hung them on my belt und6r
my overall and got on my. mule and wrode sevente n mile to Esservile
Virgina I were still three mile from Norton. Ip t up my mule at a
farmer for t he night I walk to where the road m de a fork to catch
a ride to: norton there were the revenwe men sto ping and searching
all cars it were co·ld I had on my overcoat I wa. k up clost to where
them were and stood there and watch for a while they stop a tarle cab

l"l'hen they 1et _him. g~ I wa1k up to hJ:m and said arle he open the door
/9
--
 2.t>
and I got 1n went oo to norto11, l ■top at a re ar4 for ■omc to eat ··.
11he11 I went 1.11 there ■at at the table three re en~• men eatlDg thet.,,.
supper I aat dowtn at the coantcr and told the 01111er what l woat■ 4

he broght lt to me and atood there talklns to e mile I ate he a&l4

C!J to me did 7011 bring any thlos to brank I 118.ld ye■ after a wh11■ bl
cue to 111• and sa.1d when are 7011 going to -get e tha.t b:raJlk, l a■k

him ha.n you got a place shere 1I·can aleep ye ■ talct

me to it when wo got to the bed room 1 pull o t Dile or the botl1 h■

sl!l.ld for a little I kick you here 1 been wa.t s for haXf hov· to't' a
drank before i ate aupper the revenew were
went in to l!l.llother room and watch some men
went to bed next monung I put the other botl _in a paper bag a:Ld
walk dowe11 the atreeta two blocks to the whol sale place l!l.lld they
took it I went back to the reaf;ard and sot b eakfaet abd willt 0'4

my ..a7 back home.

Chapter 9
.AllOther time 'ml father ar.dII need some mone we taken three sal-
lOll of whi;skey a peace 111 our sadle bags 'llb1 helt slx half .;alloa
frult jara an<i we walk twenty mile tnrou;h th moW1ti1111 from th•
head of cwnbla11d rlver Kentucky to Korton Vlrgu,lll. to beep ..-y
frO!:l any settlement ·we b&d to go three miles o~ or norton llber■

the raad went through the moU11ti1111 we got thee about three oclock
111 the after 110011 I staid about flity yards f om the road while 27
father ,rent do,ren to the road l!l.lld caught a r1 e back to Jlarton t~
the -.mole sale house l!l.lld 'llllen bark co::ie J eas my way and the ~

keydowen close to the road my father l!l.lld a fe low at wvrk e.t th~
mole ■ale place came Bild pick me up 111 a car and we went back to
Norton a11d left the·,mlskeymy father had all ready Sot the mone7

for the whiskey we atop and got a bite to eat then we start_ed_ ~~- • i
-------·· -.-- --·- ---- - - - - -·
I back home that night,"" were only getting tree dollars a gal-
lon at home for our wh1ake7 and e1.;ht dollard del1Terad to Dorta.
it were a good day pa.7.
In the spring or 1919 l sold my place on r bert branch 1n kan-
ucky and mOTe to Esserv11e Virgina. and bought a ho;;:e, I work pan
I time l!tme at ea erTile coal compamy as a carp er helper and b-
tween time l repared cars and done black work.
I bought a place one third do11en and the Ila.nee in four p.7
menta s1x month a part, 1n 1920 I bought my r st car I9I7 moJlel
T ftrrd it had ]!S•Lwrecked they ~d run the c r into the ditch
and bent the radis and stea.""D rod I dio not .,,.. howto dri Te L 1

car a.t that time I got Creed Bolling to.go rl

which were at Flat Gap Virgina 20•miles from
first getthe car out or the ditch and ta.lee of r.ad1s and steren
me to get the car
sservile we ha.d
,. ...
to i·
!
j
rod and straightentlllDm, we got the car bac, t gea.ther l:la.d 1t
. l
fill up with tt- gas and went back to EsseJ'Til we found out tbU; .I
I
the car meeded some work on it I bad to line the bra.lees rewire
,, ..t
./fp.p
aew corlllletor when I got the work done I 7g;c Bolling -1,;ti-~
j

and help me to get it adjusted ~ay or two a.ft r that.I wonted to

go up on the RiTer I got the car out and pull
all right from that time onI drcTe the car ,m
at made the trip
e i wonted to•~
I'
drove the ea~ around the ccnmtyry till 1925 t I dlfOTe 1t to
F~orida and 1n Florda four years back to Kent Tiset. ■7
I ana ;rane f'alks then back to Florida.
Go back 11hen I liTe at eseerTile before th last two payment
~

were de,r the follo,r that had the morage sold t to, Ruben Ballina
I paid off the third payment and before the l st payment come deT
me and ;rane decided to sell.the place and moTe back to Kentuck7
2. I

--- --- ---,-- ---···-------------------~-- --- -1·

 t

1 eold the place to Archie Sargent b~t When went to clo■e Ult I
I
deal I wont to ~r 3olllns tol~ hi~ that I ha~ t e aon~y to pa1 hla
an<1 to meet me the aaxt tay at Archit? Sargc•nt c r.est ■omillg to
fix up tht release for the mor~e bat mr DolllL dld not ahow ap I
~ bAg1n to 1n~u1re and tou.n4 out he had went the tbcr ~1 thirty 1111•
..,J
but I knew· that he hae the aorage on record .in ls dauc;titer aaae I
eot a lawer7 to &Oto the record and make up a eaee• Rele&ae an4 I
cot a notls=ypublic an~ went to hls c!aushter pla e w1 th th~ ■one1 blat
theJ tried to put me off eTery way the noter7 told th• .
lf they refuse the money that they could no) ma .e me pay it, I sta.rte4:
to leaTe and went out to the car mr· s111 t he no to them u4
they call ae baclc and they sigp the paper■, .I f ~d out a!t£r war4
tb&.t tb~1 thousht that ther woul~ get the place for Just a little

,
.
s ore than I owed on it but lh~d sold the place d beat thea at their
..
owen :;a.me mr bollin& wo-:.il<! not speak to me af'te thate
Me and my fu117 moTe back to lentucky on the head of Cwnberlaad
r1Ter a place acall John Sargent place we at&i~ t h ere until we mon
to ilor1da,John Sarzent school teacher I went school to tor fln
..
years.
1· were et111 making moon shine and boothlng agsing, there where
the Lord b~ sin to talk to ae and made me aee e r ~ I were do111g
to my fe11ow men by selling them whiskey and kin z their money wh•
their f'a:illy and chll ,~ern ne-::4 1 t f'or f'ood,I c 'l to m1nt one person
came to me one day and got a hsl.t pint of wn1 the next d:.:. t I ae,,
his ri.fe and ahe asked Ile if hfr has'tmld tot y wh1ske:, !rem ■el

told her yea she said that ther~ were not any to eate in thelJ"
home that -he had titty cent giTe it to herb~ to go to -the store
get some m~at. 1ardand B'~GSr.for the family du h e ca:ie back late ti\At
night but had noubhing t~ ate and no money sh sldd there were nouthi@
-1. ...a..~ ""'•~ = 4 -• ♦ h:la..eJ"' '....,_
 I
;;2-. 3 I
• I
1n the house to eat b11t COl'II meal, I u&Ta her ·b ck lhe mone1 her h11ab- !··.
I and pa11 me tor the llhiskey, others ti~P. I >:now r men ;tt1n~ whlrkeJ
""'\ fr11111 me and .:;ett1nz t!rW11' and eaing home an~ ran his ram111 rotrrrom
thiir home or him ane his wife haTc ruaa,.
The Lord be&1n to talk to me and made me to ae the eTel 1,. moon s ~ ·
1ng ant! booth laging I promise the 1.ord if h . we ld help me I wo;.illl aell
e-rer1 thins I ha.ct ant! moTe a,.,., from Kent11cl<1 an 61) mere I were not
lmowen and ~ult ha.TeinG anything to do with ,mis ey, I dicinot haTc &111
·'
place 1n a1n:i at that t1mo where t nuld So•
chapter IO
This were 1n the ew:mer or 192, 1n the later pa t of the summer I and
Jane decided we woald go to nor1da we talk aboa .:;oin.:; to :Florid& meza -: ·
we ""re first married 1n 1914 l>'.1t neTer .;ot aro· sold m7 crop ,

.
... male, cow house hold furniture, and eTery thin;:;
.....--,_ load on the moc!el :r ford on October 15 I load up
had but what we Clllll.4
y fa.i:.ly of four c:hU- !
.

dem, Jane, and my self and took off for Florida. t!10 first da;y •= 01117
i;ot 1n northe:c part of te1111esee we stop alon;:; t:,e "3.J an,l pick ap c:heM- ·
nut, we sta1'1 that ni;;ht at a farm cnren by tt:o el r maid and we enJ07ad
the night "1th them they tried to get me and m;y f -
11 to stay and work
for them on t~c farm I d14c.nt take the Job ior I ere set on sai...~g t•
Florida, we sat 1.i:to Corgda for the ne,ct ni._ht it had been c.r;y and the
roads were mostl;v cla7 roads and the dust were &i' Ill 1n th 0
after nocm
.,
. 1 t started to rain and 1 t raL-, all the aft er noon tn,,n the roac! nre
slick and nr.1clythat nicht ,re stop at a far::iecl plac and asked ii' we cou.14
sta;v for the night.he said n could if me r.6ald n t hlL-re :;.ny fire I told
him we use can heat to do our cooking he told as o ~all i~t~ the bars
"'"' -~ lot behind th~ barn he must of ~.new that it were ;oin; to t~n, coli tu
· \ raining there ca,:,e up a noa,-th west d and ,r•·re it cold
1'hen it ~uit raning

------------
·- --------------·--------------- -

------- --~-------~
 . ;Li/' J
• we tr0alrt real7 got co!d lr lt haden been fof' • he barn lt tw-ne4 tb1 -
I "'1nt1 or orr us,thc aezt mornl:.g I went to th · farmer house to •••
1! I could get eo~e eggs and milk they let ae h&Te •o~e allk,•~
and butter •hlle there the lad7 a.st ■e if•~ ule llk~ to ha.Ta
soce biscuit tor br~akfat:t I f'11d surf ready. ha~ them bake
the chll:dr~D sure eriJo:,ed b:.1tter and biskult offered to pa7 for
letting us stay all nlc;ht bat they wo.lld not any th11l&
after•~ had our breakfast we again tlia made the
fourth day that we wer~ on the road the road and allele an4
we could not make much ti::ie we only ~t Into georgia that
night and we atop at another farmer pla~e and park beelde the blsh
wayro-r the n11s·1 t we aln.y stop at ti!lme f'arm!!r plac~ ao ,re colud get 1l -
-
..
-crater an~ fine -a rest room or out ho~se there were no tourist cabln•i

C or motel like they are today, four years late . we went back to ·1

r.entucky and we found c1b1ns :ill a long the 7 1 t:ie tltt n1tibt n I
I
I
me.de 1t to st Auaest1ne ilorica we s t op at a o~ter1 store a.r.d staid
for th~ n!t#lt there where•~ :at ~ainted with our first sul~ber ate~
.
1t were a nice bo1111ng spring r.:iter a:.; clea:- as cristal b'.lt i aceit:
'
like roten geea the~ told us U ~e cat so=e a tr..ickrt ar.'! let 1.t
se :_ a whil.e the sent -;-oal.d So awa:7 thcr were place were•~ colll.4
build a ·r1re my d&~;;htcr Ma!:>le h5.': be~n askin for corn bread I Q)t
so~c m!al fro~ th~ storeand ms.de a hoe cake o corn ~rea~ the chlldre
C at B the bread like it were ca..'ce 9 l)y the end o th,,, s1x dq we l~e4
at . Eagle Lake 'Florida r,n('re z.Jar.e sister and er hu.sbs.I?:i (.Jobl)le
~ .

