Ben Memories

This is some of my memories as I remember them growing up at home:

We had a Christian home with Papa the head of our family. Mama was a loving mother and wife. There were 6 girls and 2 boys. I was next to the youngest.

When we moved to Surry County, I went to Copeland School. I was in the sixth grade. Mr. Arthur Graham was the principal of the school. They didn't want to register me because I didn't have records from Union Cross Country School. They were having a perfect attendance contest for each room and the highest attendance got the flag for one week so I stayed home until I got my records; then I went back to school. When I went back, they were mad at me because I stayed out and they didn’t get to keep the flag for a week.

A bunch of boys learned to ride a bicycle over on Hwy. 268.1 always had to walk about one mile to the main highway to get a ride to the ball game. Then we would walk back at night. One night it was so dark, I couldn't see my hand in front of me.

When we moved back to Yadkin County in 1926, we had Sunday School conventions in different churches in the district. Each church had a program that would last for the week-end. Papa, Pies Caudle and his daughter, Eloise Caudle and me had a quartet. Doris Money Hobson played the piano for us when we sang at churches.

We went to Union Cross School beside Union Cross Church. When we had a revival meeting, they always had an afternoon service and the teacher would march us down there to the service.

The day when Papa stepped out and the snow went over his boots, they made me an A frame sled to drag the road over to Union Cross Church. We put a bail of hay on it for me to sit on. When I got home, I was so cold and covered with snow, they had to carry me in the house. I couldn’t walk.

I often did the milking. Papa said I was a very fast milker (Could this be so he could get Ben to do the milking?)

I was next to the last to get married and leave home. I went into the service in 1944-45. I went over seas for 6 months in the European Theater.

This was the way I remembered my childhood life at home. All worked hard and lived a happy life.