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Interview of Jettie Gardner-Hardy by Bernie Jones and Deva Woodley of the Race and Place Project on August 14, 2001. (Oral History)

Biographical Information
Jettie F. Gardner-Hardy was born in Esmont on January 6, 1918, one of eight children (see her sister's interview, Ruth Brooks). Her mother, who sewed all the children's clothes, did laundry work for a local white woman and her father farmed on the family's twenty or thirty acres. Most of Gardner-Hardy's relatives lived in Esmont and nearby Keene, but her Aunt Sadie lived in Maryland and she went to live with her in 1935, staying for fifteen years and working in a restaurant. She also spent about twenty years in Philadelphia before returning to live in Esmont. As children, Gardner-Hardy and her siblings ventured into Charlottesville seldom, although they did have an aunt who lived there and they traveled to the Albemarle Training School to compete in sports. Gardner-Hardy describes the schoolhouse in Esmont, the church revivals, and the Baptist Training Union for youth. She tells of her father's accident at the slate quarry that damaged his left leg permanently, and how that affected his opportunities for work. She names some of the midwives and doctors in her childhood community, as well as neighbors generally. Gardner-Hardy remembers not being able to try things on in Charlottesville stores and that black patients, including her father, were relegated to the basement of the segregated University of Virginia Hospital.

Project Description
Race and Place is a project of the Virginia Center for Digital History and the Carter G. Woodson Institute for Afro-American and African Studies. The goal of the project is to chronicle the life of African-Americans in the Charlottesville, Virginia area during the period of segregation. As part of this project we have conducted a series of interviews with current residents of the Charlottesville area who were alive during that period. The project has also incorporated oral interviews conducted by other Charlottesville institutions which cover the appropriate subject area.

Notes About Our Transcription
The transcripts represent what was said in the interview to the best of our ability. It is possible that some words, particularly names, have been misspelled. Where we did not feel sure of spellings we have indicated this by the use of the term 'phonetically' in parentheses following the word in question. Places where words were unclear are noted by 'inaudible'. Brackets have been used to indicate additions made to the text upon review by the interviewee. We have made no attempt to correct mistakes in grammar.

Mrs. Hardy:Yeah.
Unknown Cousin:1935? That's the year I was born!
(laughter)
Mrs. Hardy:She can't ask me very much.
Ms. Jones:Ok. I'll just start off - do you prefer to be called Ms. Hardy? Mrs. Hardy? Or... Mrs. Hardy, OK. As I mentioned, Mrs. Hardy, my name is Bernie Jones and I'm working on the Esmont Community History project that we're working on at the Digital History Center over at UVa's library. It's a project that was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities to document communities' histories. And we have one of the projects that we're working on now. So we're working on Esmont and other people are working on Proffit, and we have information from Charlottesville. I just want to get a sense of African-American community life here in town in the time that you lived here, when you went to the Esmont school, that sort of thing. So I just wanted to just ask you some questions, I have them right here. You had a chance to glance at them earlier. And, could you just tell me what your full name is?
Mrs. Hardy:Jettie F. Gardener Hardy.
Ms. Jones:Ok. And what's your year of birth?
Mrs. Hardy:One, six, eighteen. (laughs)
Ms. Jones:Eighteen-something.
Mrs. Hardy:Eighteen. Yeah.
Ms. Jones:Nineteen eighteen.
Mrs. Hardy:1918.
Ms. Jones:Oh, ok.
Mrs. Hardy:I'm 83, I don't mind telling my age.
Ms. Jones:You look great for 83!
Ms. Woodley:What is the 'F' for?
Mrs. Hardy:Frances
Ms. Jones:Frances? OK. And where were you born?
Mrs. Hardy:In Esmont.
Ms. Jones:And you were raised here.
Mrs. Hardy:Yes, up until I left in '35 - I went to Maryland to live. There's an aunt of mine, Sadie, and I spent over 15 years there with her. Over 15 years (laughs).
Ms. Jones:And after the 15 years in Maryland, where did you go to after that?