Elkins) 1lTe ~hey 11TC 1n a tent we stale ri.! h th~• three days thea
I rented a shack bes1~e the rail rosd the sha k hac be~n ba.ilt b7 ~
e
rail road cocpany for the men ~o sh:1k ill mil the7 war€ baildi:lg &
sldcln 0 1n there; when the tra.in wo\ll..d so bJ y wS..i'e amd. th~ cblldrell
 -2 s-- ''
I cou14en harcllr. y etan4 1t they were 10 home We got, qult14 ,·
with Mr Jenkins froQ KentlltY.J one day he ■aid me 1 will w1 ·t11e
gaa for your car it you will take . me to Port Me to aee one ot hla
friend I said all right the next mornin~ me and Kr J'E:nki.na went to-. •
I- Port meo.de and his friends turn out to bJtllleMk ft8 be .the Bal:ers that
hre my neighbors 1n esserrtlc V1rg1D&t r.h11e w were talking witb -
them they told me &boul & place t~at I ~ t re the had & cltru
groTe on the place and wonted some one to look after the seone be
work for phcphate compe.ny I went by and see and rented the place ·
.
on the I or november we move to Port Meade we d to puy some furiture
tcr start house keeping with and I ha.dent found work one morn1ng w .
found we had only (2.50).two d~llars and fifty ent left I started out
to twou tcr look foT work just &e L got to the tea truck stop with
two men 1n ~t they ma.Ile their acq~ce with me d my wi.fe (lt nre
(.Tim Keller and Fred Manley) they ask me 1.f 1 pich fndt
I told them I had neTer pick tllY that a.ll ri«;h we will teach you, I
staid with thel.l untill the midle o!' march 1924 fru.1 t picking were onr
J'ane and th.e children got the meaael and 1re ha to haT~ a. c.octor ,q
neighbors told me about do-ctcrr Lewis we call he ca.J:le and gi.Te ay
family some meilcine in talking wi.th him I f o d out that he Owell a
geave and wonted soae one to help his father gron
the fruit picking were over I to~k the Job I su.mcter for the
CJ dock. In october I went back to p1ck1n~ tr•1.t p~cked f'rai.t unUll
the last or Febuary then the se&aon were ,oTer, me and Ji.m Keller uul
one of the Kanley boy heard at some work at ar da Fl6rida 1re got•
the train went to see sbout 1.t the only thing hEtJ ha:i w£re a.iloadtng

rock out of rail road cars we to-ld forman we • u1d try 1.t he told WI
--~:::;.,.~
,'-- -41:

to· be there at seven oclock next morning they aid Fi.fteen(I5.oo)dol-

·-- --·- -
r dollara a car
"
we went that eTeD snd to~d & p &ee to board WI llfl ff
at the. Job on time next morning and went to work, about three ocloct
inthc atter noon Xelle7 and Manley said they d had enough and were
going to quit we went to the forman told hlm • were quiting he check ,
I the ca-r and paid us nine (9.00) t we O had done, n
went and .paid the lady where we atald that ·lli - t and ca.ueJlt the tra.1a
back to tort Meade.
Chapter II
tiext day I heaad that there were wonting so e ~en at West 7roat-
.
proo~ I started there to see it we~e fifteen le from Fort ~eade I
started out walking when I got three mile Fort Meade I saw aome
men working beside the road stop and were z with the men the
boss came ~P :md ask me 1! I wonted a jo~ wha.t 1
were looking far he ask me &:.fer question then said when do you ll'OJlt
to start I said now- 1! ~t all right with you. He pi.anted to a shonl
I got the shovel and went to work they were g a roa~ to get IA-
to a reto·it plant where they made charcoal., ti.::e, and in;er rosi.aD
I work there· theeee weeks but the work were not ateady,and the fellow
that run the turptbe still taken a liken to me one day he slid to ae
wauld you like a better Job I said why sure he a~d be knew a fellolf'
( Jack Polla.rd) taht work a crew of men on the s crew that nee4
a man and he had talk to him about me and if I to go to work
~
w with him 1 t would be alright 1'11 th him, Pollard 8.!lla along and atop Gil
his way to· ca.mp that were on frida.y even and th y did not work on •t--
,.
day he told me to be at the camp monday morning at seven oclock the
camp were at a place call Beria. monday morning en I E;Ot· there and
ask about Mr pollard they told me that there ha been & wreck and be
were &a at the wreck The wreck were clost to th retoit plant I ha.4

- -----.;.......-----------·--------~---
 to go one mile and halt to get to uhere the wrc were at a place oa11
,, ,, ,
bad branch two lOC'll motal had COQe ar,und a e and h1t head caa - ·
were loaded with logsand the other a lo&d or t1• the loaded car did
not leaTethe trackbut the ccptye they weht eTer where I ~ot there ~t
acven th1rtJ and 1t took all da1 to Bet the wre ~ cle~ up and the t,...
track back· in ehape, that week end I ■oTe · t• th ~ th~re I 41dnot
hatt to pay any hoase rent th~ cocpan7 farnich n~m, after I ha.d bee~
there about six month one eTen Just as I set ao en to su;per I heucl
the log;;on train blor. four lon~ blow I sa1d to y !&:1ily that a wreck
by the time I .;ot throuc:11 eat1ng l•!r Pollard wer there we got . . the
hand cu and tools and 1r::-nt to the wreck the had broken and the
local mot1Te were on the : groand 1t nould not • been so bad it lt
bad been a car we didnot h&Te a jack strong eno rh to l~ft the local
mot1 Te we had to phone tor another local moti T to bring so:ie hyc.raul .
Jacks the wreck w:cre in wet low land and the go und were sort sn:i 1.t . ,..
;

were so heav,- it were hara to 6et any rootin5 u .der the Jacks and on
top o!' that 1.t begin t~ rain ar.d it pourd dowen there were tffclTe of
us working we work 1n groups o1% at a title for nc half.. hour t.:1an •
change we were froc seYen eclock P.H. :.mt1ll A.m. 1n th~ morning
they had the lot for the mlllea that they use lo~g with clest to
camp but shortly ai'ter the wreck they moTe thre miles fDOm ca:.lp an4
made a. lot f'or the males it were out 1n the ffl>O · s and not scolt where
any one 11Te the lot were cloat to a awa:::ip ar.d wild ca.ta ID
the a,m,mp and they had to haTe some with the lt1lea
every one had aome ezcuac but me 110 I
..
st&id wit the mules as long u . _.. .
l work there, I woTk with that co~pany fifteen ontn then· the7 c~anp
saptenant and the new suptenant h~d his from another log&lna

ca.mp we all that work there were out or a Job d haj to mm.
_. .. . - -- -- - -· ----·- - -· --- - - --··
 Chapter 12
I rcnte ,1 a place · fro;. tom Pollard at B'!r1ra Scaboarc rail roa4
were building a rail road thro~i;h florin ar.d were work1n~ bet. . .
•~at frost proor and ATeD Park there were a enc that had to bt r1u
I w~nt there and got a Jo~ lo~kinJ arter a pump p·~p water to a.
steam ahoTel I 1">rk at night whi Ji the ra1nscason eet 1n I 1ren t. to the
e~m~ rin~ ~taie1 the way I had to go to work nre coTered
with wate~ and you n~Ter knew ~hen yo~ were goin~ to ~et no~ no~en a:ad
haft to be pull out, I went home week en~a I to a long way around
to get home one week end my son wonted to ~o with me ·I let
hiir, go that week the water boy that carrie~ wa.te to the m:?n wrolclng
·I •
at the r111 ~id not show up Y.r. Satton ask me 1r I •o~ld let d aon I

(Johnnie) take the water bo7 place I said wrok two weeks anc1
~hey paid hie. Sixteen dollara ·anc were he
·Arter two month they ato~ ffllrkin J the nig.1-tt then they
put me to take care or t he staam shoTel two lo,:al mot-
1 Te were co~l U?o.nd r ·ady for the aext ~ay one yit ~'hen th~ men w-.nt
•
ta co&l up the local motive nre not 1n the r1,- placeI want to the
..
Cati? an~ tole Mr Sutton about the trouble he sa1 cant you moTe the
local motiTe I said I dont know. thre are thirty ar load of dirt beh1D4
them he slid yes you can I saii all ri~1t but 1f you h~ar me blowing
the wh1sle t.hro~ the switch the cars r.~re on the s1~1ng and lt were
dowen gra.dge but I made 11. all right &Ld from at ti~ eon I ha.d &..

lots or :::t:i t cbing to do•

one day they had & "
leak sprina 1n a loc~l 1Te they sent it ot .
.,
nad baii it welded they ~ot it back on s.mday cle lt up ar.d filled lt
C\ ru11 or wa.ter and stuted a fire in the local mo 1Te they bac put lt
on the a1dr~ 1ng clost to the steam ahoTel so that I cou1d see that lt
were fir~ up and ready far monday morning they
---- --- -
 I
I
I

me we dl4 not puah the tire u.nt11 to~r '•

I oclock I went to eee hotr eTtrJ thln& wcro co::-.lt, a lcne; ar,d to\lll4 th&t
. ,
.

