Alex Stewart Portrait of a Pioneer 13 - AUDIO BOOK
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- In this video series we are reading a book about Alex Stewart, who was born and raised in the mountains of Tennessee, and talking about the things that prick our minds as a way to celebrate Appalachia. The book title: Alex Stewart Portrait of a Pioneer by John Rice Irwin.
John Rice Irwin founded the Museum of Appalachia.
Playlist of Alex Stewart Readings: bit.ly/3asP8su
Go here to see Alex Stewart: • Alex Stewart: Cooper
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#Appalachia #AudioBook #AlexStewart
Listening to read is the highlight of my Fridays. Enjoyed this so much! My dad followed the liquor just learned this expression from Alex and love it. His uncle gave him a drink in the barn where they were milking. His mom knew something was wrong he would laugh and tell me how she beat his uncle with a broom and made him leave. I liked how people helped each other as well
When my Wife and I lived south of Pikeville in Marrowbone Creek in the late 1960s, there were those who from time-to-time transferred large bottles from one vehicle to another vehicle. We were told it was drinking water. They always took a lot of care with that, "Drinking Water".
Looking at Alex through today's cautionary and fear-driven society... made me hold my breath.. his being so trusting with the Sheriff, Revenuers and the Wanna-Be-Sheriff when talking about having a still or getting a quart off the shelf for a taste when asked. He sure must've been able to read most people well. Love this book. Thank you!
I knew why they called it "moonshine", but I never knew why they were called "bootleggers". Really interesting. Alex Stewart was an amazing man! Thank you for reading this, Tipper.
Glad you are enjoying it 😀
Thank you Tipper! I enjoy listening to you read about Alex. He sure was an interesting larger than life character. I loved hearing about how the people came together to help with the task at hand while socializing. I also enjoyed hearing about those that made liquor. Hearing about the two ladies immediately made me think of the Baldwin Sisters and their "recipe" from the Waltons. Though the social standing may have been different, they came to mind. Have a great weekend.
I'm surprised he lived as long as he did after drinking that much liquor for 50 years! Such a interesting man.
Thank you Tipper once again!
Back in the day I had a brother in law that was as close to a moonshiner as I wanted to get. He made lots of alcoholic beverages. Coming from large families on both my parents sides I attended a lot of corn shucking pea shelling and bean snapping parties. Alex has certainly lived a life of various trades and goings on. Thanks Tipper for sharing.
I so enjoy my Friday nights watching and hearing all about Alex and his life stories. Thank you Tipper!
PS… you and Matt makes this popsicles look so good!
Another interesting chapter. The moonshine part was interesting. I agree the blanket steaming way of making a run sounds horribly nasty. Well ya know when he mentioned that women made liquor too, Miss Emily and Miss Mamie Baldwin came to mind. Loved the community gatherings part of the book. Have an awesome and blessed weekend!!
Always enjoy your reading to us. Have a good evening. God bless.
You are so welcome 😀
I love this chapter.
I laughed and laughed.
My family never had a still nor were they involved in the liquor business,
but most people always knew who WAS making moonshine.
Stories abounded and due to that familiarity, I can easily see this in my mind's eye as it played out then.
I am still chuckling about the two holes in the turn-coat cousin's hat! 🤠 Dem was different times!
Special Thanks for this Chapter, Tipper - you don't hear much about this era in our history anymore - it used to be featured in many movies, but not so much any more.
I am laughing at Alex Stewart's antics, but those were dangerous times - the 'mob' (mobsters, mafia,) was involved and many people lost their life in the Moonshine Trade.
That aside, Alex was a very wise and shrewd man - a great judge of character - other than that of Cousin Ely who tried unsuccessfully to turn Alex in to the Sheriff - who obviously knew Alex was making moonshine, but had respect for him all the same and wasn't going to go looking any deeper.
It was a delightful segment!
Enjoyed the chapter about the Community Events as well.
I heard a few stories like those when I was growing up from the older generations and of course read about them in novels and saw them played out on tv on shows like Little House on the Prairie, Bonanza, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, etc.
