Interview with Mrs. Ruby Thompson
February 8, 2003
Interviewed by Sandra M. Lowe
Mrs. Ruby Thompson is an Isle of Wight resident who spent her early elementary years at Fairview, a small two-room school. Mrs. Thompson is very familiar with the area and is going to tell us something about growing up in Isle of Wight County. She taught in the county until retirement.
Q. Could you tell us the name of the school that you attended or schools?
A. Okay, I started to Fairview Elementary school grades one through seven in 1936. I went two days a week when I was five years old because we knew the teacher. And she did not enroll me because I was not old enough. But I got to know all about the school at five years old. And then as I grew and became old enough I started there as a student regularly. Stayed there for seven grades and we had one teacher. Actually the building had two rooms, but one room was used as storage for wood, coal, clothing, lunch; whatever needed to be put in that room. The teacher was responsible for making the fire on the potbelly stove using kindling wood and coal. The boys were responsible when the families didn’t bring coal or wood to the school to go in the back and cut wood for kindling on the day before they left for the next day. We had a very interesting school. My first teacher there for grades one and two was Mrs. Josephine Chapman. She stopped teaching, retired at an early age because her husband was a farmer and she needed to be home with him to do the bookkeeping and whatnot for the farm. Then a Mrs. Nettie Boone Whitehurst started as our teacher from grades three thru seven. We had very few students in each grade and as we got older in the upper grades we became assistant to the teacher. When we were in six and seven grades we would work with those children who were in first, second grade, third grades to help them with their lessons and whatnot. And this was I guess, done to help the teacher because there was only one teacher. At that time the government would send out ever so often commodities that were I guess, oversupply in the storage or warehouses or whatever. And we would get things like raisins, and apples, oranges. Those things were given to the teachers to give to the students. They were brought to the school by a supervisor who was in charge of all of the black schools, Mrs. Georgie Tyler. And each child got a certain amount of those things. Every once in a while parents would bring in things to make soups and on the stove the teacher would have a soup for that day. And we would have our tin cups to get a cup of soup for lunch. I guess that includes most of the things we know. We always had a recess during the day. And the teacher would play with us sometimes and sometimes she would stay inside to do work or whatever. Sometimes she would take a nap and when that happened we would play as far from the building as possible so we would have a longer recess. The teacher would, we’d play softball and it was really softball because most instances it was rags tied together to make the ball and we used the broom stick handle or whatever we could find to bat. And the teacher would pitch for both teams. So she didn’t change her position. She just pitched the ball and we did the hitting and the running and whatever. I think that’s about it unless you have another question about that school.
Q. Do you recall chores that you may have had to do before you went to school? Some students did have to work before and after.
A. I guess I was blessed in a way,poor and blessed. But, I don’t remember having to do any chores that you could like, probably not even washing dishes and things because I had to walk to school. It wasn’t that far to walk but my mother would take care of that. Now in the afternoons my father was a sharecropper in the farming business. When I got home some afternoons I would more less voluntarily with picking some cotton or go out in the field and help do something with the peanuts. I was an only child for a while. My brother was two years younger than me and he died at six years of age. So from thirty-nine to forty-one I was an only child. I have a sister now who’s born in forty-one. So, my father didn’t ask me to or didn’t allow me to be in the field a lot because in sharecropping there were quite a few men who worked together to get the crops in and to plant them and whatnot and many times they were black and white. So I didn’t do much out in the field. And what I did was for my own pleasure volunteering. I didn’t have to do that much before school and what I did after school I guess what I normally would do, wash dishes scrub the floor or whatever. As I got older my mother was a midwife so when my sister was born my mother was a midwife and she would go away and stay sometimes a week with a patient and at that time then I had to take care of my sister. My father and I and my sister would be at home.
Q. Could you tell us the schools that your sister attended?
A. My sister went to Fairview for a while. Then when she finished the seventh grade she went to Isle of Wight training school. She was there for I guess four years because I think she graduated from Georgie Tyler I believe. I think that is correct. Those are the only two schools that I think she went to.
Q. You mentioned that you didn’t live far from the school. What would you estimate the distance to be and how did you get to and from school? And do you recall any instances or things they you all did while you were walking to school?