the weld hai, bY-01':c an<1 1ea1:1ng a t~1n eo ba.d we coul~ not keep· •
tire 1n the local mot1Tc, an1 t'.1at th"· a~o.r:c o the lnJectoron the
steam shonl sc>t atop up I pull the !ire out steam ehonl I
.. old the color ma.n ,:e were eo1nc to cu:p m1ch on·e ci1le an.1 the
steam on the local cotin ha1 got so low that tie injector •ffl>uld D.Ot
work, when we got about one hundred yard.a ot c 1.hc •ter ,ere ao
low I coul~ not get any out or tho botto~ £11age I blew the tire out
-cn:nt and told lo!r, Sutton what had happen q 1:"Cll t,a.ck to the local
~otin and there were a reg.i1ar branch of m.tcr rmmi~g dowcn the bulk
~r,sutto~ ask me 1! I ha~ the r1re oat 1 a.cs-~re him that I did he aald .
o.K.for get about 1t, then I told hi.l:l that the team shoTel •ere fii-r-
~ in~ trouble I ~cnt and told the men th~t were - rkin~ on the shoTel
~-- - -
they sent lt off
\ :ind the: ~ent an~ r1xed 1 t &!; for the local mot
and Ita ncTer eua c:une back.
One week en monday ~Ter wh\?n I go~ to ~rk Ir.ere told that tM I - .
were wonted •t th o!f1ce wh~n I got there they r..m.teG me to Alpt
watch in the collor quatera the color people cap 1n t!nt■ and there
were eome one or tnem up at a.11 ti:::.es of the nJ. ·nt, they ha~ a .sa~bJSne
game go1~g on s.11 n1ght lone the fol.low t-h~t ha. b~·en nif;ht .a.tc~o
ffere alc~.and they wonted me to take his Sutton offer me a &1,111.

I told him I hi~ not 'ffl>nt no g.lll I Jast taken t e sir.ht s c1ck bat l
did.no•·. let the collor people know ths.t I have no am I bad no

trouble "1th them I would haft to settle ~ong th-::m two or

three t1rue eTcry ni~t I 111:ht r.tch !or !.wo:.

came back.
T,'hcn they finish at th3.t place they aoTe Groveland~ place
 call center hill I were makir.G "'1at one call cod pa7 at that tlac ■
I.
I thlrty (~5,) f1Tc cent• hour 1.11a boar4!. and a pi ce to eleep l worlr ta:·
hap rach ni.;ht my job were ti eee that three l cal mot1Te were colld
and nter 11p for the nezt ,1ay and look after the stea:: shoTel by ■ia­

ni,;;:,t I voald bo throae;h I woald go to the oho el where 1 had a place

I "her · I co•Jltl sleep I wo11ld bank th, tire 1.1'.l t t shovel then ::.o to
sleep at flTe oclock 1r. the ·morning there v~re train that went bJ
that would wake me up l.woal~ see that th■ r:ater tank on ~h• shoTel
were full and steam up by seTen oclock for the perators I go 1n an4
clean ap Get my br~akra■t if the fish wore b1t1 s I would go a fishing
l ..oul<I catch loi of brcm and clean them the co k wo:1ld cook then for
mersome time I would catch enou.;;h for the· whole crew if I only catch i.
a few the cook could cook them for me and him h~n I P.ere not fishing!!
I staid around t:ie black Elllith shop and if th•· lack smith need some
one ta h lp him a tewminet I would hllJ, him th re were one man that •
0

look after the dw:ip c:irs to ~ee that they hai. o l and fix the hot ~s:ej
one day he wara absent and they came 1n with tw cars 111th hot bozo■

they sot the cars on the aidin& 1 knew llbere ev ry th1nQ were at to tSJ
fix the hot boxes wh11e they weregone for an11th r 1oad'of dirt I rued
the cars went and told Kr. 8utton that they wer fix he ask me if I fl!
them I said ;res he said 11111 you look after the hot l>oxes f110:a no1r 1111

I told I would he told me to keep account of my tir.e a:cd tarn 1t 1n

fr0!!1 t,at tiDe on as lon~ as I staid there I lo k after the hot boxes
I had move my. fa:tily from beare to fort mead· on a place east of For'
Meade a placo. o,ron by J.w.Eeen in the sprj,n or
926 I quit 110rk1n0 for
the sutton brothers and went back to Po~t Meade I had .;ot tird of at!l1'
ing a=y from :y family I went to see D.'i Lens 0111 I luo =rk for be-
fore he had some people waiting to .see h1.m I ha to go to the ~Jlest

-------------·--
 • 3/
room the wash bason &picket were leaking and l aeam aa 1t aome =• I •

sooke to me why dont you go and see the plumbe I r.ent back into th■

doctor ofice and ask some one where the_plwr.b g shop were at Dr hea.rd
me and stop wha.t he were dobg and t"ld me whe o the shop were at I
went to t;1e plumbing shop went 1n and made_ m; elf aquanted to Mr.
Edd Blackburn then I a.sk him a.bout. a Job he sa. d he might have a Job
for me but he would not know untlll noon when is parden H,C Streot-
man came in tho do; tha.t had been ac,rking did t show up that morn-
ing which were monday I went oat and got sor.et 1ng to eat and went
back at one oclock they said they c<>Uld use me 1Uld ask me when x·'lllmt -
to go to work I said now, they put me to·cutt g up aome metal fla.sh-
1ng it were a. sheet metal and plumbing shop co bind I had not work nn7
.
with out gl.ovos and my hand wore tender I had o~e blisters men even
came,the next day we went to Lake stearn where Blackburc 3.r.d stroet::uill
h_ad a pl11:1bing job at the bank that were being i:nl.ilt there we staid at
lake steam fron: tuesda.y till friday enn. I 1 arned the plu::illlng
trade with Blackburn and staid 111th hi,:, seven( 7) teen yea.rs ,men~
second world -.a.r were decliared we could not g t a.my m'eteral. to do
plu,nbing rl th I went to Tampa and went t:, r.ork in the ship yard aa L

welder helped I. work as a welder helper s1.x we ks

f'ured tl't tho shea.t metal department, Iwork thr e and half yea.rs at: the
ship yard untill the war were over, mean tiz:e sold DY place at Fort
II mes.de and bo-~ght a place in Tampa and mova noJ uary 24 1942., the '1'11:1'

ended in 1946 in march I were laJI: of at the I -.,ent back t•

--
plllll!bing for si.:z: month then the first Church o God at Sulpher sping
•
started to· finish up their church they had se ce in the bas:oent ror
twenty yea.rs, I were one of the five on the bu laing commit; and the

. only one that were free to look after the Job hey ask me tr I wou14._
 3 )_. I
take oTor the Job that trere ill 1947 we f1114h th
I
churcll an4 4ecate4 lt '
I
1n 19~0. me and Jane were saTe 1r. i.arch 1926 1n tent meet1r,,. at Jort···.
Meade sister Dance or CoTent Kentucky were thee angelist she were~
mothed but she adTiae me and my w1te to go to th first Churck or Go4
;
,.
she thoue;ht we would get more sprial rood there,
we went to church ot
God in fort·Mcade unt111 n moTe to Tampa then w went to the First
churcll or God on tenth street in Sulpher Spring till 1954 tnere were
buld1ng a Cbn:l:cb O r God on Foaida aTenese we we t to the folrida a:ven-.
eue !Llld help to f1nsh the bt1Uding there.
•
IN 1952 l went to the TB!Ilpa Marine ship yard d work there· for seTeD ,. ;
years 1n June l9S9 l were layed off fro~ the ship yard and I cauld find
no work that would pay for my age were aginst m I were 6§ years old
the insurence would not inS"~re me I plyed tor m social security I got
''
my first check Febuary 3 1961.q
j
1958 Florida ave Church sponsored the buildlc"IS of a. church at 22st
and Fletcher ave I were over seerof the buildi?l, and in May 1~60 the
church were decat~ted !Llld there were ~8 t frow the Florida.
l
ave. Church tro· the Flacher aTe. church. that wer a. big lost tor • ·1
•
church but in three months flor1da ave church back what it
had.lost.
In one year the flacher ave. became self sup orting and have beea
growing eTery sence,
l spent fifteen years as e.fmoon shiner and bo th lager 15 YJ!Bra I

seTlifili the d1Tel and thirty nine years as a chri the seTering
~
. words to eia-
of llod I teach tor thirty five years.I cannot
press the contented feeling that I haTe had 1n '
e7ering God.I never
have·no desire to so
•
aeTering the diTel.
l'ebaa.y 6 1965
~&._. _'-'rf..L.<>,:Ji.C...f:.L.'4-~
__::;;
___ ,,
~
 r

Jeams and Sarah Adams

HenrY Adams with daughter Mable on lap; son Johnny

daughter Stella.; Jane Adams with daughter Cleo on lap.

'
 Henry 8. Adams With Sister, Cinda and her Family

,.

Milford & Winnie

 Jane (Phillip~)

Adams and

Brother

Henry E. and Jane Adams

Johnny (son)
Mable(Daughter)
Jane Adams
Stella(Daughter)
On trip to
Florida from
Kentucky

..
 '
I

~ Tullie & Msble (Adamsl Jackson Jane (phillips) A ams & Fr.iend
with sons Ray & Re_lph

Henry Adaw~ and his Corn Henry Adams with on Gayle

 I

'

' )

Dalla_s
Ada.ms

a .n d

Family
•

D lla.s Ada.ms
 r
I

, t

DaJ_ l a_s.

Ad.a.ms

and

Family

L _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _----l-_ __ ___j
 ..

Vict-orie P~illips, Friend & Jane ( Phil l ips) Adams &

J a.ne (Phi l lips) Ada.ms Sarah Phillips FR NT ROW

- - - - - - -- - - - -- - - -~----------------&~----------------'✓
 (Phillips) Adams & son Gayle

Jane (Phillips) Adams & son Johnny

 ijenry E. Adams' Mother and sisters

Clnda Mildred, Martha, Goldie & Elmer

_,_Henry E. Adams , Jane Adams & Sar.ah Phillips

Jeams 9nd ~~ h Adams

Jeams and Sarah Adams

Jeams Adams at h~s
one on the left

Still
 ...

