USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. For name searches of this index, use the "Find" or "Search" feature of your browser. Submitted by Helen Staton Arnold Life in Northern Mississippi in the 40's and 50's *Note some words were hard to read, thus might be misspelled or misinterpreted. Mrs. Spencer Brown, also known as Sallie Lee Denman Brown was born on March 19, 1886 and died August 4, 1973. She was a very active member of the Paynes Baptist Church and Paynes Homemakers, and she loved to write. Her home still stands today. This note is by her GrandDaughter Allison Brown Sanchez. I personlly knew "Aunt" Sally Brown when I was growing up. I always called her aunt Sally, and don't know if she was an aunt or not. Maybe because her daugher, Ellie, married my Uncle Henry Staten. These are things Aunt Sally wrote. Uncle Spencer her husband was a wonderful man. They both were pillars of the "Paynes Mississippi Community". Loved by everyone. If there was a project that needed to be done, it got done. Uncle Spencer and Aunt Sally saw to it. This note is by me-Helen Elizabeth Staten Arnold. 1949-1950 Home Improvement Record: By: Mrs. Spencer Brown Charleston, Mississippi Tallahatchie County Paynes H.D. Club 1. Story of Old house 2. Story of Improved House 3. 1949- 1950 Record I. We lost practically everything in 1920. We managed to live through the 1930-1933 depression. We started over in 1936 when we purchased a home, again. The house we moved into was in shambles. Part of the front porch was gone. Rusty tin and rotten boards covered the house. Not one shrub or flower in the yard. Faded, dirty, smutty paper was on some of the ugly walls. Two dining room windows were walled, half way up, with tin one could put an arm through, and rat holes in the south kitchen wall. The kitchen floor was unlevel. All screens were ragged and ruined. I kept falling through steps of back porch, when I went 100 feet out across the yard to bring water in the house, with a bucket. One front step was a hewn sill, that came from under the old porch. We had coal-oil lamps for light and a smokey fireplace, and chimney where we burned wood to heat the house. There was no heat at all in the kitchen, except the cooking stove. The tenant houses were worse than ours. We had no decent fences. The barn was falling in. We had to build a barn first. It was such a nice barn, I said "lets move into the barn." But with livestock, we had to have storage room from corn, cotton seed and hay. We had to clear some land. The farm had to be bought on the installment plan. We did some improvement on the house but before we were able to do much we had to do our part in building a large country church and a pastorium. It fell to my husband's lot to be chairman of this community need. There was no money on hand to do the building - while others warmed by January fires in frigid weather, he took his farm labor and sawed down trees for lumber to make the church. His teams dragged the logs down steep rough hillsides, so trucks could haul them to the saw mill. We got up that winter, in the cold house at 4 o'clock. I cooked and packed lunches for the laborers, as well as my husband. Few know, even now how hard a time we had; 4 o'clock, frigid weather, and that cold kitchen! The kitchen was so cold, water could not stand over night without freezing. It had to be brought in fresh from the well across the yard before day, every morning. We had, along with our neighbors, to pay cash, all along on the buildings. We paid as we built. Had no debt hanging over the church when it was finished. Both church and pastorium were financed that way. The community cooperation, was a beautiful thing to see. All helped Methodist, Episcopalians, Presbyterians and the Church of Christ neighbors helped this Baptist work. But it was push, push, push. Our home roof was leaking, the rusty tin on the roof kept flapping. Our house had to wait. I wasn't getting any younger. I needed modern conveniences and a comfortable home if I was ever to have them. But, God has blessed us financially every since that winter. By 1949 we had a nice farm paid for. All machinery and livestock paid for. We have a nice bunch of grade Herford cows, about 200 to help out in farm income. Our farm has yielded good crops. But all tenant houses were in a pitiful condition. We just had to build eight new four room houses. We had to dig a new artesian well. The old tin kept getting rustier on the roof- one time at night a whole strip blew right off the top of our bedroom during a rain storm. Looked like we would never get to remodeling that house! How I wished for running water, a bathroom and modern conveniences! II. Well, I realized that dream in 1949! We got to that house and made it completely over. The foundation is concrete entirely around the house, white asbestos shingles covered out side walls. Front porch enlarged and a new front improvement. The roof is of asphalt shingles, of a reddish color, new doors, some windows and all wood work were painted with clear varnish. Five of the rooms have hard wood floors, three are covered with rubber tile. The walls of six rooms were sealed with wood