Mrs. Hardy:Philadelphia.
Ms. Jones:And how long did you live there?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, I lived in Philadelphia about 20 years.
Ms. Jones:And did you move somewhere else after that?
Mrs. Hardy:No - back here.
Ms. Jones:Ok. So you came back here after you left Philadelphia.
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, my husband died and I came back here.
Ms. Jones:So you've been living here again since when?
Mrs. Hardy:Hm?
Ms. Jones:How long have you been living back in Esmont?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh! Since last year... let me see. I came here round about December of last year. The year 2000. But I'm always back-and-forth to Philadelphia because I have property up there I'm trying to sell.
Ms. Jones:So you lived in Philadelphia - was it longer than 20 years? Because I guess you lived in Maryland for 15 years and then Philadelphia for 20 years.
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, I guess in Maryland... let me see now, 15 years I lived in Maryland state. but I was sort of back-and-forth.
Ms. Jones:Between Esmont and Maryland?
Mrs. Hardy:No, Philadelphia and Maryland.
Ms. Jones:So where did you live the longest, then? Was it Maryland or Philadelphia?
Mrs. Hardy:Maryland. The longest I would say. Well, I have been living in Philadelphia 20 years. I don't - my mind is getting turned around now... I lived in Philadelphia about - maybe 17 years, something like that.
Ms. Jones:And did you live anywhere else besides these places?
Mrs. Hardy:No no no. I left here in '35 and went to Maryland. Like I said before, with an aunt of mine. She was their aunt, too. Their father's sister, yeah...
Ms. Jones:What was her name?
Mrs. Hardy:Sadie.
Ms. Jones:And her last name was?...
Mrs. Hardy:Well, she married a Johnson. That was a Nelson, she was a Nelson, too. They all were Nelsons.
Ms. Jones:So they're all your cousins, then.
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, we're all cousins. Their mother and I are first cousins. They're all second.
Ms. Jones:So when did you start going to school in the Esmont school? Do you remember what year it was?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh boy... when I first started going to school in Esmont... oh boy... way back then in the early '20's, I guess! It had to be early 20's.
Ms. Jones:And do you remember who some of your teachers were?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, let me see - what do you mean, in the early '20's? I mean...
Ms. Jones:I guess '20's or '30's or any teachers you can remember.
Mrs. Hardy:Gosh. (laughs) What were they? Ella Curry was one of my elementary teachers. I remember her. Well, in the high school, it was Mr. Washington - he was a high school teacher, Warner Jones
Ms. Jones:Was he the school principal?
Mrs. Hardy:Mm-hm. He was the principal of the school too.
Ms. Jones:So did you ever work in Charlottesville, or did you leave before you started working?
Mrs. Hardy:No, I left here in '35. But my aunt took me up there to work with them. They had a restaurant. That's where I was working with them, in the restaurant. They taught me how to work in a restaurant. Believe me, I worked every day.
Ms. Jones:Waiting? Or cooking? Or everything?
Mrs. Hardy:Cooking... we cooked. Cooked everything we served.
Ms. Jones:Did you do waitressing also at the restaurant?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, I'd take it from the stove to the people sitting at the table, that's the waiting I did (chuckles).
Ms. Jones:Sure, exactly. And when you were in Philadelphia, what kind of work did you do there?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, I worked in a department store. C.A. Reynolds. I worked for about three different buyers.
Ms. Jones:So were you doing buying for them, or were you doing something else?
Mrs. Hardy:No, sort of like a - what do you all them? Well, they were the buyers. I was sort of like, checking their merchandise when it came in to the store. I checked their merchandise when it come into the store. I worked for Mr. Shram - if I can remember - he bought Chinaware. Mrs. Flood, she bought pocketbooks, gloves, belts, all that type of stuff. Mr. Brooks, he bought stuff like pillows, and sheets and pillowcases, stuff like that.
Ms. Jones:And what were your parents names?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, now. My father was named Kenton Gardener.