}.

Orvil Phillips

Ben Phillips at the Cumb rland

~ -
Jane (Phillips) Adams#

Mother Children
 Back Row :
Carl, James & Johnny
e Row :
a, Mable, & Ruth
Row :
Jene, Henry & Mary

- --7
J

(
I
} .
·1
,
I

Gayle and James James and G yle

Henry and Jane Adams

Jo.A/, -'1 19 ?"
Henry Adall'$ Back Row: Stella, M ble, Cleo, Carl,
Jamee , and Gayle
· Front Row: Johnny, ne, Henry.and Ruth

Cora, Cinda, and Louisa Henry and dams daughters' grave

Viva Victo l e Adams
Taken in July 1977
Henry Adams' sisters 2/ lil/1918- 1/7/1918
• I
Gone But Not F rgotten· ....
 Ba~k row far left

Stells Adams 1927

~

ods with
s on Wa,rren and Daughter Be ty Jean

St e lla a nd Mabl e
~.

Gayle, James, Cody, Seo t, Warren,

and Stella holding daug ter Barbara

Barney ~ Stella Woods

Stella on ladder
Mabl e, Cleo ,

Johnny and Aunt

Lonnie rest
unknown .

Mable. Johnny
Cleo standing
Carl in chair

Johnny Adams
.:T o h n n y Ad

Stella,
 ..✓
,.

Mable (Adams) Jackson

 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HENRY EDISON A AMS

Chapter One

I was born on January 21, 1895 in Mayking, Letcher ounty, Kentucky, on the

Kentucky River, on my Grandfather John Adams home place.

In the fall of 1895, my Father and Mother moved to irginia, on the north fork

of the Pound River, a place called Laural Fork. There my Mot er told me how frightened

she got about me when someone brought in some wood for the fire and happened to

bump me on the head, and she was afraid that I was going t die. At that time people

heated their homes with wood and I can remember when w would have to go out in

the snow and cold to cut wood for the fireplace to keep us war

Six months later in the spring of 1896, my parents m ed back to Kentucky, on

the Cumberland River to a place called the Mill Place, the e was a water mill there,

and the farmers brought their corn to be ground into meal or making bread. At this

place my oldest sister, Cora, was born on 14, 1896.

In the fall of 1898, my parents moved back to a pla called Flat Gap. There

my second sister, Louisa, was born on March 19, 1899. Four ays after my sister Louisa

was born, on March 23, my Grandfather Calep Hampton, y Mother's Father died.

I went to the funeral with my Father, Jeams H. Adams, m Mother was not able to

attend the funeral; that is the first thing I remember of my childhood days. After my

Grandfather's death, the estate was divided among the hei s . My Mother being the

youngest got the home place and my parents moved back to K ntucky on the Cumberland

River to a place called Robert Branch. Two years later my other traded places with

her brother, William Hampton, which was one quarter of a mil south of the home place.

-1-
There my parents stayed and brought up their family of nine children, they moved away

for a short time in 1902, when my Father was working in the ine at Dorchester, Virginia.

They moved there for the winter. It was cheaper for them to move, that way my Father

would not have to pay board and get someone to cut wood for my Mother to keep us

children warm.

I was eight years old and what has sta yed with my me ory of that winter is that

we lived up on the hill from the river and down by the rive was what they called the

river bottom, were some houses where some foreigners liv d, seeing them go to the

river to do their laundry when there was snow on the ground and ice on the river. They

would come out barefooted, break the ice and pin up their resses and wade out up to

their knees and wash their laundry. People then did not hav rubboards and they would

use a paddle or a battling stick as they were called. They would dip their clothes in

the river, then put soap on them and lay them on a rock d beat them to get them

clean. By the time they got their clothes on the line they woul be frozen stiff.

In the spring my parents moved back to the home pla on Robert Branch. That

was their last move until they got their family grown and mar ied. In 1918, a fire burned

my parents home and they moved back to Virginia, to a pl ce my Father had bought

off my Mother's sister, Anne Hampton. They lived there ill my Father could build

back where the house had burned.

When I was eleven years old, in the spring of 1908, I egan to have trouble with
my right leg, which turned out to be polio, which crippled e for the rest of my life.

But thanks to God, I was able to go and work and take care of my family of nine children

which are all married and got families of their own. The ord sure was with me and

my family.

-2-
 Chapter Two

In the fall of 1910, my Father was cutting some trees own to get the log to wall

up a dairy; a tree that he had felled kicked back and knocked my Father down and broke

his leg just below his knee and the bone went through the s in and into the ground and

pinned my Father's leg under it. He was by himself about a uarter of a mile from the

house up on a ridge and he called for help for a half an ho r before anyone heard him

and realized that someone was in trouble, my Mother happe ed to go up the hill above

the house and heard him. My cousin, Ivory Hampton, was digging potatoes close by

and my Mother told him she thought my Father was hurt or i trouble. Ivory cut across

the ridge to where my Father was. When he got to my Fat er, he had worked his leg

out until his sole had got caught and he had his knife out an was going to rip the back

of his shoe when Ivory got to him. Ivory was excited and he grabbed the log and lifted

it so my Father could get his leg out, the log was so heavy t at blood shot out of Ivory's

nose. Ivory was excited and he put my Father on his back and carried him down the

hill. He did not get far; because some of the neighbors had ear my Father and at first

just thought it was someone drunk until one of the women said that someone was in

trouble, for she could hear him calling for help and some f the menfolks started to

my Father. They met my Father and Ivory and they helped br ng my Father to the house.

It was twelve miles to go for a doctor, and that's on horseb ck at that. Our neighbor,

Ransom Williams, went for a doctor and he was lucky, he vertook a doctor down on

the Cumberland River at the foot of the mountain on his way ack to Cumberland River,

at the foot of the mountain on his way back to Whiteburg, he county seat. That was

where we had to go to get a doctor. He had came over on he river to see a sick man

and had started back to his office.

-3-
 He came back with Mr. Williams and set my Father's eg, twenty-one days later,

the doctor came back and set my Father's leg again, his le was not healing right and

was giving him trouble, there was no hospitals back in the days, the doctor said he

wanted someone with steady nerves to help him, it fell up n me to help. I hunkered

down beside the bed and put my elbows on the bed; the do tor put my Father's leg in

my hand with one hand under his knee and the other under his heel, and I had to set

there one hour while the doctor took off the splint and dr ssing and wash his leg and

redressed and put the splint back around my Father's leg. W en the doctor got through.

I could not move, they had to help me up.

I had to quit school and take care of the crops and rvest it. We had no way

of getting any money other than the produce that we could ell from the farm. I made

one or two trips a week to the coal fields of Pardee, Virgi ia, and sold what produce

we could spare to get money to buy our clothes and shoes a d the little things that we

needed.

-4-
 Chapter Three

That winter I made my first moonshine whiskey. Two ellows came to my Father

and wanted to put a moonshine still on my Father's place. hey wanted my Father to

go in with them. My Father not being able to work, it fell on me to work with them.

My Father's leg was not well enough for him to work, his le was messed up so bad that

he had to stay in bed flat of his back for forty days and night before he could be propped

up in bed. It was nine months before he could walk on it.

I will never forget that year; that was the year Hail y's Comet was seen in the

sky all summer. We had seen it rise in the East and set in the West. What made me

remember it so well was that one night I had taken some eal to the moonshine still

and as I was coming back about two hundred yards from the ouse, all at once the whole

sky lit up, and I looked up to the East I saw three balls lik fire rolling across the sky

going from East to West. It all lasted about one minute; hen they got in the West,

the balls of fire went together and made a loud explosion which shook the dishes on

the table and the windows in the house. When I got to the house, my folks wanted to

know what happened. I told them what I had seen and the omet was never seen after

that.

When my Father got able to work, he went to Parde Virginia, and took charge

of a boarding house and worked in the mines. He hired two en to do the cooking; the

coal mine company was just getting started and did not h ve enough houses built to
take care of the men they needed to work the mine. The built a large building for

the men to sleep and a kitchen where the men could get t My Father was

in charge of the kitchen. The cooks used twenty dozen eg I would get the

eggs for my Father from the country stores, the farmers bro ht their eggs to the stores

-5-
in exchange for the little things they needed. We had to p y from eight to ten cents

a dozen for them. I would wrap the eggs with paper and pac them in two powder cans

that held ten dozen eggs. Each Monday morning I would pu the eggs on my horse and

take them six miles across the mountain to my Father. metimes I would pick up

potatoes, dried beans and chickens, from the farmers for the b arding house.

My Father worked through the winter, in the spring h came back home to help

put in the crop; for if one did not grow their corn, beans, po toes and hay; when winter

came they had a hard time to substain life, for you could n t go to the store and buy

like you can today.

That year my Father sharecropped with David Mullins he furnished the land and

my Father put in corn and worked it. Mr. Mullins got one t ird and my Father go two

thirds and the fodder to feed the horse and cows. When w got the crop laid by, my

Father took a job of cutting some timber and logging it ou where it could be hauled
to the mill.

When it came time to gather the corn, my Father too time off to help me and

Mother. The children had taken care of the fodder. The f eld my Father had worked

for Mr. Mullins was steep and rocky. We had to haul the orn out with a sled and it

was so steep in places that we had to wrap a chain around ne of the sled runner and

a man hold back on the other to keep the sled from running ver the horse. We finished
gathering the corn on Friday, that was one day that I cou dn't do anything right for
my Father. I was the one that was driving the horse and I ad another fellow helping

me load and unload. That afternoon at two o'clock I had ha enough and I went to the

house, got dressed and told my sisters that I was going to 1 ok for a job. A boy, Lloyd

Mullins, that I had went to school with had told me that t ey were wanting someone

-7-
 to deliver for the company store at Pardee, Virginia. I wen and got the job and went

/'
'10 work on Saturday. Sunday, I went back home and got me s me more clothes. I worked

there for six weeks, then me and the manager had a disa reement about the mule I

was driving. That was one of the meanest animals that I ev r worked. He would catch

you in a tight spot, then if he could he would back the wago. out of the road and over

the bank. I found out he was afraid of a bushy siwtch mo e than anything else. On

Friday afternoon as I started out with a load the manager ame to the back door and

he saw me with that switch and wanted to know what I had it for. I told him to make

the mule go. He told me to throw it away, which I did. Th re was a steep bank about

fifty feet up to the main road. I called on the mule to go nd went about halfway up

the hill and stopped to rest, which I had been letting him d . The manager still stood

in the door and when I called on the mule to go he saw I didn't have my switch, he started

like he was going then he reared back and down the hill we t and wagon right into the

storehouse and like to have hit the manager. He went back nto the store and I picked

up my switch and told the mule to get up. He stopped abou the same place as before

but when I called on him to go, he saw I had the switch he went without any trouble.

