| Summary: | Folder contains 2 copies of the story of George Wells, textile weaver, and a weekly report compiled by Katherine Floyd the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s.. , .
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l:.~t ..erlue
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1'.llssell
loya.
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ounty, Alabaffill.
pI.enil< ity, ,,1 b u.
rovenber ~~, 1 38. -J.>. • .:.
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~~orge 'ells, ~extl1e Weaver.
Gear e W\11 a ,
0,9 hi" p!lI'enta, J. jc tEid two ..no one-,.alf .,11ea rom .cCombs, ~ss.
He is t., rl YOll!lgelat of a.l!x chilaren, nwnel;;: Jao,., hi'ch"rd, Ja lea
and llor a Lqe.
\I' orgelB fatr. r, a sawyer b,y tr~de, 110 for mall weeLoS ahlr::lt~o'n
w..a b.;ent fro I. e ln t.he saw 111 C!1lllPS icn were n~"'"d fro t. e
to 1. I e over t~e st tea f iaaisaippi and L~lliawja, d~r1L h~s
chll..nu a.
eorge ~ ~s t~ 1. fiis wother was vary t~rift ~u g od farm
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mmager, ma with the' aid (jf a colored' tdn illt faulily c"rr iea do 1. e
act.ivitiea Of the "~rm allring n~s fat~nEDS absence. AS ~Jr chiluren
gr. IIp Slle! tallgnt t.llem 1. I 00 t."el VllrJ.OllS chores abollt tHe hOllse ana
larm. He loves tr.e memor of nis cIJila(jooa spant. on tr'e farm .•hich
oonsist of 1,,0 creS of 1 nd', one threel ruom tenilIlt hOllae. sUll roo..>
frame! awelling udme, thr e gooa b rna ~nd a c ar l~ a~~e hOllSel.
"cey owned three co s, two mllles, flock of chic~ena ana lls~all
fattened 3 Or C hoga each year for home consnmption. His mother
alwaya has a gOOd garaen which kept them in seaaonable vegestables
nd raised practically 11 of thier StOC4 feed. ~neir "main mone
cropa" were of cotton and corn.
It was the deaire of hia parenta to edllc te their children
through at leaat Hign achool, and as they became of achool age-
• tney attenaea the Community schools, being transported to ana from
on tl:e SCL.ool bllS. 'owever , it waa their plea';llre to aee only hi
siater gradl1ate. ~s tte boys reacnea the ninth ana tenth gr dea tne~
aecidea to leave school and le rn a trade at the textile illa loc ted
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~atherinQ lo.d.
Project ...4404
hussell county. abams.
George el s, .Ieaver.
Page T 2/
at cOombs. ana to ao ndon the farm life.
So at tte ..ge of sixteell years. George Wells begun serving his
appllenticesnip as a weaver. He w s giveil a job as a [, elper at ? .00
per week, alld at the end of the tent!: week waS pl"ceo on a "etana of
looms" to operate. weaving material for oraperies. He tlJen would
aver"ge tnree or four aolaars a oay on this job.
George sa a that nie cnilahood ambition wae to own an a~tomooile
of his very own ana s ved nia money until ue coulo pay caah for one.
t was a happy o~ in hi" life when ne purchased uia f1rst ooel ,.
Foro.lbrano new. wnicn was uis pride ana joy). There were several
worKers of the mill wno lived in his community. ana for a fare of
one aOllar each per weeK ne would taKe nnem to ana from work, nelp1ng
to aefray tne expenses of operating his cur.
4ft T working for ~y sars 1n the mills 0 his home town, ~sorge
receive" an offer 0 a job in ",/niBton, Alabama "~ one of his former
foreman. as a eaver at 25. 0 per we~k. He worAea tcere for tnree
.ears ana aecideo to loc"te ill Pnenix Cit, 1 b=a, (whicn ;you. mignt
term s a textile vill ge subur of Col o~s. ~eorgia just across the
river, nich is the ut,te llte.) T~e ajorit~ of tr.e resioents of
pn mix Cit. re emplo/ed in tne textile ills a COlumbus, Georgia.
George married three ears ago to wiaow With one son, Ji~,
who is now seven • ears of age. Georgs an" his wife are both employed
with U.e jjrlialey anufacturing Co., '.orKillg on tne evening "hift, from
~o P. w. till Ten P. • i ey worK five "ays week 10 their net
e..rniI Bars 28.bU per eeL George II S a .. tano of fo~r looms ana
e..rne 42¢ OIl Lour-- hi Wife is a cloth inspector ill" e rue ~O¢ an&
IIoQr. .hey botn liKe t .eir work, nowever, prefer tte snift.
