Interview with Artemus Campbell, October 30, 1978

Partial Transcript: This is an interview with Mr. Artemus Campbell for the Frontier Nursing Service Oral History Project by Dale Deaton...

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks of his upbringing, from his years as a school boy through his first year of high school. He describes the schoolhouse, textbooks, his classmates, and his teacher.

Keywords: Classes; Schools; Teachers

Subjects: Childhood; Education--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: You went to Buckhorn for a year? What did you do after that?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks of working in the coal mines after high school. He describes his job working for a contractor, mentioning his salary, and then describes a job working without a contractor. Campbell also speaks of when the coal mines were unionized by the United Mine Workers of America. He also explains how he was deferred from serving during World War I.

Keywords: Coal mining; Salary; UMA; Unions; United Mine Workers of America; Wages

Subjects: Appalachian Region; Coal miners--Labor unions; Coal mines and mining; United Mine Workers of America; World War, 1914-1918

Partial Transcript: When we talked before you told me you'd worked some for the Frontier Nursing Service in the early years.

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks of his time working for the Frontier Nursing Service, and how the community reacted to the organization's presence. Campbell talks about various nurses he worked with, and of the medical care providers in the community before the FNS arrived.

Keywords: Acceptance; FNS; Nurses; Rural communities

Subjects: Appalachian Region; Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Medical care--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: Do you remember Mary Breckenridge coming down there for meetings?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks of meeting and speaking with Mary Breckinridge on several occasions, and talks briefly about his children.

Keywords: FNS

Subjects: Appalachian Region; Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Children; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Midwifery

Partial Transcript: Most of the people that live down here, did most of them make their living farming?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks of his personal logging experiences, the process of logging, the value of logging, and of those who furnished their own timber.

Keywords: Coal mining; Farming; Jobs; Logging industry; Working

Subjects: Appalachian Region; Logging

Partial Transcript: Do you know where your family came from before they were in North Carolina?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks of his genealogy, and how his ancestors came to settle in North Carolina. He also speaks of his own children, and about the child who passed away at a young age. Campbell and his wife compare the prior local midwives to the Frontier Nursing Service nurses during delivery and labor.

Keywords: Appalachian children; Cherokee Indian; FNS; Irish heritage; Midwives; Nurses

Subjects: Family histories.; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Genealogy--Appalachian Region; Medical care--Appalachian Region; Midwifery--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: Well, did they give shots and worm treatments and everything to children that wasn't available any--from any other group?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks about worm ailments, and their causes. He talks about medical treatments, as well as some of the home remedies used to treat worms.

Keywords: FNS; Parasites; Toxocariasis; Worm treatments

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Medical care--Appalachian Region; Poverty--Appalachian Region; Public health; Traditional medicine

Partial Transcript: Well did--do you remember like a public health service or anything giving shots to people before the FNS?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell compares the job expectations between public health nurses and the nurses from the Frontier Nursing Service.

Keywords: Duties; FNS; Jobs; Nurses

Subjects: Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Public health

Partial Transcript: Down in here before the roads were built and people could get in and out very well, what did people do for fun, for entertainment?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks of common hobbies during this time period, and speaks extensively about the process of making molasses.

Keywords: Entertainment; Fun; Hobbies; Molasses; Molasses making

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Country life; Food habits

Partial Transcript: Could you tell me about the, the stores that were around here?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell spoke of the one local store he could walk to, and the family that owned it. He also talks about the equipment sold at the store and of flatboats.

Keywords: Country stores; Farm equipment; Shopping

Subjects: General stores

Partial Transcript: Well was there a newspaper that you could buy at that store?

Segment Synopsis: Campbell speaks of owning the first radio in his community in the early 1930's, of the introduction of the television and telephone in his hometown, and of communities publishing local newspapers.

Keywords: Installation of telephones; Newspapers; Technology

Subjects: Newspapers--Kentucky.; Telephone; Television

Partial Transcript: Talk about Mary Breckinridge again for just a minute.

Segment Synopsis: Campbell gives his final thoughts about Mary Breckinridge and the FNS nurses. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: FNS; Nurses

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.