Interview with Mrs. Earnestine Slade
April 16, 2003
Interviewed by Jean Uzzle
Mrs. Slade went to two schools in the Rushmere area. First to Gravel Hill School for her first three years, and then to Lawnes School through the seventh. Her brother, Henry Bradby, was able to elaborate on some of this information.
Q: Mrs. Slade, what area of Isle of Wight did you grow up in?
A: Rushmere area...it was called Rushmere.
Q: How many sisters and brothers did you have?
A: Three sisters and one brother.
Q: So, what schools did they attend?
A: Lawnes School.
Q: So did you?
A: Yes, I attended Gravel Hill School first. That was a two-story building right next door to Gravel Hill Baptist Church. I…that was my first school, my first three years were there. So I don’t know a lot about that school but …Henry Bradby, that was the school that he attended so he would be able to bring them up on …bring you up to date on that school because he that’s the school that he finish. I was only there for three years.
Q: From there you went to Trinity?
A: No. Lawnes.
Q: Can you remember what grades were taught?
A: At what schools?
Q: Both of them.
A: 1st through 7th.
Q: Did you attend all of the grades there?
A: No. I was only there for three years, 1st , 2nd and 3rd.
Q: That was at Gravel Hill?
A: That’s right.
Q: You went to Lawnes?
A: Right.
Q: And you stayed there through the seventh?
A: That’s right.
Q: How many classrooms were at Lawnes?
A: Three.
Q: It was two at Gravel Hill ?
A: That’s right…two story building, up and a down.
Q: How many teachers did you have?
A: The first school I attended…my first teacher was Mrs. Ann Hill ______, who taught downstairs first through the third. Upstairs was Mrs. Ellis who taught fourth through the seventh. But I stayed downstairs because I was there only three years. Then I...then in Lawnes’ school I started at the Lawnes' school in the 5th, 6th, 7th.
Q: Do you remember the teacher’s at Lawrence?
A: Yes. Miss Clarice Pretlow was my teacher and the other two teachers that was there were Mrs. Virginia Tynes and Mrs. Elizabeth Porter. They were the first few teachers that were there when I started there.
Q: So, what grades were …you told me what grades were taught there. But can you remember what year you where there?
A: Give me a minute or two. I started there, if I make a mistake 1934 and I finish there and the three teachers that I gave you Mrs. Clarice Pretlow was my teacher at that time and then and when I finish the 7th grade. We went down to the Hill Street Baptist Church in Smithfield, 7th graders that was where the graduation for the 7th graders was held. I would never forget, my momma bought me a white dress and white shoes. And if I make no mistake we march in behind the seniors, you know the 7th graders marched in behind the senior
Q: Mrs. Slade, how did you get to school?
A: Walked.
Q: Can you tell me approximately how far you walked?
A: ¾ miles.
Q: ¾ miles, that was one way?
A: Yeah. Right. Hmm.
Q: Did you have a job or chores to do at home before you got to school?
A: Yes, hmmm during that time you know it was no electricity, no indoor plumbing? So basic my job, being the older of the children, I would get up and make the fire in the morning for momma and my mother worked a little bit too but she left home like, during the time she was working. My mother left home to go to the oyster house real early, so then me being the older, I had to assist the others you know heat our water, take our baths and dress for school try to be on time, you know for going to school.
Q: Can you tell me how your school day started? Once you were at school, how did your day start?
A: We would hmmm they would always have like one person who was sort of be in charge of the devotion. Which we would have a song and I do remember the Lord’s Prayer and sometimes bible verses that was you know the devotional part, then we would go into you know our classes or lessons or whatever that took place that day.
Q: I’m going to back up just a little bit: Did you have chores after school? What did you do once you were home in the afternoon from school?
A: Cook supper, cook dinner; saw wood, milk the cow, feed the pigs…that are right. Cause see we was on a little small farm, so that’s right we would cook yeah that’s right and all of this had to be done before we did our homework but during those days we did what momma told us and we would came by me being the older the other sisters you know they wanted to play, go to the shoe mall and you know wait until its almost time for momma to come home and they come running in but I being the older I know that I was going to get you know get the…my mother my momma was looking forward to me to be in charge I say so I come in and undress and then we would get started sometimes depending on what time of the year it was sometimes we would cut a little wood and start a fire and cook dinner. But that was our chores, cooking and feed the pigs, milk the cow and have dinner ready by the time momma come home from work.
