Return to the Land

basement was dug beneath the house for storage. The walls were rocked and mortar and concrete poured in the floor and sidewalls. This provided an insulated area where the canned food would not freeze; and, potatoes and apples were wintered there. In 1933 a parcel of land became available west of the creek containing 83 acres owned by the Dalton family. Since this was adjacent to our farm Dad decided to borrow the necessary capital to acquire the land, which also contained a small board-sided house. On October 9, 1933 a deed was written conveying the land to my parents from T.T.R. Dalton and wife, Virginia A. Dalton and U.S. Grant Dalton and wife. During the Depression a little money went a long way. Dad purchased this tract of land for $675.00. He obtained a loan from the Bank of Bland with the help of his good friend, John B. Stafford, president of the bank. Dad had no job and it was questionable how he would repay the loan but Mr. Stafford knew him and trusted the loan would eventually be retired, and so it was. The farm had now grown to 206 acres. By the mid 1930s’s fortune smiled on them and Dad found employment as a bookkeeper at Bluefield Produce and Provision Company in West Virginia. Commuting from Bluefield to the farm over dirt roads and the treacherous East River Mountain in the winter was a hardship. It was more practical to live in Bluefield and an apartment was located and once again they found themselves back in an urban setting that made life a little easier. By now the farm had become a part of their lives and in the summers Mother would stay at the farm and in the winter return to Bluefield with Dad. My parents were childless for 14 years of their marriage. Whether this was their wishes or for physical reasons was never known to me. Mother was a strict disciplinarian and I suspect it was not their desire to have children. She seemed to shy away from other children and was often critical of parents not supervising their children closely. She would see poor families with many small children and would comment that those were the people who should limit the size of their families. She felt that one should be able to adequately provide for and properly educate one’s offspring. She was now 37 years old and her biological clock was ticking. It would have been apparent that they had no heir. When Mother became pregnant she kept her condition a secret. She did not confide in other members of the family including her parents and siblings. She dressed so as not to reveal her pregnancy. When Mother was a teenager her mother became pregnant with my Aunt Kathleen. It was related to me by my aunt that Mother was extremely embarrassed by her mother’s pregnancy. In interpreting my own Mother’s behavior during her pregnancy, it is possible that she continued to harbor the same feelings as she had experienced as a teenager with her mother’s pregnancy. It is also possible that she wanted to surprise everyone with a newborn after so long a marriage. She certainly surprised her family because they were totally unprepared for such an event. After Mother had a son of her own she saw other children in a different and more favorable light. Late in life she completely adored her grandchildren so she came full circle in her maternal instincts. After a long and difficult labor, I was born in St. Luke’s Hospital in Bluefield, West Virginia on January 8, 1937. Needless to say, knowing his personality, Dad was totally elated to have a son. My cousin Mark Miller, Uncle Carl ’s son, was born a few years before me and Dad

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