96 Year Old Mountain Woman | Train Travel, Working in a Boarding House, & Draft Deferment in WW2
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- Опубликовано: 12 окт 2022
- This video is part of 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.
Go here to view the rest of this series: • 96 Year Old Mountain W...
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These firsthand life accounts are such a historical treasure. So glad you have them on a permanent record for generations to come. ❤
Tell Mrs. Hicks THANK YOU from all of us, please. Her recollections are precious to hear and she is a lovely person. 🙌🏼 💓
I have always loved talking to the older generation. For 96, she has a great memory. Beautiful lady. God bless you
Tipper, thank you so much for sharing these interviews with lovely Miss Hicks. I'm 33 and my paternal grandmother died at 86 last year and every video with Miss Hicks reminds me of the times we sat down like this and talked for hours. Each video has made me think of things I wish I could ask her now but I'm so very thankful that I had the time with her I did. I'm thankful that I was lucky enough to have her here with me into adulthood because I finally became wise enough these last few years to realize what a treasure these old stories are and how important it is to hear all about the history of my family. I spent hours and hours, often until midnight, just sitting and talking with Gram about her past and learning all about her life and my family. Especially her 12 elder siblings, most of whom died while I was still young. We're from Massachusetts so our customs and history may differ some, but the love and fondness with which our elders tell their stories is the same everywhere. Sorry for ramble, I felt the need to share so you know how special these videos really are to many of us. Not only do we get to hear a wonderful story in its own right, but so many of the comments below show that these videos also make most of us think of our own special memories. Thanks for that Tipper.
Thank you Jordan! I'm so glad you got to spend that time with your grandmother 😀
Miss Hicks just so precious. I hope I got her name right. Love listening to the elders talk about the way things use to be. People were more caring about others back then or so it seems. She reminds me of my grandmother.
She is so amazing 😀 Thank you Linda!
@@CelebratingAppalachia Love hearing all of you. My GRAM was born in W.VA. Coal Town. Try a little cinnamon in your corn bread. You may like it.
Ms. Hicks is just divine. I'm glad you're sharing these conversations Tipper.
She really is! Thank you Margaret 😀
I noticed Rachel's daughter assisted you by giving her mother a few prompts during the interview, Tipper! Just another example of the Appalachian ideal of pitching in whenever you feel your assistance might be welcomed.
I could sit and listen to her talk for hours. This is something I feel like the young people today are missing out on. History, heritage & homesteading.
I could too 😀
The sound of the clock ticking in this video is so comforting and brings back memories of my grandmother's house and her winding the clock.
I feel like I’m sitting there in the living room with y’all. Thank you for sharing this interview.
I'm glad-thank you Tammy 😀
Miss Hicks talking about homemade soups, cornbread and buttermilk brought back memories of my mom fixing soups with cornbread and my dad drinking buttermilk with his cornbread, but he would crumble the cornbread in the buttermilk. She is such a sweet lady and her mind is sharp as can be. Thank you for sharing her stories with us!
So glad you enjoyed it 😀
Love love love this woman!
Cant get enough of your interviews!
This woman is especially compelling to me.
Thank you.
This lady might have quit school in 6th grade, but she is very intelligent! You can tell she kept reading and educating herself and it doesn’t mean anything that she only went to 6th grade. That was a different world then and she kept on learning!
I love this woman!
The cc’s always amaze me about this area where you see their work and places they built to stay etc.
She is sharp as a tack!
Tipper, if you can ever interview jeff Darnell at Darnell farms, he can tell you a lot about fontana dam and the war effort etc. I’ve heard bits n pieces and it’s an amazing story!
That’s a story - fontana- I’d think should be told. The gsmnp and the dam/etc
I remember reading about many who lost their homes and got what little they could n put it in the bank in bryson city n the depression came along n the bank went under with their money it….
Its a rabbit hole….
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Always nice when an elderly is sharing stories. At 96, she's awesome 👍
Thank you for sharing this. I could sit and talk with her all day ♥️ We can learn so much from our elders. I enjoyed this 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it! 😀
I sure miss those days. I sure wish wisdom can return once again. Even that is not too much to ask.
