96 Year Old Mountain Woman Interview | Junaluska, Miracles, & Children in Appalachia (Part 1)
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- This is the first in a series of interviews I did recently with Rachel Virginia Gibby Hicks. She grew up in the Junaluska section of Cherokee County NC. She is like so many of the wonderful elders I grew up with here in the mountains of Appalachia-full of knowledge, compassion, and humor.
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I’m in my 20s but my paternal grandpa was born in 1919 to immigrant parents. He didn’t speak English until his teens… I wish I could have picked his brain more while he was alive, he passed away in 2017 age 98. We need to interview our elders more, they have so much wisdom and stories to share.
He sounds wonderful. I'm glad you had him!
Sam, by your picture you look very young, but your comment was filled with the wisdom of a much older person. You clearly have a very big heart filled with love for not only family, but for mankind. God's blessings through the Lord Jesus Christ be overwhelming to you and yours.
It’s also been proven that mixing the younger generation with the older generation it’s beneficial for both.
You are very right about that. A LOT OF HISTORY!!!
I totally agree
Oh Tipper, I’m in love with her! Her mind is sharp as a tack! To live the life she has lived. Thank you for sharing. Thank her for sharing. She’s part of a generation to cherish!
She is wonderful! So glad you enjoyed the video 😀
enjoyed!
I was blessed to know my great grandmother. She lived to be 104 years old before she died of a stroke while feeding her chickens. Tho I spent many hours with her as she told me many stories, she will forever remain a mystery.
People didn’t share their intimate thoughts then like they do now.
I love hearing life stories from our older generation... just to think what this lady has lived through, the Depression, World War 1 and World War 2, the creation of television and being in the mountains probably didn’t have electricity or a telephone growing up. And to think how spoiled everyone is today. Thanks for sharing.
I love hearing from them too 😀
She was born almost a decade AFTER WWI ended, but she did experience an interesting span of history. I've asked Tipper to interview her again asking about historic events in her lifetime.
@@rhhutchins194 agree lots of history. I am a Hutchins as well.
@@txladywolf01 Is your family from Tipper's part of the world as mine are? Whereabouts in TX are you? I'm in Temple.
I loved listening to your friend. I always loved to hear the stories that the older generation shared. The younger generation doesn't appreciate things that they can learn from the older generations. They taught me how to survive in life (cooking, cleaning, sewing, knitting and so much more). They are all gone now and I miss them.
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
I just called my 90year old aunt after watching this! She shared with me how she loved watching my father play baseball back in the foothills of West Virginia Coal camps back in the 40’s 🤸🏼
Wonderful Kathy!! Its the little stories from family that are so exciting. I got my great aunt to tell me about my grandmother, her sister, one time. She said all she could think of was a story about them walking to church. I said that's enough 😀 So she told me a cute little story about it 😀
Kathy, that was great that you did that. Please take a few minutes to write down your conversation as you remember it. I did this with my Grandparents and a Great Aunt on the phone about some family stories for my genealogy research. I thought I would be able to visit with them in person and gather more information at another time but I never got that opportunity and now, I’m so thankful for the notes of our conversation that I kept from years ago.
@@bakerwannabe4435 🥰 I’m visiting her when she’s at her seniors center this week!!!!!! She’s so sharp and remembers things about my parents that no one else does, so yes I plan on getting as much as I can🤸🏼
@@ladykfirst why you put her in jail. no way to treat your family
I hope 20 years from now when I’m her age, that I have her keen sense of recall. She’s amazing. I love how respectful you are of the elderly. What a good example.
Just imagine the changes this sweet lady has seen in her life.
So many changes 😀
All of my family has passed now. I'm 72 but well remember listening to my grandparents telling stories of how they grew up and all the hard times. I was blessed to know both set of my grandparents and they loved to talk about "olden times". My daughter, now 52, lived at times with both sets of her grandparents for a while going to school. Listening to sweet Mrs. Hicks brings back so many memories. I couldn't help but notice she doesn't wear glasses. She is very well spoken and her huge love for her family is just amazing. Loved this and so happy you will be doing more like this, Tipper. Thank you.
What a sharp woman. God bless. My granny was born in 1924 in Ireland and came over in the 1950s and settled in New York. It's very interesting to listen to her stories about growing up in Kerry, and then listening to these stories from Appalachia. There are many comparisons.
So glad your family has those stories 😀
I loved the pendulum sound of the clock as she was sharing, history ticking away. I wonder what she thinks of the so called progress and technology of today . I recently stayed with some very dear friends who are in their 90's and I asked them the question, and they said, " perilous times we live in compared to our upbringing." They have tried to keep so much technology at bay, but their children seem to want to force them to use some of it, they have said. Thanks so much for this video and I eagerly await the others.
