31. Frank Jones
Transcript
Interviewer (00:00): Good morning. This morning, Mr. Frank Jones and myself are going to be talking about Natchitoches. Now, you were born in Natchitoches. Frank (00:12): Born in Natchitoches. Raised here. Interviewer (00:14): When did you see your first car? Frank (00:18): Oh, well, I say around about 15 or 20 years. Interviewer (00:25): You were about 15 years old? Frank (00:29): Yes, sir. Interviewer (00:29): Okay. Did it cause some kind of big disturbance when people saw a car? Frank (00:35): No, sir. Interviewer (00:36): They had heard about them, huh? Frank (00:37): We'd heard about them. Interviewer (00:37): I see. Was old Model T? Frank (00:42): Old Model T. Interviewer (00:47): Growing up in Natchitoches as a boy, what was it like? Frank (00:52): Well, there was nothing much. I'd have a good time. Plenty to eat, plenty good places to sleep. Go when I get ready, come back when I get ready. Have fun. Interviewer (01:07): Well, Mr. Jones, tell me about the riverboats coming to Natchitoches, when they used to come. Frank (01:13): Well, it's been so long, I can't tell you the right answer on that, when they used to come there, because I can't remember good. But I know they come there. Interviewer (01:27): Well, what did they bring to Natchitoches? Frank (01:30): Well, they'd call and tell them what to bring, and they'd bring it. Interviewer (01:35): Uh-huh (affirmative). Flour and beans? Frank (01:37): That's right. Meat. Interviewer (01:41): All kinds of good things. Frank (01:42): Rice. Peas. Yeah. They bring everything they told them to bring. Interviewer (01:51): Well, did the people get excited when the riverboat came? Frank (01:56): They were excited. They were glad, to me. "Oh, we got something coming. I don't know what it is, but it's coming." Interviewer (02:04): Well, did you ever used to ride on the riverboat? Frank (02:06): Oh, I didn't. I sure didn't. But I would see it a lot. I seen it good. But getting on it, I never get on it because I was scared of the water. Interviewer (02:16): Oh. You never did learn to swim. Frank (02:19): Well, no, sir. I tell you the truth, I never did try to swim. Interviewer (02:27): Mm-hmm (affirmative). What were big days? Celebrations? Can you remember anything about that? Like the 4th of July? Frank (02:36): Well, 4th of July, we enjoy that good. 19th of June, always like that. Interviewer (02:43): 19th of June, now, what is that? Frank (02:45): Well, that's your birthday. It come on a birthday. See, I was born in June. The 19th of June. Interviewer (02:56): So that's your special day? Frank (02:57): Yes, sir. Interviewer (02:58): What did you used to do on your birthday? Frank (03:01): Well, I didn't drink nothing much, but we eat and laugh and talk. Sometimes tell them, I say, "Well, y'all ain't eating much. I'll finish eating y'all." They laughed. [crosstalk 00:03:15]. They laughed, going on, say, "Well, I'll order you something else." I said, "No, I'm just playing. I got [inaudible 00:03:23]." Interviewer (03:22): Now, did you go out to eat, or did they cook at home for you? Frank (03:26): They cook at home for me. Then I'd go out someplace and eat. Interviewer (03:32): Sounds like a big day. Frank (03:33): That's right. Interviewer (03:35): When did you quit having birthday parties? Your family put birthday parties on for you? Frank (03:40): It's been a long time ago. Interviewer (03:42): Long time. (03:43): Yes, sir. Frank (03:47): Can you remember one special birthday that you had, where something happened that didn't happen again? (03:54): I sure can't remember that. Lord knows I can't. Interviewer (04:00): What about Christmas time? Frank (04:02): Oh, Christmas time. We had a good time for Christmas. Interviewer (04:06): How did you used to decorate a tree? Frank (04:08): Well, sometime, I'd like to get up a tree. Cut limbs down. Get them down and get out, and saw that big tree down. They'd say, "Frank," say, "You better move since that tree going to hit you." Says, "Not going to hit me, because when it start to coming down, I'm going to start running." They laughed. They laughed. Started to coming down, I seen it coming down. I said, "I'll run." Great big old tree. See, I'd run. You won't catch me. Interviewer (04:41): How did y'all decorate the Christmas tree? Frank (04:44): Well, we get [inaudible 00:04:47]. We get up there and get on them limbs. Cut some of them limbs down. Some of them are down, they fix them, make courses or get things and slice them up, make beards and things, all like that. Interviewer (05:03): Did you put candles on the tree? Frank (05:07): Yeah, I put candles on the tree. I remember that. Interviewer (05:12): Everybody get together and strung popcorn, and put popcorn on the tree? Frank (05:17): Popcorn? I don't remember that. No. Interviewer (05:19): Oh, okay. Frank (05:22): I might have had, but I can't remember. Interviewer (05:25): What about Thanksgiving? Frank (05:27): Thanksgiving day? We had a good time because, yeah, Thanksgiving day we have a big dinner. Everything. They'd drink the stuff they drink, but I know they drink that. I eat. I was a big eater. But eat don't set on me. If it did, I'd be bigger than a bed. Interviewer (05:55): You must have some secret, then. Because I know a lot of people, if they ate like you eat, would certainly be fat. Frank (06:03): That's the truth. Interviewer (06:03): But not you. Frank (06:09): Not me. Because I eat. God knows, I eat. Sometimes I keep a sandwich in my room, my house, right now. Because about 12 or 1:00, I get kind of hungry. I remember that we had a ice box that we kept ice in there. [crosstalk 00:06:30]. Interviewer (06:30): One of those old wooden ice box? Frank (06:32): Yeah. Interviewer (06:33): And where'd you buy the ice at? Frank (06:35): Well, we'd go and get the ice. You'd call them and tell them