Ms. Jones:And your mom?
Mrs. Hardy:And my mother was named Hattie Nelson Gardener. That's their aunt, too (laughs). It was 12 of those children. (address a cousin) Wasn't it? It was 12 of those children, wasn't it?
Unknown Cousin:Beg your pardon?
Mrs. Hardy:Your father's. 12 of those children.
Unknown Cousin:Which children? Oh (Inaudible) children?
Mrs. Hardy:Huh?
Unknown Cousin:Your brothers and sisters?
Mrs. Hardy:No no. of your father and my mother - aunt Sadie.
Unknown Cousin:There's eight of us.
Mrs. Hardy:I know, but of - of the original family.
Ms. Woodley:Your father's family.
Mrs. Hardy:My father's.
Unknown Cousin:Oh, you're talking about grandpa?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah! It was 12 of those children.
Unknown Cousin:No, it was eight. Seven or eight.
Second Unknown Cousin:It was eleven.
Mrs. Hardy:Eleven??
Second Unknown Cousin:Yeah.
Mrs. Hardy:I thought it was twelve.
Second Unknown Cousin:One was still-born. Eleven.
Mrs. Hardy:Ok.
Second Unknown Cousin:That's what mama said.
Ms. Jones:And they were from Esmont.
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, they were all Esmont.
Ms. Jones:Do you remember what year they were born, your parents?
Mrs. Hardy:No... I don't know what year they were born...
Ms. Jones:And do you remember what kind of work they did, your parents?
Mrs. Hardy:Just the same as they did - farming.
Ms. Jones:And your mom farmed?
Mrs. Hardy:Raising cattle, pigs, horses, cows - farming. (laughs) I would say farming.
Ms. Jones:And your mom, too? Was she a farmer too? Or did she work at home.
Mrs. Hardy:No, she did laundry work mostly. She did laundry for a lady, Ms. Small. She did for years. Eight dollars a month. (laughs)
Ms. Jones:And did Ms. Small live in Esmont? Ms. Small, the woman that your mom worked for.
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, yeah!
Ms. Jones:She lived in Esmont.
Mrs. Hardy:Mm-hm. Yeah, they're all Esmont people.
Ms. Jones:And the farming that your dad did, was that farmland that he owned as part of his family?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, yeah! It was stuff he owned. He owned - everything.
Ms. Jones:And how many acres of land did your dad own?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, God. He had so much acres of land, but it sort was all divided into the rest of the family (laughs).
Ms. Jones:But back then, when you were a little girl living in Esmont.
Mrs. Hardy:How much land?
Ms. Jones:Yeah, did they have in terms of acres?
Mrs. Hardy:(counting) 20 or 30 because it had all been divided with the rest of the family, with my sisters and brothers. Its been all divided up.
Ms. Jones:Do they still live here in Esmont?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, they all live here. Excepting 2 - I have one sister and one brother living in Charlottesville. We all (live in the community) here in Esmont.
Ms. Woodley:How many are you guys - sisters and brothers, how many?
Mrs. Hardy:It was eight of us.
Ms. Jones:And did you have any aunts besides the aunts you referred to, that you share with the other ladies.
Mrs. Hardy:No, other than on my father's side.
Ms. Jones:Ok, and they live in Esmont too?
Mrs. Hardy:They lived in Keene. Yeah, they lived in the same neighborhood that they lived in. That her father lived in. In that area. Around Keene's Virginia.
Ms. Jones:Ok, and that was your dad's family. Mr. Kenton Gardener.
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, his family.
Ms. Jones:Ok. And did they do gardening, or did they do something else?
Mrs. Hardy:All they did was farming, that's all I know...
Ms. Jones:Now, who were some of your neighbors when you were living in Esmont before you left to go up to Maryland?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, same as what - some of them they had, that's all.
Ms. Jones:Because - did you live near them when you were growing up?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, not too far.
Ms. Jones:And who are some of your school friends that you remember from being in Esmont back then?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, wow. Madelia Scott - oh, well, she's not a Scott now. She's not -
Ms. Jones:Ms. Chambers.
