Interview with Margie Ann Willoughby Sumner, June 17, 1992

Partial Transcript: This is David Rotenizer with the University of Kentucky Family Farm Oral History Project.

Segment Synopsis: Sumner talks about when and where she was born, as well as the details of her family. She then talks about what her parents did for a living, and lists her grandparents.

Keywords: Caldwell, Elsie; Construction workers; Cousins; Douglas, Martha; Fathers; Grandparents; Hughes, Arnell; Husbands; Martin, Lizabeth; Mothers; Occupations; Parents; Snowden, Nick; Snowden, Zeke; Sparks, Beulah; Sparks, Nora Lee Willoughby; Sparks, Teeny; Stokley, Lula Mae; Sumner, Yul; Willoughby, Elmer; Willoughby, Florence; Willoughby, Harvey; Willoughby, James; Willoughby, Nora; Willoughby, Robert; Willoughby, Sherman; Willoughbytown (Ky.)

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Big Stone Gap (Va.); Families; Farmers; Jeffersonville (Ky.); Kentucky--History; Montgomery County (Ky.); Occupations; Powell County (Ky.); Virginia

Partial Transcript: Alright, um, if we could real briefly maybe, if you could, recount, uh, a little summary of, of your life.

Segment Synopsis: Sumner gives a brief overview of her life, including the various places she lived and her education. She also talks about her marriage to her husband, Yul Sumner, after he was called up for the United States Army Reserves. Sumner then talks about her younger sister, who lives in Clay City (Ky.). She then talks about her father’s profession as a construction worker, and describes her childhood home.

Keywords: Army reserves; Construction; Courtney, Tinny Lois Willoughby; Elementary schools; Fathers; Grade schools; High schools; Husbands; Leasing; Military reserves; Mothers; Movie theaters; Renting; Sisters; Snow Creek (Ky.); Sumner, Yul; Turfland Mall (Lexington, Ky.); United States Army

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Clay City (Ky.); Education; Farmers; Houses and homes; Kentucky--History; Lexington (Ky.); Marriage; Montgomery County (Ky.); Powell County (Ky.); Schools; Stanton (Ky.); United States. Army.

Partial Transcript: What, uh, prompted you all to start going up, up to Cane Creek to, to the farm?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner talks about her husband’s first foray into farming, which was primarily growing corn and raising cattle. She also describes the horses and ponies that the couple kept on the farm. Sumner then discusses farming tobacco, and outlines the work that she does on the farm. Next, she talks about getting the first tractor on the farm.

Keywords: Artificial breeding; Bush hogging; Cane Creek (Ky.); Cattle; Cattle, Simmental; Chores; Corn; Cutting; Farming; Gardens; Hay baling; Horses; Mothers; Parents; Pets; Sumner, Yul; Teaching; Tobacco; Tractors; Uncles

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Family farms.; Farm equipment; Farm life.; Farm mechanization; Kentucky--History; Simmental cattle; Subsistence farming; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: And, so pretty much the past, uh, you know, four or five years you've been pretty active up there with farming with, uh, cattle, uh, tobacco, and, and corn?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner discusses purchasing grain for her cattle from the local co-op. She also talks about hiring help to cut and hang tobacco. Sumner then describes the changes that have occurred on the farm since 1958.

Keywords: Baker, Forest; Baker, Jimmy; Barns; Buildings; Corn; Cutting; Farm hands; Farm workers; Feed stores; Fences; Grain beds; Greenhouses; Hanging; Hired help; Pick up trucks; Selling; Southern States Cooperative; Sumner, Yul; Tobacco; Workshops

Subjects: Administration; Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Crops; Family farms.; Farm buildings; Farm life.; Farms; Kentucky--History; Tobacco farms; Tobacco--History.; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: How has the farm up there changed, uh, since you--I guess the first time you ever saw it?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner talks about the first time that she saw the farm, and talks about the people she knew from Cane Creek (Ky.).