A. My parents lived away from the road. You would refer to it as at this time as “in the woods” I would guess that it was like half a mile maybe from school. There were no other children there in that area to walk with me. It was two houses back there. But there were some children who came from a road that was behind us through a woods path and came through our yard to go to school. And that included a couple of people who have passed now. But one is still a member of my church, Lilton Evans and he would walk through there. He was quite a bit older. The path was sometimes muddy, water there and I can remember him taking me on his back to go across the water, whatever, through the water, around the water. But, we would walk together to school and if it was a really rainy bad day my father would probably take me on the cart. I don’t think we had a car at that time. Later we got a car, a Model A. But I didn’t have far to walk I was fortunate because some of my classmates were walking three miles from Zuni, two and half to three miles.
Q. How did the school day start? What do you recall about the beginning once you all got to school?
A. Oh, everybody was seated in the benches. We had our same seats everyday. We would always have a song. I guess in those days every elementary teacher could sing, all that I ever knew could sing. I don’t know how it happens that I can’t. But we would sing and one of her favorite songs was “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder”. We would sing and then sometimes I think she would ask us to repeat a bible verse and then we would do the pledge. I guess that was about it. I’m not sure if, I think but I’m not sure whether she did a prayer each morning or not. I don’t remember that.
Q. How long was the school day and the school year?
A. As far as I can remember the school day was from nine to three, and the year I can’t remember it being anything other than what it is now 180 days. But there were times and I’m not sure whether I know of other school divisions or whether it was my counting that schools would close during harvest season for the young people, the men especially, young men or boys to get up the crops and whatnot. Some schools would close two or three weeks during the harvest season somewhere around October, November whatever September. I can’t remember for sure whether we did that or not. According to my memories and I think I have said many times. I can’t remember missing but eleven days from grades one through seven. Some of those days were due to the fact that I had Tonsillitis.
Q. What types of subjects did you cover and do you remember any specific textbooks?
A. Dick and Jane. We had all of them; reading, spelling, civics, it wasn’t social studies then it was called civics, I believe math or arithmetic I don’t think math was used too much. Did I say English, language I think it was called more or less? I guess those were about all of the subjects. And the specific textbooks I can’t remember the names of them.
Q. When did you have recess and what types of things did you do and games did you play? You mentioned some of that. Is there anything else that you recall?
A. On rainy days I can’t remember any specific games other than most time we would be allowed to go to the board, the blackboard you called it or chalkboard. It was a time when we would just go there and write, play tic-tack-toe, write on the board. Some of the older girls probably had boy friends, they would draw hearts and put the names of the boy there and the name of the girl and all that stuff. I was not into that at that age. We didn’t have any type box games or indoor games or anything. Those were times when the teacher would sleep a lot of times and we would do whatever we wanted to in the room there.
Q. What can you tell us about lunchtime? How long did you stop for lunch, what types of things did you do, what kind of lunches did some of the students bring and so forth? Where did you eat lunch?
A. In the classroom. If it was a warm day we could go in the second room there at the school where we had all of the storage stuff for lunch. But, everything that was brought that I can remember was made at home. Very few children had slice bread or very few children had slice meats or anything of that nature. It was probably a slice of pork, (fried) I remember a lot of children bringing baked sweet potatoes. It was like you would have, if there were than one child in the family you would have a bucket with biscuits and a bucket with some meat or whatever. Two or three children in a family would bring lunch that way. You would get a piece of meat and a biscuit and sweet potato whatever maybe if there was a special occasion at home you might have a cookie, homemade cookie. I don’t remember anything hardly other than water for drink. I can’t remember any sodas or anything of that sort. Not during my time. Usually we got a soda on Saturday when we would go to the store. A five-cent soda and that was like a special treat. Sometimes we couldn’t afford that. But the lunch period was like thirty minutes I’m just sort of guessing. I don’t believe we stuck close to the schedules like they do now you know ever so often there was a bell sounding we didn’t have that. I was like if the teacher was doing something and she was very busy and it was twelve o’clock we might go the twelve thirty and have lunch at that time. It was more or less like a certain number of things had to be done that day and when a certain time came and she had finished certain things we’d break for lunch. But we were out at three o’ clock if my memory serves me right. That’s been a long time ago.
