Rachel's Story

                                     

                                             

                  

Rachel Allen was born in Clay County, Kentucky on April 9, 1916. Her parents were Adoniram “Narm” and Amanda “Mandy” Moore Allen. She joined a two and a half-year-old sister Esther and a brother John. John had just turned one, three months prior to Rachel’s birth. 

As far as I can tell, Rachel was born at the old Allen home place on Teges Creek. She was most likely delivered with the help of a midwife and that midwife could have been an aunt of her mother Mandy. At least two of Rachel’s great aunts were midwives. Her Great Aunt Frances Moore McKinney lived not far away in Island City in neighboring Owsley County. Frances McKinney would deliver many babies in the area. She delivered my dad Donald Smith on Anglin’ Branch in 1937. Teges Creek was about ten miles from Island City where Frances lived. It does not seem far-fetched that she could have helped Mandy deliver Rachel.

                                               Teges Creek

Rachel was born in the spring. Spring is a beautiful time in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. The drear of winter was being pushed back by the warmth and beauty of spring. Clumps of cheery buttercups may have bloomed in some yards around the Allen home place. The lacy white blossoms of dogwood and the lovely purple blooms of the redbud very likely dotted the hillsides. The pear tree in the Allen’s side yard was possibly filled with white blooms. Rachel’s mother Mandy may have recently been foraging the hillsides for spring greens and early medicinal herbs. The garden spot had probably been plowed with a mule in anticipation of planting. Taters, cabbages, and tomatoes may have been planted already. Spring showers would have played music on the tin of the Allen home place’s roof. Rachel was born during a lovely time of the year.

A few months after Rachel’s birth, then-President Woodrow Wilson began the National Park Service. The NPS was responsible for conserving and protecting the lands established as national parks. The first such park was Yellowstone, established in 1872. Up until the National Park Service was established these parks were managed by the military. Now the beauty and history of our country would be protected by this new agency.  

Despite being born during the beauty of spring, Rachel was born at a time when the world was unsettled by WWI. WWI had begun in 1914 with the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand in Serbia. The Allied forces, consisting of Great Britain, France, Russia, Japan and Italy, were pitted against the Central Powers consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. During the early years of the war, Americans were particularly concerned with the safety of Americans traveling across the Atlantic on passenger ships. The RMS Lusitania was sunk off the coast of Ireland by a German U-boat in May of 1915. It was carrying passengers from New York to Liverpool, England. Over 1100 of its passengers perished with 120 of them being American citizens. Despite this, the United States refrained from entering into the fray until 1917 when an intercepted telegram indicated that the Germans were going to enter into an alliance with Mexico. Mexico and the United States were already struggling over the Texas/Mexico border. At this time, the United States felt it necessary to join the Allies against the Central Powers.

On September 12, 1918, Rachel’s father Narm would register for the draft for WWI. His draft registration indicates that Narm is a slender and tall man with blue eyes and light hair. The registrar’s report indicates that Narm’s right hand is crippled and his left leg is broken. I have found nothing to indicate what happened to Narm to cause his injuries, but life back in 1918 could be difficult. Accidents were not uncommon and there were not as many physicians as there are now. Certainly, rural areas had even fewer physicians available. Medical care was not as refined as today either. A minor injury could become a crippling debility or even lead to death.

I don’t know what happened to Rachel’s dad to cause his injuries and I do not know when it happened except that it was before he registered for the draft. I do know that Narm’s injuries must have made it rather difficult for the family. Narm’s chores would have been even more difficult due to having to overcome his limitations. An already arduous workload on Rachel’s mother Mandy and even her children may have been greater also. Then again, perhaps some of that old mountain tenaciousness and ingenuity kicked in and Narm was able to adapt and overcome his limitations.

Narm was disqualified for service by his physical limitations but I am certain that other family members and neighbors must have served in that war. I also imagine that if a neighbor was called to serve, those who remained behind not only prayed for their safety but helped the family they left behind in any way they could. The war ended on November 11, 1918.