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i.. tnerine lOju.
Pro ject r ,.4 4
h suell County. Alabama.
Gccrge .ell •• eiver.
Pagq .. 3.
George ie verJ devoted to Jimmy, who ie a very bright cnild
a it is their uesire to give him gooa eaucation. "nei oath
realize that it is most essenti 1 for Djd future welf~re, Bays tnat
an uneducatea person ia verI Uch nanaicapped in life, and the1 ~ave
an eaucational enuowment polic for t e cnild also ourill in urance
on the three of them.
Geor!!e ana his wife I,ave I.igh iaeals JIld are good moral people,
they are both of scotch-Irish aescendant. ihey uelong to the
ethoaiat Cnurch .~a taKe an aotive part in the activjties of the
cnurch.
rent
ihel live in a nice neighborhoOD. n va five-ruom house with
U!lth. eleutric liOoI.tS. cook and I.eat with gas and have a coil heater
in t e Kitchen with tank connections for hot water.
comfortaolJ 1urnished Wla Kept nice and clean. ~hey have one boarder.
9.11Q erve very nice table of "al ced foca-- plsin but wholeeome--.
.r.e are buyine tr.eir furniture rolQ Plymouth c r on tne in tallmant
plan. George tBl.es c re 01 all of tte finances -ma oelieves in ~ eping
nib creait rating in g~oa st~ajng.
Geor!!e eaye that he aoes not intena to lwa s follow the textile
traae. that it is hie ae jre to go into business of his own, preferaoll
to operate a preSSing cluo, I~ to t en purch se a small creage a ew
mile from tte oity wa ~oullo a nO e of niB own.
e i verJ reminiscent of hi Loy-hood days ~Q loves to visit
r.iS p U'ents Oit t e 010 ,,0 e in 'cCom" • eorge is aemocrat and
staJJ1ch dmirer of our Pre~iaent. de does not belive in "unions",
says that .he uniond n ve alw JS worAed narasnipe au tne wor~ere
oecduse the aj~rity of themwere ~eaucateu.
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t erine Flo •
Pro Jeat ~ 4464
Rue ell count" Alabama,
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George ellB, .B vert
p gE4 j- a.
George le verJ devoted , WhO lB aver brlght ohlld
o lt ia thelr deBlre to give hlm goo e Il.O tlon. hel both
reall.e th t it ia mOBt e aentlal for hl fll.tu.r welf re, B B that
an une4110 h perBon 1 ver" mllOll h aioappBd ln life, d th 'I ave
an e411.oational endO eDt polio for tCB oh11d alBO bul 1 inau.r oe
on the threB of them.
George an hle wlfe h ve nigh i<ieala 104 re go04 or 1 people.
tllel are both of ootoh-Irish .eoen ante, ~. el elan to the
ethoU dt Ch..roh rm
oharoh.
e an o~ive ~~rt in tho ,tivitiea of to
r.nt
The1 live in nloe neigh orhood, •• a five-roo h0118e
u th, eleotrio lightB, oook d he t with g 8 ve 0011
in tne kitohen With tank oonneotiona for hot water, ThB hOll.~e i
00 fort blj' farnlshed an ept nloe and olean. The have one bo
serve verJ nloe t bl. of Huanood faa -- pl in bat WI.OlellO e--.
.hel are b~ing ~heir farnitll.re (\ Pl1mol1th oar on the inat 11 t
plan. Ceorge t ·eB 0 r. of 1 of ~he fin oeB ana believea in eplng
hi oredit r ting in goad at aing,
George a a th t he ooee not inten to
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W • follow the textile
tr e, th t it ls hlB e ir. to go uto l18inaB of hls own, p fer 013
to oper ~. a presaing olll. ,
mile from the oit1
to tl.en puoh • a. 11 are •
ho e of hlB awn.
few
He 1 veri r iniuo.nt of hlB 01-hoOd B lov.. to al
hla pJrenta t t e 010 ho e in oComuB. Ceorg. la
atamoh mlrar of Oll.r Pre ioent. Ha 40e8 not elive in "ublon
• B th t t4 l1Dion b ve alw B wor~e haroBhipB on the .or~era
beo e t • m J'ritl of the ere l1Dedl1o te •
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