pulp plank, a material that is attractive and insulates as well. The top ceiling of rooms are of flint coat. We have hot and cold running water in kitchen and bathroom- Gas heat in every room, electricity, and this year we have a telephone. Now I can talk all I please, to my good neighbors. My new back kitchen porch has a concrete floor, aluminum screen and the ceiling and wood work are painted, natural like the rest of my house. My front and east porch, has a concrete floor covered with asphalt tile. It is built up a piece with brick, then in both porches there are 17 brick pillars from brick work to roof. It has new aluminum screen, and has car siding for ceiling, painted natural. It contains 589 square feet floor space. We purchased three new gliders, ten steel porch chairs and two enameled steel tables for it . Pot flowers are all around it. III. We also added in 1949-1950 Bath tub commode, lavatory Linen closet, bath room scales Commode cover and rug 6 new towels 60 gal. Hot water tank 5 florescent lights 1 electric table lamp 1 set door chimes 1 Shelvador refrigerator 1 automatic Bendix washing machine 1-6 eye, 2 oven, gas cooking stove. 1 electric pump, 1 pump house, 1 septic tank, 1 gas heater for bath room, 1 gas lawn mower, 27 Venetian blinds, 1 cabinet (toil p. And paper towel), 1 cabinet over stove (matches, salt..)1 porch overhead light 15 new doors, locks and knobs, 5 screen doors, Entire porches, screened with aluminum screen, 1 fireplace mantle, 3 hearths, tiled, 1 dinner set of dishes, 1 set silver ware, 1 electric ice cream freezer, 1 hooked rug, 15 crocheted pieces, 2 chair slip covers, 1 sofa slip cover, 1 quilted bed spread, 2 pillow covers to match, 2 new pillows, 1 chenille bed spread, 1 wool blanket, 1 satin covered feather comforter, 10 sheets, 12 embroidered pillow cases, 1 tray, 1 teapot, 1 book on prayer, 1 hand mirror, 1 nylon comb and brush, 2 pictures, 4 hand painted plaques, 5 cans wax, 1 kitchen mop, 1 fiber broom, 27 pot flowers, 1- cuttings, 7 new shrubs,10- pkg flower seed, 7 hanging flower pots, 56 bulbs planted, 4 Mahan pecan trees, 1 gricer 2 plastic table clothes, 2 cake pans, 1 waxer, 2 Stainers, 5 pr. Window curtains, 1 new telephone, 1 telephone stand, 6 doz. clothes pins, 1 chair upholstered, 25 PCs. Furniture painted, 21 chairs varnished, 3 plastic drapes, 1 pkg insect dust, 1 spray gun, 2 woven bed spreads, 1 rubber porch mat, 6 ash trays, 1 candy container, 1 staple machine, 1 box staples,8 floors waxed, Yard mowed many times, Yard cleaned, 34 windows of glass Doors washed 3 times, 4 closets sealed and shelves added, 4 quilts washed- Hedges pruned, Henhouse cleaned, Chicken yard cleaned, Made a garden (589 sq feet floor space), porch waxed, 1 medicine cabinet and mirror Chroninum bath room fixtures. 1 grease tank, 1 three shelve tea cart with castors. Some Improvements on the Farm: New lot fence, 40 acres of pasture grass fertilized, Remodeled 8 four room tenant houses (32 rooms). a. 8 new porches b. new top ceilings c. 8 houses covered on outside with com. Brick siding d. New windows where needed and screens e. 10 new doors f. 10 hedges and 8 shrubs g. New floors in each house. h. 9 tenants have cleaned yards I. 9 tenants have made gardens j. walls of 8 houses papered k. 1 tenant a smoke house l. 2 tenants, made closets for bedrooms m. 9 tenants had houses sprayed with D.D.T. n. All (9) have hogs, we vaccinate them. o. 9 tenants have free pasture for livestock p. 9 tenants given free land for gardens and truck. (Negro) 5 tenants have lived with us 15 years each " 2 tenants have lived with us 7 years each " 1 tenants have lived with us 2 years each (White) 1 tenants have lived with us 7 years each " 1 tenants have lived with us 2 years each 3 tenants have been given 3 water pumps. All tenants are given itemized statements at settling time and told "a mistake is never too old to correct". We furnish cash to tenants to make crops. We carry them to hospitals or give medical care when needed. We pay cash and wait till end of year for them to pay us. Most of the time they do. Sometimes we lose it. Every year we build levees to protect crops. Every year we buy lots of commercial fertilizer Every year we delint and inoculate planting cotton seed Every year we plant hay, corn, cotton and gardens. Every year we hire work, pay cash for extras. Work at least 10 months (tenants). Some of our Community Activities ‘49 and ‘50. 10 sprays for 10 friend's funerals. Helped to pay for shingles on outside of church. Helped to pay for septic tank, well and pump for church. Helped to bear church expenses. Helped to give to nine needy families. Helped with church building for Negro's in hills. Helped with eight "showers". Helped clean Poplar Spring Cemetery Helped with gifts to eight high school graduates. Talked to two people who later were saved. Helped in various ways in our local H.D. Club. The community's interest is "ours." We want our "yearnings to be less than our earnings". I divided flowers with people. Gave shrubs to 7 Gave vegetables to 8 families Gave eggs Gave milk to colored people Gave away 28 hens to others Gave away 10 fryers ever so many baby chickens (50).