As if WWI was not a big enough burden for the world to bear, a terrible flu pandemic spread across the world. Over one-third of the world’s population was infected with the virus. Over 650,000 Americans would lose their lives to the disease. Medical professionals were overwhelmed. Funeral homes were overwhelmed. Many public places were closed in an effort to prevent the spread of the flu. The flu did not seem to leave any lasting effect on Rachel’s immediate family, but I have to believe that it touched her family and the rural community of Teges in many ways.

At the beginning of 1920, Congress passed the 18^th Amendment which prohibited alcohol. Kentucky citizens had passed a similar state law in November of 1919. This law prohibited the bourbon that Kentucky had claimed some fame for. The 18^th Amendment proved difficult to enforce. Folks just found ways to enjoy alcohol by going around the law. This led to an era of lawlessness and to the rise of crime bosses which eventually led to its repeal a decade later.

                        Mandy, Rachel, Paternal Grandmother 
                        Nancy Jane, John, Narm and Esther in back                

The 1920 census was taken on January 20, 1920. This census shows Rachel and her family still residin’ on Lower Teges Road. They are listed in dwelling number 41. On that same census, Narm’s sister, Lucinda Allen Gross and her family live in dwelling number 54 on Lower Teges Road. Rachel’s paternal grandmother Nancy Jane Baker Allen lives with her daughter Lucinda’s family. There are numerous other Allens living in this small rural community. Rachel more than likely had several cousins, aunts, uncles….. family members living nearby. The interdependence of all of the folks living in the community probably made for a sense of family where actual familial connections were not present.

This 1920 census indicates that both of Rachel’s parents could read and write. Rachel, her sister Esther and brother John have not attended school yet. The family farms their piece of land on Teges Creek. The family would have had little cash and probably grew much of what they consumed. They probably grew a sizable garden with green beans, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, onions, cabbages, melons…..

Mandy would have known how to preserve the excess of summer for the lean times of winter. She would have canned or dried much of the extra produce. Cucumbers could be pickled. In addition to canned corn or pickled corn, hominy or cornmeal could have been made from the corn. Green beans could be canned or dried. Tomatoes were canned too. Kraut was likely made from the excess cabbage. A straw lined hole dug into the ground would have been filled with the potatoes, then covered with more straw and earth. The potatoes could have been stored this way throughout the winter months. A few taters would have been retrieved and placed in the fireplace to roast for their meals.

The family was fortunate to have a large and fruitful pear tree at the edge of their yard. The pears from this tree were not very pretty, but they provided welcomed fruit for the family and the neighborhood children who passed through the yard on the way to the one-room schoolhouse just down the road. Extra pears were canned or turned into preserves for later use, as were the blackberries that grew along the hillsides.

The family had a barn where a cow was kept to milk. Rachel’s mom would have separated the cream from the milk and made butter out of it. The family would have had chickens and those chickens would have provided eggs and the occasional chicken dinner. They would raise hogs to slaughter come cold weather. There was no refrigeration, so neighbors would stagger killing their hogs so that the fresh meat that was not salted, smoked or canned could be shared amongst the neighbors. Staggering the kills would allow the neighbors to enjoy fresh meat over a longer period of time.

The wooded hillsides would also provide supplements to the family’s diet. They could hunt for rabbit, squirrel, and other game. Nuts, fruits, berries, spring greens…could be gathered to eat. Rachel’s mother Mandy was familiar with the various medicinal plants in the area and how to use them. They would be made into teas, tonics, poultices by Mandy to treat the various ailments that befell the family. Water was provided by a spring across the road from the house.

The family would have to purchase some things that they could not grow like sugar, flour, coffee. There were usually small stores scattered around rural areas that carried such things. These stores were very likely in a neighbor’s home. Rachel’s parents may have bartered eggs, chickens or some of their surplus for these goods. They would also barter with their neighbors. If the neighbor had a bumper crop of corn, the Allens may have traded some of their surplus green beans for it. They had little money and their neighbors were in the same boat. Somehow, for the most part, they managed without it.

The 19^th Amendment was put into effect in August of 1920. This gave women the right to vote for the first time. Women had been struggling to win this right for over a century. In 1920, they would finally be given the right to have some say in their government.

