Interview with Steve Watts, May 31, 1991

Partial Transcript: This is Steve Watts being interviewed by Zack Lewton on 5-31-91.

Segment Synopsis: Watts gives a brief overview of his working life and talks about his family. He also talks about his sawmill business, and his farm chores growing up. He talks about his family's education.

[Segment begins in the middle of a sentence.]

Keywords: Army; Brothers; Childhood; Chores; Crops; Duties; Family; Farming; Fathers; Gardening; Gardens; Growing up; Plowing; Recreation; Responsibilities; Sawmills; Schools; Siblings; Sisters; Stores; Teaching; Transportation; Traveling; Working

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Country life; Education; Families.; Family farms

Partial Transcript: So what was your first job, once you got out of school?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks about teaching, running a sawmill, and being in the army during World War II. He talks about farming and selling some of the crops and livestock he raised. Watts talks about starting the store from saving up from the sawmill and coal mine. He talks about going out of business from larger businesses.

Keywords: Birds; Crops; Eggs; Farming; Finances; Livestock; Loans; Marriage; Sawmills; Selling; Stores; Teaching; WW2; WWII; Wages; Working; World War 2; World War II; World War Two

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Coal mines and mining--Economic aspects--Kentucky; Education--study and teaching; Family farms; Lumber trade; Poultry farms; United States. Army; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Well how many children did you and your wife have?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks about what his children do. [Recording paused] He talks about delivery schedules at his store and his customers. He talks about what he grows in the garden. [An unidentified speaker joins the interview.]

Keywords: Children; Customers; Deliveries; Family; Farming; Gardening; Gardens; Stores; Wife

Subjects: Families.; Family farms; General stores

Partial Transcript: Well, tell me about, how often did the doctor come around when you were little? Do you remember anything about that?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks about having to go to the doctor and some home remedies. He talks about getting electricity. He talks about the kinds of things they had to buy. He talks about his mother preserving food. He also talks about people in the community coming together to help each other, and community social activities. [An unidentified speaker joins the interview.]

Keywords: Buying; Churches; Community; Dances; Doctors; Electricity; Essentials; Growing food; Healthcare; Illness; Medical practices; Medicine; Pickling; Sickness; Socializing; Supplies; Technology; Working together

Subjects: Canning and preserving; Country life; Food habits; Food--Preservation; Home remedies; Medical care; Rural conditions; Rural health services

Partial Transcript: Well did you try to raise your kids the same way you were raised?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks about raising his children, and their education. He talks about how disciplining children is different today from when he taught school. He talks about being a teacher.
[An unidentified speaker joins the interview.]

Keywords: Children; Discipline; Disciplining children; Family; Parenting; Punishment; Raising children; School systems

Subjects: Education; Education--study and teaching; Families.; School discipline; Traveling

Partial Transcript: Where were you living exactly then?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks about buying land and building his house and store.

Keywords: Buying land; Family; Houses; Landowning; Moving; Stores

Subjects: Families.; Land use, Rural--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well did you ever talk to the county extension agent or anything about growing stuff, or?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks about learning to grow food. He also talks about the churches that he has attended.

Keywords: Children; Daughters; Farming; Friends; Growing; Land; Learning; Old Regular Baptist; Relationships; Sons; Timber

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Church; Families.; Land use, Rural--Kentucky; Religion

Partial Transcript: Well has this always been the road, up out here across the bridge? Has that always been a highway, or?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks a little about the bridge nearby. He talks about what he still does in the store and the garden.

Keywords: Buying property; Cattle; Drilling; Gardens; Gas heat; Hogs; Leasing; Mineral rights; Mules; Oil; Owning property; Pigs; Stores; Stoves; Working

Subjects: Bridges; Gardening; General stores; Livestock; Property--Kentucky; Rural roads

Partial Transcript: What did you do with all your old farm equipment?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks about gardening with his son and putting him through school. He talks about his mine truck operation. He talks about how bigger companies and unions gave him trouble in the mining business and with his store.

Keywords: Children; Education; Farm equipment; Farming; Gardening; Money; Shootings; Tractors; Trucks

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Coal miners--Labor unions--Kentucky; Coal mines and mining; Family farms; Farm life.; Farms, small; General stores; Small business--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well do you have to buy more food now?

Segment Synopsis: Watts talks about using pesticide and fertilizer. He talks about his wife's canning, and the livestock that he used to have.

Keywords: Bean bugs; Bugs; Cattle; Deep freezers; Family; Fertilizer; Food; Hogs; Livestock; Market; Pesticides; Wife

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Canning and preserving; Country life; Family farms; Farms, small; Food animals