Keywords: Cane Creek (Ky.); Changes; Dating; High schools; Husbands; Sumner, Yul

Subjects: Changes & transformations; Farms; Powell County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Um, you mentioned that you all did artificial breeding of uh, Simmental, uh, cattle. Now, you're still doing that?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner discusses her herd of Simmental cattle, and talks about selling them. She then talks about taking her mother up to Cane Creek (Ky.). Sumner also discusses how she and her husband balanced their regular jobs with part-time farming, and then talks about the various vehicles she owned over the years.

Keywords: Animals; Cane Creek, (Ky.); Cars; Cattle, Simmental; Chevrolet trucks; Cows; Feeding; Ford Granada automobile; Heifers; Herds; International business machines (IBM); Mothers; Oldsmobile automobiles; Pick-up trucks; Selling; Sisters; Sumner, Yul; Watering

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Animals; Cattle; Family farms.; Farm life.; Kentucky--History; Part-time farming; Simmental cattle; Traditional farming; Trucks

Partial Transcript: Does--is there a, uh, garden behind this house?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner talks about the garden that she keeps behind her home. She then lists the kinds of vegetables she grew there.

Keywords: Barns; Beans; Beets; Cane Creek (Ky.); Corn; Gardens; Mothers; Onions; Peppers; Potatoes; Processing; Sumner, Yul; Tobacco; Tomatoes

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Crops; Family farms.; Farm life.; Kentucky--History; Subsistence farming; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: And um, did you ever need, need to get any help from your neighbors to help out with any of the, the farming operations up there?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner discusses the kind of help that she gets from the nearby community, which she feels has declined in recent years. She also talks about processing beef, which was frequently a cooperative activity. Sumner then discusses her uncle-in-law’s beehives.

Keywords: Apiaries; Bartering; Beef; Beehives; Cattle; Cooperation; Farming; Hay; Hay baling; Help; Hired hands; Honey; Meat; Neighbors; Processing; Slaughterhouses; Trading; Uncles; Working

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Bees; Irvine (Ky.); Jeffersonville (Ky.); Kentucky--History; Mt. Sterling (Ky.); Slaughtering and slaughter-houses

Partial Transcript: Now, uh, with the part time farming since you all got back--you know, got into it, was this more or less just to make, make a little extra money, or, or just to take care of a lot of things on your own that--so you, so you don't have to buy them?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner talks about the decline in the agriculture business, which she feels is due to the expense of farm machinery and seed. She then discourages people from going into part-time farming. Sumner then talks about the various livestock she has kept on her farm. Sumner talks about how she obtains water on the farm.

Keywords: Cats; Cattle; City water; Copperhead snakes; Economics; Farming; Farming, part-time; Goats; Hobbies; Hogs; Husbands; Lime; Mice; Money; Pests; Pigs; Rats; Rattlesnakes; Rodents; Selling; Snakes; Steers; Sumner, Angela; Sumner, Yul; Tobacco; Vermin; Water; Wells

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--Economic aspects--United States.; Agriculture--Finance; Agriculture--History.; Family farms--Finance; Family farms.; Farm life.; Farmers; Hobby farms; Kentucky--History; Part-time farming; Powell County (Ky.); Subsistence farming; Tobacco farms; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: And you mentioned that with, with the garden up here that you uh, do, uh--you, you've always done canning?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner discusses how she cans produce to save it in jars. She then talks about freezing and drying produce to preserve it.

Keywords: Apples; Beans; Corn; Drying; Freezers; Freezing; Gardens; Mothers; Pressure canning; Sumner, Yul

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Canning and preserving; Country life; Farm life.; Food; Food--Preservation--Kentucky; Kentucky--History

Partial Transcript: Did your mother ever do any kind of, um, I guess it's, it's folk medicine, home remedy kind of medicines or--when, when you were growing up and you became ill?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner talks about her mother-in-law’s use of folk medicine to cure illness and injuries. She then discusses the two physicians that she saw when she was ill.

