Interview with Mrs. Lillie Fields
March 1, 2003
Interviewed by Sandra M. Lowe
Mrs. Fields was able to give us invaluable information about the history of her school, Christian Home. Due to family situations she also ended up attending two other schools on our list, Sandy Mount and Trinity.
Today is March 1st, and we are interviewing Mrs. Lillie Fields; and she is going to tell us about her school days experiences in Isle of Wight County.
Q: First of all, can you give us an idea what area of Isle of Wight you spent those first 10 years or so?
A: I was born November 27, 1923, and my Father he worked in Baltimore, Maryland. And my Mother and we four kids, my three brothers and myself, lived at my Grandfather’s while he was working there at Sperry Point. Then I can imagine maybe about 1930 he came back and bought a farm near…seemed we lived half Isle of Wight and half Nansemond. That’s the way our house sits. The road ran like this, and then it went like that, and the house was sitting right on the line. We could either have went to Nansemond School or Isle of Wight. My Father suggested we go to Isle of Wight, which was Christian Home. I sorta vaguely remember when we moved there. I guess I was about seven or eight years old. He died when I was 10. During those years my parents they taking in teachers that taught at Christian Home. The first one I remember her name was Mary Shivers; and her parents lived right around the corner here – the Shivers. Her name was Mary Ethel Shivers. And that was the first teacher that my parents…that stayed with us and taught at Christian Home that I remember. And then after that, after she left, then Madeline White – she was a Tynes when she died – she was a teacher and Clarice Pretlow, they lived up here. And they was our teachers at Christian Home. And in 1935 my Father died, and I think Madeline White was still teaching there, but Clarice Pretlow was teaching some place else. And when I first went there it was a one-room school. And I can remember my Father going to Windsor lots of times talking to Superintendent Hall, which was a white man, and Georgia Tyler– I guess she was working – I was a child, I remember her coming to the school. And I remember him; you know, once in a while come and check the school. And my Father constantly went until he persuaded him to put another room onto this little one-room school. So I don’t know whether it is two rooms now, but when I left it was two-room; but at first it was one room.
Q: They separated the rooms.
A: Oh, they have separated them?
Q: Did you have brothers and sisters?
A: Yes, I had three brothers. My oldest brother name was Eugene Watkins, and my brother next to me was George Amos, and my youngest brother was Charles Brown Watkins.
Q: Did any of them attend school in the county?
A: They all went to this one-room school, because we was all born right behind each other. When my Father died my oldest…
Q: You were finishing up about your sisters and brothers going together to Christian Home.
A: We all went together, cause we were all right behind each other; and we went until the year that my Father died. That was the year that my oldest brother had finished the year that he could go there, gonna send him to Smithfield to go to Isle of Wight County. I mean to the high school here, the Isle of Wight Training School. But he passed, and Mother moved this way, and he went and I went to Sandy Mount.
Q: How long did you attend Sandy Mount?
A: From ’35 until ’37 because my Mother remarried in ’37, and we went to Emmanuel – what’s that, Trinity?
Q: So you went to Christian Home for what grade or what age?
A: Up until 10 years old, because my Father died when I was 10 and my Mother moved back with her Father.
Q: And then you went to Trinity?
A: No, went to Sandy Mount. And then she remarried in ’37, and then I went to Emmanuel until I graduated and then went to the high school.
Q: Thinking about the first school, Christian Home, do you recall any of your teachers?
A: I told you my teacher at Christian Home was Madeline White. She married and was a Tynes when she died. Clarice Pretlow that lived – Tina Pretlow’s daughter – she was my teacher; they taught in two rooms; one in each room. I think I was under Madeline, and I think she taught me until my Father died.
Q: And you were maybe one-half mile from the school, or not that far?
A: No, we were farther than that. I’d say we were a mile and one-half; and we would walk.
Q: Did you have any chores that you had to do before you went to school?
A: Well, I was the only girl. I think I just had to wash the dishes; the breakfast dishes or something like that, before I went to school.
Q: And your parents, did they do any farming?
A: Yes, my Father bought this farm, and we were living on this farm. That was the means of living. He was a farmer.
Q: Did you have jobs to do after school?
