NTERVIEWER: What was your home life like?
VIVIAN: Oh well, lots of fun up there on that hill, that house up there.
INTERVIEWER: What were some of your chores or responsibilities, that you had around the home?
VIVIAN: My responsibility, when I was 12 years old, I was given the responsibility of keeping the lamps washed and filled with oil. That’s the first big chore, and sometimes we had, I had to carry a can of milk down to my uncle Ira’s store, who had a soda fountain.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. Did you have a job outside of your home?
VIVIAN: Well, after I finished school, I went to Boston and lived with my brother, who was working there, went and took shorthand and typing in High School. Graduated from that and came home, by the time I got home, my father had engaged me to work for Paul Ewell, and I worked for him for about 5 years.
VIVIAN: I graduated from Pocomoke, in 1906, and the Summerville English High School in Summerville, Massachusetts in 1907, so I went to work for Paul Ewell.
INTERVIEWER: What was discipline like when you went to school?
VIVIAN: Well I was scared to death of old Mr. Handy, who was the Principal, but by the time I had gotten up to his grades, the 10th and the 11th, he had retired and Clark Fontaine took over. I don’t remember too much about it. I got fairly good marks.
INTERVIEWER: Where did you go to church?
VIVIAN: Salem Methodist
INTERVIEWER: Okay. How long on Sunday did you go to church?
VIVIAN: How long on Sunday?
INTERVIEWER: One, two hours?
VIVIAN: Well we had service, at 11 in the morning, Sunday school at 2:00, and night service at 7:30, I think, I don’t remember too much about it, but I guess I went quite a bit.
INTERVIEWER: What did you and your family do for recreation?
VIVIAN: Well in summer time we had picnics at Red Hills, and then later on, later years we went to Public Landing a lot.
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever go ice skating?
VIVIAN: Once I tried to (audio not clear) back in a little pond, I broke my sister’s skates and that ended my skating career.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. What were some of the games you played when you were a little kid?
VIVIAN: As young children, you mean?
INTERVIEWER: Ahum.
VIVIAN: Hide and seek, and blind man’s bluff, a few old time things like that.
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever go swimming or bathing?
VIVIAN: Never learned to swim.
INTERVIEWER: Did you date?
VIVIAN: Well after I, when I was in high school, I guess, we children would get together, boys and girls. But I didn’t have any serious dates in those days.
NTERVIEWER: Was your family self-sufficient?
VIVIAN: I guess so. My father was the Funeral Director with his brother.
INTERVIEWER: What were some of the major events or special occasions that happened?
VIVIAN: Well, we used to have entertainment in the town hall, they’d be stock companies would come by, stay for about a week, have a different show every night, there were lectures, and the kinds of home talent shows.
INTERVIEWER: What were some of the businesses in town?
VIVIAN: Well, there was W.S. Dickinson store, he had the dry goods store, that was before the days of ready-made garments. And the post office was where Betty Lee or Barbara Lee, had her store now, and there were houses up the rest of the block but they all burned down, when the big fire came in ‘21, 22. And we had ice cream parlors and other grocery stores. Didn’t have any big markets like we have now.
INTERVIEWER: How was, what was the class structure like? You know, the high class. Low class.
VIVIAN: Well I don’t remember much about it. The differences, they were some that considered themselves a little better than others, and then of course the colored people were, didn’t have the civil rights they have now. They were, they would line up on Clarke Avenue on Saturdays, mostly.
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember what the population was?
VIVIAN: Well, not exactly, maybe, 1500 or 2000 or something like that. Not as big as it is now.
INTERVIEWER: Was there any kind of law enforcement?
VIVIAN: Yeah, we had police. Mr. Stroud was the police chief, chief of police for many years.
INTERVIEWER: What kind of transportation did you and your family use?
VIVIAN: Well, we had, my father had horses, you know, they didn’t have automobiles in the early days and we had a double surrey, and then we had an old horse we kept out home and a carriage that we rode around in. But automobiles were in style, came in though, the old horse was afraid of them, and we didn’t dare drive him anywhere, because (audio not clear) he’d rare-up.
INTERVIEWER: Was there a train near where you lived?
VIVIAN: Oh yes, as far as I can remember, as far back as I can remember.
INTERVIEWER: Did you or your family use the train?
VIVIAN: Sometimes we’d go to Baltimore.
INTERVIEWER: Go to Baltimore?
VIVIAN: Have to change at Wilmington. But more people I think used the steamboat, in those days. My first trip was when I was 5 years old. I remember it real well.
NTERVIEWER: Did your family use the steamboat that used to be here?
VIVIAN: Yes
VIVIAN: Just go to Baltimore and back. Then later there was a small boat that used to go to Snow Hill and back, go in the morning at 7:00, and come back, leave Snow Hill about 4:00, I think, get back here between 5:00 and 6:00.
(Continues next Saturday here at The Pocomoke Public Eye.)
.jpg)
Chickens%20sought%20for%20war%20support.%20(Feb%202025).PNG)
