Mary Ellen and Toby Lonzo were married in 1905. They mostly lived in the Welcome Home Community although in the 1940's they moved to Witts Springs. But the events she is describing would have taken place when they lived at Welcome Home. I think it was probably the same for most all the families out on the mountain. They raised most everything they ate except for salt, sugar, soda to make biscuits and a few other spices and sometimes flour. Grandma said there was one time she did not go into Marshall for five years. Grandpa would take the team and wagon and go in once or twice a year to buy supplies. They raised corn and took it to the gristmill to have it ground into cornmeal. The charge for the grinding was a portion of the meal. No one had money to pay for that kind of services. It was the same for the crew of men who came around to thresh wheat or squeeze the juice out of the cane for molasses. They were paid so much of the yield. The was a peddlers wagon that was a "store on wheels" that came through that had a large variety of items for sale. In addition to food it had fabric for dresses and shirts, thread, ribbons and other kinds of "notions". The "peddler" as grandma called him also bought eggs and some other produce. Sometimes they had to pay cash but other times he would take the eggs or produce in trade. He had a regular route and they could usually know within a day when the peddler was going to come so they could save up things to sell. On a lighter note they had lots of fun also. There was church (mostly in the school house) every Sunday and usually family or neighbors came home with them for Sunday dinner. Brush arbor revivals in the summer. For the younger people there were parties and dances. By this time school was being held in the winter. There would be "sings" and spelling bees at the school where everyone young and old took part. This was when you could still homestead land and they had "house" raisings and "barn" raising so the family could "prove up" on the land. TRANSCRIPT OF TAPE MADE BY MARY ELLEN HARNESS HOLSTED Grandma, tell me about the things you raised. We know you raised chickens. You used chickens for their eggs and then you used them to eat, too. Oh yeah. Cook a big old fat hen, make dumplins oh that's good. Did you ever raise any other kind of animals-turkeys or geese I raised the geese and the ducks but I didn't cook em. What did you do with them? Throwed em away. No we didn't never kill none. What'd you raise em for then? We just sold them and the eggs-when we'd raise a big bunch like that we'd sell em. Where did you sell them A peddler came through and would buy em. The geese and the turkeys? The geese and the ducks? The geese and the ducks. Tell us what did you use their feathers on? That feather beds, feather pillers. Well, could you pick their feathers without killin them. Oh, yeah. We'd catch em up and pick em-they'd go "quack." Hold 'ere old heads under you arm and they'd bite cha while you're pickin them feathers-pull a handful and they'd go "quack" Did you ever try to cook a goose? Yeah Tried to cook a goose. Cooked it about a week. Threw it away-wadn't fit to eat. Well, Grandma, you just raised the geese for their feathers? Yeah. You can't pick geese in the wintertime. They'll freeze. You have to do it in the summer. (Yeah.) Did they did any of the feathers just drop out? Did you go through the yard and pick up dropped out feathers? Oh, no we'd catch them geese and put em in out lap, and put their head-old gander's head under your arm to keep from bitin' ya, and then he'd just bite to beat the band. You'd have to get a kid to come around hold their head while you picked em. 'At's right and I ain't jokin there. What about the ducks? They'd bite too, but they wadn't as bad as geese. Did you ever eat any duck eggs? Duck eggs? Why they're as good as any egg you ever seen. They're big aren't they? Yeah, they're a good bigger than a hen egg. They're kind of brown speckeldy. What about guineas? Did you ever raise guineas? Yeah I raised a few. I never did raise too many guineas. Well, what did you raise them for? Oh, Lord, Why them there guineas is as good as a chicken. Talkin about their eggs. Did you raise them to eat the eggs, too.? Well, yeah we tried to sell the guinea eggs. They're just a little strong for what a hen egg is. But you can sell em? Yeah. Or you could use em for cookin? Oh, yeah, that's what I used in my cookin and I'd save eggs to sell, ya know. Are they good boiled? Yeah.