Vol. 4-Interview-Washko

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A. Varesano interviewing Mary Washko -1- 7/19/72

Tape 23-1

AV: What did the woman do in the house?

MW: Well, years ago, she had all the responsibility. She had to take care of the children, take care of the clothes, work in the garden, wash clothes on the wash board. In her spare time she had to sew--you couldn't buy clothes as you do today. In the summer you took the children out to the woods, picked huckleberries, come home, give them a little bite to eat, then start washin' clothes. In the night, you'd be workin' back again in the garden. Every weekend you'd bake bread, cake, so you'd have enough for the children for the weekend. Then, like in the fall, when the huckleberries were gone, you'd do your cannin', whatever vegetables you raised in the garden, you'd do your cannin'. Then, you'd try and get your coal--that's the anthracite-- to burn in the winter. You had a chance to pick it, you'd want to pick it, you didn't have to buy it and pay for it. Then, the children went in to school, it was gettin' 'em off to school, comin' home for recess, give them a couple minutes with a cookie or somethin', send them back, then lunchtime again--because school was right here in town, they didn'thave to be bussed-- and in the evening the same thing, you'd take the children, they all had their chores, you'd take them down to the slate banks, pick some coal, have them haul it in, have them work a little bit in the garden, or pick potato bugs!

AV: Did the mother of the house actually pick coal, or did she just show the way for the children?

MW: No, she actually picked with them and fill the bag up, or buckets, and carry it home. Or, if you had a bag, you'd put it over a barrel and push it home.

AV: Did she take them out to pick coal?

MW: Yeah, most of them, if they were smaller. If they were older, they took care of themselves. And by the time you got them home, gave them a bite to eat again, washed everything up, well, they had a little bit of school work, not like they do now, so you had to be with them. And the men were busy, too. They'd get home from work, they'd be takin' a bath, you had to wash their backs, get their water warm, spill it in a little tub--you didn't have no bathrooms.

AV: Where would they wash them?

MW: Well, they'd, in the kitchen, they'd put the tub in there, they'd kneel on the floor, and just get--because they were them round tubs, they weren't the oval tubs like they have now--and wash so far, and then, wash their backs and all, and then they'd finish up washin'. You'd give them their supper, and whatever they had to do, they done their chores, in the evening.

AV: What king of men's chores were there to do?

MW: Oh, there was choppin' wood, fixin' fences, workin' in the garden, pickin' coal, too....

AV: The men pciked coal at the end of the day?

MW: Oh, yes. After mining so long, then they'd still even pick some! So, everybody was kept busy. And in the fall when it got cooler already a lot of times, and the evenings were long, people had geese and ducks, they'd pluck them, and save the feathers. You had to pluck feathers to make pillows.

AV: The women did this?

MW: The women and the children, the girls.

AV: Didn't the boys help out with plucking feathers?

MW: Well, they did, but they weren't handy at it like the girls. And boy, it was tough! You couldn't laugh, you couldn't sneeze, or nothin', the feathers would fly all over!

Last edit about 2 years ago by Coley
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A. Varensano interviewing Mary Washko -2- 7/19/72

Tape 23-1

AV: How did you pick the feathers? How did you work that?

MW: Well, you'd stick your hand in the bag and got a fistful, and take by one by one, and you'd pull the feather off, and the stem you'd throw on the side. That had to go out, so the feathers would be soft and fluffy. Then you'd make pillows, feather quilts, and, well, like you slept under one. And well, I said that was a job by itself. It would take weeks beforeyou got all that done.

AV: Making a feather quilt?

MW: No, pluckin' the feathers. It wasn't too bad makin' 'em, but pluckin' the feathers.

AV: What did you call that? Feather tick, or quilt?

MW: Well, it would be really a feather thick (sic).

AV: Pedena.

MW: And when you got that done, boy, everybody was really happy! Because that was tough. I didn't like it myself, but I done it a lot. And then, oh boy, when Christmas was comin', that was a jolly time!

AV: Why?

MW: Well, because they knew the mothers would bake goodies, and they believed in Mrs. Cox, them days! They'd get, everybody got a present. The mothers and fathers couldn't afford presents, so we get them. Then you'd get a little bit nut bread, or poppa seed bread.

AV: From Mrs. Cox?

MW: No, no, no, the mothers would bake. And that was a treat, because you didn't get that all the time. So, that was a happy time for the kids. Well, in the winter we had fun, though. Because all these children, you know, we'd get together and we would take and go out sleigh riding or pull one another, or jump in the snow, or make a bobsled, and about ten of us or more would get on, find a hill, and go down, and when we hit the bottom, well, we made the boys pull the sleigh and we'd get on and get up the hill! Oh, that was, well, that was fun! But I said, no matter how cold we were--sometimes we didn't have mittens of torn mittens, but that, we got such a thrill--that was the only pleasure you got, so you didn't mind it, you just stayed out until you couldn't stand it no longer!

AV: Did the girls go sledding with the boys?