Mrs. Hardy:Chambers now. And Beatrice Harris - she's a Jackson now. And Catherine Wilson, but she's a - what is she now?
Unknown Cousin:Simpson.
Mrs. Hardy:Simpson, oh yeah. We all were schooled sort of together, but she's a little older than we were. And Julia Thomas. Edith Spencer, but she married a Washington. Oh - Bristol Munroe, Grace Munroe, oh gosh - I wish I brought my picture down here. If I knew you were going to ask me all of these questions... (laughs)
Ms. Jones:Do you have pictures at home?
Mrs. Hardy:I have pictures, yeah. From our school reunion a couple of weeks - two weeks, no, three weeks ago now.
Ms. Woodley:Oh, really??
Mrs. Hardy:And all Paul, Thomas, Lorenza Paige, and all that gang, we went to school together.
Ms. Jones:Would it be OK if we came another time to look at the pictures that you told us about? Would that be OK?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, yeah. Sure. If I had know I was going to be interviewed like this I would have brought them.
Ms. Jones:Well, sure - we could either do some other time.
Mrs. Hardy:I took them to the school reunion and they were so glad to see them, because they were much younger then. (laughs) we all were much younger.
Ms. Jones:Sure, sure... and do you remember who some of your parents' friends were? People who lived in the community and what they did...
Mrs. Hardy:Just people in the community, like the Swans, the Joneses, and Lewises, and same as - she told you.
Ms. Jones:Right. And were they farmers, too? Or did they all work...?
Mrs. Hardy:They were all farmers. They all did the same kind of work, yeah.
Ms. Jones:And did you and your family have any friends living in Charlottesville at that time - when you were going to Esmont?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, just - we had one aunt. (to a cousin) what was her name? Aunt Annie what?
Unknown Cousin:Aunt Annie.
Mrs. Hardy:What was her last name?
Unknown Cousin:Harris.
Mrs. Hardy:Harris. That's right.
Ms. Jones:And where did she live?
Unknown Cousin:On West Street.
Mrs. Hardy:On West street.
Unknown Cousin:At New Hope church.
Ms. Jones:And did you know anyone who lived in Proffit back then?
Mrs. Hardy:Proffit? (shakes head?)
Ms. Jones:No? Ok. And what do you remember of going - well, did you ever visit Charlottesville back then when you were in school, when you were growing up before you left? Did you ever visit Charlottesville? What do you remember of visiting Charlottesville?
Mrs. Hardy:No, not too much. Just like - no, we weren't allowed to go to no movies or nothing like that (laughs). We weren't allowed to those movies. It was just like, going to church. Going to church and that's it.
Ms. Jones:And what church did you go to?
Mrs. Hardy:Here? This is my home church, here.
Ms. Jones:This here? New Green...
Mrs. Hardy:New Green Mountain is my home church. But after I went away I joined another church, and...
Ms. Jones:And who was the pastor back then when you were going to school in Esmont?
Mrs. Hardy:Reverend Woodfolk. I was baptized under him. But there was another minister, but I didn't know him.
Ms. Jones:And what do you remember of church life back then, in terms of being a member of the church - did they organize community events, and things of that nature?
Mrs. Hardy:We went to BTU, school...
Ms. Jones:What's BTU?
Mrs. Hardy:...And going to church, going to Sunday school, coming home... and we didn't go to no movies or nothing like that. Weren't allowed. At least I wasn't... (laughs) going to movies...
Ms. Jones:What's BTU?
Mrs. Hardy:Baptist Training Union.
Ms. Jones:What was that?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, it was just - activities. Religious activities.
Ms. Jones:Organized for the young people?
Mrs. Hardy:For the young people, yeah. That's right.
Ms. Jones:It was held at the church itself?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, right here. Just changed since that date, though.
Ms. Jones:Do you remember going shopping in Charlottesville? Like, did your family every go shopping there?
