Betty Jane O’Neal Swallows Tells About Her Life
January 19, 1986.
(Betty or as we called her ‘Granny’ was visiting in our home.
The entire Carden family was gathered around and listened as she told some
of her memories. She had, had several strokes that kept her from
remembering as much perhaps as she could have. I taped her story
on a tape recorder and later transcribed it to paper. Parentheticals
are editorial comments from the transcriber or comments from the listeners,
the rest are her words.
-- Trisha Swallows Carden, her daughter)
My name is Betty Jane O'Neal Swallows. All I remember of my childhood
is that I was born in Petersburgh, TN to Myrtle Christine O'Neal and Curtis
O'Neal. All I remember of my childhood is when we had fish one Saturday
night for supper and I swallowed a bone. It lodged in my throat and
they had the doctor remove it.
And I also remember one time when I was, oh, about three years old I
went across the road to our neighbors' home. They had a calf and
they put me on him and let me ride him. It was sure fun. And
on the way home I went to cross the road and a car came down the road and
ran over me. I was hurt bad. I remember that.
And I also remember when I was small my mother built us a little fireplace
beside a chimney outside in the yard and she brought her skillets and things
out there for us to use that she didn't use. We fried potatoes and
things like that out there. (Patricia--"You really did cook?")
Yeah! We sure did and had a good time. My sister Julia and myself.
That's all I remember.
Until the day we were moving somewhere, I don't know where it was, but
I was in the truck, I mean I was in the car with mother and daddy.
And Judy was in the truck with the movers. And all at once the truck
went off the hill and all our furniture turned over down this steep hill.
And all I remember was seeing my little rocking chair hanging in one of
the trees.
And, uh, that's all I remember, and then I remember the day my father
brought us to my grandmothers, Rev. S. M. Ensor, Simon Monroe Ensor in
Springfield, TN to live. I was four years old, Judy was seven.
And mother had a dollar and something in her pocket, that was all she had;
to her name. And she raised us.
(Patricia-- "Do you remember growing up at Muddie and Umpa's?")
I sure do. We had a wonderful time! Muddie and Umpa were wonderful
to us. That's my grandmother Dora Angeline Isabell Ensor, and her
name's, I called her Muddie. And my grandfather Simon Monroe Ensor,
I called him Umpa. (Patricia -- "How did they get those names?")
I don't have any idea. But that's what I called them, Muddie and
Umpa.
They were wonderful to me. They were like Mother and Father to
me. Because that's all I had. And every time I misbehaved at
home, mother would send me to Muddie and Umpas'. And I didn't care
what I did because I loved to go. I really enjoyed it. We had
a ball.
Billy was home. See. Because he was just two years older
than me. And he and I were just like brother and sister. And
we played. And rode the old horse. And we had to gather everything
naturally. We gathered tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, squash, They had
cantaloupes and watermelons by the bushels. And apples. You've
never in your life seen the like of apples.
And I remember Muddie, she had a canning machine. It canned in
cans. She would fix us the vegetables and stuff in cans. In
tin cans. And Umpa would seal them. With some kind of sealer
thing that put the top on them. It was wonderful. And she had
this pantry under the staircase. With the glass front doors to it.
And I mean it was stocked full. She canned everything from grapes
to green beans. And then she had a freezer.
Oh, and then let me tell you this. She made me cottage cheese.
I loved, See I wouldn't eat bacon and tomato sandwiches. Cause I
couldn't eat tomatoes. Cause when I was two years old, I loved them.
But they would break me out. I just broke out all over in solid,
with mettle rash, they called it then. I don't know what they call
it now. But I broke out all over with mettle rash. So they
wouldn't let me have any more tomatoes. They scared me away from
them, so now I can't stand them. So Muddie made me cottage cheese.
Oh, and I had cottage cheese and cucumber sandwiches.
They were delicious. To me they were wonderful. And I remember
Muddie and Umpa.
And I remember when I married Odis. Odis Unley Swallows.
I was sixteen, one month sixteen. And he was eighteen. He was
home (cough, laugh) on leave from the army. Ha! Ha! A.W.O.L.!!
But nobody caught him. So we was alright. So six days after
he's home, on Easter Sunday. And I was on my way to school.
And I got to school. And somebody told me as I was coming into the
school that Odis was home. And I couldn't believe it. And Martha
Ward Smith, a friend of mine, put me in her car and drove like wild back
up Main Street and met him coming along there in front of Judge Johnson's
great big old home. And he and I jumped out of
the car...and he grabbed me and kissed me. Oh, I was so happey to
see him. And six days later we were married. I was one month
sixteen. He was eighteen.
And I never will forget, when we went to Muddie and Umpas' on Sunday.
And Umpa says, "Well, I don't care if you married a Baptist, I know Odis
is a good man." And he Says, "All I can say is I'm sorry you didn't
let me marry you." And then I had Odis Unley Swallows the second,
Jr. And we enjoyed him. And then four years later Patricia
was born. We lived in a little house over on the hill, we called
it. The children loved it cause they could get out behind the house,
all in the woods and play. They loved it, but boy I mean you could
throw cats through it.
And Patricia was born there. She was the prettiest little thing
I ever did see. And she still is. (Andy--"That's my mom.")
Tell them about it Andy. And lets see.
(Patricia--"Tell us about the time you were visiting Aunt Edna and one
of her sons was home from the war.") I was up in Livingston,
TN spending the summer with my Aunt Edna. My mother's sister.
And R.B. came home from the Marines.
Well, he was a wing ding. R. B. was. He was known to sip
a little whiskey. If he had it. And he had it. Cause
he had it hid. Although Aunt Edna didn't know it. But I knew
it. Then one day Aunt Edna decided to clean his room. R. B.
didn't know that. He was out hoeing in the garden. And, so
we were cleaning his room. And she found one of the bottles of whiskey.
She said "Betty, You do down stairs, go out into the garden, carry this
to R.B. and pour it out on the ground in front of him." And I had
to do it. And I did it. He said, "Betty, please don't, please
don't, pour it out Betty, please don't." Ha, Ha, Ha. And I poured
it. Kept pouring it till it was all gone. I told him, "I can't
help it R. B., Aunt Edna made me do it. And that's all I remember.
So there you are.
Disclaimer: The purpose of this Web Page is to share information
for the purpose of research. I have not proved documentation of all
genealogy material, nor have I kept source notes as I should. But
I had lots of fun and met some great people along the way..
, and I shall try to correct them.