My family was always involved in a multi-family joint effort to slaughter and dress out a few hogs each year as well as an annual day of grinding cane to release the juice and then cooking it down to make sorghum syrup.
We picked apples, peaches, plums beans, and all sorts of garden vegetables. People shared what they had - both when there was excess and when pickin's were lean, and not just with family.
You do a great job reading the stories - it can't be easy to read that much and for such an extended period of time without a break.
Thank you for reading and sharing these stories with us. 🥰
Cindia - New Mexico, USA 🇺🇸
So glad you enjoyed this one 😀
@@CelebratingAppalachia
Indeed I did. 🌞
You just never know what is going to 'strike a chord' (a phrase very pertinent to another of your talents) or trigger memories long tucked away and not oft revisited!
Thank you for reading. ❤️
You are so welcome 😀
Alex telling about himself and other moonshiners in the area and talking about "workins" where people got together to complete big tasks like shucking corn or raising s house was fascinating, but when he mentioned that he "followed drinkin'" I had to laugh out loud. I'd never heard that expression before and it tickled my funny bone.
Thank you for reading another chapter Tipper. A very interesting chapter. I remember hearing the old folk talking about things like that of community advents to do something. Those were the days of days gone by
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
@@CelebratingAppalachia oh I have Tipper. You’re a good reader
Oh Tipper, you just described my early years with my papa he was a boot legger and around 10 years old I would drive him up to some old house and he’d buy that brandy get in the passenger seat and drink that brandy and tell me to get us home, he had an old white dodge truck that had three gears on the column. There we would be , he was near drunk by the time we got home my little sister in between us and me praying we’d get safely home. I sure miss those days. This is a great book. I love seeing Sabbath come and I know I have a few hours before the Shofar blows to enjoy our time together. Shabbat Shalom
Tipper, your enjoying the sense of community and felling each other brought to mind my Grandfather who owned a thrashing machine and he would travel over the country side thrashing wheat and oats for farmers. He would set up at a farm and several men would come to help. It was usually an all day event and I can remember my mother cooking a huge dinner (lunch) for all the men, they ate first and we kids ate afterwards. I can remember him using an old tractor with steel wheels that had to be started with a crank and it had a wheel for a belt that attached to the thrashing machine to ru the thrasher to get the wheat from the chaf and stalks! What a memory from my childhood!
I always enjoy your Alex Stewart readings and look forward to Friday evening to listen to them. I also enjoyed the Dory book as well. I hope you continue to entertain us with stories from the past! May God Bless you and your sweet husband and daughters!
Really enjoyed this weeks reading. My grandfather always said he needed his whiskey to go to sleep and then to be able to get up in the morning. I can’t imagine drinking whiskey like that but I guess that’s what alcoholics do. In my grandpa’s later years he to quit drinking. I remember my grandparents and my mother telling about one time they had a house raising when mom was a young girl. Mom said they raised a really nice log house for them to live in. Looking forward to next weeks reading! ❤️
Thank you, Tipper, for another great chapter!
Alex Stewart continues to be an incredible person I look forward to knowing more about. I didn't know he could also cook up some moonshine, ha 😄
I like the parts about the gatherings for house raising or to help with clearing land & such…my papa & granny would have a gathering each year for pulling all the field corn & shucking…I also remember when it got cold enough papa would have men over to help with hog killing & women in the house processing the meat…I even helped do that some, but they would go around the neighborhood to help each other…I’m glad to have those memories…thank you for reading 🤗
OH BLESS YOUR HEART for READING TO US !!! GOD KNOWS how MUCH I WOULD LOVE to have been back in them DAYS coming together with OTHERS !!! That is something I JUST WISH TO GOD WE ALL HAVE NOW DAYS !!!
My husband grouped errands last spring. He bought a bunch of used jars then went to pick up a few 50lb bags of dried corn from a farm. The farm hand was helping load the corn and saw all the jars. He asked my husband if he was making shine lol. My husband was buying 150lbs of corn. It was pretty funny & no we weren't making shine, the errands just worked out that way
Tk u for reading. I look forward to Friday evenings! I tk a mini-series about Mr Stewart's life would be great!
