Matewan Oral History Project Collection
Sc2003-135

Eveline Hatfield Interview

Becky Bailey: This is Becky Bailey for the Matewan Development Center, Thursday afternoon, August 3, 1989 at 2:30 in the afternoon I'm in the home of Mrs. Eveline Hatfield in Red Jacket.

Eveline Hatfield: Newtown.

B: Newtown, okay, sorry about that uh...my first question Mrs. Hatfield is would you give me your full maiden name and when you were born?

EH: Uh...Eveline Raticla, spelled R.A.T.C.L.A. I don't have to tell you this do I? laughing.

B: Could you give me around here or say were you born before 1920?

EH: Oh, no.

B: Say between 1920 and 1930?

EH: Nineteen...nineteen twenty around 1920 uh...we was from Red Jacket at one time.

B: And where was your family from originally?

EH: Well uh...my dad was from Virginia I'm not sure he was from around Bluefield, Virginia down in that part somewhere and my mommy Princeston up in there, they are still living.

J: And what was you mother's name?

EH: White.

B: White.

EH: Thelma White.

B: And your father's name was?

EH: William.

B: And you were originally born in McDowell County is that where your parents are living?

EH: Yel, in McDowell County, up at uh...what they call Wirth went to school at uh...Raugh Grade School.

J: How big of a school was that when you were in grade school?

EH: Oh, it was up to the sixth grade.

B: How many rooms was it?

EH: Oh, gosh I don't know it was uh...it was a two story school building I couldn't tell you how many rooms.

B: How far back did the family stories go about your ancestors were their say any stories from the Civil War or turn of the century?

EH: No, I don't know anything about 'em my grandpa my dad's dad lived in Bland Virginia and he operated uh...a mill it was out you know on the water and it ran by the big mill wheel and he uh...people would bring their corn there to be ground you know that's what he did and he had a sawmill too and my mom's dad was uh...he was a timberman he bossed they cut timber you know and uh...then they had uh...the mines had a big stable where they used the ponies the horses and he took care of them when for the mines there at Ashland.

B: I noticed before that you had an uncle that fought in WW I, do you know where he was in Europe?

EH: One of the pictures I have the only thing that I have is from Paris he was uh...a body guard for uh...was it Wilson.

B: Oh, Okay.

EH: Hmm! hmm...he was a body guard, he didn't do any fighting he just.

B: Did he ever tell you all stories about President Wilson or any of his activities?

EH: No, no, no he didn't because he was uh...he would come around, but I don't know he might have told my dad we were small he probably never did mention it and he uh...he worked on the railroad he was conductor on a rail...N & W railroad 'til he retired he used to come here a lot, but he never did talk anything about that you know.

B: How many other children did your parents have?

EH: I have two sisters and a brother, they was four of us two girls, three girls and a boy, one of my oldest sister dead.

B: Did your parents ever say whether or not anyone in your family got sick during the Flu epidemic that followed WW I?

EH: No, but I might have heard my mama say she can remember it in seeing lots of you know of people that did get sick, but as far as I know we never did, cause she never did mention anything about it, but said she saw lots of people you know that had were they'd have funerals for 'em you know, but not us not any of us.

B: What kind of games did you all play when you were in grade school I know you showed me your paper doll collection?

EH: That was past time you know which we all girls would get together and we'd play paper dolls uh...we played dolls, house I had when I was little I guess I had twenty-five, thirty dolls you know we'd just play dolls and uh...of course uh...as far as I know that's about it you know we played you know uh...in the evening all of everybody would get together and play hide-and-seek that's about it.

B: How long was your school day when you were in grade school? How long a day did you all have to stay in school?

EH: Just like they do now the same thing.

B: So it be about nine o'clock until three or eight until?

EH: 'Til four.

B: What did you all do for lunch when you were young in school?

EH: Well, I can't remember I guess we took our lunch cause we had to walk a little ways we probably took our lunch up there in McDowell County, but now Matewan when I went to Red Jacket when I first started going down there over in uh...I went in the old building that burned and we cooked in there we had uh...a kerosene stove and we made soup and had cocoa that's what we served every day then when I went in the other building the same thing they'd take two girls out of the class out of the that was Junior High School they'd take two girls out of the class every day and they we'd go down in the basement they had rough tables and benches and that's what we ate on.