This period of time would also bring about laws for children. Child labor laws were passed. Children had to work according to their abilities in order to ensure the family’s survival. These laws were passed to reasonably limit their hours of labor in manufacturing jobs.  

The importance of education during childhood was also beginning to be more appreciated. Laws were passed mandating school attendance for children. During this time, segregation, with separate but equal facilities for the different races was the law of the land. The facilities were separate but rarely equal. Berea College had admitted African American students as well as white but the Day Law passed in 1904 put an end to that. They would build another school to educate African American students called the Lincoln Institute. Segregation would not be an issue on Teges where Rachel’s family lived. I suppose that it was already segregated; there were no African American families there.

In 1921, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) started a flagship line called the Pan-American. This line would carry many passengers and much cargo up and down the country from Ohio in the north to Louisiana in the south. It would be in operation from 1921 through 1971. Rachel would never ride on the Pan-American, but she may have known family and friends who utilized this rail line.

Transportation was gradually improving. Mass production of automobiles would soon bring the costs of automobiles down. More and more families would be able to afford automobiles. Opportunities for easier travel were beginning to open up for the folks in Rachel’s community.

Rachel’s mother Mandy would have another baby, a girl on November 7, 1921. Childbirth could be dangerous back in these days. Mothers and/or babies were lost in the process far too often, but advances in medicine and midwifery were beginning to lead to decreases in infant and mother mortality. Training of medical professionals and their licensing improved.   A midwife was probably fetched to assist with baby Alta’s birth. Perhaps Rachel or one of her older siblings was sent to a neighbor with news that a midwife should be fetched. Both Mandy and baby Alta survived the trauma of childbirth.

Alta was born just a month before Christmas. Christmas was probably noted in the family. Perhaps a bit of greenery may have adorned the mantle, but the fanfare of a modern Christmas was conspicuously absent. The children may have gotten some fruit, nuts and hard candies in their stockings, but the holiday was probably very low-keyed. They may have read the Christmas story. They may have had a special dish for dinner; but then again, Christmas may have been barely a blip on the family’s radar. The busyness of life knew no holidays.

Rachel’s paternal grandmother Nancy Jane Baker Allen would die in July of 1923. Her death certificate gives her cause of death as chronic paralysis. Chronic seems to indicate a long term condition. Grandma Nancy Jane may have been in ill health for some time. I have heard that she was not a very pleasant lady. I imagine that the hardships of life accompanied by chronic poor health could have made pleasantry difficult.

Nancy Jane was buried in a small cemetery in the Teges community. Rachel and her family probably attended the funeral. I can imagine the family standing on a shaded hillside listening to the words spoken over a simple pine box that held Nancy Jane’s remains. The coffin would have been lowered into the ground and covered with earth. I can imagine eight-year-old Rachel and her siblings contemplating death as Nancy Jane’s coffin disappeared. Perhaps the idea of death even haunted them periodically throughout the coming days. I imagine that it was not long ‘til the weariness of doing chores and the teasing of older siblings was able to keep the thought of death at bay, at least temporarily.

Just over a year after Nancy Jane’s death, the family would again gather for the burial of Lucinda Allen Gross, Rachel’s aunt. Aunt Lucinda would die from pulmonary tuberculosis. Lucinda was attended by a physician for around six months prior to her death. This was not the first, nor the last, time that tuberculosis would rear its ugly head in this family. Rachel’s mother Mandy had lost her stepdad to it in 1914 and a half-sister to it in 1915.

A year and a day after the death of Aunt Cindy, another sister would join Rachel’s family. The baby was named Fannie. She was the final child born into Narm and Mandy’s family. So now the family consisted of Narm, Mandy, ten-year-old Esther, nine-year-old Johnnie, eight-year-old Rachel, two-year-old Alta, and newborn Fannie.