In Joy
Tipper, your respect for your elders just shines in this video and it's really heart warming!!
Thank you Buddy 😀
Such a sweet lady. Her memory is amazing. My mother was born March 22, 1925, she has wonderful stories to tell also. We need to spend more time with our elders listening to the stories of their remarkable lives. A couple of similarities my mother has with this beautiful woman besides their birthdays being so close, my mother has 9 children and my father almost died when a car fell on his head. I'm going to share this video with my mom. Thank you for sharing this.
Tipper, you know some of the finest people in the Country! And what a sharp lady she is! Mrs. Hicks is far more interesting than any hollywood entertainer by far. Difference being she and her stories and the people involved are real and good people who contributed good things to others. I enjoyed this talk with her and am looking forward to more.
AMEN. AMEN. AMEN.
She reminds me of my grandma who died at 96 who was also from Appalachia. My mom who also grew up in the Appalachian mountains will be 96 this month in September and my dad will be 92. Their birthdays are exactly a week apart. You can learn alot by listening. My grandma could tell me about alot of strange things that happened in the mountains way back. Sounds like she is going strong. The Lord has blessed her.
What a wonderful lady! My grandma was born Feb 19,1919. She passed away this year. She was a modest, hardworking woman. To say she was the best grandma would be an understatement. I always loved hearing her speak of her life experiences but I find myself wishing even still that I would have asked her more questions. She and my grandpa were truly "2 of a kind". Thank you for always sharing such precious videos.❤
What a beautiful woman and soul Ms. Granny Hicks is!
She is amazing 😀
Thank you and Mrs. Hicks for that wonderful visit. That was nice of her telling you about her family. Please tell her thank you for having us in her home. Thanks Tipper.
What a priceless fount of information this sweet lady is! She puts me in mind of my great grandmothers. I was blessed to know one great grandma on each side of my family and they would sit and talk about their past for as long as you would sit with them and listen. Mrs. Hicks remembers so much and I wish I could remember folks' names as well as she can and I'll only be sixty six years old tomorrow! What a miracle it was that her husband survived that horrible accident!
Whenever I hear our elders talk of their life experiences it always makes me miss my grandmother...I could have sat and listened to her all day and night as she reminisced about her early years...no doubt times were often a struggle back then but people also had/found good in their situation no matter how simple it may seem by today's standards....this woman is definitely from one of the greatest generations. Many blessings to her.
Oh my goodness - what a gift you have given us with this interview. Both sides of my family have been in Texas since around the mid-1800s, but they all came down the Appalachians into the Carolinas, Tennessee, Arkansas and then Texas. This is like listening to family I never got to actually know. I feel so blessed to be able to listen to Mrs. Hicks recount the events of her life. Thank you so much!
With every day that passes, we lose more of our incredible and wise elders. Many in our country have lost their appreciation for all they have to teach us; if young’uns would just take their faces out of their smartphone, show respect for their life-experience, and listen.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing southern lady with us, Tipper! 🥹❣️🇺🇸
So glad you enjoyed it 😀
What an Absolutely Beautiful, Precious Lady !!! This is so wondetful. I will never understand how so many of this on coming generation do not love to hang out with the elderly in their families. I absolutely loved being with my great-grandparents and my grandparents when I was a kid and up until they passed away. Especially on my dad's side of the family. Such a wealth of knowledge. And such wonderful stories. I wished I had had the foresight to put all of the wonderful stories on tape. My great-great-grandparents, the Campbells came over here from Scotland in the late 1700s. My dad's father, Hobart Isaac Campbell was born in 18 92 I think. He passed away in 1965. A big man with an even bigger heart and just a big old teddy bear. I loved him more than I love my own life. A world of information is slowly but surely leaving this world. Information that matters. Thanks for sharing this beautiful lady with us. And you're right that feels like my people.❤❤❤❤
Thanks for documenting this. It's harder and harder to find our elders who have such good memories. The way Granny talks to us makes me feel like I was there and knowed those people. Be sure to tell her how much fun it is to listen to her. Thanks
Please continue this series! We need to hear from our elders!!!
I absolutely love listening to the older generation. Please tell her how much I enjoyed listening to her stories. (Makes me really miss my beautiful grandma who was born in 1930 here in NC)
The "tick tock" of the clock took me back to talking to my Mama and Papa Williams. Their place always had a hickory fire in the the fireplace during the winter. I was fortunate enough to know my great-grandparents. Thank you for bringing back this memory.