A: I was still young. Helping my Mother because I was the only girl. I wasn’t old enough to do a lot – all I can remember was washing dishes.
Q: How did the school day start? Do you recall what you did when you first got in school? Would everyone go in?
A: I see the teacher standing in the door and ringing this bell when it was time for us to go in; and I remember seems like we would have a devotion.
Q: What do you remember about that?
A: I vaguely remember we use to have to learn Bible verses, and maybe … trying to remember, just trying to think how they did that. I remember the devotion and the class would start. Seem like the devotion and repeat the Lord’s Prayer and say a Bible verse. Something like that, then we would have class.
Q: What do you remember about the subjects that you had?
A: I remember learning my ABC’s, and I remember learning how to spell. For homework they would give you so many words that you had to learn to spell. And maybe the next day, then you would read. Readers, they called them. I guess probably a chapter. Whatever you would have to go over that was your homework. And then geography that you learned about countries. I think it was so many children in this one little room.
Q: What can you tell me about that? What was it like…?
A: It was like a lot of children at desks. Everybody had a desk. Something I think I can sorta remember two kids sitting at one desk. It would be so many. You would go to the blackboard. Had spelling. She would call the words and you would write the words on the blackboard. And something about arithmetic, geography you read that and memorize from the book. Then we had recess first, and then you had lunch. At 12:00 I think you could have your lunch.
Q: What do you recall about your lunch period?
A: I am trying to recall where we ate our lunch. I guess maybe in class. Outside? We would go out and play ball and take exercise for an hour, or was it half an hour – I don’t know.
Q: Anything you recall specifically about the lunch period or the lunches that you brought?
A: That was always a good time at lunch. My Mother used to fix our lunch. You never know what you were going to have. It’s not like now because the bread – she made her bread – it would be biscuits or rolls. And we lived on the farm, and she made her own preserves and jelly. I remember we used to have our own smokehouse, and we would smoke our own meat. We would all have our own sausage and bacon. She would fix our lunch in a lunch bucket. All three of…my two brothers, we went together and my oldest brother he had his own. And she would pack this bucket; it was for all three of us the same amount. If it was two biscuits, it would be two apiece, or whatever.
Q: It was equally shared?
A: Yes. I guess we drank water because I don’t remember sodas or anything then. So I guess we had water.
Q: Do you recall if you had a pump?
A: You know, I think it was a pump.
Q: What did you drink out of?
A: You know, I was trying to think what did we drink out of, because it won’t no paper cups… I don’t know. I was so young. I don’t know what we had to drink out of. I don’t know what they had for children to drink out of then.
Q: Did you have recess after lunch?
A: Seem like we had recess…yes. Your lunch and recess was all together – maybe it was a half hour or an hour. You eat and then you played; and when you heard that little bell, you knew it was time to go back.
Q: What do you recall about your recess- any particular experiences?
A: We were just glad to get out and then skip, run, and hide, and all that kind of stuff.
Q: Hide and seek?
A: Yes.
Q: Any other games you recall?
A: And play dodge ball. Had a big ball for the girls and called that dodge ball; and wasn’t no basketball, and the boys used to play baseball and stuff like that.
Q: Do you recall the names of any of your classmates, besides your sister and brothers that were there?
A: Thelma Newby was one. May Frances Edwards? It’s been so long. Julia B. Blow, she was older. Mary Frances Williams. I think that is about all I can remember.
Q: How would you describe your classroom? What was usually in the room?
A: It would be a blackboard always be in front of you. All desks going toward the blackboard; and they was in rows; and the teacher would be at the end of the desks, you know. And seems like it was a big heater in there. In the winter to keep you warm. It was a huge iron thing.
Q: And who kept up the heater?
A: I think the older boys had to get the wood and put in there. And I think the parents had to come and cut wood and bring wood, and seeing that wood was at the school…I think…I guess. Seem like I can remember my Father coming and doing that.
Q: Do you recall there being anything unusual in the classroom? Since you went to three schools, did any of the schools have anything different from the other? Would one school have more than the other – or all equally sparse?
A: Seems like Trinity…when we got there in ’37, it was three rooms. Mrs. Quarles, Mrs. Godwin, and Mrs. Long was three teachers, and all had their own room, so that was bigger. But I was a big girl then, I was 12-13 years old.