The family continued living there on lower Teges. They continued doing the myriad tedious chores necessary for the survival of the family. The children would participate in these chores. It took every family member working together, depending upon and supporting each other to ensure the well-being of the family. Gardens had to be raised for food for the family as well as their livestock. The excess produce had to be preserved for winter. Firewood had to be cut, split and stacked. Flour sacks had to be converted into clothing, which was laundered and patched as necessary. The livestock had to be fed. The cow had to be milked. Eggs had to be gathered. Meals had to be prepared, dishes had to be washed. Many, many buckets of water had to be retrieved from the spring for the family’s consumption, for the livestock’s consumption, for washing the clothes, for washing the dishes; for personal hygiene. Soap had to be made. Hogs had to be slaughtered. The list of things to do must have seemed endless to the family and it took every member to complete the list.

In 1925, when Rachel was eight, a trial in neighboring Tennessee gripped the attention of the nation. This trial was the Scopes Monkey Trial. A substitute teacher named John Scopes would be put on trial for teaching evolution in school. Scopes lost the trial, but this case solidified the notion of separation of church and state.

Also during this time period, Mary Breckinridge began the Frontier Nursing Service in Wendover, Kentucky. This institution was begun to train midwives to assist local women during childbirth. The Frontier Nursing Service was responsible for decreasing the mortality rates for area mothers to significantly below national averages. Rachel’s future niece Glenna Allen would work with the Frontier Nursing Service. 

The normalcy of the lives of Rachel’s family members would be shattered in 1927. In January of 1927, Rachel’s father Narm would be seen by a physician. Narm had probably been ill for a time before this. His cough had likely been a familiar sound in the household. Perhaps some of those coughs even left a bit of blood on Narm’s handkerchief. I don’t know if the children were alarmed by this, but I imagine that Mandy was. Mandy had seen the signs of TB before. On March 19th of that same year, Rachel would lose her father to TB. On the following day, his wife Mandy’s birthday, Narm would be laid to rest in a small hillside cemetery in the community.

Mandy Moore Allen was left to raise five children alone; 13 year-old Esther, 12-year-old Johnnie, 10-year-old Rachel, 5-year-old Alta and 2 year-old Fannie. Mandy’s children were already helping support the family by performing necessary chores as their ages and abilities allowed. Now they would have to step up and bear even more of the burden. I am certain that the oldest children, including Rachel, did everything they could to help their momma. I have heard several family members say that they have heard how John became the man of the house at the age of twelve and did everything he could to take over those responsibilities to the best of his ability. After Narm’s death, the family soldiered on the best they could.

Sometime in 1928, the sorrow of death would visit the family yet again. Rachel’s maternal grandmother Nancy Jane Moore Moore Arnold would die. She would be buried in Salt Rock Cemetery in neighboring Jackson County. Salt Rock Cemetery is only 39 miles from Teges, but travel was by foot, mule, horse or wagon at this time. I am uncertain if Mandy would have even been able to travel to see her mother laid to rest. Perhaps, Rachel’s mother simply whispered a prayer for her mother and continued on with her endless list of chores.

                       Nathan Arnold holding Rachel Arnold,
              Nancy Jane Moore Moore Arnold and Maggie Arnold

In the summer of 1929, Rachel’s baby sister, Fannie would become ill. On July 1, 1929, two days before her fifth birthday, she would be attended by a physician. Just under two months later, on August 28, Fannie would die. Oldest sister Esther would be the informant of Fannie’s death. Her cause of death was listed as infantile paralysis, or polio, accompanied by typhoid fever. Neighbors would probably have built the small coffin for Fannie and would have helped to get that small coffin to the cemetery where her father was also buried.

Rachel was only thirteen years old and had experienced the death of a father, a grandmother and a sister; all within a period of roughly two and one-half years.

In 1928, penicillin was developed. This drug would benefit many, especially in a few years when WWII was bein’ fought.

                      John Allen and Mandy Moore Allen sitting
                       Rachel Allen Nolen, Alta Allen Cantrell
                                   and Esther Allen standing

The late twenties also brought on uneasy times of loss for the nation. The stock market collapsed during this time. Rachel, her family, and her acquaintances did not have money to invest in the stock market, but the collapse began to have much broader economic implications and would lead to the worst economic downturn in US history. Unemployment skyrocketed. Mining was a major source of revenue for Eastern Kentucky. Tensions began to rise between mining companies and unionizing workers, often resulting in bloody outbreaks of violence.