I've always said when life throws you a curveball, talk to your grandparents or others that lived through the depression. Sometimes our problems are not as big as we make them. God bless granny, could listen to he all day.
Lovely woman, beautiful and sharp at her age. Her husband was spared. God had a plan. Thank you for this interview, Tipper. Amazing, Godly woman.
Papa Hicks became a minister after his injury. Granny Hicks said he would never take any pay (money) "for doing the Lord's work"
Thank you Susan 😀
Thank you for sharing that!!
There is so much life & wisdom to learn from our elders. What a coincidence that she lived ina house of "three rooms" like, I believe Dorie did. Her husband sure had the Lord with him, such a blessing. My folks were born in 1916 & 1917 and both lived just shy of 96. They held so much knowledge and could make do with far less than people today "need" to have. Thank you Tipper
Thank you Cheryl! I thought the same thing about the houses Dorie lived in 😀
Enjoyed listening to y'all we can learn a lot from her wisdom my father in law was born in 1919 and hear him tell what it was like back then was a joy for me he passed in 2013 I miss his story telling
So glad you enjoyed it!
That was a wonderful interview I was crying all the was through it that was such a sweet story they don't make people like that anymore she doesn't look that old but still that smart an an some much knowledge to share God bless here 🙏 thanks for doing the interview
What an amazing, beautiful, oriented lady!! She is a godsend, and what a memory!! Tipper, you interviewed a winner!! I loved, "they stump their toe and they don't want to go back to work"!!
What a precious little lady. I look forward to hearing from her again.
Being tight with all my grandparents enriched my life. The wisdom gleaned from them is dear to me. One grandma was born in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma in a covered wagon. The other grandma was born in the mountains of Norway and skied to school. Cousins of mine ask me how I know so much about them. I just smile and say that they were special to me and I took the time to listen to them. If I ever have a serious brain injury and the say they're going to put a plate in my head, I'll tell them to make sure that plate has some ham and beans and cornbread on it. This dear heart is special, Tipper. Love her story.
Even from my '20s (58 now), I've seemed to have been blessed/anointed with an extremely tender heart and connection with the elderly, very young, and sickly. I praise and thank God for it as a gift from Him, and an inheritance from my precious mother. I could sit and listen to my elders; veterans, nursing home patients, home bound, disabled, etc., for hours. Show and offer them love, patience, attention, and whatever physical/household help you see for which they have need. Don't infringe, but don't wait to be asked! Brothers and sisters-in- Christ, if you've got time to sit and watch a 2 hour movie on tv that you've seen many times, you've got time to take some leftovers to an elderly/sick neighbor. Or, like Tipper here, go visit, they're lonely. Sit and listen to them with interest and ask them questions about their upbringing. Both of you will be truly blessed and you will be rewarded in ways that you can't count. God bless this family and channel, I love you all!
Thank you Gina for spending time with and helping them all 😀 Appreciate you!
@@CelebratingAppalachia Thank you Tipper for replying and appreciating my comment. Keep up the good work that you do!❤
I often wished I'd asked my grand mother more questions she was born in 1910 in carter co. Kentucky.i just loved the stories she would tell.once our elders are gone is like a chapter of history is gone.
I always enjoy sitting and talking to our elders, they are fulled with such wisdom and, so, many interesting stories to tell. Oddly enough, I grew up knowing some Hicks in the Ohio area where my dad is from and, in the Indiana where my mom is from we knew a lot of Lambert’s. God bless that sweet lady!
She's such a sweet lady...
It was great listening to her talk about her family and life.
I miss those days sitting with my grandparents and older family members, discussing and discovering our lives.
So much knowledge that we all need to know and pass down to the younger generation.
I'm glad I had those opportunities with my family.
Thanks Tipper for this video.
Looking forward to seeing the next interview.
Blessings from Georgia 🙏
🪶🪶🪶 👆
Thank you for capturing this remarkable history! What a treasure. Thank you, Mrs. Hicks, for sharing. I'm looking forward to the rest.
Lovely, just lovely. Thank you for interviewing Granny Hicks. Thank her for being so gracious!
Love this interview. A few years back I “interviewed” my grandma and she sounds exactly like this sweet lady. My grandma was from the Cartoogechaye community in Macon Co NC. She moved as a young bride to Canton, NC so that my grandpa could work at Champion Paper Mill. All of my grandfathers and great grandfathers worked at the mill. Both grandmas always said the mill “smelled like money”. Lol. If you’ve been there you know. Interviews like this are precious because once our elders are gone, the stories are lost forever. Thank you for celebrating Appalachian life. I’m proud to be a native❤️
Yes, thank goodness, people like Tipper make sure to record as many of their life stories as possible for generations to come. It's sad how so many young people these days have little to no time or interest in the older generation. There was a time, people stood out, of respect when their elder entered a room. Things may have gotten 'easier' but it seems most times, it didn't make us 'better' as people collectively. Thank goodness for the exceptions today.