Q. How would describe the classroom? What was in it and anything else you recall?
A. One big room as you enter the one door that was going into that room. Well actually it was like a hallway and the empty classroom was over to the right. Straight ahead was the classroom. There were about four windows on the roadside of the school and probably two on the end, the right end of the building. And also on the right hand wall as you go in the building there was a long blackboard I would say roughly about ten, fifteen feet long probably three feet, four feet wide attached to the wall and it was slate. Of course we had the chalk and erasers there. The desks were very similar to what you see sometimes now in people yard as a recreational thing or on the patio. More than likely it was long enough to hold three children and it had a back and in front there was a desktop with space under the top for books and whatever. There was a slot on the top for pencils to stay without rolling off. Usually the teacher would place a younger student on the bench with an older student. A student who may have been a little noisy, we didn’t have any fussing and fighting, cursing, guns and knives. All those things were not even thought of. And some of the boys in seventh grade were older boys, they were like fourteen, fifteen because the fact that they had failed some years. So the classroom was very closed in there and near the front of the classroom was a stove with a tin mat under it. Those of us who got there early would have a chance to stand around it and get warm before class time. It was always cold in the mornings first thing in the morning because the fire had to get burning and warm. It was no such thing as something being warm overnight. Everything was cold at night. Of course, I’m sure you asked something about this, but we had it was not PTA then it was the League meetings. The parent would come and we had officers and what not take of the business of the school. I the meetings they would always find out who would be responsible for the kindling wood for a certain week or whatever. In case you don’t know the kindling wood would be small pieces of wood to start the fire.
Q. And how did you go about getting the stove started in the morning? Did boys have that job or the teacher?
A. The teacher. She would do that when she got there. Now she may get a boy to help her if somebody was there early enough. But it was her responsibility and the students would be responsible for cleaning the building. Sweeping, taking out the trash and whatnot. There was no custodian-no janitor-anybody.
Q. The school that you attended, what was the restroom situation?
A. One for boys and one for girls outside along with an outside pump for water, it hand the long handle. Overnight it would loose its power; I guess you could say that and you’d always have to have some water nearby to start it pour the water in and pump real fast to get it started. It was, I guess they had it this way for a purpose. The mouth of the pump was down which meant you always have to have a cup or something to drink out of. Every child has his own cup or whatever. There were no paper cups or anything like that. But you really couldn’t go to the pump and drink out of it because of the mouth being down.
Q. Going back to the classroom, Could you describe the teachers’ desk? Did she have any teaching aids or any specific school supplies you can think of?
A. I can mainly remember there being a bookcase in the room with a few dictionaries. I don’t remember ever seeing any encyclopedias there. I don’t remember that whether there were or not. But the teacher had textbooks, roll book and that’s about it. There may been some type of teachers’ guide or something. We didn’t get that close to her desk.
Q. You mention that second room in your building. Was that also used as the cloak room or room for coats?
A. Yeah. It was just a nail all around the walls you would go in there and hang your coat. If it was a rainy day any you had on some type of overshoes or something, a lot of us had what you call galoshes to wear over our shoes and we would leave those in there and there were some shelves that we could put our lunch and put your name on it. Leave that in there.
Q. You had already talked about discipline and punishment in the classroom. Is there anything else you wanted to add?
A. In those days a teacher could use a strap, or whip or whatever to punish or discipline the child. It was very rare to have an occasion to punish anyone. It was just not happening and then too, the teacher knew all of the families. In small schools like that she would probably see quite a few of them on Sundays at church. It was just no need, I mean some of the older boys, I remember getting in one fight one day and I don’t think I was much but the boy ended up with a bloody nose. And I don’t remember what it was about. We didn’t do that much fighting at all. I don’t remember ever hearing of or seeing a knife anywhere near the school. The only thing that I think our boys played with that were really dangerous were slingshots. They would make those and put rocks in them. If the teacher knew about it she would take them and that would be in her desk for the rest of the year. I don’t think we had to do a lot of punishing. But if it became necessary she would whip the child.
Q. Are there any additional school experiences that we left out that you would like to tell us about?
A. I think I mention in the beginning that the class sizes were very small. I vaguely remember the entire school enrollment something in the fifties or sixties number. I remember in my graduating class I think there were six or seven of us and sometime just before Christmas I think the only survivor in that class other than me passed in November. So right now I don’t know of anybody else who was in my seventh grade class that’s still living other than me. I don’t think there is anything else I need to add. I’m sorry there are two. I forgot about one living in Hampton. There are two living.
Q. Are there any other early childhood memories or experiences that you recall about growing up? Doesn’t have to deal with school necessarily.