I delivered that load and came back and got another one, I ha to go two miles to deliver

the last bag of feed and there was a boy that rode with me just for the ride. The manager

was not in a good mood when I got the last load and used so e curse words, I was one

that did not curse anyone and I didn't take it off anybody lse. When I got through,

I was two miles towards home and I got the boy to take the mule to the barn and take

a note to the manager to let him know that I had quit. I ad got paid that morning,

at noon I paid up my board. I went home and went to work wit my Father cutting timber.

Two weeks after that my Father had to go to Pardee and I t Id him to go by the store

and get my pay. The manager told my Father that he was sor y about the way he talked

to me and if I ever wanted a job to come and see him. I w rked with my Father until

school started, then I went back to school.

- 8-
 Chapter Four

My next moonshining was in Virginia on the south fork of the Pound River in the

Biack Mountains. We did not stay in one place very long an when we got a batch .run

off, if many people found us we would move somewhere else Our next move was back

into Kentucky in what they called the Cumberland Mountains, my Father, Jerry Stidham,

and me were working together. We left Jerry one day workin by himself and he slipped

and stumbled, he stuck his foot in the hot slop and burned ·s leg from this knee down

which laid him up for six months.

One day my Father and me were working and it was ouring down the rain and

had been raining all day, around three o'clock that afternoon we heard someone whistle

up on the hill from us; when one was at a still place and ard someone whistle that

was a sign that it was a friend, so we told him to come on in. He was a stranger to
us, his name was John Payne, he was running from the law so he stayed with us and

worked fo.r some time. My Father got him to help me finish up at the place.

After we got through there, we moved back into the Blac Mountains on the Virginia

side, a quarter of a mile from the Kentucky and Virginia lin , to a place called Donald

Fork. Me and l\1r. Payne stayed in the mountain at the still p ce all the time, my Father

brought the grain that we needed to work with, we stayed th e until we had eighty-five

gallons of moonshine on hand to be delivered in three parts. fr Payne sold out his share
to my Father and me. Mr. Payne heard that the law was notjlooking for him any longer

so he went back to where he came from and we never heard fro~ him any more.

It was now April, time for the farmers to plant thelr crops. My Uncle Dave
Hampton had me to stay with him for the summer and help hiJn with his crops. I worked

during the week for my uncle and cm the weekends I bootle ] ed my moonshine. There

-9-
was a mining town just across the mountain from where my u cle lived and people would

come to our side of the mountain to get their whiskey as t ere were no saloons then.

The people had to get their whiskey wherever they could f nd it. After I sold all the

moonshine, my Father had me stay on and help my uncle ta e care of the crops, when

it came time to gather the corn. The field was three mi es from my uncle's place.

They hauled the corn to the barn on a wagon, my uncle put me to handling the wagon

while the menfolks gathered the corn and hauled it in a sl d to where I could get to

it with the wagon. The menfolks would help me load up the wagon and the womenfolks

would help me unload at the barn. Most of the road was r ugh and rocky and on one

trip we had all the corn we could get on the wagon. I wa setting on the corn when

the wheel hit a loose rock on the edge of the rut and threw me off the wagon and between

the wheels on my back. I grabbed the brake bar and kept t e wagon from rolling over

me. It just happened that I held on to the check line and ot the horses stopped, but

not before the wheel had scraped my shoulder. If it had ro led over me with the load

of corn that was on it; it would have been too bad. We got t e crops taken care of and

then I helped my uncle get wood for the cook stove and th coal for his fireplace for

the winter and then I went back home and to school.

- 10-
 Chapter Five

After school that winter I went to work with my Father n the mines at Dorchester,

Virginia. School was only six months a year and it began in Jul and was out by Christmas.

Me and my Father were working what was called robbing pill rs. It was where the mine

had been worked out and there had been left about twenty qua re feet left to hold up

the mountain. We would go to the back of the mine and ta e all the coal out leaving

the mountain sitting on timbers. Finally the mountain wo Id settle down and burst

the timbers and the mine would fall in. There was low rum ling noises all of the time

that sounded like thunder. It was so cold that in the wint r we would work at night

and when we came out of the mine we had one quarter of a mile to go to where we

boarded that our clothes would be frozen so stiff that we c uld pull them off and they

would stand up.

When time came to put in the crops my Father stayed on at the mine and I went

home and put them in. After the crops were planted we got y Uncle Wilson Hampton,

to help my Mother and the other children to work the crop a d I went to look for a job.

I first went to Norton, Virginia, to see what I could find. had worked as a delivery

boy at Pardee, Virginia, I was looking for the grocery store nd I stopped the manager

and he said that he wanted a man, for the man that was wor ·ng for him had given him

notice that he was going to quit that weekend. That afte oon I went looking for a

place to stay and I found a place with a widow lady and h r daughter. The daughter

was working and the lady asked me if I drank and I told her . She said the last border

had drank so bad they had to let him go, but I was just a bo and that she would board

me. I went to work at the store the next morning, which w s Tuesday, helping on the

delivery wagon to learn the route and the customers. But hen Friday evening came

around, the man changed his mind and decided to stay at left me without a job.

-11-
The manager paid me four dollars for the time that I had orked. I stayed for a few

days looking for a job and done some work around the place or the widow lady. I found

no work and when I went to leave I asked the lady what I owed her and she said not

anything and I said that I felt I owed her something and sh said the work that I had

done for her more than paid her.

I heard of a man at Appalachia, Virginia, which was t n miles from Norton, that

wanted someone to drive a dray wagon for him. I got on the train and went to see him.

He had three one-horse wagons that he delivered for the mere ants or anyone that wanted

anything moved. I got the job on Friday and he told me to e ready to go to work on

Monday morning. I needed some of my clothes so I took th train to Pardee and then

I had to walk six miles across the mountain. I got home late riday evening and I stayed

until Sunday noon, then I started back to Applachia. Ther was no train running on

Sunday so I went a different way to a town called Roran For , a town south of Pardee.

When I got there it started to rain and when I got about tw miles out of Roran Fork

it started pouring as if it was coming out of a bucket. It ot so hard I stopped at a

farmer's place and asked him to let me come in out of the r in. Night came and it was

still raining and the farmer told me that I was welcome to tay for the night but they

had no place for me to sleep. I said that was alright, I co Id sleep on the floor, for

when it quit raining I'd be going. But it didn't quit raining ntil four o'clock the next

morning. I got up and slipped out before anyone got up and we on my way.

I got to Applachia just as Mr. Hood and family was s tting down for breakfast,

they asked me if I had had breakfast, I said no, they said com in and set down and have

breakfast with them. While we were eating Mr. Hood said e had some bad news for

me, then he told me that the horse that I was to drive had ust died that morning and

that he had been up all night trying to save him. Here I s out of a job again, but

Mr. Hood told me to stay around and he would help me fin a job and he did. A job

-12-
mixing mortar for a plasterer at one dollar and fifty cent for ten hours of labor. I
stayed with Mr. Hood for three days before he found me a j b. I helped the other men

that were working for him to pay my board.

When I went to work for the plasterer I moved to a b arding house, I got a place

to sleep and three meals for thirty cents a day . There was twenty-five of us menfolks

staying at the boarding house, the table was long enough to eat all twenty-five around

it and there was plenty of food of all kinds on the table at evening meal. Them days

one could go to any boarding house and get a meal for ten cents. While at this place
I saw my first person that had drank until it made him see s akes. It was a pitiful sight

to see, he would be setting in a chair and all at once he would stiffen and go over

backwards with his hands and feet pawing at foaming at the mouth.

Sometimes it would last for ten to fifteen minutes and wh n it wore off he would be

so weak that he could not get up, someone would have to Ip him up and put him to

bed. We asked him what made him act like that, and he s id he thought he was in a

tank full of snakes and they were coming at him from every hich way and he was trying

to get away from them.

I worked with this man for six weeks, he paid me e ery day at quitting time.

He tried to get me to go to another job with him where he ad seven months work and

would teach me how to plaster, but being a boy and missing ho , I decided to go home.

- 13-
 Chapter Six

On my way home I went by Roran Fork and stopped Daniel Sturgel's who was

a good friend of my Father. This is where I got acquainted ith my wife, Jane Phillips.

Mr. Strugel's wife was Miss Jane's cousin. Miss Jane and her sister had came over from

Phillips Creek to visit. Me and Miss Jane got to talking like young folks will and I made

a date to go home with her; which was ten miles across t e mountain to where whe

lived on the south fork of the Pound River.

From that time on, me and Miss Jane saw one another often for about two years.

My Father at this time was working at Stonega, Virginia; utting mining timbers for

the mine, for props and ties. I went to work at Stonega w th my Father, I had to go

by Applachia, to get my clothes. I took the train from Par ee to Appalachia, then to

Stonega which was ten miles from Applachia back up in the mountains; my Father had

a place for us to board. It was night when I got to Stonega my Father met me at the

depot so that I would know where to go. At that time I co d not drink anything with

my meals, if I did all that I had ate would come back up. The octor said it was dyspepsia

and it lasted about one year before I got rid of it.

When I first went to work with my Father, he had a m le to haul, or snake as we

called it, the timber out of the mountain. That was the mean st animal that ever walked

on four legs. It was downhill and some places were so sterep that the load would go

by itself and if the mule didn't get out of the way the load ould go past the mule and

cause him to run into the bank and hang up. When you went to get him loose he would

kick you or try to run over you. One had to carry a club with im all the time. I knocked

him to his knees many a time but could not break him.

-14-
 When my Father went back home he brought back a h rse he owned and she was

a good worker, after we made a few trips with her, she would g back and forth by herself.