Thank you sharing this with us Tipper
Glad you enjoyed it Charles!!
What a wonderful Lady. I would love to spend hours, if not days, just listening to her talk about the old times. So much of our mountain history is being lost every day by the passing of these people that lived it day by day. Thank you for such a wonderful conversation.
Luv listening to Ms Hicks recount her life stories! Tk u for sharing these stories w/ us, but more importantly, for recording & preserving these stores/history!
So glad you enjoyed it Johnny 😀
When she said "well, honey..." while explaining the train, I was SLAMMED back into a memory of talking with my great grandma about things in her past. As before, I just find this lady and her memories DELIGHTFUL. Thank you so much for talking with her.
She's just a treasure! Thank you Tipper for these interviews!
So glad you enjoy them 😀
I love your interviews with Mrs. Hicks! She looks & sounds like she would be the sweetest thing! I love her dialect & how soft-spoken her voice is & the distant look & sparkle her eyes get when she starts talking about those long ago memories. It’s like you can see her reliving all those precious memories all over again in her mind! She may not be able to recall each & every name or minuscule detail….but, you can tell that it is all very vivid in her minds eye! What a wise & learned gem she is! You are very fortunate to be able to spend these special moments with her & to be given the opportunity to record these conversations with Mrs. Hicks for future generations to be able to learn from & reflect back on. God bless you, Tipper…& God bless you, too, Mrs. Hicks.
Lord have mercy such an honor to hear this woman, that generation is now far and in between, beautiful history.... amazing Miss Tipp ❤️
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
I think it is something how Mrs. Hicks remembers things as much as she does !!! I am in my 70's and have been writing things down for a streamyard to do live chats so then my children or grandchildren will see what I look like and what I went through in life !!! I think for all of us it would be grand for us to leave a bit of us behind for them !!!
Miss Hicks is a walking history book! What a treasure trove of area history she has become. The video captures how much you enjoyed spending time with her, Tipper. Thousands of viewers around the globe can enjoy and appreciate her through your lens. Well done!
Thank you Roland! She is amazing 😀
My grandfather was in the CCC. He was trained out to Triangle Lake, Oregon. The train stopped in St. Louis and he bought a Kodak camera and documented his time in the CCC. I have all those photographs and that camera now.
When I was working in the Smokies, I created a guided Ranger hike to remnants of a CCC camp near Sugarlands. There were several scattered throughout Great Smoky Mountains NP.
God loves you Granny Hicks and we all love you to thank you Tipper for sharing this video .granby Hicks is a wonderful teller of story s thank you so much granny hicks and thank you Tipper
Thank you Tim 😀
Love hearing the talks you have with precious Mrs. Hicks! Reminds me of sitting in the living room listening to mama & daddy talk about their growing up, when they were first married, daddy being in WWII, all the things they did to try to make a living. My mama went to be with Jesus on Dec 3rd, 2001; daddy followed not long after on May 23, 2004. Mama was 80 when she passed & daddy would've been 84 if he'd made it to July 13th, his birthday. I miss them terribly every day. Listening to Mrs. Hicks brings back wonderful memories! Thank you, Tipper! You're a blessing to so many of us! Hugs from VA! 🙏💗🦋🌻
I appreciate you Debbie 😀
It’s so wonderful to hear her talk.
I love it too 😀
She’s so Cute. She said “ shucks” when she was trying to remember. Precious ❤
I take pleasure in listening to elders. People who can listen well can always learn things from them we never knew or had forgot. 🍒Thanks for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it 😀
Wow. This interview is so interesting, such a lovely lady - and such stories! The Fontana Dam, the war days, family traditions... shaking my head. Thanks to all involved.
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
Such a sweet lady, ever since I was young I gravitated to the elderly. God bless her.
I just love hearing her talk 😊
I love your visit's with the older People. I started babysitting at 8 and 9. Thank you for all you do. God Bless. Jean
What a jewel you have with these interviews with Rachel. Please save them all for posterity. Her mind is sharp and her recall amazing.
