My mother, Velma Reynolds Taylor was the eldest child of Isaac Newton Reynolds (son of Mary Stacy and John Wesley Reynolds) and Nancy Ann Campbell (daughter of Mary Jane 'Polly' Begley and Woolery Teed 'WT' Campbell. Velma was born, raised and married Bill Taylor in Mallie, KY. She grew up with many of the same experiences as most children who were born and raised in Southeastern Kentucky.

Everyday chores that we take for granted, were efforts of intense labor. Having to do laundry for a family of twelve was no easy task. With wash tubs and washboards, water that was hand carried in buckets to an open fire, and using homemade lye soap, heating the water was just the beginning of day long chore. With an article of clothing in hand Nancy and Velma would move the clothing up and down on the washboard until all the clothes were clean.

Most of the people lived off the land and wild game was their meat most of the time. Chickens were killed only for company or special occasions. Children and women were the last to eat. Men were always served first. Children have been known to say that chickens only had wings because they never saw anything else. Large gardens were raised for home canned vegetables to last through the winter. Potatoes were placed in burlap sacks and stored in holes in the ground. If a family was fortunate enough to have a hog for butchering, it was hung in the smoke house.

Clothing and shoes were handed down to a younger child. Shoes were usually resoled and shoe strings were replaced. Usually the women made their clothing and the men only had one or two pairs of pants and shirts. Any leftover clothing was made into beautiful quilts.

My parents, Velma Reynolds and Willis 'Bill' Taylor lived in Mallie after they were married. Velma was a homemaker and Bill had several occupations over the years. As a young man he worked with his father and brothers in the logging business, worked on the W.P.A. (work program building roads), and was a coal miner. They left the mountains twice, seeking employment in Detroit, MI and Newport, WV. Both times they returned to the mountains where farming was the only means of making a living. As a result, Bill became a moonshiner. As a moonshiner in a dry county, he was driven out with a heavy fine and promise of jail time if they ever caught him back in area. He paid his fine and charges were dropped. They later relocated in Dayton, OH where Bill worked at Chrysler Airtemp until retirement.

I, Evelyn Taylor, was born in Mallie, KY but came to Ohio in 1952 when my parents moved there. It was there that I met and married my husband, Delmer Lee 'Del' Robbins who was raised in Somerset, KY but moved to Dayton when he left the Army. Some of my fondest memories are of family gatherings at the old home place (which is still standing) on the 4th of July and at Christmas. The gatherings were huge, with all my aunts, uncles and cousins sharing the holiday. We ate in shifts and the sleeping accommodations were crowded. There were 4 to 5 people sleeping crosswise on mattresses and pallets. Some slept in their cars, others on the couch.

The Reynolds and Campbell families all enjoyed music. Many of them played instruments which sometimes was their only form of entertainment. If a radio was available, 'Grand Ole Opry' and 'Amos and Andy' were among the favorite programs. Young people would go to a barn dance, or string beans which actually meant shucking corn or stringing beans before square dancing the night away. They played hard and they worked hard.

My parents, grandparents and great grandparents were poor working farmers, always willing to lend a hand. They lived in hard times that I know nothing about, but have only heard of. Life has changed a lot from my time there as a child. I can only imagine what it must have been like in the days that they lived in Kentucky.

Respectfully submitted by:

Evelyn Taylor Robbins
Daughter and Grandaughter