"Smells like money" I've heard that one a lot about the paper mill. Do you live around the Canton area still?
@@libertylovin2359 Live about an hour away now. Lived there as a child. All of my family is from Haywood Co. It’s home.
@@dianad4633 I'm from Candler. I go to Canton a lot.
WHAT A LOVELY LADY....I AM AMAZED AT HER MEMORY AT HER AGE....SHE RECALLS EVERYONE BY NAME.....THANKS FOR SHARING HER WITH US !!
The wisdom and history behind those eyes! I thoroughly enjoyed your interview! All the best from Cape Cod.
YES. More please. She is a treasure. Thanks for sharing.
Enjoyed this! What a treasure this lady is ! I could listen to her tell about her life all day....thanks for sharing this ! Good bless...🙏❤
Glad you enjoyed it Ben 😀
I love personal experience narratives, and this one is wonderful.
Thank you Brad 😀
Interviews like these are priceless.
Love hearing these stories, Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed!
what a great memory this lady has! love hearing these stories. ive always loved oral histories. keep it up Tipper! there s plenty more to interview and tome is fleeting. God bless you in your endeavors.
What a sweet...and strong lady! I really enjoyed hearing her story. Thanks for taking us to meet her. Amazing lady!
My Grandpa died in 1980 from a tree kicking back and hitting him in the head and I just love listening to her I can listen to her for hours thank you
Tree work is so dangerous. I'm sorry you lost him. Glad you enjoyed this video 😀
I love talking with our wonderfully elders. Had a friend years ago. She lived to be 115. Oh my! The stories! Sure do miss her.
This reminds me of asking my dad about his stories. The things he's seen and done... they just made people tougher back then. Thanks for another wonderful video Tipper. Congratulations on your Appy!!!
I love listening to the elders stories.sometimes I feel like I was living right there in their days along side them .what a lovely lady .thank you for sharing her with us.
I really love listening to older folks speak about what it was like 'back then'. I believe we are truly Blessed when we are lucky enough to hear those stories.. You are lucky to have this information taped for generations to come. Thank you.
So true! Thank you 😀
Great interview!! Looking forward to the next installment! Interviews like this r so important in this day & time. It's vital that our 'modern' generations know & understand the solid foundation that has been laid for them to have an easier life. The best line of the interview so far: "If they stump their toe they wouldn't pick up a stick to kill a snake". So true....LOL
Thank you Johnny 😀
Kudos to the late Mr. Hicks and his commitment to his duty to provide for his family in the face of a life-altering injury.
He was one tough man 😀 Thank you for watching!
My daddy is 94. I love sitting with him and listening to the stories. Mamas family is from the Murphy Bear Paw area. A lot of the family is buried there. I love listening to the stories from our elders. They are so wise and loving.
The Lord has blessed her. If my mom were alive today she'd be about the same age.
Thank you Kelly!
What an extraordinary person.
Thank you Margaret 😀
I’m so enjoying your channel! She is precious! Enjoyed all her stories! I’m a new subscriber in my 60’s and my grandparents who lived in the Appalachia mountains and the coal mines of TN would tell me stories much like her stories, times were simple and faith and family was everything. I loved to sit and ask questions and listen to how they lived, manage families, cooked and how God guided their lives, their wisdom was priceless!
Very good interview! I look forward to each of your videos, including your daughters!
Blessings!
Thank you so much 😀
What a pleasure it is to listen to folks like her. Thank you.
What a blessing! Loved hearing all her memories!💖
What an interesting story.
To get to hear these stories is like listening to a history book.
I see why you won your award!
Bringing Appalachian History to life.
Sister Tipper, my brother had a good friend named Paul Junaluska probably bout 40 years ago. He was a Cherokee and his family was from there. It's strange you are doing this interview with this awesome woman. Me and my grandaughter or going on vacation this weekend and one of the things I am going to do Is interview my aunt which ought to ne interesting. Loved the video yall take care.
I'm so glad you're going to interview her 😀
❤️ this! Thank you Tipper. She is just amazing. Still such a solid mind. I’m honored to hear her.
My dad was born in 1930 and passed last year. He was a world of wisdom and knowledge. And interesting…..my maternal side traces back to the Hicks, Hix, Hixson family. And we’re from from that area. My grandmother was born in 1896 and was a Davis. Paternal side - Fryars.