to bring you some ice. They bring it. They bring the ice to you. You want to go get ice, how much you want to go get, you go get it. Interviewer (06:55): I see. How long did a block of ice last? Frank (07:00): Oh, that'd last us... I think there was four of us, two boys and two girls. A block would last us two weeks or more. I would guess at two weeks. Interviewer (07:17): Now, how much did the block of ice cost then? Do you remember? Frank (07:22): Well, exactly I can't... what it cost. It cost... I don't know. I can make a guess on it. A block of ice, big old ice, a block of ice, it cost about... in them days, it's cheap. Round about four or five dollars, them days. Interviewer (07:52): Now, that'd last you for two weeks. Frank (07:54): Two weeks. Two weeks. Interviewer (07:58): I think electricity is better. Frank (08:00): It is better. It's better. You're right about that. Interviewer (08:07): We need to take a break right now, and we'll be back in just a minute. (08:16): If you've just joined us, we're visiting with Mr. Frank Jones. And he's told me he's never been in trouble in his life, but there was one time when he had a mix-up with the law. Now what about the time you got thrown in jail, Mr. Jones? Frank (08:32): It's been a good while ago. There's these two young police, they carried me to the... They say, "Well, I'll take you home." Instead of carrying me home, they put me in jail. I was maybe about- Interviewer (08:44): What for? Frank (08:45): Nothing. Interviewer (08:46): Just doing something. Frank (08:46): They just got onto the force. They thought that they would do something big. And the big boss come in there. He looked at them like that. He said, "Frank." I said, "Yes." Well, they standing [inaudible 00:09:01] that door for me. I said, "Them police, they put me in jail. They told me they going to get me home." He said, "I wish I'd have been there." He said, "Come on. Let him go." So they brought me on out there. There was the big boss man. And [inaudible 00:09:08] going on, he gave me $5. He said, "You can do what you want with it, because you all right. Anybody come in here like you did, they'd waste them." He said, "Here's $5." Interviewer (09:36): Well, now. You used to farm a little bit. Frank (09:41): Farm a whole lot. Interviewer (09:44): For how long did you farm? Frank (09:47): Oh, four, five, or six years. Seven years. Something like that. I know how to farm. Interviewer (09:52): What did you raise? Frank (09:57): Cotton. Corn. Any little thing we could raise on the farm. Raised cotton and corn. Interviewer (10:07): Did you own this land? Frank (10:08): No, sir. We were renting it. Interviewer (10:09): Who did you rent it from? Frank (10:13): The big boss. I forget his name. It's been too long. I just forget his name, but I know him when I see him. He could come in here right now, I'd know him. And he'd know me. He'd start to laugh and going on, but what is his name? I can't recall his name, right now. But I'd know him if I see him. Interviewer (10:32): Well now, how much money did you pay for this land that you rented? Frank (10:32): Five or six dollars a acre. Yes, sir. Interviewer (10:40): And you did this for six, seven years. Frank (10:43): Six, seven years. Interviewer (10:45): What'd you do after that? Frank (10:47): Started to drive a truck. Interviewer (10:49): Who'd you drive a truck for? Frank (10:50): For the company. The man's name was [Carl Ezra 00:10:55]. He died. He's a big man. I drove a truck for him. That's all I ever did do, was a big truck. I hauled everything. See, Natchitoches was dry, then. Interviewer (11:09): Dry. Frank (11:10): Dry with whisky. Interviewer (11:12): Oh, okay. Dry with whiskey. All right. Frank (11:30): So [inaudible 00:11:30] told me, "I bet you he'll call you, to carry you somewhere. But please remember us. Bring us some whiskey." All right. The boss carried me out. He said, "You stay here a while and just play [inaudible 00:11:50]." I said, "Oh, what for?" He said, "I'm going run and see can I get me Coke or something." Wasn't no Coke. It that whisky he got. Yeah. He said, "All right. You can get the Coke over there. Anything you want." I said, "Anything I want." He said, "I don't know what I'm going to get like that, myself." Interviewer (11:58): But most of the time you were hauling furniture. Frank (12:02): Furniture. Groceries. Just whatever they wanted, they allowed, I would haul that. They make a list out, and it's like, they would say, "You can have this into your place, and I'll give it to them." And load it up and bring it on. They'd load it for you. They'd bring it on here, and I'd bring it. I brought whisky for them. They'd say, "Here come Frank. Frank got something for us." I said, "No, I didn't have enough money." I said, "Well, 12:00 come, we eat." Interviewer (12:50): And you used to hunt. Frank (12:51): I used to hunt. Interviewer (12:53): You ever hunt deer? Frank (12:54): Anything I could see to kill. Deer or possum or rabbit. Interviewer (13:03): Now didn't you tell me that once you thought you'd shot one deer, and you shot two deer instead? Frank (13:08): That's right. Interviewer (13:10): Tell me about that. Frank (13:14): Well, I shot one, but I didn't know I'd shot the other. But I shot two. Interviewer (13:19): You shot it with one bullet or two? Frank (13:20): Two bullets. (13:21): Uh-huh (affirmative). Interviewer (13:25): I remember that good, I did it too long. (13:27): What was your reaction when you got there and found out that you'd shot two deer? Frank (13:33): Just glad, that's all. Interviewer (13:33): Just glad? Frank (13:33): Glad. Interviewer (13:36): Well, we need to go right now. Frank (13:37): Okay. Interviewer (13:39): It has been a pleasure visiting with you.
Memories host speaks with Frank Jones about growing up in Natchitoches, holiday celebrations, and farming