I love these Friday readings of Alex Stewart's stories. I work nights and Friday night is the only night that things shut down after a certain time, and listening to you read from the book is fascinating. I grab my cell phone, put it in my pocket so I can listen and I sit outside and take a break from reality. It seems like I'm going back in time. I can easily visualize what is being talked about and can almost smell the smoke of his still. Bless his heart. I know there will be a time, not too far from now that the book will end and Mr. Alex will pass, but I hope it's later rather than sooner. I've watched some of his interviews and know the end story which broke my heart, but I sure enjoy hearing from his own words what he lived and saw.
So glad you enjoy it!!
Thank you Tipper I enjoy all of your videos but especially on Friday night when you read to us. You look beautiful in your flowerdy top.
Thanks Tipper. This brought to mind buying my first house. It was for sale by owner so we just knocked on the door one afternoon and made an appointment to come see the house. So we decided we wanted it and sat around the living room and negotiated the price. Well the owner made wine and he ask if we wanted some. I did not drink, nor my husband but I think we both had the same idea and said sure. Well every time the man went to get a bottle we would poor ours into this plant that was sitting next in between us. The man did this thru 7 bottles of wine... I kid you not. With a big time slur in his speech he finally agreed upon a price which was a considerable amount lower than when we started. We shook hands and told him our lawyer would draw up the papers. We could not get to the car fast enough and we laughed all the way home. Not sure if the plant made it or not...lol I just love the way your stories bring up memories!
My parents have told me about times when people came together to do tasks like making apple butter. Mom and Dad say they used to build a fire underneath a huge kettle outside and take turns stirring for hours, then everyone took some of the apple butter home. Now we have 'improved', mechanized ways of doing things and many are helpful, but when I see recipes for making apple butter in the microwave, I think we've lost the point.
Wouldn't it be nice these days to have 'work-ins' or 'bees' for things? The only time I can remember something even close to this in my own life is when we put on a new roof once. We had my Dad, my husband's brother and brother in law, and a few friends here for various parts of the day and I cooked and hustled drinks for them all day. It was a day of hard work, but it was also fun.
Thank you for sharing this book with us!
Called all the kids on Thursday noon
Told them Mom, and Dad was cooking dinner
Ask them to bring a dish along
Friday morning Dad picked a bushel of beans
Saturday is the day to have a bean stringing day
Being silly here Tipper, but all that I've said is true . An opportunity has presented itself, and landed in my lap . Alex mostly goes along with the flow , except when the teacher wanted to whip him for something he didn't do . He is not afraid .
Love this book/ Thanks dear😉
Tipper this brings back a lot of memories, when I was a kid, I used feed corn to make corn liquor without knowing I was doing it. First time I saw my mother drunk for the first time when I was a kid. good times Have a great weekend everyone
Tepper I love the reading today so interesting can’t wait till Friday when it comes I love the part where everybody helps each other thank you so much
Thank you so much for reading. So much interesting information. ❤️
My favorite reading yet. Such an interesting life.
Thanks for putting your playlist in order from chapter one on. I want to listen to them all! How many chapters in total? This will be great to listen to when working, cleaning, or gardening!
You are welcome! There will be several more videos from the book 😀
@Cathy Blasco, All of the books that Tipper has read has been awesome. There’s nothing that I enjoy more than her reading. I look so forward to each Friday, just to hear her read!
Such a interesting man.liked how he put the still in the ground and where him and the sheriff went into business together.looking forward to the next chapters.💐🌼🌸
I do love the community gathering to get heavy work done. What a wonderful way of being helpful to one's neighbors and fellowshipping at the same time. Sadly, not likely to work today.
Thank you so much for this series. When sleep doesn’t come easy, I put on your channel and can just listen to a wonderful reading about an amazing family and a sometimes forgotten day and age. Keep them comin!!!
You are so welcome!
I loved hearing about how people came together to put up a house. What a sense of community! Amazing how fast they could finish. Kinda sad that their busy lives, of necessity, didn't allow for more socializing but they did what they had to do and I bet people helped out just as much as they could.