Keywords: Birthing; Births; Childbirth; Cures; Diseases; Doctors; Dr. Knox; Dr. McKenna; Dr. Roberts; Dr. Scribner; Folk medicine; Folk remedies; Health departments; Home remedies; Homeopathic medicine; Illnesses; Mothers; Poison ivy; Sage grass; Sore throats; Stitches; Sumner, Yul; Tea

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Birth; Homeopathy.; Hospitals; Kentucky--History; Medicine; Mt. Sterling (Ky.); Physicians; Powell County (Ky.); Stanton (Ky.); Traditional medicine.

Partial Transcript: Um, getting back to the farm here, i, if the tractor broke down or the truck broke down, do you know h, how it would be fixed?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner discusses her husband repairing and maintaining farm machinery.

Keywords: Machines; Maintenance; Mechanics; Repair; Sumner, Yul

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Farm equipment; Farm life.; Farm mechanization; Kentucky--History; Repair & renovate

Partial Transcript: And, um, okay, you had mentioned that, that, um, um, that Angela and her husband, Glenn, are, um, setting up a little farming operation on, on Cane Creek also. Could you describe that to me?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner talks about her daughter’s small farm, which is also on Cane Creek (Ky.). She then talks about how she learned farming, and how she is teaching her daughter and son-in-law. Sumner then discusses her involvement with the Stanton Homemakers’ Club and talks about the National Young Farmer Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC).

Keywords: Advertising; Ages; Agricultural extension; Cane Creek (Ky.); Child-rearing; Cooking; County agents; Crafts; Extension agents; Future Farmers of America (FFA); Homemakers; Homemakers clubs; Husbands; Kentucky Beef Cattle Association; Learning; National Young Farmer Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC); Nutrition; Parenting; Parents; Pest management; Pesticides; Pruning; Sumner, Angela; Sumner, Yul; Tobacco; Trips

Subjects: Agricultural extension work.; Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Clay City (Ky.); Clubs; Country life; County agricultural agents; County agricultural agents--United States; Farm life.; Future Farmers of America; Hazard (Ky.); Kentucky—History; Learning; Parenting; Red River (Ky.); Stanton (Ky.); Subsistence farming; Teaching; Traditional farming; Young Farmers' Clubs

Partial Transcript: You mentioned having to have a card to buy pesticides?

Segment Synopsis: Sumner discusses the permits that are required to administer pesticides and herbicides. She then talks about the importance of environmentalism and conservation. Sumner then talks about how she disposes of waste on her farm.

Keywords: Barbed wire; Burning; Cane Creek (Ky.); Classes; Combs, Bertram Thomas “Bert”; Containers; Creeks; Fences; Garbage; Litter; Pest management; Regulations; Trash

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Combs, Bert T., 1911-1991; Environmentalism; Floods; Herbicides; Kentucky--History; Litter (Trash); Pesticides; Pollution; Powell County (Ky.); Refuse and refuse disposal; Waste disposal.

Partial Transcript: Well, if we were to look at your farm up here on, on Cane Creek, um, in terms of like, like, like a yearly cycle, you know, like, like summer, fall, winter, spring, what, what sorts of activities do you do like in the winter...

Segment Synopsis: Sumner talks about the cycling of farming activity according to the seasons, including a detailed description of tobacco farming and cattle raising.

Keywords: Autumn; Breeding; Calves; Cattle; Cycles; Fall; Fences; Gardens; Grain; Hay; Painting; Ploughing; Plowing; Processing; Spring; Stripping; Summer; Sumner, Yul; Tobacco; Weaning; Winter

Subjects: Agriculture; Agriculture--History.; Baling; Family farms.; Farm life.; Farmers; Kentucky--History; Seasons; Subsistence farming; Tobacco farms; Traditional farming