B: Did you all have to pay for that or was it free?

EH: It was free I guess as far as I know.

B: Was Mrs. Hoskins principal at this time?

EH: Not at that time no.

B: Who was principal at that time?

EH: They was Mr. Eaul Hatfield and uh...Mr. Goff I got their pictures over there, but I can't find them I can't remember his first name.

B: Your father was a miner in McDowell?

EH: Hmm! he was uh...mine foreman, yel he was a mine foreman and the mines worked out and it belonged to the Red Jack...Ritter Lumber Company and they transferred him to Red Jacket and he was foreman down at Red Jacket.

B: When your father was a foreman did you all live in regular company housing or did you all have a slightly bigger house?

EH: We had a big one.

B: Okay.

EH: I'll tell ya which house when we came here we I showed you the picture of the big house we lived in up there then when he came we lived in the big house on the hill there uh...do you know where Goff White lived?

B: Hmm! hmm!

EH: The big house right up on the hill there the first big one on the hill we lived in this whole road there we lived in the first big one.

B: About what year did you all come? you came in 1929 is that what you said?

EH: Around about that time, when they moved us they moved us from up there and they pushed a boxcar on the side track of the store, cause we lived just almost in front see, then they put all the furniture in that and we got the train into Matewan and they kept our furniture in a boxcar and when it came it went to the store down there and they company trucks just unloaded it and carried it and put it in the house.

B: Do you know about how much your father made back then as a foreman?

EH: No, I have no idea.

B: What stands out in your mind about the great depression is there anything that you think of that you remember?

EH: I don't know, I don't know I just don't know.

B: You know sometimes people will remember say the hobo's coming through their area or you know people looking for work or?

EH: I can't remember that.

B: Did your father work pretty steadily through the depression?

EH: He worked all the time, I never did you know being a mine foreman I guess he had to be around the mines all the time.

B: How far had he gone in school? Did he was he a high school graduate?

EH: I don't know I have no idea, we had a car at that time when we was little we went we would go on picnics to Lake Shawnee be gone all day Sunday, picnic and swim had and uh...I guess that's how we spent our time you know. My grandma didn't live too far away she lived about four miles we spent a lot of time with her.

B: What kind of car did you all have? Do you remember what it look like?

EH: Yeah, it uh...in fact I've got a picture of it over there its uh...I don't know what make it is, but it was had the kind of curtains you had to snap in you know I don't know what kind it was though, when it rained you had to hurry and get your curtains and snap 'em on the side to keep the rain out you know.

B: Oh, my goodness.

EH: the cold out.

B: Was it a convertible or a hard top vehicle?

EH: No, no it was a cloth top then they had a cloth top and uh...it was it had two seats it was you know it was a big car.

B: When you were young did you all have a radio or victrola?

EH: We had a radio, piano player...piano played rows.

B: Did they have that already by the time you were born or do you remember?

EH: Yel, I can remember it all time if fact my mom played the piano and her sister went to when she finished she well they only went a couple of days agreed then she went off to a school and she took music and could really play, because she had gone to school to learn my mom played my her sister gave music lessons which I've had to take from her. cause I was forced to do it, yeah we all had to piano lessons, because the family all played the piano.

B: We've heard stories that families used to uh...to sing and everyone played an instrument or you know families did things together?

EH: Well, the piano is the only thing I know that was ever played, my grandma had she had uh...piano of course back then grandma's only they had a living room and sort of like a den now you'd have a family room then they had a living room you didn't go in and she had her piano in there which we weren't allowed very often in there cause, that was the living room you didn't go in there unless they had company and uh...we weren't allowed in that part of the house we could go in the family room, but that was as far as we could go and sometimes we'd slip in there and where the piano was you know like to play it, but now when my mom we had one we could go in anytime we had a family room and then a living room we had the rows that you put on a claire and trumpet you know and uh...in fact I still got the cabinet out yonder.

B: Where did you all get the rows for the player piano when you play those songs?

EH: I don't know where she got 'em, unless she bought 'em at the store I have no idea where she got 'em.

B: Did you all shop at the company store then when your father worked for the company?