A. And this might be helpful for the young people that are here. We were very dumb when it came to knowing about the things that were going among the parents, the mother and father. I am nine years and a few months older than my sister and on the day she was born somebody came by the school and told whoever was at or near the door. She came to me and told me that I had a sister. And I was just as dumb. Nine years old and my little grandson was three when his little cousin was born and he knew about that at that age, three years old. What I am saying is that we are weaker and wiser. Our young people know too much sometimes with reference to what’s happening. And they refuse to use it in the right way. I don’t think birth is considered as serious as it used to be. If, so we wouldn’t have these children being found in the woods and in the dumpsters and all these other places. Having a child now is just like nothing almost, you know it’s not serious. I know people who say; “You know I want to have a child so I can have something of my own.” That’s not enough reason for a single person to have a child. But, that’s the way it is. I can’t think of any other. Oh, at Christmas or holidays the parents were very supportive. They would come to the meetings and some to the programs and offer help. There was I guess an offering or donation taken at most of the PTA meeting and it would be used to get supplies for children who didn’t have pencils and paper and whatnot. The Christmas program and Easter we didn’t have just some singing and whatnot. We had plays and children would learn parts. And I know from experience at my church. When you ask children today to memorize two lines they can’t do it. They come up to recite something and they got a paper and they can hardly read that. We could remember pages and pages of things. But not anymore we don’t have to. They say memory is not necessary now. All you need to do is to be able to do something. I heard a teacher the other day talking about sight is the way to learn. If children can’t see something they can’t learn. Every thing is on screen. I am coming off the subject.
Q. Last question. After attending school what jobs and experiences did you have in accounting? Give us a short autobiography of important points.
A. I started high school in ’44 in Isle of Wight Training school. Mr. Tate was my principal. The year that I graduated in ‘49 Mr. Tate was away in school and Mr. Goss, Judge Goss was the acting principal. And near the end of my senior year he called me in and asked me what would I be doing the summer. And I said, “I need to work, this is my senior year”, and I wanted to work and go on to school. So he said, “He said how about work for a Babe.” He called his wife Babe, and I went to Virginia State that summer ’49 and took care of, they only had three children at that time. And he was in school taking courses, and she was teaching there. And when I finished that summer and went to Norfolk State to enroll. When I got ready to pay my tuition they lady said yours has been paid. Mrs. Goss had paid for me to go to school that first semester. And I lived with her in Smithfield and we drove over to Norfolk State, Norfolk division of Virginia State was the title at that time. We drove there every morning and she was teaching and I was a student. And we were getting to school late every morning ten minutes maybe. Finally I had to stop living with her, I guess after a year maybe. And I started living with aunts and finally another friend in Norfolk. But I finish there and automatically we transferred to Virginia State. We didn’t have to apply or anything, we automatically transferred to Virginia State. And finished there in ’52 and I did not have a job when I finished, so another lady and I who was working in accounting, Gracie Porter went to the meat plant here in Smithfield and got a job. I worked there from; I finished school in May and worked there until October. I had been applying and trying for jobs. So, I got a call to come to Nelson County as an extension agent. As it turned out to be I went there worked three years. And I tell people, I went there found a husband brought him back home and we stayed married 40 some years before he passed in ’93. So that was my first job. And when we got married after a few months, he said wherever we could find a job, I didn’t like the mountains, and we were living in Avon, VA. Wherever we can find a job the both of us, we will go there. You know I wanted to be home, near home. I got in touch with Mr. Lowe, Sandra’s father and Mr. Hall who was superintendent and I came home and talked to them one weekend. And in about a month we got contracts in the mail for me to teach Home Economics at Georgie D’ Tyler and the school was not even complete at that time because my husband was an industrial arts major. And he came home and worked on building the school. Didn’t know Mr. Lowe, and he kept telling me about this man at the school keep walking around the building looking. Fred thought he was an inspector. And Fred didn’t tell him, I said that’s Mr. Lowe the principal. He never would tell him and when school open. He put on his suit and tie and went there to teach math and he’d been working on the building all that summer. So I work there at Georgie D.Tyler for nine years, had two children and then when the third, a daughter was born I resigned. Stayed out about two years. When I went back to work I had to go to Smithfield Elementary School, I stayed there twenty years, and that’s when I worked with this young lady. That’s it and I retired in ’88/89. Last October I was 71. I think I am doing well.
I want to thank you Mrs. Thompson for working with us so diligently today and being so precise and helpful. Mrs. Thompson is on the board for the Museum.