Mrs Hicks is so sharp. She is so smart!!!!!!I love her stories. What a precious gift 🎁
Thanks Tipper.
Interesting and brings back memories of my step in granma, my dad brought all of us out from Holland in 1956.
Rest of family stayed in Holland and no granma here in Australia.
Our Granma lived just shy of 100, passed in 1994, razor sharp mind right up to her passing.
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
Ms. Hicks is sharing history here, I’m loving listening. Parts of her talk are reminiscent of Dorie: woman of the mountains with feeding the boarders and the logging. She’s a treasure and you’re conversational skills keep the stories flowing🍁💛🍁
I thought of Dorie too 😀
Miss Rachel Hicks is such a beautiful soul. She reminds me so much of my great Aunt Annie from NC. I find myself watching Miss Rachel as she's talking about her youth and imagining her lovely face as a young woman. She's made of the strong stuff women had to be years gone by and oftentimes these days too, just....in a different way. Each generation a bit different then the one before. I bet she has some wonderful photos of her and her family or friends? If she'd like to share, that'd be great and if not, please thank her for this time we're spending learning about her life. And thank you, Tipper, for bringing it to us.
Reminds me so much of my Grandma Vertie Cooke. She was related to the Hicks family. I could almost cry watching and listening to her talk about her younger days.
My goodness Mrs Hicks is the sweetest thing. She has all her memories still amazing. Listening to her makes me miss my Momma so much. She passed away 6 months ago and I still am grieving so much. Much love from Vancouver BC ❤️
I'm sorry you lost her!!
@@CelebratingAppalachia thanks that's sweet. She loved listening to you read Dorie. Thanks for sharing the story with us.
Enjoyed Ms. Hicks’ conversation about the Peavine and Ritter and the CCC.
I always loved sitting around and talking and asking questions to my elderly kin. A person learns a lot.
The sound of the clock makes for a more interesting listen. Thank you for sharing.
Agree
So glad you enjoyed it 😀
What a precious soul. Granny Hicks is “sharp as a tack”. I wanted to climb through my screen and join y’all. This inspired me for an idea for our next family reunion. Video history! And let everyone share their stories and memories so we can compile them into a catalog for our families and to pass down. If we don’t tell our stories, no one else will. Thanks Tipper for what you do.
That will be so wonderful for your family 😀
What a sweet lady I just love listening to there stories because they lived through some hard times and I know they got some stories to tell …god bless her 🥰
She is amazing! At 96 she has a remarkable memory! I love to hear her talk about the garden and what they like to eat.
Wow what a treasure of a person Miss Hicks is her memory is quite sharp for her age! I LOVE hearing stories of the way things used to be.
Miss Hicks has so much knowledge. It’s a pleasure to listen to her stories. I bet she cooked up some delicious meals just like you Tipper.
You are so kind-thank you Rhonda 😀
This is history. I am amazed at the knowledge we can seek from our elders. The CC camps planted entire Forrests, built bridges and did so much for our country, I admire that time. I am from the northern part of our country. Let us not forget each region of our country is spectacular in some beautiful way. I have learned so much about Appalachia from you and I love every minute of it. Thanks Tipper and all who are involved.
My Grandma was born in 1926, I wish I had asked her more questions and recorded her somehow! She's been gone for 11yrs and I miss her everyday still!
My Granny [Mama's side] died when I was about 11. She was in her early 80s. She had gotten ovarian cancer, which spread all over. She died there in the hospital and I was too young to go up to her room to even say goodbye to her. I never knew my Granddaddy [Mama's daddy] because he died before I was born. I sure feel cheated out of the stories they could've told me.
Thank you for the video.and thank you Mrs.Hicks for visiting with us and telling us about your life .I love the time spent with you .
She is amazing. Her memories are so detailed with all the names and places. Thanks for sharing
Her explanation of directions is better than Google maps🙃 I always eat slaw on my hotdogs. And I agree with her nothing better than picking blackberries. I have them all over my property and pick them every year.