EH: We...we did all our grocery buying there I guess she did and uh...bought material and I used to we bought of course she'd buy our coats, but I don't know where she get 'em, but we would buy uh...material and we have to go to grandma's and stay all day and let her fit us and cut 'em out make us a dress you know which she was really she made pretty dresses.

B: How did she fit you all? Did she have measuring tape or what, how did she make your dresses?

EH: I don't know I don't know if she had a tape or not anyway she measured some way.

B: Would she make a pattern or did she just cut the material?

EH: No, she'd make her own pattern she'd look and make her own pattern.

B: What kind of uh...candies and things like that did you like when you were a little girl? What were the candies that everybody?

EH: I don't know what they were, but it was all loose candy, I don't know what kind uh...maybe I just wut'en know what kind it was it was all just all loose candy like you buy you didn't...didn't buy it wut'en wrapped it was just loose you just had to go buy it and they'd put it in a bag for you.

B: Did you all have soda pop when you were a little girl? Were you ever allowed to drink soda pop?

EH: Uh...uh...I can't remember if we had any or not seems to me like we did some time we always made our own ice cream I know that my dad had a big wooden thing crate thing you turned you put rice in it we made our own ice cream.

B: What was your favorite flavor? What kind of flavors did they make?

EH: Well, I imagine banana seems me like was bananas what we had like.

B: How did you all celebrate Christmas? What would you all do say on a Christmas when you were growing up?

EH: Oh, we had a tree it just had ornaments on it, but no lights nothing else you know you just had the ornaments on it we always had a tree and had to cut it had to go cut your own tree.

B: Did you all have Santa Clause when you were little?

EH: Yeah.

B: Did you put up a sock or a stocking or anything?

EH: We put up socks we had the whole thing.

B: How about the fourth of July? How did you all celebrate the fourth of July?

EH: Oh, great that was the big day you had flags all over the place I can remember my mom used to have a tiny flags and she'd take a big potato and she stick that clear full of flags and she'd hang 'em everywhere and then have the big flags out on the post on the porch and it was really celebrating big we had a big time with ice cream and everything. She'd hang those potatoes up and with those flags stickin' in 'em and they was everywhere you know just a lot of little flags in the potato and they'd just go around real pretty.

B: How about birthdays? Were birthdays treated especially back then as they are now for children?

EH: Not, that big I don't believe I can't remember, probably we all got something, but I don't know was no big party or nothing like that.

B: I know I've ask you this before, but would you tell me about when you were a cheerleader?

EH: Oh, that was...that was just for one year they trying to get started down there you know and uh...that was just for awhile I can't even remember to much about it, but uh...that was just for the football game just a few then they didn't have many games then that's all it was you didn't have uniforms or nothing like that.

B: Do you remember some of the people that played on the football team? Were they your school mates?

EH: I think you got some of those names like the McCoy boys down there played and uh...Hoskins, Herman Hoskins and uh...their names is all in there I can't even remember 'em now.

B: You wouldn't know why they called John McCoy, fur pole do you?

EH: No, "laughing", no John and Robert and Herman and a bunch of those boys down there played football, but I don't know their nicknames, I don't know why they had nicknames I know Herman had a nickname of Bev and I don't know the reason for that.

B: Did you have a nickname when you were in high school?

EH: Huh.

B: Did you have a nickname when you were in high school?

EH: Na.

B: Did you graduate from high school?

EH: No, I had one year in the last year no I didn't finish it.

B: Did you get married or...

EH: Hmm! hmm! my husbands teachin' school at that time, he went to Concord then you only to go well, he went one year, back then you didn't have to be a graduate you could if you had so many hours then you could start teaching and uh...then he got one year and went to uh...Delbarton. Concord had uh...uh...extension classes over at Delbarton they took the classes over there and he taught school.

B: What was his name?

EH: George.

B: George Hatfield.

EH: George W. Hatfield. Every one of my boys taught.

B: Really. How many children did you all have?

EH: Four boys.

B: Four boys.