Q: What subjects did you cover when you were in school? Can you remember some of your subjects?
A: Reading, writing, math, language, let me see I try to jot down some of the things. Reading, writing, arithmetic, literature and spelling.
Q: So was there a special textbook that you had or reader that you had while you was in school that kind of stuck with you that you remember the name of it or sort of your favorite?
A: I used to like literature a lot you know like writing stories and things of that nature so literature actually stuck with me cause I used to like to write poems and things like that and I was pretty good in spelling. Cause we used to have spelling contest and see who can stand up the longest you know the one who can spell the longer words, they stood you know they would stand and sometimes they would be a maybe a little awards things like that they would give to the one probably apple, orange or something for being the winner. So that spelling and literature was really my favorite.
Q: How long were your school days? What time did you get to school and what time did you leave?
A: If I make no mistake, I think we had to be there by 8 and I think we left there by 3. I think was like about 3.
Q: So, can you remember how long was your school year? When did it start and when did you get out?
A: It started I believe it started in August and we got out in May. We got out in May cause I do know this I remember as long the school year May Day one year cause I had to help wrap the May Pole so I do know that was one of the last activities so that’s why I know it close in May cause we was there in May. I think that we started in August more or less the last part of August and it close in May probably went through May I’m not but I think so.
Q: Now lunchtime, how long was your lunch period and where did you eat lunch?
A: Our lunch period was usually if I make no mistake from 11 til 12 and we would eat lunch maybe we eat lunch three minutes the other 30 minutes we would go outside and play.
Q: So what were some of the games that you played?
A: Okay, jump rope, hopscotch, softball, and we used to play bobby jacks sometimes you know some you know would stay in and that would be less. Usually the teachers would make everyone go to the wall and get some air but those that wanted to come back could come back and bobby jacks would be what you would play you know inside but outside all the other games.
Q: Did you have a recess other than your lunch break?
A: I think, I believe we did cause we used to play a little softball and we didn’t get that softball, I believe we had two. We had a this one was like a short recess because there was outdoor toilets so that was at the time that you can go to the bathroom and maybe like 30 minutes. In that 30 minutes go to the bathroom maybe play a game of softball cause I remember very distinct, we would play ball in the back of the school and someone knock the ball way in the air and you know I was well I wouldn’t say a little girl but no one expect I threw up one hand and I caught that ball with one hand. I never forget it. (Laughter) And we played with instead of baseball bats these was handmade bats, flat made out of boards. That was the bat that we used but we did had played with the ummm, they weren’t the hard balls, they were the rough balls that we played with.
Q: Can you describe your classroom? What was in it? What was on the walls?
A: Okay, in the classroom that I was in we had a there was a wood heater, a cold heater that sitting over there and closet, coat closet was in the back of the room were we hung our coats and the water system there was a pump and a new place in the back of the classroom, they had a place fix where we can wash our hands before lunch a little you know so I say something like a little bowl and there was, the pump was outside and after my first, after my first knowledge we had to bring the water in, so whoever going to bring in the water and we had a little bowl that we can wash our hands before we went you know for lunch and like when we came in from the bathroom and that was in the corner and there blackboards and the room that I was in it was a doors, folding doors you know that separated, yes, we had like a maybe like little programs or any type of activity those doors would be open and a but those doors was closed during classroom time.
Q: So that divided the room?
A: Yes. Divided the two back room cause was room was in the front and the two back rooms were in the back.
Q: How did you heat the school in the wintertime? How was the school heated?
A: Wood and coal.
Q: Who was responsible for to get the fires going?
A: They would have certain children assign you know like the first one get there would make the fire, I do remember that. The children made the fire, they made the fire. I didn’t get to make one but most of the time the boys, of all the boys who got there first made the fire, made the fire.
Q: What about your restrooms?
A: Outdoors toilet.
Q: So if you had to go to the restrooms and it wasn’t lunch time or recess time. What did you do?
A: You would ask to be excused. Usually that was where you were going, and if you asked if I may be excused that meant to the restroom.
Q: You told us how a pump supplied your water and they used to bring it in.
A: That’s right.
Q: Can you describe your teacher’s desk?
A: My teacher’s desk. The best that I can remember is was a large regular desk with drawers you know with drawers in it. It was a large desk that she used to sit and you know a chair that she would sit and I remember there was drawers on one side, it was a desk that she can put her things in and sit a the desk it was a very large desk.