Q: Even though the rooms were larger, basically had the same things. Do you recall what the students’ desks looked like? Were they single desks or two sit in a seat? Were they wood or metal?
A: They were wood – with the two sitting in the seat, you just had to kinda sit on the edge. I can remember that, and share. The desk was big enough, because we were just children, that you could just kinda sit on the end because it was so many of us.
Q: Do you recall if the room was well lit, or would you have several light fixtures?
A: Fixtures? I don’t think we even had electric. We didn’t have electric – not in those days. I don’t know how they put those in the light. I don’t know if there was hanging lanterns. I know we didn’t have any electric lights.
Q: Where would you hang your coats? Would have a coatroom at each of the schools?
A: I was thinking where would we hang our coats. I don’t know if we had racks, or nails, or what. I don’t know, can’t remember. Hang on the back of your seat? I don’t know.
Q: What can you tell me about discipline and punishment?
A: Oh, you were well disciplined. They had paddles, and they had the switches – not that I got too much of it, because I was frightened. And then they would tell your parents, and then you would really get it. The discipline was very good.
Q: Okay. Any instances particularly bad for anyone, or any particular thing that happened, and what kind of punishment?
A: They would send you home, or if you got to a place where they can’t handle you, they would send you home to your parents.
Q: What was that usually like if a student disobeyed the teacher and they are sent home, do you recall?
A: Oh, that was bad. They kinda looked down on you. You just don’t want that to happen. And the parents don’t want their children to be sent home because, I guess, they felt that maybe they weren’t doing a good job at home. You didn’t want to be sent home.
Q: Does the community values raised kind of up with the parents; you don’t know what to do. Everyone else in the community had an involvement?
A: Oh, yes. Not only your parents, if any adult tell you something, or said stop or whatever, you would do it. Because, I mean if they had to tell your Mother or Father, you were disrespectful or something, boy you gonna get it.
Q: Are there any additional experiences that you recall about your school days? Anything in any area…?
A: No. I never was sent home. I am trying to think if I ever had to turn my hand up and prepare for the paddle. I can’t remember, because I was always frightened of that paddle, I tell you.
Q: That was some of its own enforcement – just the idea of getting a paddling or spanking deterred you from misbehaving. Could you give us a little bit of an autobiography of what you did after you left elementary school – jobs, until you grew up?
A: When I left elementary school, I went to Isle of Wight Training School. I didn’t finish until 10th and a half, I think I left and went to Jersey and lived with my aunt there. She had a beach-like summer resort. She had this boarding house. It was during World War II, and used to board a lot of men who worked somewhere near there at defense plants in Trenton, New Jersey. And I know they used to come and eat, and sometime used to stay there. Then after that, I got married, and then I worked in the Navy Yard during World War II. And after World War II my husband and I separated, and I left and went to Cleveland, Ohio. And I lived there for a while, and I came back to Virginia. And then I decided to go back to Ohio. I went and stayed 35 years; and I remarried, and my husband died. And I retired in ’89 and came back here, and retired from American Greeting, and came back here. So here I am.
Q: Did you say American Greeting?
A: Greeting cards – I retired from there.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add in conclusion? Anything you recall about the county or change you seen when you were gone and came back?
A: Smithfield – I never would have dreamed this little town would have progress as much as it has. I remember when back in the early years, some of us would go in the drugstore, you have to go to the back and wait. You know where you went -- none of the nicest restaurants – what they had, we couldn’t go in them. You didn’t think too much about it. But when you think about it now, it wasn’t an easy life. I guess that’s about the size of the progress. We are not to the top, but we have made inroads.
Q: I thank you, Mrs. Fields. I appreciate you coming out today.
A: Please don’t show no pictures.
Q: It was quite a drive and glad that you decided…
A: I would like for my Father’s name to go, you know… as far as the school. George Washington was his name.
Q: As far as the work with Christian Home School, that he provided the second room that was put on for the teachers. I will definitely give that information. I hope that within the next 3-4 years, at least by 2006, that you will be able to come to our opening.
A: I hope that I will be around…I’m 79. I don’t know.