EH: Yel, they all taught school, the oldest one taught well, he didn't he taught a while and then he left and went to Michigan he went to work for Chrysler he's uh...he graduated Concord and he uh...got a job up from Chrysler and he's traffic manager there at Chrysler now. Then the other one he graduated Concord and he's principal at uh...he was principal worked in Sycrah Lake for twenty-four year and then the other one Joe he taught, he went to graduated Concord and he taught Red Jacket about three years, Junior High taught Math and the other one the one that went to Florida was principal down there he taught down there about three years and he taught Science and Biology then Don the he taught well, he went to Florida to teach he graduated Concord and he taught Oceanography and Biology which he still teaches some classes even though he is a Fireman he uh...teaches some classes in Oceanography now.

B: How old was your husband when you married?

EH: He was nineteen.

B: nineteen. Did he teach all of his life?

EH: Hmm! hmm! all his life.

B: Where were some of the schools that he taught at?

EH: Well, they not to many different ones he started over here they was a big school over here at Newtown he's taught there and then well I guess that's the only place he taught and after that they moved the school and tore the school down he was Truant Officer the rest of the time he was Truant Officer 'til seventy-one, I mean taught 'til seventy-one then he went in and was a Truant Officer then and until seventy-one then he had a heart attack he had to retire in seventy-two.

B: What did he do as a Truant Officer, did he drive around and catch people that were suppost to be in school?

EH: He'd catch 'em and put 'em in the car and take 'em to school, but after before he quit they the Board of Education didn't allow him to that anymore, because they was afraid one of 'em get hurt and uh...try to slip off jump out the car and get hurt they could sue the Board of Education so they stopped that.

B: Oh, okay.

EH: But, he for a long time they'd get 'em and take 'em they find one on the road they'd pick 'em up and take 'em in.

B: When I first arrived today you were explaining to me how your husband was related to Dutch Hatfield?

EH: Yel, hmm...hmm.

B: Could you tell me that again?

EH: Well, Ellison and uh...Dutch's grandpa and my husbands grandpa was brothers. My husbands grandpa was Pat Hatfield and Dutch's was Ellison.

B: So, was your husband's Grandfather Patterson the one of the twins they was Patterson and Smith?

EH: Patterson and Smith they were twins and uh...Devil Anse's daddy he was buried on the cemetery over there and Nancy, Devil Anse's mom and dad's buried over there and George's grandpa and Smith Hatfield are buried over there.

B: What was your husbands father's name?

EH: Joe, he was a Baptist preacher Joe C. Hatfield.

B: Did he have a particular church or did he arrive to different ones?

EH: No, he was more or less like a he started oh, I couldn't tell ya the churches that he dedicated and had built all around from here over to uh...Gilbert over in that area he pastored the Red Jacket Church for when it was first built he pastored that church for years here at Red Jacket.

B: Was that the community church?

EH: Hmm! hmm! he was there I don't know how many years he was there he was there 'til maybe way up in the '30's I think it was built say like 26 or 7 and he stayed there way up in the '30's and he pastored in a church at Majestic and he oh, he had he's different ones you know he pastor he'd go to.

B: Did he have a...was he a particular kind of Baptist you know we've there's Freewill and Missionary?

EH: Yel, he was a Missionary Baptist.

B: He was a Missionary Baptist. Did he marry you and your husband? How did you all get married?

EH: Uh...they was a Baptist preacher at Matewan, North Matewan at that time it was Chafins.

B: okay.

B: okay. I wanted to flip sides so that I wudn't run out of room while I was asking you questions.

E: I think that is about it isn't it.

B: Well just about. Did your husband serve in World War II.

E: no

B: Why was that. Did ya'll have children by then or why did he not serve

E: he was never called you know I guess

B: okay. Did any of your sons ever serve in Vietnam. no The two oldest ones went in the Navy after they got out of High School and served until they was 21 and then they was no war during that time

B: What are some of your earliest memories of Matewan. What stores did ya'll go to when you were a new resident here. Was Shafer Brother's there at that time.

EH: Ya they was a Shafer Brother's there I can remember that and then the Drug store. I'm not sure who had the drug store, but I can remember in school the Leckies had it.

B: Did you ever work once you were married?

EH: Hmm! hmm!

B: What did you do?

EH: I was a secretary of a Matewan Grade School, 13 years and eight years over at Varney I worked 21 years, retired.

B: Where did you and your husband live when you first got married?

EH: Uh...right up the road here just right here in Newtown, cause he taught school here, then his dad built that house over there and then we moved in this one.

B: Did you all ever uh...meet Billy Adair?

