Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2023/Fall/Section33/Mrs. Walter Rowe (Lily)

Youth and Adolescence
Mrs. Walter Rowe, or Lily, has lived her whole life in North Carolina. As a young girl, Mrs. Rowe did not receive an education nor did her siblings. Her father believed it was a waste of time and would offer no good outcomes. Her youth consisted of working and caring for her siblings. Mrs. Rowe’s parents were field workers up until her mother fell ill and her father started illegally producing moonshine out of their home. Due to her father’s business, Mrs. Rowe was also not allowed to attend church because of the fear that the alcohol would be discovered. This was a hardship for Mrs. Rowe because she always had a close relationship with her faith. Throughout her earlier life, Mrs. Rowe had to witness and deal with the abusive behavior her father had towards her mother. Often, Mrs. Rowe had to take care of her mother because of the violence that was inflicted upon her (mother) at the hands of Mrs. Rowe’s father. After a slight incident with law enforcement, her family moved, this resulted in Mrs. Rowe and her siblings starting work in a mill. Her and her siblings were the only source of income for their household for a long period of time; her mother’s health didn’t allow her to work, and her father’s health slowly deteriorated.

Adult Life and New Beginnings
Due to her father’s health decline, he committed suicide, leaving behind Mrs. Rowe and her family. This changed a lot for Mrs. Rowe, specifically where she resided. Mrs. Rowe explains that her father’s suicide came right before the death of her uncle. This led to Mrs. Rowe moving in with her aunt; Mrs. Rowe’s mother had all the support from her other children, which was a big reason behind why Mrs. Rowe made the decision to move in with her aunt instead. After the move, she elaborates that her relationship with her aunt became very complicated. This resulted in Mrs. Rowe finding work in a different mill, which eventually led to her finding her husband. Mrs. Rowe married Everett and soon moved in with him into his parents’ home. To start a new life, they moved around until they found a proper home and had a baby boy. Everett had enlisted during the war and although he came back, Mrs. Rowe explains that his health was never the same. Everett suffered a rapid health decline and was left in a coma. Mrs. Rowe was left to raise her son alone in their small town. As an adult, Mrs. Rowe started to slowly learn how to read and has prioritized her son’s education. She explains that she wants her son to have a life different from hers, so education is the way to go. Mrs. Rowe has also prioritized going to church and becoming closer with her faith; she often reminisces on how her father needed this throughout his moments of crisis.

Prohibition and Bootlegging in North Carolina
The state of North Carolina became the first southern state to ban alcohol. The banning of alcohol in the state came 12 years earlier than the nationwide ban implemented by the U.S government. Most counties voluntarily chose to be dry counties due to the growing support of the temperance movement by women. With the ban of alcohol, the industry of bootlegging or illegally producing and selling alcohol erupted throughout the state. Some common practices included, illegally brewing at home, or getting a doctor prescription for a bottle of alcohol. Most alcohol would be transported from Virgina or grown in house. Due to the high priority of discrepancy needed for this, cars would be modified to quickly hide and transport alcohol. This booming industry led to the creation of what we now know as NASCAR.

Child Labor in Mills in North Carolina
As the industry of mills began booming in the 1880’s in NC, a huge part of the labor would come from children. Children would be sent to work in the mills for various reasons. Some include, parents not wanting children unsupervised, child labor brought in more money for the household, and labor was believed to teach children discipline. Child labor reformers or people against child labor, sought out to change the labor laws surrounding children in the workplace. During the child labor reformation movement, many parents did not agree with the beliefs of this movement. To change parents and outsiders’ opinions, reformers photographed and wrote on the terrible work conditions that children had to face while working in the mills. The most famous example of this would be Lewis Hine’s child labor photographic collection. Lewis Hine took over 5,000 photographs to document the work conditions that children around the country faced. The project was sponsored by the National Child Labor Committee and was used to educate and spread the horrid conditions that children had to work into the public. This publicity helped change the public opinion towards child labor and helped more and more people support the moment. Soon after, the industry began to make changes to the way it worked. The industry began to slowly stop relying on child labor and instead used new technology that outright changed the way things worked. Laws and special practice, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, were also enacted that soon ended child labor.