Mrs. Hardy:No, we didn't go shopping - whatever they brought you, you bought.
Ms. Jones:Oh, so your parents used to bring things back for you?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, my mother used to sew - she used to make clothes for us. So, she used to make my brothers' clothes. Even the knickerbockers - socks for the knickerbockers. She used to make the pants. And all that stuff. Make all our clothes. It wasn't but four of us at that time, cause my other two sisters and brothers, they were born since then. But she used to make my brothers' pants, coats... she was a seamstress. And all our clothes - my sisters clothes. And of course my brother got the largest that they - he used to tell mama he was tired of wearing 'mama-made clothes.' (laughs)
Ms. Jones:Hmmm! Mama-made clothes (smiles).
Mrs. Hardy:He wanted to buy something from the store, you know. He said 'so I could buys his clothes from the store'
Ms. Jones:So whenever you went to stores in Charlottesville. Do you remember what that was like in terms of segregation, and...
Mrs. Hardy:Oh yeah!
Ms. Jones:What was that like?
Mrs. Hardy:The same thing as she was telling you - the same thing she was telling you, segregation.
Ms. Jones:Ok, well tell us about what you experienced. Or what you remember in particular.
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, we couldn't try on anything. We had to bring it home. If it didn't fit you, take it back, you know.
Ms. Jones:But you couldn't do that.
Mrs. Hardy:Hm?
Ms. Jones:You couldn't try things on and bring it back.
Mrs. Hardy:No.
Ms. Jones:Do you remember when you used to go to Charlottesville, did you used to take a bus there? Or did you drive...
Mrs. Hardy:A bus?? No!! We would take horse and buggy! My father drove a horse and buggy. We'd go by the horse and buggy, that's how we got there.
Ms. Jones:To Charlottesville. Ok.
Mrs. Hardy:If we went. And then, too, we had some neighbors, good friends. They were named Nelson, but it wasn't connected with this Nelson. They were different Nelsons. They lived out near Lewis, they used to take - when my father was in the hospital with his broken legs - they used to take us. They had a T-Model car, and they used to take us to the hospital to see him.
Ms. Jones:And where did they park the buggy when they used to drive you to see your father at the hospital?
Mrs. Hardy:I really don't know now. Places where they would park the horse and buggy. They used to have a place to park the horse and buggy, but where it was I can't remember. And that's - it used to be dirt roads. It wasn't roads like it is today. It would take you all day to go and come back.
Ms. Jones:Your dad was at the hospital at UVa?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah.
Ms. Jones:Do you remember where he was at the hospital? Where he stayed?
Mrs. Hardy:Down in the basement. In the basement where the black folks were. White folks upstairs. I know that for a fact because the Nelson that used to take us to see them would see him, you know, when he was in the hospital, and...
[tape cuts off, then begins again]
Ms. Jones:Did you have any other memories of living in Esmont? What were some of your earliest memories that you can really recall of living in Esmont - the community, what it was like...
Mrs. Hardy:Well, going to the store down-in the bottom. We called this 'down in the bottom.' With Mr. Steed and Ms. Payne, and that other lady she mentioned...
Ms. Jones:And were these all white store owners?
Mrs. Hardy:These were all white store owners. And you couldn't go around and pick up stuff like you do today. Your parents would make up a note of what they wanted, and he'll take the note and go around and pick up the stuff and give it to you.
Ms. Jones:Were there any black store owners in the area?
Mrs. Hardy:Not at that time.
Ms. Jones:Were there any black store owners in Charlottesville that you remember? (pause) No? ok.
Mrs. Hardy:I can't remember.
Ms. Jones:Did you know the Benjamin Yancey family? did you know them? OK.
Mrs. Hardy:Only since.
Ms. Jones:I'm sorry?
Mrs. Hardy:Only since I left here, in '35.
Ms. Jones:Oh, ok - so I guess you didn't know them, then. Ok, let's see - I guess I asked you already about the community, I can't remember. And what did you do for fun, like when you were a small child living in Esmont?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, we - well, we didn't do too much fun activities. What did we do? We all jumped rope, stuff like that, you know (laughs) and played ball and stuff like that. And go to church, that's all, we...
