Ralph Kuyrkendall, Page Three

Interview continued with Karen Walsh, granddaughter of Ralph Kuyrkendall

JM: What was your grandfather like?

KW: I can't really say. I just knew him from those summers. When we would go there, I usually would go with my dad, while my mom would go visit her family. I don't remember that he told me a lot of stories. He would joke about his last name. He said that there were a lot of people in Mississippi with the Kuyrkendall name, but many without the "r." He would say, "The people without the ‘r,' were the ones that were caught stealing chickens, so they had to drop the ‘r' from their name."

JM: How far back does your family go in Mississippi?

KW: I think it would be Jesse, my grandfather's father. I haven't traced where he came from, but he came to Mississippi in the 1880s. He got married not too long after.

JM: How did you know that your grandfather worked in the cotton mill?

KW: My dad talked about it, because he had worked in the same cotton mill. I don't think my grandfather ever completed elementary school. It is likely that he quit completely because of his father's early death.

JM: I think the picture of the whole family is wonderful. I'd love to know what their lives were like at that time.

KW: I believe the house in the picture was a mill house. It's strange, but his father died of consumption that year, in November, six months after the picture was taken. His wife didn't die until about 1959, at about 90 years old. She had to raise all those children. There were nine children to feed. I think she had four or five siblings that lived in the area. I think they helped her out a little bit, but she also did sewing and things like that. And I guess with her sons working, they pulled through, and she never let those kids go anywhere else. I don't think the boys ever went back to school, so I'm sure they all worked. We've seen some of the receipts that they kept. They had a company store. Their pay was laughable. They were never quite out of debt, and they could barely pay for everything.

JM: It's interesting that the family photograph is different from most of the Hine photographs I've seen. It looks more like a family portrait. It doesn't look like a spontaneous thing. The older girl sitting in front looks very much like she's aware that's she's being photographed. They seem to have a sense of self-importance, as if they were pleased to be photographed. It looks like they got themselves all spruced up and wanted to look really good.

JM: You're a teacher. How do you feel about your grandfather having worked in this situation?

KW: Well, you know, it was the time. I can't imagine how hard the times must have been. I try to talk to my students about these kinds of things, and they just don't have a concept. Back then, they were just doing what had to be done. It's sad. I look back and wish I could just reach back and change it. But Ralph had a happy life, and he was surrounded by his family.