Enjoyed this! She is such a treasure! I could listen to her stories all day! Thanks tipper! Appreciate y'all. God bless..🙏❤
What a wonderful blessing... thanks 🤗❤️
Maybe Mrs. Hicks is thinking about Rainbow Springs. She insisted it was Springs not Stairs. There was a big lumbering operation at Rainbow Springs back in those times. There is still a Rainbow Springs Road but I don't know about the community. It may have faded away. It shows up in census records in Macon County. I think it was up on the mountain near where 64 crosses over into Clay County. A little bit west of Standing Indian. Southeast of Nantahala Lake.
Thank you Papaw! 😀
I love these videos, God bless this precious lady!
Thanks for another installment with Mrs. Hicks! 😊 I so enjoy hearing her tell of her life. 🌻
My Dad was born the same year in the Appalachia Mtns of NC (he was born at home & didn't have a birth certificate)...he's passed away while back ..he went to work at the age of 11...sent the money home to his grandmother who raised her own children and his own brothers & sisters...(his mom had died)...He even worked at the CCC Camps in TN when he became a teenager.
He joined the army and had lied about his age and said he was 18 (when he actually had just turned 17). He had gotten two purple hearts in WW2 ..
Your father was a great man.
Cindy he sounds amazing! So glad you had him 😀
I am not an admirer of the CCC projects, but it was nice to see what Mrs. Hicks could tell us about society.
No one can tell history like the ones that lived it.Miss Hicks sure has some good history to tell.
So true 😀
Bless you for making these recordings! I've often wished I had done something like this with my grandparents. So much knowledge and so many resources we loose with the older generations.
Ms. Hicks is such A Sweet, Wise Interesting Lady! I Enjoy Your Interviews with Her! My Mother Loved Buttermilk too & my Papa loved Cornbread & Milk!Thank you For Sharing about Ms. Hicks Life, Ms. Tipper! I Wii’s She would have Written a Book 📖 about her Life!
Love listening to Mrs. Hicks. Thank you for these interviews.
God bless you and yours Ms. Hicks. It has been a joy listening to your beautiful life!
Another great visit with Miss Hicks 💞 She’s SO incredibly sharp 😮 and remembers the smallest of details. Amazing!
I wish I had her memory 😀
Thank you for these interviews ! What a delightful woman ! 😊 I love hearing stories from back in the day.
My grandmother was born in 1933 ( she passed away in 2008 ) and lived in Floyd Co - VA. She didn't talk much about her past while she was alive because she had a pretty traumatic childhood and went through a lot to be so young, but luckily she was adopted by a really nice family ( who became a huge part of our family ) and I ended up finding out a lot about her life growing up through talking with elders in Floyd Co and researching genealogy.
So glad you were able to learn about her 😀
I love this soo much. Thank you Rachel and Tipper. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
My friend, Basil Water's mother, taught me some Appalachia cooking. She loved buttermilk and cornbread, and my husband loved a recipe she taught me baking sweet potato chunks with fresh coconut mixed with it. It was delicious!
Sounds great!
3Love listening to her talk. I also love listening to your mom talk, she talked and looks like my late mother-in-law who passed away a couple of years ago at 96.Thanks again Tipper for another great video! 🙏👍
Glad you enjoyed this one 😀
Riter lumber company took a lot of timber in Virginia where I was from also. A few years ago I found a pamphlet at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Riter Lumber Company was making and selling Toilet Paper. I guess they have their fingers in everything by now. Awesome video thanks for sharing.
thank you for sharing. what a precious soul. GOD BLESS ALL.
Our pleasure!
It's great listening to her with the clock ticking, I remember riding on trains as a lad. I remember telling my mom about a deja vu that I had in the feather river canyon, she told me that we came to California via train from WV and held me up to the window to see all the water falls, I was only 6mo old. So we do remember things at a very young age. Amazing.
Love that 😀
Such a special lady! Always look forward to listening to her! Thanks Tipper
Thank you Frank 😀
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to break out the fire starters and firewood for this video. That's how relaxing it is.