Me end Father would work two or three days in the woods c ting and hewing ties, then

I stayed at the lending and cut the timber up and stacked ·t. My Father would take

the horse with him in the morning and hook her up to a loa and she would bring it to

where I was. Sometimes she would get hung up end I woul have to go and get her.

I knew how long it took her to make the trip, but if she could s e would get loose herself.

I worked with my Father until time to go to school. I ent back home and started

back to school. That was my last year in school. One week nd I went down to a place

called Rock House, on the Kentucky River, to visit some of y cousins on my Mother's

side and in coming back on the train I got a cinder in my eye t at caused me some trouble

and I had to drop out of school; I got behind in my classes end d dn't go to school anymore.

Not having anything to do I went back to moonshining nd by this time I saw M_fa;s

Jane about every weekend. Her Father was moonshining t o. When I wasn't working

for myself, I worked for him. Me and Miss Jane saw one ano her every night, but I still

did not plan on getting married. I heard my Father and Moth r planning to borrow some

money to be able to put in their crop. I had some money and I told my Father and Mother

they could have it. My Father said to me, 11

You better kee the money, you may want

to get married." I said, 111 don't think so" and they took them ney. That was in February
and by the 'first of April me and Miss Jane were engaged and b an planning our wedding.

I bought some material; Miss Jane and her Mother q · ted some quilts for us to

start housekeeping with. My Mother made and gave us two quilts. I had a hope chest

of a set of dishes, silver, and a pot or two. Me and Miss Jan first set our wedding date

for July 12, on Miss Jane's birthday, later we changed it to J e 11, 1914. I didn't know

at that time that my sister, Louisa, was planning to get marri d too; so we were married

on the same day. Me and Miss Jane had our wedding at her parent's home; Louisa and

Joe Cantral at my Father's home. Me and Miss Jane were ma ried by the same Minister,

-15-
Rev. John Sturgill, that married Miss Jane's Father and M ther (John P. Phillips and

Victoria Mullins), which was twenty years later.

It was the time of the year that bees swarmed, that afternoon someone came

in and said there was a swarm of bees in an apple tree. Som of the menfolk got a hive

and went to hive the bees. They had been drinking and b es don't like the smell of

whiskey, the bees stung them so bad they had to leave them. We did not have a smoker

so we rolled up some rags to make a smoker and you had t blow the smoke into the

bees to smoke them . That was the reason that it made the bees mad. I told them to

leave the bees alone for a while and I would go and hive th m, I was not drinking and

I hived them and never got a sting.

That afternoon me and Jane went to my Fathers' (J. H. Adams) for dinner and

stayed the night. The next day we went back to Jane's Fathers' to stay, I was still working

for him. Jane's parents told me and Jane that we could buil a room or two onto their

house if we would like to, which I did. A bedroom, dining and ki hen combination.

Me and Jane's Father cut down some oak trees and cut up into six foot long

blocks, then we rivened them up into boards to wall up the oom with. Sawed lumber

was hard to get at that time.

-16-
 Chapter Seven

1 was still making moonshine with my Father. Moonsh ning was not steady work,

one could not depend on it altogether, for if you did not put i a crop and grow something

for the winter you had a hard time making ends meet, for yo could not go to the store

for feed for your stock.

Me and Jane lived with her folks for about a year, my other gave birth to a boy

she named David. After the child was born, she developed milkleg and was not able

to do her work. My sister, Cora, had gotten married and w s gone and my other sister

was not old enough to do the work. In April, me and Jane oved in with my folks to

help out. Jane helped take care of the housework while I s ill worked at moonshining.

My Father had to stay home and take care of momma, I ha to do the moonshining by

myself. David died on July 31, 1915.

When we went to move I had to carry everything dow off of the mountain one

quarter of a mile where the wagon could be loaded. Oh, I fo got to tell you that Jane's

folks lived up on the side of the mountain and everything h d to be carried up to the

house. When me and Jane started housekeeping we bought bedstead and cookstove.

I had to carry them up piece at a time. I took the stove apar and put it in a grain sack,

carried it up to the house then put it back together.

We stayed with my folks for six months, then we bo ght a place one-half mile
south of my Father's place, at the head of Robert Branch. There our first child was

born. It was my Father and Mother's first Grandson and t e women that were there

burned my Father's hat. That was March 1, 1916. In Februa y 1918, our first daughter

was born; in August of that year the flu broke out and killed any people, on November

17, 1918, we lost our daughter to the flu. I thought I was g ing to lose my wife there

for days. It was like turning your hand whether she lived r died. Jane's sister and

her husband came to visit us and my Jane took one of her d spells, they just turned

-17-
 •
their backs, they said afterwards that they just knew that he was gone. I raised her

arms up over her head a few times but she did not catch h breath, I took her by the
shoulders and lifted her up and dropped her back on the bed to make her catch her breath.

I had had to do that before several times.

People went wild and tried to drink the flu away, the were crying for whiskey

and I sold it as fast as I could make it, for twenty dollars a allon. The ones that drank

so heavy had a worse time than them that did not. When r daughter died, we were

by ourselvesi Robert Branch had eleven houses in it at the time and there was only

one in each home to wait on the others. The night before t e baby died I took the flu

and had to go to bed, my Mother was with us that night and hat was the last time that

anyone stayed with us. Mother and all the others in Father house had taken the flu,-

but my Father would come once a day to see if we needed anyt ing.

The night that I had taken the flu was the first time I ever called on the Lord

to help me. I asked the Lord to heal me so that I could tak care of my wife and two

children. He answered my prayer. My Mother said that a few minutes after I went

to bed I went to sleep and her being scared about me she ke a watch on me. She said

I broke out in a cold sweat, momma said she had never se n such big drops of sweat

on anyone as there was on me. When I woke up my fever as gone and I was able to

be up from that time on and wait on the family.

The next time I asked the Lord for help was in 1921. I was living in Esserville,
Virginia. One Friday, I built a barn for my cow; it was cold d I took a cold. It settled

in my bronchial tubes and it was three days that I could no swallow or eat anything.

I called my family doctor but his remedy did not help me. On hursday me wife's brother

came to see us, I told my wife that I was going to have her bro her take me to Glatnorgan

to a colored lady that prayed for th_e sick. At that time I s using my car as a taxi

and I had been taking people to this colored lady every Tue day and Saturday, that is

how I knew about her. I went to this lady and she prayed f r me. By the time I got

back home I was well enough to eat supper and I have never bee bothered with it since.

-18-
 Chapter Eight

Anyone that followed moonshining or bootlegging too a lot of risk and always

had a guilty feeling when a stranger came around. You neve knew if he was a revenuer

or not. While I was living on Robert Branch, I had a still ab ut one hundred yards from

the back of the house. One day someone came and told y wife that the revenuers

were coming up the road. Jane came and told me; I went on the hill and set down

on a log behind some bushes and watched the revenuers o by my place on up the

mountain. They were gone awhile and then came back by, but they did not find the
still. I went back to work.

One time I was bootlegging some whiskey across the Bla k Mountain on the Virginia

side of the mountain; two men were meeting me the midd e of each week. One day

I was late meeting them and when I got close to where we ere to meet J did not see
or hear anyone so J hid my whiskey before I got to where I was to meet them. My brother,

Dallas, was with me. I left him up in the hollow while I ent down to see if anyone

had been there. I sat down on a log waiting to see if any ne was going to show up.

A chipmunk jumped upon a rock. I took my gun out and shotr·t. About that time I saw
two men rise up about two hundred yards down the hollow. I threw my gun in some

leaves behind a log; it was rocky and I left no tracks. I st rted to walk back up the
path the way I had come. The men overtook me, I spoke them and they walked a
little ways with me. Then they said, we are the law, we will ave to search you. I said,

what for. They said they heard someone shooting. I said !right. They searched me

from head to foot, then they said were you the one that sh t the shot. I said you see

I have no gun to shoot with.

We stood there a few minutes. I said are you going my way. They said no. I was
at a place where the road forked. I took the one to the lef in place of the right, my

brother was between the two paths. When I got out of th men's sight, I got behind

-19-
a tree and as I did my brother stood up and looked my way. signalled for him to come

to me, he knew something was wrong. When he got to me I t ld him what had happened,

we left the path and went around the side of the mountain closest to where I had hid

the whiskey. I told my brother if he would watch I would g t the whiskey, which I did.

The law was backtracking me when they came around the b nd and saw me, I was far

enough away that I could have gotten away, but it had been aining and the ground was

wet and slippery. I slipped and got a pain in my side and b ck. I saw I was not going

to get away w'ith the whiskey so I broke the whiskey jars o a rock and ran off. I left

them there, shooting, trying to stop me. Dallas thought for sure that they had caught

me. He took off across the mountain another way. I went up to the top of the mountain

to meet my brother. I went about a quarter of a mile, found where my brother's tracks

went down the other side of the mountain. He was scared, h followed the valley down

to the settlement, which put him about three miles from our home. I knew he was safe.

I decided to go back and get my gun which was about one mi e back down the mountain.

That made me late getting home and when I walked in my F ther and some others were

fixing to go to the county seat of Wise, Virginia, to bond me ou of jail.

Sometime after that the same men, who turned out to e bootleggers themselves,

and they came across the mountain to the Kentucky side a d I sold them whiskey ten

and twenty gallons at a time.

Another close- call I had was when I needed some mone and bootlegging was slow.
The law had tightened down and made it hard to get by. I ew a wholesale house at

Norton, Virginia, that would take all I could get them. I t ok two hot water bottles

that had loops on them to hang them up by, filled them wi h whiskey and hung them

on my belt under my overalls. I got my mule and rode sev nteen miles to Esserville,

Virginia, I was still three miles from Norton. I put my mu up at a farmers for the

night. I walked to where the road made a fork to catch a r de to Norton, the revenue

men were stopping and searching all cars, it was cold and I ha on my overcoat, I walked

up close to where they were and stood. there watching for a hile. They stopped a taxi
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cab, when they let him go I walked up to him and said taxi he opened the door and I

got in and went on to Norton. I stopped at a restaurant f r something to eat, when

I went in there and sat at the table, there were three reven e men eating their supper.

I sat down at the counter and told the owner what I wanted He brought it to me and

stood there talking to me while I ate. He asked me did y bring anything to drink?