Good chapter he lived a dangerous life drinking the whiskey
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
I too enjoyed the part of the story where the people got together to do work together, house raising, harvesting, etc. I believe that the Amish are one of the few cultures that still function under this custom. Some of my people down south, Texas still do a little bit of group building. ... 10 -15 guys and a weekend and you get your room add-on built, or your garage or shed done. I really respect them and their hard work. Thanks for the reading. Those ladies sure made me think of the Baldwin sisters on the Walton's too!😂
Thank you for reading this Tipper. Every chapter seems more interesting that the last one. When I was a child our nearest neighbor (about half a mile away) was reported to be a bootlegger. Some of the stores in our area sold liquor without a license, they were bootleggers also. When I was a child people trusted each other, when we would go somewhere we never locked the door to the house. Things sure have changed. Dennis Morgan
I had a cousin that drank lots of moonshine- one batch was bad & he went blind. My Dad had to take him to the VA in Kentucky. His idea for rehab was to get saved & baptized. That would keep him sober for awhile. He would start drinking again, get saved & baptized. My Mother was so funny she said one day, “every frog on Tyler Mt” knew him. I have really enjoyed ur reading. Ur accent as u read is just perfect.
Enjoyed hearing about your family 😀
1933 in Oklahoma, my 12-year old gonna-be Daddy was (literally) running bottles of bootleg moonshine from the Shiner's big Packard parked in an alley to his 'customers' for pennies per delivery. No fear, big smile, ran fast and was, above all, mum. 😳 He sure had some stories!
Would have loved to have heard his stories 😀
Gheez, that was a lot moonshine to drink and all the hidden and how much when into makin it and hidden it. I’m surprised Alex didn’t have liver problems drunken that much. I agree with you Tipper, my favorite part was how they all helped each other in the community to do apple picking, peeling, corn shucking and barn raising. If you needed help family and the entire community came to help and he did the same for them. That don’t happen much if at all anymore. Everybody is too busy…our world has surly changed since his day. Good story!
I had to laugh about that hogs head lookin' back at you. LOL The last vestige that I experienced concerning the community was in Floyd county Virginia. A friend told me that they were having a hog killin' and wanted to know if I could help. We showed up at 6 am and there was 25 of us and got 14 hogs killed and halfed by noon. Then we got served a cat head biscuit with white gravy and fresh tender loin with sweet tea. I sure do miss those times. Thanx for reading Tipper.😃😃
Floyd County is special. I live in the adjacent county and can see Bent Mountain from my house. Beautiful sight.
@@mitzievans5037 Hi Mitzi, thanx for sharing. I agree, that area is very special and a beautiful sight. My dream is to some day live there again. Hope you have a blessed day.🙂
Enjoyed this reading. It would have been great to have been at one of those "workins". Our communities would be so much better off if people at least still had the mindset of the people of long ago that were more than willing to go to a "workin". Now a days it's hard to find someone to do work for you, even if you are offering a decent good wage.
Always hard to pick a favorite part but I have to say, I laughed out loud when Alex described the hog head supper. Having the hog look at you while your were eating had to be uncomfortable even if you were really hungry. Back in 1979, the whole family took a trip to see where Grandpa lived when he was 9 yo - up in Yellville, Arkansas. It was amazing as he told the stories of a wood trough running from the little waterfall up behind the house and down the mountain side to near the kitchen where they had it capped off. My son and his same age cousin were so wide-eyed listening to the stories Grandpa told as they walked around the old farm and barn. They even found the waterfall with the nice sized cave behind the falling water. Daring each other to go inside, they finally decided they wouldn't try - may be a bear in it. Grandpa laughed so hard and said he could never get the nerve to go in either. We ate at a restaurant there that served fresh trout and my son just had to eat one - he loved to fish. The fish came with its head still on and eyes in. My son neatly folded the napkin and covered the head to keep the eyes from watching him eat and we all had a good laugh - just like I did when you read about Alex.
Great memories 😀
I liked the part how everyone would come to work. Helping others and only getting paid with a meal. How wonderful.