Thank you for posting this. I love to hear about how things were back then. Have a great evening. :)
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
Bless her heart.
I love listening to Miss Hicks. I was thinking if the young men today were told that they would have to enter a world war when they were done building a dam , that dam would never get finished, and these young patriotic men finished it early !
I often think how alike my daughter’s and my life were. I’m in my 60s and she is in her 30s . She grew up in the same area and lived the same childhood that l lived. Went to the same candy store on bikes with her friends, same schools, church , very little has changed except no more Woolworths, a meeting place for my generation. Where as there was great change between my mothers generation ( she died a yr ago at 97) and mine .. no phones , tv , etc. Now there is quite a bit of change with my grandsons, they don’t ride bikes after school , their elementary school is 2 blocks from the house , but all the parents and my husband or me walk the kids to school and back and look out for each other’s children bc of strangers . There is a full time off duty police officer with a gun in the schools now. ( They in a beautiful town not the city ) . It’s a very different and unhealthy way of growing up. Miss Hicks, you and l and our girls were blessed , to have the last carefree childhood.
This is where we get our real history.
Thank you for sharing. Nice to hear history from the area.
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
Precious living history!
Lol literally eating a big mess of soup as we speak. It was time to clear out some veggies combined with a cool rainy day. I love playing with the seasonings. Our taste tends towards spice and a lot of garlic & onions. Restaurants taste bland to me. Lol I have been known to forget to tone it down when making food for others. 🤣 I was mortified the first time I cooked for my son's girl. It was a family favorite and I cooked it normally. I asked if everything was okay because she hadn't really eaten. She was polite and said it's fine Mrs P, I'm just not very hungry. My son told me after he dropped her home that it was "ungodly " spicy for her 🥵
That soup sounds good 😀
What a wonderful segment. I especially loved her talk about cornbread and milk. The biggest debate between my grandparents was always whether to have “milk and bread” with buttermilk or “sweet milk.” Personally, I’m team “sweet milk.”
Sure reminds me of my Great Grandma. From Coeburn, VA I think she was born 1882
God bless her! 😘😘
My Dad worked with the CCC Camp, Hiwassee Dam and Fontana Dam .
I had a Grandpa and Grandma working in Oakridge Tenn. When making the bomb. My grandma was teaching school my Grandpa was a foreman in a machine shop.
My Grandmother only went to school until she was 6 b/c she was needed in the fields.
Awesome history lesson. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it 😀
Great video! I love hearing her stories. I love listening to your Mother too🥰
She's really still sharp! Wise to.
She is so sharp 😀
This reminds me of my dad he lied to get in the cc camp he was only 16 and when he turned 17 went to the army for ww 2 and that age followed him the rest of his life so he went to work at Norge witch made home appliances and finely whirlpool bought Norge out sometime later he went up to retire and the lady told him Mr Lewis u won't be able to retire u have one more year dad had to explain all to her. I sure miss the old stories. Oh yeah this was in fortsmith arkansas. God bless !!!
Thank you Charlie 😀
This is really cool about the Ritter train. We have a Ritter Lumber Company Store in our county in Southeast Texas.
Thank You Tipper, she's so interesting. 💕
She is fascinating 😀
I just found ur channel AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! UT REMINDS ME OF MY MOM AND MY GRANDMA. AND GROWING UP IN THE SUMMERS AT MY GRANDMA'S HOUSE AROUND ALL THE OLD FOLK W NO AIR CONDITIONER AND CHURCH REVIVALS. LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT U R KEEPING THIS PRECIOUS STYLE OF LIBING AND TALKING ALIVE, AND UR GIRLS ARE PRECIOUS AND FUNNY!
Welcome and thank you 😀
Gold.
Thanks for sharing these interviews! Love listening to stores and facts from years ago!
Precious memories remembered ♥️
My grandpa and dad’s middle name was Hicks after the dr that delivered my grandpa🙂
Such a wealth of knowledge and such a sweet lady.