Trace your history fellow watchers. It’s important to know from whence you came.
Thx again friend!
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
I absolutely adore listening to older folks telling about their life, what they've seen, heard, done, & what life was like "back then". Thanks for letting us hear this remarkable woman.
Mrs. Hicks reminds me of my Grandma's generation. Those ladies can teach you much if you will listen to them.
I'm so glad you are able to record/video wonderful stories like this that tell of days gone past. Elders are such a wealth of knowledge & they can tell you stories in a way that you can just see them in your mind's eye. Thank you & I look forward to more from Ms. Hicks. Hugs!
Wow. 96 years old (same age as queen Elizabeth ll). I love hearing stories like hers, first account histories. 😊
Thank you for the interviews of people that can take you back to days of old.
So glad you enjoy them 😀
She is the cutest lady ever. And still remembers things. Thank you for sharing part of her story today. Can't wait to see more of her.
Precious interview. I was fortunate to get an interview with my grandma when she was 94 just before she passed. So much knowledge and other info we can get from our elders if we'd only listen to them. I look forward to the future parts of this!!!
Charming discussion and wonderful insights. Thanks to you both! 🙏🏼♥️
Your Appalachian Interviews are priceless, Tipper, and this one with Granny Hicks is no exception. I'm looking forward to hearing more from her.
So glad you enjoy them 😀
This is fabulous!!! Thank you!!! Please bring us more of these elders and their stories- they are priceless!
What a wonderful interview. Her husband was sure a strong willed and tough man. That was definitely a miracle that he made it through the accident much less going on and living a full life working and supporting his family. He knew they needed him and he wasn’t going to let them down was he. What a beautiful story. ❤️
My Great Aunt Bertha married a Hicks man from where my people come from in Alabama. This is going to be a wonderful series. Be blessed.
Tipper, she’s an alert 96 year old lady! I enjoyed this first part of your interview with her.
Wow her mind is sharp as a tack. Loved listening to her. Please tell her thank you for sharing part of her life with us!
Oh. MY. This is such a gift- simply priceless to have these interviews with Miss Grannie. Wowwww. Thanks to you both. Looking forward to this!
What an amazing woman. She is sharp as a tack.
Aww, she sounds almost exactly like my paternal grandmother did. She grew up in the mountains of Kentucky. ❤
What a sweet lady. She reminds me of my Great Grandmother and Great Aunts that we would visit when I was younger. I loved listening to both of you chat.
I love hearing stories from our elders! Wish I had asked my grandma more questions. She was born in 1880’s
I love them too 😀
What a Lovely Elder. Enjoyed her stories. Thanks for sharing. She enjoyed your visit I am sure.
Miss Rachel is a treasure, I look forward to more chats.🙏🏻🌻💛🌻 Tipper such a great idea to get these chats recorded, she seems to remember a whole lot of details, just so sweet !! Thank you ladies!
What a lovely lady, looking forward to the next visit with her. God Bless. Jean
I enjoyed so very much. Such a precious lady . Thank you for sharing.
What a precious lady! Loved hearing her 🌸
What an amazing woman and historian! These are the kinds of people I loved talking to in assisted livings, nursing homes, etc. I was a nurse and geriatrics is my favorite. Now I’m almost there myself.. ha
What a wonderful, sweet, lady, who is so interesting to listen to. I really enjoy these kinds of interviews. They are so real, and it gives you so much insight as to how they really lived. ♥️🙏🏼🙏🏼
I was so excited when I saw the title of this video. I’m in my late 60’s and love to learn new things from the old ways. I, absolutely, find this type of video to be my favourite. Your are compiling history and sharing it with us. I can’t think of a more precious gift! The content of your videos is the best, thank you so much ch Tipper!
Love these in person interviews Tipper. What a lovely, sweet lady. Her mind is so sharp. I look forward to hearing more of her story.
So glad you enjoyed it! She is amazing 😀
I enjoyed this so much and just love this dear lady. I look forward to hearing more of her story! You're so sweet as an interviewer, Tipper, so well-brought up yourself. 🙌🏼
Thank you so much!
Proof God has been and still working miracles in our lives. This was awesome!
It was a wonderful miracle 😀
Thank you so much... what a blessing to hear this history 🤗❤️
God bless Mrs. Hicks!
Thank you for bringing her into our lives, Tipper!
Thank you Roland 😀
What a sweetheart she is. So glad you’re getting her storytelling. Really enjoyed it. She’s still pretty sharp if you ask me.