Q: Can you describe your desk?
A: The desk there was two, there was double, there was double desk and two sit in the desk and on the desk was a place that you can put your pencils and then it was like a little ink well there in the desk and two can sit in that desk and under the desk…(tape ended)
Q: Can you describe or did you have chalkboards or blackboards at that time?
A: Blackboards.
Q: Your school supplies that you had; your paper, pencils, crayons or whatever. Who supplied those?
A: We supplied our own. Our parents had to buy our paper and pencils and of course during those days we didn’t need as much as what we had then you know you didn’t need a little book for every subject, one little book would take care of every subject. My mother would always purchase our notebooks whatever we needed.
Q: What about your books, do you remember?
A: I know the books came from up at the courthouse and they would come at a certain times. I don’t really remember weather we had to pay for those books or not but I do remember Peter and Peggy, Dick and Jane, I remember those books that was when I was back at the first grade and I do know at certain times that all of the books would come in they would pass them out to us and we might had to pay for them but if we had to pay for them that day it could be that very much because you know how money and salaries was with our parents, so if we had to pay for those books I don’t think that it was that much that we weren’t able to get those books.
Q: Could you remember were there any teacher’s aids on the wall that would help with the children especially in the lower grades? Did they have anything on the walls that would help?
A: I believe we had maps…I believe we had maps but I really can’t think of anything else but I do remember maps.
Q: What about your alphabets?
A: The alphabets were at the lower grades on the wall down there, they on the walls at the first school but see when I got up there 5th, 6th, 7th they weren’t there on that walls it was probably in the first grade room. I do remember the maps for us.
Q: What about your lighting in the schools? Can you remember if it was natural lights through the windows or electricity or lamplights or whatever?
A: Okay, the first school it was lamp lights, the first one was lamp light we moved up to Lawnes School there they to my knowledge, going to school during the day we didn’t need a lot of light but I do believe that I’m sure before I left I believe there was lights. I believe electricity was there.
Q: Where did you hang your coats?
A: It was a closet…cloak closet, cloak only across the back it was a space to put your hats and hang your coats.
Q: What was discipline like in the schools?
A: I remember spanking in the hands, they would bring you up you know they would (slapping sounds) in your hands where you got the spanking and the next punishment you would go and stand in the corner and face the wall sometimes you had to hold up one feet, one leg for amount of time that was designated for your punishment those the only two that I remember.
Q: Are there any after or any school experiences that you had that you would like to tell us about while you were in school?
A: Okay, Our teacher was Miss Clarice Pretlow and she was very much liked by the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade. So what we did we decided to organize a little group but we didn’t want Miss Clarice Pretlow to know this and we asked each person to bring 5 cents and we kept 5 cents. We had little meetings whenever we could you know cause she really didn’t know what we was doing having meetings for so we organize and we asked each students to bring five cents and we wanted to give her a briefcase you know like you know with the handle to it…we wanted to do something for the her so we organize we got enough money to get this briefcase out of the Sears Roebuck Catalog we ordered a nice big brown briefcase for Miss Clarice Pretlow and we put her initials on it C.A.P. (Clarice Aretha Pretlow) she didn’t know nothing about but it came back we put it in you know wrapped it and we gave it to her as a gift from the class. She was very, very surprised you know at us doing that you know our little nickels and then I guess the bag probably didn’t cost much more but what maybe $15.00 but it was a nice bag because I ordered the bag, I ordered the bag. We organized it president, secretary, and treasure and when we got enough that I noticed from the Sears catalog, we had enough for handling and postage and the post office was right there in Rushmere, so went right up and got the money order and mail it off and got Miss Clarice Pretlow’s bag and we presented it to her and she was just so amazed, she really couldn’t get over it to know that we was thinking about her. That’s one that I do remember and in this school in the 1st through 3rd they build a petition. …and you know we was taking our lunch in little lunch buckets, little lunch pails and when we moved down to Lawnes- but when we moved to Lawnes' the county must be apart of this because food would sit there, the place that they store the food and then hot lunches they had hot lunches there. It seems as though we pay a little fee but it wasn’t much you know it wasn’t much, we would eat hot lunches there that was prepared by Sara Robertson Harris she was our cook and the food we had hot lunches there at Lawnes School. She made the best hot biscuits and had soup; we would get a piece of fruit and this I’ll never forget. It was three of these sisters and us; the baby sister that was along with the three of us was very meddlesome. She couldn’t keep her hand off of things so one day this truck came to deliver some apples and the apples was loose in the truck and you lift up a little piece in the back