Ms. Jones:And what was the school like? Can you describe what the school was like? The building - whether there were different classrooms, was it one big classroom, or?...
Mrs. Hardy:Oh no - I wish I had brought my (son? - unclear) down here because it was classrooms. We all were in different classrooms, it wasn't the same classroom. Then we had our big room called the Assembly Hall. That's where we'd all gather in the morning, have our prayer... sing and have our prayer. We called it assembly hall. The whole school used to congregate there and have their devotions, you know. Then we'd go to the individual rooms. We had about - you know, first, second, third, fourth grade.. you know, things like that. Primmer - there used to be 'Primmer.' Years ago we used to call it a Primmer Room. Where everybody, real small kids, they - well, it was before the first grade. We used to say 'Primmer.' And we used to have a book called the 'primmer' (laughs) I'll never forget that.
Ms. Jones:And it was for kindergarten-aged children?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, yeah - kindergartens, you know. And we had - I know at least four classrooms.
Ms. Jones:And how many children on average in each classroom?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, it might have been at least 10 or 12, I guess. At that time. That was way back then in the early '30's! (laughs)
Ms. Jones:And were your parents part of any community organization that you remember?
Mrs. Hardy:No. no, they weren't acting community of anything that I can remember.
Ms. Jones:Were you in any school teams in Esmont? Playing in any sports, or...
Mrs. Hardy:Well, I'll tell you. We had one teacher that came while I was in high school. Mr. Washington. He introduced us to Albemarle Training School and we would run in the relay. We had a running relay team. I know that.
Ms. Jones:And what teams did you play against?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, Albemarle Training School.
Ms. Jones:And that was a black school?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, yeah.
Ms. Jones:A black school. A high school or...
Mrs. Hardy:A high school, yeah. Because it wasn't no integrated. It was just all black.
Ms. Jones:Ok. So was Jefferson one of the schools you used to play against?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh yeah - one of them, yeah.
Ms. Jones:Jefferson, Albemarle Training - and which other schools did you play against?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh gosh - I can't remember. Just Albemarle Training School.
Ms. Jones:And when you used to go to events, how did you all get there - to the school events, to your relay?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh yeah, well they - at that time, in the later years, at that time we had a bus to take us. It wasn't no bus like it is today (laughs). Yellow bus? They don't have no bus like that today.
Ms. Jones:Who ran the bus?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, somebody in the neighborhood.
Ms. Jones:Did parents go to the...
Mrs. Hardy:Our parents used to go too, yeah. Some people used to take us, you know. They drove car, they used to take us there.
Ms. Jones:And what else can you think of in terms of community that you remember most in terms of important memories?... or of your life living in Esmont back then, and going to Esmont school that you want to share with us?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, let me see... we didn't have nothing like we got here today.
Ms. Jones:Like what?
Mrs. Hardy:Like the kitchen and all that stuff. We used to serve food, like out on the ground. We'd have revivals, you know.
Ms. Jones:You mean at the church.
Mrs. Hardy:Right here.
Ms. Jones:Oh, at this church. Ok.
Mrs. Hardy:Have revivals every year. And we didn't have no place like this to serve the food - we had to serve it on the ground, on the outside on the ground. I guess you all remember - no, you don't remember that, do you. I guess you do know. When we used to serve food on the ground, outside on the yard. Years ago. (someone asks a question) Food. During revival time.
Unknown Cousin:Yeah, they used to call it something, making tables at St. John.
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah. Oh yeah, you were down at St. John, that's right
Ms. Jones:Did they have tables outside?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah!
Ms. Jones:They did have tables outside. Ok.
Mrs. Hardy:They didn't have nothing like this.