I said yes, after a while he came to me and said when are you going to get me that drink.

I asked him, have you got a place where I can sleep tonigh , he said yes and took me

to it. When we got to the bedroom, I pulled out one of the b ttles. He said, for a little,

I'd kick you, here I've been waiting for half an hour for a dri k. After I ate supper the

revenuers were still in the restaurant. I went into anothe room and watched some

men gamble for a while, then I went to bed. The next mor ing, I put the other bottle

in a paper bag and walked down the street two blocks to th wholesale place and they

took it . I went back to the restaurant and got breakfast and we t back home.

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 Chapter Nine

Another time my Father and I needed some money s we took three gallons of

whiskey apiece in our saddlebags which held six half-gallon fr it jars. We walked twenty

miles thru the mountains from the head of the Cumberland Ri er, in Kentucky, to Norton,

Virginia. To keep away from any settlement we had to go t ree miles south of Norton,

where the road went thru the mountains. We got there bout three o'clock in the

afternoon, I stayed about fifty yards from the road while m Father went down to the

road and caught a ride back to Norton, to the wholesale ouse and when dark came

I eased my way and the whiskey down close to the road. M Father and a fellow that

worked at the wholesale place came and picked me up in a ca • We went back to Norton,

and left the whiskey. My Father had already got the money or the whiskey, we stopped

and got a bite to eat, then we started walking back home that night. We were only

getting three dollars a gallon at home for our whiskey and eight dollars delivered to

Norton, it was a good payday.

In the spring of 1919, I sold my place on Robert Bran h in Kentucky, and moved

to Esserville, Virginia and bought a home. I worked part t me at the Esserville Coal

Company, as a carpenter's helper and in between times I repaired cars and done

blacksmith work.
I bought a place for one-third down and the balance in four payments six months

apart. In 1920, I bought my first car, a 1917, Model T Ford, it had been wrecked. They

had run the car into a ditch and bent the radius and steerin rods. I did not kn_ow how

to drive a car at that time, so I got Creed Bolling to to go w th me to get the car which

was at Flat Gap, Virginia, twenty miles from Esserville. W had to first get the car

out of the ditch and take off the radius and steering rods d straighten them, we got

the car back together, had it filled with gas and went ba k to Esserville. We found

out that the car needed some work done on it. I had to lin the brakes, rewire it, and

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a new carburetor, when I got the work done I got Creed Bollin to help me get it adjusted.

A day or two after that I wanted to go up on the river, I got the car out and pulled out.

I made the trip alright. From that time on I drove the car here I wanted to. I drove

the around the country until 1923, then I drove it to Flori a, and in Florida for four

years, back to Kentucky, for a visit with mine and Jane's folks, and then back to Florida.

Going back to when I lived in Esserville, before the la t two payments were due,

the fellow that had the mortgage, sold it to Ruben Bolling. paid off the third payment

and before the last payment became due, me and Jane de ided to sell the place and

move back to Kentucky. I sold the place to Archie Sargent, ut when we went to close

the deal, I went to Mr. Bolling and told him I had the mon y to pay him and to meet
me the next day at Archie Sargent's the next morning to ix up the release for the

mortgage. But Mr. Bolling did not show up, I began to in uire and found out he had

went the other way twenty miles. I knew he had the mortgag on record in his daughter's

name. I got a lawyer to go to the records and make up a elease and I got a Notary

Public and went to his daughter's place with the money. Th y tried to put me off ever

way they could, but the Notary told them if they refused he money that they could

not make me pay it. I started to leave and went out to the car. Mr. Hill, the Notary,

talked to them and they called me back and they signe papers. I found out

afterwards that they thought they would get the place for ju t a little more than I owed
on it, but I had sold the place and beat them at their own g e. Mr. Bolling would not

speak to me after that.

Me and my family moved back to Kentucky, on the hea of the Cumberland River

to a place called John Sargent's place. We stayed there u til we moved to Florida.

John Sargent was the school teacher for the five years I went t school.

I was still making moonshine and bootlegging when the Lord began to talk to me

and made me see the wrong I was doing to my fellow man b selling them whiskey and

taking their money when their family and children needed it for food. I remember one

person came to me one dliy and got a half pint of whiskey, t e next day I met his wife
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and she asked me if her husband had got any whiskey from e. I told her yes, she said

that there was not anything to eat in their house and she ad gave fifty cents to her

husband to go to the store to get some meat, lard, and su ar, but he came back late

that night and had nothing to eat and no money. She said th e was nothing in the house

to eat but corn meal, I gave her back the money her husba paid me for the whiskey.

Other times I know of men getting whiskey from me, get ing drunk and going home

and running his family off from their home or him and his wife aving a fuss.

The Lord began to talk to me and made me to see t e evil in moonshining and

bootlegging. I promised the Lord if he would help me I wou d sell everything I had and

move away from Kentucky, and go where I was not know and quit having anything

to do with whiskey. I did not have any place in mind at tha time as to where I would
'
go.

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 Chapter Ten

In the later part of the summer of 1923, I and Jane deci ed we would go to Florida.

We had talked about going to Florida when we were first arried in 1914 but never

got around to it. I sold my crop mule, cow, household furnit re, and everthing we had,

but what we could load on the Model T Ford. On October 15, I loaded up my family

of four children, Jane, and myself and headed for Florida. The first day we only got

into the northern part of Tennessee, we stopped along the w y and picked up chestnuts.

We stayed that first night at a farm owned by two elderly maids and we enjoyed the

night with them. They tried to get me and my family to s ay and work for them on

the farm, I didn't take the job for I was set on going to Fl ida, we got into Georgia,

the next night, it had been dry and the roads were mostly cl y and the dust was awful.

In the afternoon it started to rain and it rained all afternoon then the roads were slick
and muddy, that night we stopped at a farmer's place and sked if we could stay the

night. He said we could if we would not have any fire, I tol -him we would use canned

heat to do our cooking. He told us to pull into the barn lot behind the barn. He must

have known that it was going to turn cold for when it quit raining, there came up a

northwest wind and was it cold. We would really have got cold if it hadn't been for

the barn, it turned the wind off of us. The next morning I ent to the farmer's house
to see if I could get some eggs and milk, they let me have so e milk, eggs, and butter.

While there the lady asked me if we would like to have so e biscuits for breakfast,
I said sure, she already had them baked. The children sure enjo ed the butter and biscuits.

I offered to pay them for letting us stay the night, but they wo d not charge me anything.

After we had our breakfast we were on our way again, this made the fourth day that

we were on the road and it was wet and slick. We could not make much time, we only

got into southern Georgia, that night, and we stopped at a other farmer's place and
parked beside the- highway for the night.

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 We always stopped at some farmer's place so we could ge water and find a restroom

or outhouse. There wasn't tourist cabins or motels like th re are today. Four years

later we went back to Kentucky, and we found cabins all alo g the way. The fifth night

we made it to St. Augustine, Florida, we stopped at a country store and stayed the night.

There we got aquainted with our first sulphur water, it was nice boiling spring water

as clear as crystal, but it smelled like rotten eggs. They t ld us if we put some in a

bucket and let it set a while, the scent would go away. T ere was a place where we

could build a fire. My daughter, Mable, had been asking for ornbread. I got some meal

from the store and made a wholecake of cornbread, the chil ren ate the cornbread like

it was cake.

At the end of sixth day, we arrived at Eagle Lake, F orida, where Jane's sister

and her husband (Johnny Elkins) lived. They lived in a tent, e stayed with them three

days then I rented a shack beside the railroad. The shack ha been built by the railroad

company for the men to sleep in while they were building a iding there. When a train

would go by, my wife and children couldn't hardly stand it, they were so homesick.

We got acquainted with Mr. Jenkins from Kentucky. One day he said to me, I

will buy the gas for your car if you will take me to Fort Mead , to see one of his friends.

I said alright, the next morning me and Mr. Jenkins went to ort Meade, and his friends

turned out to be the Bakers, that were my neighbors in E serville, Virginian. While

we were talking with them they told me about a place that I might rent, he had a citrus

grove on the place and wanted someone to look after the grove; he worked for the

phosphate company. I went by to see him and rented the ace. On November 1, we

moved to Fort Meade, we had to buy some furniture to st rt housekeeping with and

I hadn't found any work. One morning we found we had only wo dollars and fifty cents

left, I started out to town to look for work.

As I got to the gate a truck stopped with two men it (Jim Keller and Fred

Manley), they made their acquaintance with me and my wife, they asked me if I wanted

to pick fruit. I told them I had never picked any and they aid that's alright, we will
teach you. I stayed with them until the middle of March, 1924, fruit picking was over.

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 Jene end the children got the measles end we had to h ve a doctor, my neighbors
told me about Doctor Lewis, we called him and he came nd gave my family some

medicine. While talking with him, I found out that he owned grove and wanted someone

to help his father-in-law work on the grove. The fruit pick ng was over so I took the

jOb, I worked that summer for the doctor. In October, I ent back to picking fruit,

I picked fruit until the last of February, when the season was o er.

Me, Jim Keller, and one of the Manley boys heard of some work in Arcadia, we

got on the train and went to see about it. The only thing t ey had was unloading rock

out of railroad cars, we told the foreman we would try it. He told us to be there at

seven o'clock the next morning and that they paid fifteen- d llars a car. We went that

evening and found a place to board., We ,were at thejpb on ime the next morning and

went to work. About three o'clock in the afternoon Keller and Manley said they had

had enough and were going to quit. We went to the fore an and told him we were-

quitting. He checked the car and paid us nine dollars for w at we had done, we went

and paid the lady where we had stayed the night and caught the train back to Fort Meade.

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 Chapter Eleven

-- The next day I heard that they were wanting some men a West Frostproof, I started

there to see, it was fifteen miles from Fort Meade. I start d out walking, when I got

three miles from Fort Meade, I saw some men working besi e the road, I stopped and

was talking with the men, when the boss came up and ask d me if I wanted a job. I

said that was what I was looking for. He asked me a few questions, then said when

do you want to start, I said now if that's okay with you. He p inted to a shovel, I picked

up the shovel and went to work. They were grading a road to get into a retoit plant

where they made charcoal, turpentine, and inger rosin. I wor ed there for three weeks,

but the work was not steady. The fellow that ran the turpen ine still had taken a liking

to me, one day he said, would you like a better job? I said, hy sure. He said he knew

a fellow (Jack Pollard), that worked a crew of men on the section crew that needed

a man. He had talked to him about me, and if I wanted to go o work with him, it would

be alright with him . Mr. Pollard came along and stopped his way to camp. That
was on Friday evening and they did not work on Saturday, he old me to be at the camp
Monday morning at seven o'clock.