and you catch the apples you know that they would leave for us and on the way turning back. My sister pushed up the pieces and the apples was coming all on the ground, my brother remind me of this. We just left from taking some shots, from you know there was a place that we would meet in Rushmere that we would have to go to the nurses and doctors come and give us some shots so my mother took us to school after we took our shots. My mother had to take us to school and my brother said my momma wore her out right there at that truck so it was few little things you know memories you know that had really stuck with us, it was the bag, hot lunches that we had there and incident with the apples. There three things that stuck with me and the lady that cook for us was a very, very good cook very good cook and we always enjoy you know the lunches and so much help because. When we was at home momma had to fix these preserves biscuits and I’m telling you Lord have Mercy Jesus, peach ____biscuits, preserves biscuits, and once in a while we would get ham biscuits and when we got the ham biscuits you know we really made sure we let you know anybody around us or who else didn’t have one that we had a ham biscuits, they was some days and you know what I’m going to be frank with you even though they was hard times but even with times now sometimes you know I think about the love you know what I’m saying the closeness you know what I’m saying not so much that I want to go back to hard times but I’ll tell you sometimes I wish that we can do some switching bring back over here you know that I’m saying, it’s something to think about but anyway I enjoyed it.
Q: Where there any childhood memories that you had while you were growing up that you would like to tell us? You amazed us so much, you told us so much and I enjoyed you.
A: Are you speaking about at the school?
Q: Not particular at school just childhood memories that….
A: These are the few that I do remember when I was walking to school and at the post office in Rushmere it was a two story building and it was a lady that live upstairs that did sewing over the post office so she asked my mother if I can stop by in the mornings to just wash dishes and yeah I wash dishes every morning and on Saturday morning and do the bathrooms, scrub the kitchens, and did a little work and I got about 2 to 3 dollars a week and I would take that money go to Delk’s Store and by material and a lady name Ms. Laura Poole would make dresses for me and the lady also that lived upstairs was a seamstress and I had relatives that lived in New York that would send clothing here and this lady would rip up, me and my momma would rip up, that’s how we got a lot of our clothes to wear to school through things that was sent, a store in Rushmere that sold materials like 5 cents a yard. So most of our clothes was handmade but I do remember, this I do remember and going to school we wore cotton stockings and we only had two pair and they were well some people called them brogan shoes but until I got into the 5th grade that was what I wore to school. You know you laced them up and they looked like boy’s shoes and the first pair of shoes my mother bought me I remember that wasn’t low cost I made sure I kept that foot out so that they can see that I didn’t have no brogans no more. (Laughter) Yes indeed, but working for this lady and making money to help myself you know to help with my clothes and this like that. You see my father was a farmer and he was a oyster fisher and my mother worked at the oyster house and they you know they took care of us whatever they gave us we looked nice when we went to school you know sometimes we would go to the store, the hams, sugar and flour would come to the store in bags and they would sell them bags and wash them and I’ll never will forget. My first bra I wore, my mother made it and it never wore out. I was always, I wasn’t real fat or anything but I was you know…I don’t know if you know my father or not but my father weighed nearly 400lbs. so we was always very large, thick you know so it took quite a bit of material sometimes to run up things but these are the things that I remember, helping to go to school so that I can look nice and it was a lot of school memories but these are some of the things that stayed up with me.
Q: Mrs. Slade, now that you gone through that and the changes and the school and jobs and places. Is there anything that you would like to say to the children that are in school now? Any advice that you would like to give them?
A: Well, yes being a foster mother, I kept the three children that were and most of them went to school you know from my house. Matter of fact, most of them went to school that I kept, yes I would like to say to them you know they are so blessed today because the things that they have today that’s passed to them I had to work for. Even though, I appreciated it and it made me proud to appreciated things because the children today they don’t appreciated because they getting it too easy. But I, you know these are the things that I would say to them to be very thankful and try to be good children you know mind their parents, stay in school, get a good education, because now if these are the things that you don’t have you won’t get very far…remember talking about getting on the back seat of the bus you isn’t gone get on the bus because need a decent job, that’s right and to be somebody to get someplace in life. I will tell them to take advantage of what’s being offer to them now, because when I was in school coming up those things I worked for mine. Now the children of today is given to them and that’s why they are not grateful at all because they have it too easy but I got mine the hard way and I really did appreciate it.
