Interview with Cecil Morgan, July 25, 1979

Partial Transcript: The following is an interview for the Frontier Nursing Service Oral History Project with Cecil Morgan by Eliza Culp...

Segment Synopsis: Cecil Morgan is introduced. He talks about growing up in Leslie County, Kentucky and gives a brief overview of his educational background and his career.

Keywords: Farming; Hobert Morgan; J. G. Morgan; Jobs; Logging; Lumber; Sawmills; Schools; Timber; Wendover (Ky.); Working; World War II

Subjects: Education--Kentucky; Occupations.

Partial Transcript: How did you learn how to do that?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about his father's work as a blacksmith, farmer, and teacher. He talks about his family history. He talks about his mother and father working for the Frontier Nursing Service.

Keywords: Blacksmiths; Farmers; Fathers; Grandfathers; Houses; Jesse Morgan; Mothers; Sawmills; Schools; Teachers

Subjects: Families.; Family histories.; Family--history; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Genealogy--Appalachian Region; Leslie County (Ky.); Occupations.; Wendover (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: When you went to high school in Hyden did you have to walk in?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about the schools he attended, and talks about some of the church-operated schools in the area. He talks about his father's desire for him to continue his education.

Keywords: Blacksmithing; Boarding; Byers; Churches; Fathers; Jobs; Presbyterian Church; Quitting school; Ruth Huston; Schools; Wendover (Ky.); Working

Subjects: Childhood; Country life; Education--Kentucky; Hyden (Ky.); Rural schools--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Then I went to work in, you know, just, you know, first one place then another.

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about operating a sawmill and other jobs he has held. He talks about how people once grew their own food and raised their own animals, and talks about living conditions during the Great Depression.

Keywords: Food; Great Depression; Jobs; Living conditions; Lumber; Raising animals; Sawmills; Walking; Working; Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Economic conditions; Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Country life; Depressions--1929--Kentucky; Farm life--Appalachian Region; Occupations.; Subsistence farming; Wages.

Partial Transcript: Did you get newspapers then?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about the types of media that were available during his childhood. He says that the Republican Party is dominant in Leslie County, and also discusses corruption within the local government.

Keywords: Books; Democrats; Fathers; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Governor Julian Carroll; Great Depression; Hyden (Ky.); Judge Muncy; Leslie County politics; Louisville Courier-Journal; Magazines; Mortgages; Population; President Richard Nixon; Republicans; Stores; Thousandsticks News; Visiting; Voting; Watergate scandal

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Economic conditions; Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Elections--Corrupt practices; Leslie County (Ky.)--Politics and government; Newspapers--Kentucky.; Political corruption--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Did you ever work in a mine?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about the mine that he operated by renting the land. He talks about mineral and timber rights to his own land as well as the land of other local people. He gives his opinions on stripmining.

Keywords: Buying; Destruction; Employees; Land; Mineral rights; Mountains; Murder; Selling; Strip mining; Timber

Subjects: Coal miners--Kentucky--Leslie County; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Leslie County; Wages.

Partial Transcript: Where did you buy your clothes when you were young?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about how the town has changed. He discusses various types of transportation available in the area and how they have improved over time.

Keywords: "Better then"; Accidents; Boats; Changes; Fathers; Jess Morgan; Local people; Perry County (Ky.); Steam shovels; Streets; Towns; Traveling; Wagons; Walking

Subjects: Country life; Leslie County (Ky.); Roads--Kentucky; Rural conditions; Rural roads; Transportation--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Did any of your brothers, sisters go to college?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan says that many people in Leslie County earned college degrees. He talks about his wife teaching in a one-room school.

Keywords: Box suppers; Discipline; Fathers; Fundraising; One room schools; Siblings; University of Kentucky

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; College graduates; Education--Kentucky; Families.; Leslie County (Ky.); Rural schools--Kentucky; Teachers--Kentucky; Teaching

Partial Transcript: What do you remember about the first time that you saw the nurses?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan talks about the construction of the Big House at Wendover. He talks about some of the people involved. He discusses the destruction caused by the logging industry.

Keywords: Architects; Big House; Bulldozers; Carpenters; Construction; Destruction; Environmentalists; Forest service; Horses; Hyden (Ky.); Land; Logs; Mary Breckinridge; Mules; Nurses; Timber

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Logging; Lumber trade.; Medical care--Appalachian Region; Medical centers--Design and construction; Rural health services; Wendover (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Cecil, how did you feel when they closed Wendover Clinic?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan gives his opinion on the closing of Wendover. He talks about how the FNS changed after the death of Mary Breckinridge.

Keywords: Appearance; Attitudes; Camp Creek (Ky.); Changes; Children; Christmas plays; Closing; Home births; Hyden Hospital; Income; Mary Breckinridge; Mary Breckinridge Day; Personality; Wendover Clinic

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachian Region--Social life and customs; Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Childbirth; Christmas--Appalachian Region; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Health facilities.; Hyden (Ky.); Maternal health services.; Medical care--Appalachian Region; Midwifery--Appalachian Region; Midwives--Appalachian Region; Nurses; Rural children; Rural health services; Wendover (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Something I thought of a minute--oh. How did--did you have anything to do with people who were involved with the mine union activity?

Segment Synopsis: Morgan gives his opinion on unionizing mines. He talks about Mary Breckinridge coming to dinner at his mother's house each week. He talks about how Leslie County was affected by World War Two. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Couriers; Government corruption; Logging; Mary Breckinridge; Military service; Mothers; Sawmills; Unionizing; Visiting; World War II

Subjects: Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965; Coal miners--Kentucky--Leslie County; Coal miners--Labor unions--Kentucky; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Leslie County; Elections--Corrupt practices; Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.; Leslie County (Ky.)--Politics and government; Lumber trade.; Political corruption--Kentucky; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.