EH: Oh, yeah. Oh, I knew him real well not personally, but I knew him, he's blind.

B:uh...huh Did your husband ever talk about having to contribute to the Flower Fund?

EH: Yes, that must be common knowledge.

B: Well, its gettin' to be.

EH: If you had a job you did.

B: Are there any uh...we've heard that Halloween used to be a rather colorful event in Matewan back especially in the '30's and '40's uh...were you ever involved in any of the teenagers pranks down there?

EH: No, we used to no...no we never went down in there.

B: Do any of those pranks stand out in your mind? Did you ever remember anybody talking about them?

EH: No, I don't remember we were never allowed to go to far from the home.

B: What kind of curfew did you all have as teenagers? What kind could you all go out with each other on school nights or?

EH: No, I don't remember gonna out they had a theater at Red Jacket and we were allowed to go to the theater there and uh...it burned down you know. during Christmas we visit at the Church we'd practice plays and uh...then on Sunday just the girls, a bunch of girls would get together and we'd walk to Matewan and back and take pictures all the way.

B: I remember you told me off tape how you got your uh...camera how did you get your camera that you showed me?

EH: Uh...it just sort of like these little things they send you information you sell candy sell so much of it and then your gift would be a whatever you wanted you picked it out and I picked the camera out it was an Eastland Camera.

B: Where did you buy your film for that camera?

EH: I have no idea my mom got 'em I guess somewhere probably at the drug store the train used to come from Norfolk up the hollow I don't know how many times a day it would come and my uncle was conductor on the train anything we needed all we had to do was just go down and get on the train and go into Norfolk to the drug store and she'd write a note what we wanted and I'd go to the drug store and then get on the train would go no farther than Norfolk then when got ready to come back up the hollow I'd come back up and get off and that's the way they hauled the high school kids to school up that hollow they didn't have a bus so it went from about six miles from Norfolk all the way up the hollow.

B: So, the school children actually rode the train down there?

EH: oh yeah they rode the train It would go up...it would be left up at Cumpler up the head of the hollow and then it would come out at the morning and haul all the high school kids into to Norfolk and then it made I don't how many trips up and down the hollow during the day and then in the evening it would be there when school turn out kids get on it and all up the hollow went to high school rode that train and when they got up to that time of the day then it didn't come back out anymore it stayed up there at Crumpler 'til the next morning and then it come again it was a passenger train my uncle was conductor on that train. They didn't have any buses as I know of I never did see one there was no school buses and I'm not sure what they charged 'em to ride, I don't know whether it was paid by the Board of Education or it was paid by the parents or whether they just got on and rode free I'm not sure how they did that I don't know I never did think to ask him.

B: Were girls allowed to wear make-up when you were say Junior High and High School age, did you all wear make-up?

EH: Oh, yel huh.

B: What did you wear?

EH: Just probably lipstick probably, powder or something other like that, no eye make-up nothing like that I never did.

B: How about cutting your hair I know back in the '20's when you would have been just a small child it was?

EH: Oh, I kept mine cut like a boys all the time.

B: Really.

EH: I kept my hair cut short.

B: Do you remember how you met your husband? Had you all gone to school together or how did you meet him?

EH: Met him at school.

B: What was a date back when kids met and fell in love in high school back then? What was a date? What did you all do?

EH: Maybe just drive and go to the movies or something like that, they was a movie in Matewan a movie theater down there, and when we went in swimming the girls we'd all get together, we had to walk from here go across that mountain over there and down on the other side they was a swimming pool over there, they'd charge you to go in you know of course it was just backed up in the creek you know we walk over there and time we got home we'd be burned up and ready to go back in again.

B: What was you swim suits made of back then? What did you all have for a swimsuit?

EH: We had swim suits, I don't know how they was made I can't remember that, but we had swim suits.

B: Did you all buy 'em from down in Matewan or?

EH: I don't know where my mom had got 'em I don't know where she got 'em.

B: How old did a girl have to be before she could wear hose like panty hose now was there did the girl have to be a certain age before she wore hose or?

EH: I don't guess, I don't guess so.

B: Well, thank you for talkin' to me today I appreciate it I know you probably don't understand why we ask the questions we do, but it is interesting to know.

Matewan Oral History Project Collection