Absolutely another fascinating peek into the life of Alex Stewart! The moonshine stories were great ! I'm sure drinking alot of that liquor did cause his stomach problems...I can only imagine how that would burn his stomach ...the fellowship and getting together for the work and the great food is awesome! The sense of community is something missing today ....enjoyed this! Thanks tipper...appreciate you always...God bless..🙏❤
I learned so much in this chapter about the liquor. Very interesting. We have also lost some of our sense of community here. Back in the day, if a man got down due to health reasons, people would show up to harvest your wheat. That’s really not the case anymore. Our local church’s will still do a few things as a community but that’s about it.
Tipper, it is so relaxing, listening to you reading. I really enjoyed hearing about how Alex made moonshine. And, the way everyone came together, helping out, and enjoying each other's company.😍
What a Great Great read and your voice is the best part. God Bless. Jean
Thank you Jean!!
Remarkable that Alex developed excellent skills while under an influence of alcohol dependency. Tipper I am enjoying your reading as if Alex is speaking to your audience!
Thanks again Tipper for another great video 👍
Thank you Tipper! Adding it to my playlist. much appreciated!😊🇨🇦
Mead was originally made by monks in the middle ages. They would have kept bee hives and grown many herbs as they were very proficient at making medicines.
I grew up in the city, but we would go to visit family in the country certain times of the year. Hog killing time, making cane syrup time, etc. Some of my fondest memories are pulling peanuts and shelling peas.
Hi Tipper very interesting really enjoyed this reading thank you God bless
You can use a turkey roster low and slow in coals just leave the lid ajar, it may take a while but it will work.
Thanks! I am listening during the quiet time! I saved all these! We use have barn rising! I remember the neighbors women get together break beans and cans! I remember revival lasting two weeks, now 4 nights at the best! Good ole days! 🤗🥰😀
I really enjoy the story and all the old ways.
Tipper I enjoy hearing you read these stories. I can't wait to find out what the next book will be.
Tipper, I think what I like most is hearing you read! Your voice and word pronunciation are beautiful to hear, very soothing. Life was so very different from now. They worked, built, worked together to get things done in a way that we have no realization of. I love it. We don't do much for ourselves we buy everything! We call this progress, but I'm not so sure that is correct.
Thank you for the reading 🥰
I have never told this before, but my Dad made a still, back in the early 60’s. We lived in a suburb of Columbus, OH & he must have gotten a wild hair. But, I remember him making whiskey. I think he only did it one or two times. He didn’t do it to sell it, he made it to drink himself & to share with his buddies.
I know my Mom was very upset about it, of course she was trying to raise us right, & that was against everything that she was trying to teach my brother & myself.
I know he stored the still in the attic & after my Dad passed away Mom sold the house with the still in the attic. I imagine the buyers were surprised when they discovered it😂
😀 Thank you for sharing that memory!
Thank you.
Thank you Tipper and God Bless you. 🙏
I liked the part where Alex said that if he was the only man left to vote for that fella then he'd never have a vote. :D
I really enjoyed this one I didn't know how you made moonshine and it was interesting
I really appreciate you reading this book. Some of it reminds me of how my paternal grandparents grew up actually not all that far from Alex. More or less a couple of counties west of Sneadville. Straight down the Tennessee/Kentucky line. My grandma's family, like many other families, had to leave the area after being there for generations. The government built a dam on the west end of my great grandpa's farm and flooded several towns, communities and no telling how many farms, churches, homes, etc in TN and KY. Progress.
When my husband’s grandma Sadie Belle was living (she lived to almost 91) I used to go to her house after we picked green beans… we would snap the beans and visit, I did ask some questions and enjoyed her old time wisdom.. she and my mom-in-❤️ taught me how to can… I would love to go back to see those old days, but I bet it’d be too hard for me 😂looking forward to meeting my grandma Ella someday in Heaven.. she was the same age as Alex, born in 1891.
Cool knowing how bootlegger got started. One time I was buying gas in Canton Ga, and this one feller was asking the man working there how you knew if your shine was safe or not and I looked at them and said get a spoonful and see if it lights on fire and if it don't catch or stay light do not drink it. I read that somewhere and my Papa said it was true.