MW: Oh, yeah. So, it was lots to do. And then, sewin'. Sewin' took a lot of time.

AV: Who did the sewing around the house?

MW: The mother. And then they learned the children.

AV: The young girls?

MW: The girls. If they were interested.

AV: Oh, yeah?

MW: Yeah. And then, no patterns! Just imagination! The best they could. It was, you couldn't go to the store and buy dresses like you do now, you know these days, and all kind of slips and all. Just about everything you wore you hadda make. Lot of things were made out of flour bags.

AV: What did you make out of them?

MW: We made slips, we made underclothes, you made little vests, like, that you could, them days you had little underpants that you'd button on a little vest. Then we'd make slips out of them. And dress the best way you could, I guess. Just about everybody's dress was the same pattern! Because there was no patterns, you know, to take your pick. It was gathered in the waist, the skirt was gathered, and the top, just a little plain top with a sleeve in, high button shoes, and if you got a different color than a black, you were tickled! Because you never had a white. But I had like a real light

Last edit about 2 years ago by Coley
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A. Varesano interviewing Mary Washko -3- 7/19/72 Tape 23-1

MW: tan, like a champagne-colored shoes. And I got them because I was goin' to first holy communion. And, oh that was a big thrill for me.

AV: What, communion?

MW: No, them colored shoes. Because nobody else had them kind and I did! So, if you got something different than someone else, that made you feel readl big. So.

AV: Well, what did they do at first holy communion? Any celebration, or?

MW: Well, not exactly. See, when you was a certain age you went to like Sunday School they called it, and you had to know all them questions about God, you know? And then you'd learn so long, then you'd learn your prayers before confession. And then they'd pick out a certain day, you'd go on a Saturday to confession, and then Sunday to communion. Well, then they'd dress you up already, you know, for communion. You had a little veil, and dress, and during Mass you'd receive that holy communion. In them days they really didn't have nothin', you know. You'd just come home. Then if there was a little family, you'd get, you'd come to the house and maybe have a sandwich or whatever you had for them, and a drink. Just some light --nowadays they give the children money, they are pretty lucky!

AV: Well, these first communions, did you have a special dress for the occasion?

MW: No, not exactly a special dress, but it had to be white. Yeah. It was, if your mother made it, your mother made it. Only that they bought the veils because you couldn't really make them in the them days.

AV: Were the dresses long?

MW: Oh, yeah, below the knees. Yeah. No, no short ones. Long stockins.

AV: What did the boys wear?

MW: Well, they usually wore navy blue. Navy blue suits, with a white shirt, and I don't know, they usually had a white ribbon tied on their arm, I guess to represent something. So, that was the occasion on that. And to go to church you had to go every Sunday, no matter how far you had to walk. You just hadda go. Your parents said "To church", you went to church.

AV: Did the parents take the kids, or just send them?

MW: Oh, no, they went. In my day, the people really went to church. Oh, yeah, you walked. And regardless what kind of big holy day come up, if they had midnight Mass or anything, they went to midnight mass just like they would an ordinary Mass, you know, during the day. The church was always crowded. And oh, sing songs, for every occasion there was a different song.

AV: You mean the Holy Days.

MW: Holy days, yeah.

AV: What else did you do at Christmas time? Did you have any special customs?

MW: Well, yeah, like Christmas, you'd, we called it a Holy Supper. The family all got together. And you'd had maybe sometimes six, seven different kinds of food, somebody had more. And you'd taste a little bit of everything. You had a candle lighted, you'd pray, everybody was together.

AV: How did you do that? What kind of prayer did you say?

MW: Well, you'd just say your ordinary prayer, like Our Father who art in heaven, you know. And before and after, you'd thank God for the food.

AV: Would you have the candle lit on the table? During the meal?

MW: Yeah.

AV: What did that symbolize?

MW: Well, that really, I don't know really how it went about, but they, I know, if it was superstitious or not, they'd always say, everybody sat around, the candle was burning, it would flicker, and we always used to look for the shadows on the wall. We were told as kids, whether it was true or not, that who had the biggest head, they'd say would die the first!