The camp was at a place called Beria. Monday morning hen I got there and asked

for Mr. Pollard, they told me that there had been a wreck, and he was at the wreck.

The wreck was close to the retoit plant. I had to to one and a half miles to get where

the wreck was, at a place called Bad Branch. Two locomotive had come around a curve

and hit headon. One was loaded with logs and the other a lor d of emptys. The loaded

cars did not leave the track, but the emptys went everywhere. got there at seven-thirty,

and it took all day to clean up the wreck, and to get the tr ck back into shape. That

weekend I moved to the camp where I did not have to pay an house rent, the company
furnished the houses.

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 After I had been there for _about six months, one eve ing just as I set down to

supper I heard the logging train blow four long blows, I said t my family, that's a wreck.

By the time I got through eating, Mr. Pollard was there, we got the hand car and tools

and went to the wreck. The rail had broken and the loco otive was on the ground.

It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been a car. We didn't have a jack strong enough

to lift the locomotive. We had to phone for another locomot ve to bring some hydraulic

jacks. The wreck was in the wet lowlands and the ground as soft. It was so heavy

it was hard to get any footing under the jacks and on top o that it began to rain and

it poured down. There were twelve of us working, we worked n groups of six for one-half

hour at a time. We worked from seven o'clock pm until two o'c ock am.

They had a lot for the mules that they used for logging, lose to the camp. Shortly

after the wreck, they moved them three miles from camp an made a lot for the mules.

It was out in the woods and not close to where anyone liv d. The lot was close to a

swamp, and there was wildcats in the swamp. They had t have someone to stay at

night with the mules, everyone had some excuse but me, s I stayed with the mules

as long as I worked there. I worked with that company fiftee months then they changed

superintendents and the new superintendent had his own c ew from another logging

camp. All of us that worked there were out of a job and had to move.

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 Chapter Twelve

J rented a place from Tom Pollard at Beria. The Sea ard Railroad was building

a railroad through Florida, and they were working between West Frostproof and Avon

Park, there was a swamp that had to be filled. J went there nd got a job looking after

a pump, that pumped water to a steam shovel.

I worked at night, and when the rainy season set in I w nt to the camp and stayed.

The way I had to go to get to my work was covered with ater, and you never knew

when you were going to get bogged down and have to be p lled out. I went home on

weekends, it was a long way around to get home. One wee end my son wanted to go

and stay with me, I let him go. That week the water boy th t carried water to the men

working at the fill did not show up. Mr. Sutton asked me if J would let my son, Johnnie,

take the water boy's place, I said sure. He worked two week and they paid him sixteen
dollars, and was he a proud boy.

_ ..---...\ After two months they stopped working the steam sho el at night and then they

put me to taking care of the steam shovel and seeing that the two locomotives were

coaled up and ready for the next day. One night when the men went to coal up, the

locomotive was not in the right place. I went to the camp and told Mr. Sutton about

the trouble. He said, can you move the locomotive, I said, I on't know, there are thirty

carloads of dirt behind it. He said, yes, you can. I said, alright but if you hear me blowing
the whistle, throw the switch. The cars were on the siding nd it was downgrade, but

I made it alright. From that time on I had a lot of switching to do.

One day they had a leak spring in a locomotive and t ey sent it off and had it

welded. They got it back on Sunday, I cleaned it up and filled ·t full of water and started

a fire in the locomotive. They put it on the siding close t the steam shovel so that

I could see that it was fired up and ready for Monday mornin . They gave me a colored

man to help me. We did not push the fire until four o'cloc Monday morning, at five

o'clock I went to see how everything was coming along and I found that the weld had
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broken and was leaking again so bad that we could not kee a fire in the locomotive.
At the same time the injector on the steam shovel got sto ped up. I pulled the fire

out of the steam shovel and told the colored man we wer going to the camp which

was one mile away. The steam on the locomotive had got so ow that the injector would

not work, when we got about one hundred yards from camp t e water was so low 1 could

not get any out of the bottom gauge. l blew the fire out an went and told Mr. Sutton

what had happened. We went back to the locomotive and ere was a regular branch

of water running down the bank, Mr, Sutton asked me if I ad the fire out, I assured
him that I did, he said okay, forget about it. I then told hi that th steam shovel was

giving me trouble, I went and told the men that worked on the shovel and they went

and fixed it. As for the locomotive, they sent it off and it nev r came back.

One week on Monday when I got to work I was told that was wanted in the office,

when I got there they wanted me to be night watcher in the co ored quarters. The colored

people camped in tents and some of them were up at all ti es of the night. They had

gambling games going on all night long. The fellow that h been night watcher was
sick and they wanted me to take his place. Mr. Sutton off red me a gun, I told him

I did not want no gun. I just took the night stick, but I di n't let the colored people

know that I did not have no gun. I had no trouble with th m, I would have to settle

a quarrel among them two or three times every night. I ni t watched for two weeks

and then the watchman came back.

When they finished at that place they moved near Grove and, a place called Center
Hill. I was making what one would call good pay at that tim thirty-five cents an hour,

board, and a place to sleep. I worked ten hours each night, y job was to see that the

three locomotives were coaled and watered up for the next da , and look after the steam

shovel. By midnight I would be through, I would go to the ovel where I had a place

where I could sleep. I would bank the fire in the shovel then o to sleep, at five o'clock

in the morning there was a train that went by that would wa e me up. I would see that
the water tank on the shovel was full and steamed -up by seve o'clock for the operators.
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I would go in, clean up and get my breakfast, if the fish wer biting I would go fishing.

I would catch a lot of bream and clean them, the cook ould cook them for me.

Sometimes I would catch enough for the whole crew. If I ly caught a few the cook

would cook them for me and him. When I was not fishing I st yed around the blacksmith

shop and if the blacksmith needed someone to help him a few minutes, I would help

him. There was one man that looked after the dump cars t see that they had oil and

fix the hot boxes. One day he was absent and they came in w th two cars with hot boxes,

they set the cars on the siding, I knew where everthing was o fix the hot boxes. While

they were gone for another load of dirt I fixed the cars an went and told Mr. Sutton

that the cars were fixed. He asked me if I fixed them, I sai yes, he said will you look

after the hot boxes from now on. I told him I would, he t ld me to keep account of

my time and turn it in. From that time on as long as I stay d there I looked after the

hot boxes.

I had moved my family from Beria, to a place east of rt Meade, that was owned

by J. W. Keen. In the spring of 1926, I quit working for th Sutton brothers and went

back to Fort Meade, I had got tired of staying away from my family. I went to see

Dr. Lewis whom I had worked for before, he had some peopl waiting to see him, I had

to go to the bathroom, the wash basin spigot was leaking an it seemed as if someone

spoke to me, why don't you go and see the plumber. ck into the doctor's office
and asked someone where the plumbing shop was. The do tor heard me and stopped

what he was doing and told me where the shop was at. I ent to the plumbing shop,

went in and made myself acquainted with Mr. Ed Blackbur . I then asked him about

a job, he said he might have a job for me but he would no know until noon when his

partner H. C. Streetman, came in. The boy that had been w rking did not show up that

morning which was a Monday. I went out and got somethin to eat and went back at

one o'clock, they said they could use me and asked me wh n I wanted to to to work,

I said now.

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 They put me to cutting up some metal flashing, it was a sheetmetal and plumbing

shop combined. I was not used to working without gloves nd my hands were tender,

and I had some blisters when evening came. The next day we went to Lake Stern, where

Blackburn and Streetman had a plumbing job at the bank that as being built. We stayed

in Lake Stern from Tuesday til Friday evening. I learne the plumbing trade with

Blackburn, and stayed with him seventeen years.

When the second world war was declared, we could ot get any material to do

plumbing with. I went to Tampa, and went to work in the sh' yards as a welders helper,

I worked as a welders helper for six weeks then I was tra sferred to the sheetmetal

department. I worked three and a half years at the shipya d until the war was over.

Meantime, I sold my place at Fort Meade, and bought a pl ce in Tampa. We moved

on January 24, 1942, the war ended in March of 1946, and I was laid off at the shipyard.

I went back to plumbing for six months, then the First Church of God at Sulphur

Springs, started to finish up their church. They had been havi g services in the basement

for twenty years. I was one of the five on the building co mittee and the only one

that was free to look after the job. They asked me if I wou d take over the job. That

was in 1947, we finished the church and dedicated it in 1950.

Me and Jane were saved in March, 1926, in a tent mee ing at Fort Meade. Sister

Dance of Covent, Kentucky, was the evangelist, she was a Iethodist, but she advised

me and my wife to go to the First Church of God. She t ought we would get more

spiritual food there. · We went to the Church of God in Fo t Meade, until we moved

to Tampa, then we went to the First Church of God on Tent Street in Sulphur Springs

until 1954. They were building a Church of God on Florid Avenue, we went to the

Florida A venue church and helped to finish the building there.

In 1952, I went to the Tampa Marine Shipyard and worl ed there for seven years.

In June 1958, I was laid off from the shipyard, and I could fin no work that would pay,

for my age was against me. I was 63 years old, and the insur nee would not insure me.

I applied for my social security and got my first check on Febru ry 3, 1959.
-33-
 In 1958, the Florida Avenue church sponsored the bui ding of a church at ZZncl

Street end Fletcher Avenue. I was the overseer of the bui ing and in Mey 1960, the

church was dedicated. There was thirty-eight people who we t from the Florida Avenue

church to the Fletcher Avenue church. That was a big loss for a church, but in three

months the Florida Avenue church had gained back what it had lost. In one year the

Fletcher Avenue church became self-supporting and has been g owing ever since.

I spent fifteen years as a moonshiner and bootlegger, fifteen years I served the

devil and thirty-nine years as a Christian. In the service of od, I taught for thirty-five

years. I cannot put in words, to express the contented feelin that I have had in serving

God. I never have had a desire to go back to serving the devil.

February 6, 1965 Henry E. Adam

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