When ihere you read this part about Alex's life . Takes me back to hearing stories about my dad's father, Who was amoonshiner, That made sold. and run it also. Inever knew him but heard many interesting stories about him. Ido have very old newspaper clippings As to ware the fed's had got him and all the guys they had busted that day about 15of them🤦😂,And they all had thare faces covered with black kinda looked like bandanas, It just seems like they had to do all those things back then to take care of thare family's you no ms tipper, Thank you for reading ireally enjoyed it❤️
What a great story Joyce 😀
@@CelebratingAppalachia Yeah I think my grandfather was a little like Alex🤫😂😂❤️
@@joyce9523 😀
I can't begin to imagine what drinking that much would do to me! I'm a one drink wonder 😂 I too love that sense of community. I grew up on a ranch, and that's what everyone did for branding the calves. And just like in the book, the only payment was the laughs and good food. It's a good way.
🧡🧡🧡Rogersville, TN
Persimmon brandy would have to be good.
One of my great-grandfathers was a curcuit riding preacher in KY, VA & TN in the 1910s & 1920s. He would stay gone 6-8 weeks at a time preaching protracted meetings.
That's really interesting about the corn liquor! So much I am learning!
Mutt (Alex’s son) was such a good man. I knew him well. He loved the Lord and always witnessed to others. I remember one time I had went to Sneedville to get my prescription. Mutt was there waiting in his. He talked to me about my baby- I was a young mother. Sweet man..
Love that 😀
Wow! What a deep look into the experiences related to moonshining. I’ve heard many stories similar to Mr. Stewart’s. My ancestor was caught near the Kentucky border - as a moonshiner during prohibition. The story told to me- was that his kids were out near the school house and their father rode by on a horse hollering to the children to tell their mother that he was found out and he was running. He kept on riding right off. I don’t know how his wife knew where to find him - but she and the children met up with him after a spell and he’d changed his last name. I am only the third generation following that name change - and when ever folks would ask if I were related to so ‘n so (who had my last name in common), I would smile and just say, ‘no relation. I’m not related to many folks with this last name.’
It was difficult to research my family’s history further back- because of that dodging from the law, but we finally got great grandma to share a bit about that ‘shameful happening’ in our history.
Thank you for reading this book to us! So inspiring.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I love that the community helped each other too. Man, I wish someone would invite me over for bean stringin'! Hehehe
Thanks!
Thank you Joyce!! We so appreciate you 😀 Hope you're having a good weekend!! Still thinking of you and sending prayers your way!
@@CelebratingAppalachia Thank you for your prayers, well I'm going through the estate thing now, Something else I was dreading but it must be done 😔But I'm okay for now ❤️And thank you very much for caring
If Alex were around today, he could be a craft distiller, making small batches of all kinds of spirits. Were you trying to think of "metheglin", a mead made with cinnamon and apples?
That's it Bob 😀
Thanks! So interesting!
We are missing out not having work parties. I would rather go weed my friends garden with her then go weeks only seeing her at church. You gets better pace when working beside a friend
Alot of that has been done here in Hancock county over the years. Not as much now as years ago. People had to make money to live any way they could back then.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Only 11 minutes late this time Whoohoo lol.
😀 Thank you Linda! Hope you've had a good day 😀
Here is Alex
ruclips.net/video/RTb2zVpQGg4/видео.html
Hey Sis
😀
A little disappointed with his moonshine drinking. Glad he was smart enough to quit. Eventually.
🤔
O: What do ya have to do fer a drink 'round here?
X: Ya got a wool blanket?
O: Nope...
O: You sayin' I'm a baby that needs pacifing?
X. Ahhh now easy pilgrim...I'm just trying to help you out with a drink
O: Well...OK...only wool I've on is the wool socks Gramma knitted...
X: That'll do...I can help ya with that ord'r
O: What...two stinkin' socks fer a drink?
X: Yup...
O: You lye'n to me?
X. Now come on there...I run a clean business
O: Really?
X: You bet her socks I do...
🦉
😀
Thank You