Ms. Jones:And what were the revivals like? What were those all about?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, at that time they were for fading souls. Mm-hm. At that time it was a saving-souls. But the ministers who come now, they don't preach saving souls. They want to revive old people who've been in the church for years. Like you and me and everybody else. Revivals. We revive ourselves, which I guess we do know after - even though you consider yourself a Christian, but sometimes you went by the wayside, and you need to revive yourself. Not all saving souls like we did at that time. Because when I come along it was mostly for saving souls, but not anymore. Not altogether now. They do open the church to people who want to join, but not all its for saving souls. Just for people to revive themselves after they've been around for a whole year.
Ms. Jones:Do they have annual reunions at the church, where people from elsewhere come back to visit?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, in the later years it did, I guess. Because, see, I left here in '35 so... I guess they did at that time. Because a lot of things went on after I left here. Because when I left here it was around '35 and believe me, you know, a lot of changes. A lot of changes since I left here. Lots of changes. Because my sister, if they were here, they could tell you more than I could (laughs).
Ms. Jones:Right, cause they stayed here.
Mrs. Hardy:They lived here, yeah-
Ms. Jones:Is there some way of contacting them?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, my sister Ruth - she was coming today, she's my youngest sister, but she couldn't come. Because she's involved with a funeral. Because she's one of the younger members. She's one of the younger ones. And my sister Elizabeth, she lives in Charlottesville, she's one of the younger members too.
Ms. Jones:Living here in Esmont.
Mrs. Hardy:In Esmont.
Ms. Woodley:Elizabeth lives in Charlottesville?
Mrs. Hardy:And my brother Ted, he lives here too, but he's working today.
Ms. Jones:He's what?
Mrs. Hardy:He's working today, my brother Ted. He's my youngest brother. Now, they could tell you a whole lot more stuff than I could tell you.
Ms. Jones:Right, because you weren't here.
Mrs. Hardy:Mm-hm
Ms. Jones:Any more questions you wanted to add, or -
Ms. Woodley:I was wondering how your dad broke his legs-
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, it was at a quarry - at the Esmont Quarry. Seems like they had one of those big. Used to go down to set up a big - I don't know what you call that thing down in the quarry. To bring up stones. And it came up - they tell us now - and it came up. When the brought the thing up, it fell on his leg. He broke both of his legs, but the people at the hospital were only able to save one. The other one was stiff for the rest of his days, but the other one, they could mend that. He could bend that. His right leg, but his left leg was stiff the rest of his days. He couldn't...
Ms. Woodley:And he was working in the quarry?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, he was working in the quarry. Well, that's all the work that a lot of people got around here to do to work in the quarries. Esmont Quarries.
Ms. Jones:Where is it located?
Mrs. Hardy:Oh, down in Esmont. Across - it's in Esmont, but it's down in the...
Unknown Cousin:Down where The Bottom is.
Mrs. Hardy:The Bottom. It's called The Bottom, yeah.
Ms. Jones:Right. So your dad did farming, and he worked in the quarry. What else did he do after he hurt his leg?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, just farming work. Raising cotton. He worked for a man by the name of Mr. - what was that, the first man he worked for, did gardening work for - Bradley. You all remember Bradley? You didn't know Bradley. Mr. Bradley. The first man he worked for was Bradley, but they didn't pay him too much money. He drove down there every day with a horse and buggy. Horse and cot, we used to call it cot - one-seat-cot. He had a two-seat-buggy, and then he had a cot. And Mr. Bradley, that's the first man he worked for. He did gardening work. Because he wasn't able to do anything else but gardening work. And during the Depression, see I came along during the Depression, and during the Depression he laid him off. There wasn't nobody working in my house but my mother. Because she washed for this lady, Ms. Small, for 8 dollars a month. And then after he finally got a job with a white family by the name of Moyels (phonetically), and that's all he did was gardening work. That's all he could do after he broke his leg. His left leg was stiff for the rest of his days, till he died and he couldn't bend. And they fixed the other leg, the right leg so he could bend it. And he was chairman of the deacon board of this church at the time.
Ms. Jones:Long family history in the area.
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah... but they're more, like I said, my brother George, Ted and Elizabeth and Ruth, they can tell you more.
