Page 36 - Anthology

Robert L. Hoover’s story as told by his widow Bertha Y. Hoover

4
In west central Kentucky (Grayson, County (Tousey Post Office) there is a small farm with a four-room
house on it which holds a lot of memories. This was to be my home for eighteen years. It was there that
I was born in 1926. I was the fourth girl in the family.

My parents were Walter and Olga, both native to Grayson County. They lived and farmed there all their
lives. My father is a Purple Heart recipient, as a combat wounded World War I army veteran.

We were all born in that little house that my daddy built. It started out with two rooms, but he added on to
it as the girls came along. We had four rooms and eight people. That old house is still standing. My
grandmother was a mid-wife and she delivered all of us.

Since we “lived off the land” we all contributed to the work force. Some preferred housework, but I liked
to be outdoors, even though the work was more physical. I was my daddy’s only boy – I was a Tom-Boy.

I grew up during the Great Depression in a rural area, so my world was very small. Since the only church
in the area was too far away (and the roads were very muddy) we did not grow up in a church community.
Our main center for community activities (such as plays, games, etc.) was the one-room school.

Even though our labor was needed at home, we were never kept home a single day to work. My parents
had eighth-grade educations, but they made sure that all six of us graduated high school. Of the six of
us, three were/are retired school teachers.

We never had running water nor any conveniences, since rural electricity wasn’t available until early
1950’s. Of necessity, we were ingenious – there was always a way.

Robert and I met at a 4-H Club meeting in 1940 just before entering high school together. We met each
other when I was 14 and he was 16. We did not go to the same grade school. World War II had not yet
been declared, so we were not yet affected by current events. A battery-operated radio with head-sets
and the Louisville Courier Journal were our connections to the outside world. By our sophomore year,
Pearl Harbor had been bombed and war was declared. When we learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor,
the whole nation was affected. My dad, a World War I veteran, was very sure that this was bad news.
Everyone, in general, seemed to realize that this was a “call to arms”. The young men began to volunteer
for duty, but in our community, no women volunteered.

In high school when we had breaks, study hall, etc., we folded gauze bandages for the American Red
Cross. After school we collected scrap metal to be re-cycled. Most people had victory gardens . As for
8
how the war affected my life, I just remember that life was about pre-war and post-war forever.
Robert went off to war six days after we graduated high school. I went to Louisville to be with my sister
and “to seek my fortune”. She was working nights at Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company in
Louisville. I worked nights at the factory a few months. Working nights and sleeping days was very
different for this “farmer’s daughter”. I was going to work there until Robert got home.

When I went to Louisville to work, I had my “knapsack on my back”. It was my first time away from home.
Saying I went away to make my fortune meant more than just money. I was so glad to be doing
something besides farm work. I knew I needed to support myself. My sister and I were marking time.
She was a single mother and I was waiting for Robert to return. We were coping with the situation and
hopeful time would go faster.

The “mood of war” was everywhere – especially in my heart. Of course, we didn’t have a car, so if we
were in Louisville, we rode a streetcar to see an occasional movie. Recreation wasn’t uppermost in my
mind, but some of the war-time music echoes to this day. I don’t remember much recreation of any kind –
I just wanted the war to end!