Q: There are some good positive expression that you gave us for the children of today and is there anything else you would like to tell us cause I really enjoyed you?
A: Well, I will share this with you, I sure you have not heard about this but I won the nationals for the Foster Parent of the Year for the nationals and that was a very, very good experience and I have always been a person that believe in keeping things for records so all of the things that I did when I first got married right down till I Start keeping children. There were certain times that the news media would come to our place because of the fact that we was on a big farm and they were things that they wanted to know doing on the farms and I kept all of the clippings from the papers from that on down to foster care and then I started keeping foster children the news, the Daily Press and the Smithfield Times started to come periodically and get articles on me as to the type of work I was doing and what was going on and I kept all of those clippings, so when I’ve been working for the agency for 20 years this month and I’ve been a foster parent for the agency and what happen then in 1998 we had a new court coordinator believe you me very very smart, Jennifer Bess okay. What happen they went by all of the agencies that met with the nationals to see if they wanted to get one of their parents to met to run for nomination of being a foster parent? So I got a call and I had one week to do my homework but my coordinator was smart enough to make me a member of nationals, I was a member of the state and I never joined the nationals I didn’t have any reason too and I never gone to the nationals so as soon as she call me she said “ The only thing Mrs. Slade you only got a week to do your homework.” I said, “ What do I have to do.” She said, “ You have to get eight people to write a letter stating why they felt you should be nominated.” So I immediately got 3 social workers, my niece, my pastor’s wife, and 2 of the children in the home. So I said that I was going to use someone that was with me every day that can you know that give them what they really want to hear, they know me. Francis Bailey and Patrick Pruitt wrote two letters and I think their letters that day and I think I had the letters, Patrick is a sweet young man even though he’s with the state department in Richmond independent living he was in the bulletin and I have it at home and he’s getting ready to graduate from Virginia State College the 17th of May and Mother’s Day I will be flying out to Des Moines, Iowa for a National Foster, see they sees me every year about getting that honor and I hopefully be trying to get a flight back that Saturday so I can attend Patrick’s graduation at Virginia State and Francis finished Virginia State, one of my children, and she’s working on her Mastered. I kept two grandchildren, Missy and little ______ and Missy graduated from School of Optometry and working up there in Sylvania of three years ago, she’s working in different offices now. But seems as though whatever I put my hand too, number one I put God first anything I put him first but I got old enough to understand he was my Maker and I need to pray about things I did and during my childhood mostly, elderly people was my friends. I never associated too much with my peers, even in high school what happen cause I found out you know that they weren’t your friends and they would talk about you behind your back, they steal your boyfriends. So I found out that older people you know that I’ve met they taught me you know prayer and what going to missionary means and I would be the one to take them. So, really a lot of wisdom and knowledge I got it was because I dealt with older people, I never dealt with the younger ones cause a lot of times the things that they would tell me they wanted me to sneak off and do dirty things wrong things that my mother taught me not to do. I knew that I was going to get in to trouble so I always try to listen, with momma in mind, so I can see by doing the things that I did, it got me where I am today cause if I had went on you know just did may be follow my peers or what not. But, hanging with older people and I found that I have so much wisdom and knowledge that help me to get where I am now because I is 75 years old the first day of February this year. I have one foster boy now who is in therapy, which means you know its around the clock attention, medication, psychiatrist, and I’m up and down the road, you know twice a month seeing to these things and I only request one child now because you can’t do a good job with a lot of children so I preferred to just have one now. So on the 26th I will be at the Solomon Temple they want to honor me there for some community work, so I’ll be there and someone will tell about me and then I will have a few words so it has been real rewarding and a beautiful experience and I really enjoyed it and I think the reason that you know I feel the way I feel and I feel good about myself cause my job is to always helping someone.
Q: Well, Mrs. Slade we have really enjoyed your interview and so inspiring.
A: I could sit and talk but my time is up and I’ve enjoyed it and Mrs. Elsie Hall asked me so I told her I said its no point to say that I can’t do it because you know what you said I can do it and anything that I can be apart of and help and for what I’m understanding that’s going to come out of this you know I love to be a part of good things and I feel that this will really be history something nice for the generations to come and I think that it’s a very good job whoever decide it I think it’s a splendid idea and that’s why I want to be a part of good works.
Q: Well, thank you so much.