Last edit about 2 years ago by JMcC
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A. Varesano interviewing Mary Washko -4- 7/19/72 Tape 23 AV: My goodness! MW: Yes! But, you know, the year would pass and nothing would happen, so you figured it was only, you know, it wasn't true. But people come up with them things. AV: That's interesting. MW: Yes. And then, after that, when we got done eating, my daddy always played with us, this-here, like, a nut game, you know? He'd always take a couple nuts in the hand, and he would say--in our way it would be cumpara, nidpara--that means, is it odd or even. You know? And if you would say odd, and if he had four in his hand, and odd should have been three or five, you know, so then he kept the nuts. And if we guessed it, we'd take the nuts! We'd be playing all night, you know! Checking up on that! Why then, if you got, like, we'd fill stockings. My daddy always was, ah, he'd play a joke on us. He'd take and fill about so, the whole bottom of the stocking with coal. And then my mother would fill it up with an orange and an apple and popcorn, you know, to get it to the top. That's about all you got. And an orange in them days meant a lot. AV: Where did you hang your stocking? MW: Behind the stove on a nail. Behind the stove. AV: And who did you thinnk, the kids.... MW: Well, we know the parents filled them, because in them days there was no, really even if you wnet like, for our gits, what, like in Drifton there was a cross creek hall?, they call it, we went there. Well, we all gathered there and they'd sing, you know, and the minister would be there from that church, and well then Santa Claus would appear but just you know to say a few words. But then when the gifts were given out, it was ordinarily helpers. So we didn't believe that much in Santa Claus. We didn't get that much. So that's how that was. AV: This Holy Supper, does it mean something to have six or seven different foods? MW: Yes, it really does, but I had a paper on that, what every meal represents, but now I don't have anything. I know, you know, that they'd say you eat garlic, well they'd say garlic was to keep the spirits away. AV: What kind of spirits? MW: Well, evil spirits! And then they'd have mushroom soup. Well they'd say when you ate mushroom soup there was no worries, or worries, or no worries. There was a little story to every one, which, I had it on paper somewhere, but really I never put them things away, and they are nice to have. AV: Did your family follow this idea, that each food meant a different thing? MW: Well, ah, it was the custom already that you just went ahead and done it every year. And you just kept up the tradition, you know, and I guess it was one of them things, you believed in it and you just done it. AV: When did you hang up the stockings? MW: Before we went to bed Christimas Eve. We'd get down at four or five in the morning to see what we got! AV: Did you eat the stuff right away? MW: No, you figured you wouldn't get them, and you was trying to hold on to them as long as it would last! Yeah, so. Washing clothes was tough, though. On a washboard, boy, it would take you half a day, you'd be rubbing. Boy, your pour back really had it, til they invented them washers. Wash the clothes once and carry your water, boil the clothes, then wash them again, then rinse them, and no wringer or nothin'. Boy, your wrists, it was tough. AV: Oh, my goodness! Well, when did you start, the day you would wash? MW: In the morning, and you kept goin', whether it was one, two, three, in the afternoon. You know, you wanted to do your wash that day.

Last edit about 2 years ago by Mmaranki
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A.Varesano interviewing Mary Washko -5- 7/19/72 Tape 23-1 AV: When would you start in the morning? MW: As soon as yu saw your way clear, you know, to get to the tubs to wash. You had to get the breakfasts out and wash them dishes and all, and then get your clothes together. AV: When did you start, usually? MW: Well, sometimes when the children were real small, I'd get up and I'd be half done before they'd be out of bed. AV: You must have been up about five o'clock. MW: Five, five o'clock, And you had to go out in the hydrant, get your water, carry that in, heat in on the stove... AV: In what? MW: In a big boiler. AV: Just one boiler? MW: Well, yes, but that big boiler would hold about six or eight buckets of water. So you really had enough. AV: Yes. MW: And bakin' bread, you'd start the night before, until you made about eight loaves, it would be afternoon the next day. AV: Well, how did you finish washing the clothes then, after you heated up the wather? MW: Well, then, when you washed them the second time, you had another tub with cold water in. You'd rinse them out. You would rinse them out good and squeeze them out, and hang them on the line. Of course there was a lot of water in there. In the summer it was all right, but in the winter sometimes you'd have icicles hangin' from them, till they'd melt. AV: What did you use for soap? MW: Well, usually it was Fels Naptha soap. I made some of my own soap. I made it out of drippings, like lard, old lard drippings, and you'd save that, and when you had about four pound of old dripping, I'd get a can of lye, and dissolve so much water, you know, cold water, and dissolve the lye in cold water, because that thing boils. You'd stir that til it dissolved good. Then that would be hot. So you'd leave it go til that would oool off, because that would boil if you put something in there. Then you'd get your drippings soft. AV: How did you do that? MW: On the stove. You'd put the can til it melted. It was lukewarm, but the drippings had to be like melted. And then you'd take these drippings, when the lye water was cold, and you'd be stirring these drippings, you know, the fat, into the lye with a stick. And you just kep on goin' and goin' and goin' til you got all your drippings in. AV: Then what happened? MW: Then you had t keep stirring that til that would start settling, like soap. And when you saw it start gettin' thick already, so then that you couldn't stir it no more, and you'd want it smooth, you'd quit. And you'd leave it sit til about the next day. It would be a little bit on the soft side, but you'd cut it in soap sizes, whatever size you wanted. Then you left it in there again for another day or two, and then it got so hard that you just used it. And that was really good soap for clothes, becuase it took the stains out. That lye really did. Then the trick. So you'd make soap, you'd make maybe twelve, fourteen pieces--you'd usually have a big square pan, I had an old one and I kept it for that purpose. AV: How big was it about? MW: Oh, I guess about two feet by one foot, it was an old, old time bread pan. AV: How high?

Last edit about 2 years ago by Mmaranki
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