Ms. Jones:Well how old are they? Ruth is about how old?
Mrs. Hardy:She's in her 70s now.
Ms. Jones:And Elizabeth is...
Mrs. Hardy:She's in her 70s.
Ms. Jones:And Ted?
Mrs. Hardy:I know when they were born!
(laughter)
Ms. Jones:Ok! And Ted and George? 70s also? Or...
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, around in their late 60, I guess. I know when they were born.
Ms. Jones:Ok.
Ms. Woodley:When?
Mrs. Hardy:(laughs) Lord have mercy.
Ms. Jones:Were you present at the birth, or were you just, like...
Mrs. Hardy:No, I just know when they were born. I was young, but I know when they were born.
Ms. Jones:Was there a midwife in the community, or was there a...?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, Cousin Bea Swan, she was a nurse. Did you know cousin Bea? Swan?
Unknown Cousin:Yeah.
Mrs. Hardy:She was a nurse, wasn't she?
Ms. Jones:She was a registered nurse? Or a...
Mrs. Hardy:As far as I know. I don't know.
Ms. Jones:Do you know where she went to school?
Mrs. Hardy:I really don't know about that.
Ms. Jones:Ok, but she was the midwife in the community.
Mrs. Hardy:Her and Ms. Lewis. Ms. Emma Lewis. Ms. Lewis, she was there when my sister was born. Dr. Early - do you know Dr. Early?
Ms. Jones:Was Dr. Early a white doctor or a black doctor?
Mrs. Hardy:White. He was around.
Unknown Cousin:I think everybody knows Dr. Early.
Mrs. Hardy:Dr. Early? Yeah. He was the doctor at that time. Dr. Early.
Ms. Jones:Did he come in to take care of people in the community who got sick?
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, that's what he did. Dr. Harris, too. But I think Dr. Early was around when my sisters and brothers were born at that time. Elizabeth...
Ms. Jones:Did he help deliver them, did Dr. Early help deliver them?
Mrs. Hardy:As far as I know. I was quite young.
Ms. Woodley:Were there any black doctors?
Mrs. Hardy:No!! My goodness, no! Not at that time! (laughs) Not at that time. (to unknown cousin) She said 'were there any black doctors,' I said 'not at that time.' (laughter)
Ms. Jones:Were any of your parents or relatives involved in the desegregation movement - with the Burley school and all of that? Were they active...
Unknown Cousin:I don't know - he was President of the PTA, so I guess some sort of involvement.
Ms. Jones:Was anybody involved in the NAACP at that time?
Unknown Cousin:Yeah.
Ms. Jones:Ok, were your parents members?
Unknown Cousin:Yeah, we were all members.
Ms. Jones:Ok. Do you remember any events that you might have gone to? Or programs - do you remember for desegregating the community? Or helping with the community?
Unknown Cousin:I don't remember anything. Unless we were involved in it. Maybe our parents were.
Ms. Jones:But you're not sure. Ok.
(tape cut off, then back on again)
Ms. Jones:For now I just want to thank you for being willing to talk to us.
Ms. Jones:And hopefully we can come back to meet you some other time and maybe look at the photos. We could probably meet you here.
Mrs. Hardy:Yeah, I wish I had known a while ago, cause I could have brought them. But, like I said, I'll bring them.
Ms. Jones:Ok, great.
Mrs. Hardy:Cause all of them were quite young then. Back in the '30's, my goodness. Because I left here in '35, so I didn't do no domestic work. I went to live with my aunt and uncle in Maryland and that's where I did restaurant work. Believe me, restaurant-cooking - we made everything we sold at that time.
Ms. Jones:What was the name of the restaurant?
Mrs. Hardy:Well, it was named after my uncle: Mr. T's on the Pike (laughs).
Ms. Jones:Ok, sounds great. Sounds good. Well, thank you...
(end of interview)

Copyright Information:
Virginia Center for Digital History, University of Virginia
This interview is publically accessible
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