The Depression brought about an extremely difficult time for the country, particularly for those who lived in urban areas and could not live off the land. These folks were left in desperate straits. Rachel, her family , and neighbors were in a much better place. They did not rely on outside employment to survive. They had their small piece of land and they knew how to coax the means for their survival from that land. They had never relied heavily on money. They could really grow the necessities for their survival. It was not easy, but it was what they were used to. They may have had a little less coffee and sugar. They may have had less baked goods made with flour, but Rachel’s family would not be defeated by the Depression as so many families were.

The 1930 census taken in April of that year shows the family still residing on Teges Road. The widowed 36-year-old Mandy lives with her remaining children; 16-year-old Esther, 15-year-old Johnnie, 13-year-old Rachel , and 8-year-old Alta. The census indicates that Rachel and her two older siblings attended school Since September of the prior year. Eight-year-old Alta had not. I am uncertain as to why. I do not know if she had been ill or if some other reason prevented her attendance. I do know that she would eventually go through the eighth grade.

Mandy’s children would have attended the nearby one-room schoolhouse. They would have walked up the road to get there. Transportation in these days in this area was by foot, mule or horseback, or wagon. One teacher would have taught all eight grades that attended the schoolhouse. I believe that all of Mandy’s surviving children made it through the eighth grade. This was the best education available to them locally at that time.

                                 
                   The one-room schoolhouse on Teges. This may
                    be a successor to the one Rachel attended.

The 1930 census gives Mandy’s occupation as a laundress. The family would still have to farm their land in order to feed themselves, but Mandy was takin’ in laundry to make some money. That money was necessary to purchase those few things that the family could not grow and that nature did not provide for them. Mandy’s mother Nancy Jane Moore Moore Arnold had done the same thing when her second husband had passed away.

Laundry was a very difficult and time-consuming chore back at this time. Teges did not have electricity. The Allen family did not have indoor plumbing. The family’s water supply was a spring across the road from the house. Rachel’s mother Mandy may have washed their clothes close to this spring. Buckets of water from the spring would fill the washtub. Wood would have had to be gathered for a fire to heat this large tub of water. The clothes would have had to be scrubbed on a washboard with lye soap that the family would have had to have made. After the clothes were washed, they would have had to be rinsed until all of the soap was rinsed out. Excess water would have to be rung out before the clothes were hung to dry. If clothing items were ironed, the iron would have had to be heated and reheated on a fire in order to smooth out the clothes.  In summer, this must have been an unbearably hot chore. In winter, fingers probably became numb to the bone when hanging the clean freezing wet laundry out to dry.

Rachel’s mother had taken on a back-breaking means to provide for her family. I imagine that she did not give that a moment’s thought; it was just something that needed to be done and so she did it. I am certain that all of her children assisted in every way they could. I can picture them collecting water, searching for sticks and gathering wood to add to the fire. I can imagine them teasing each other. Perhaps brother Johnnie would have teased a sister for making eyes at some boy in school. That sounds like something Uncle John could have easily done, whether eyes had been made or not.

I am certain that Rachel and her siblings probably had some small spats and falling outs; they were only human. I am equally certain that their shared hardships had probably forged a rather formidable bond that only death could break.

Rachel and her family would have very busy lives with little time for entertainment, but the family would have a battery-powered radio. In the evenings when the family was inside for the day and getting ready to settle in for the night, they probably enjoyed listening to the nearest station. The programming probably consisted of news, political speeches, serials, and music. Gospel and bluegrass were popular with many folks in the hills of Kentucky. The Grand Ol’ Opry had begun back in 1925 and was also a favorite. The family probably enjoyed listening to the radio as they did their evening chores and prepared for bed.

They probably heard news of the completion of the Empire State Building in 1931 on their radio. The Depression still gripped the nation at this time and the Empire State Building became a symbol to Americans. It was a symbol of hope that the United States would recover from the Great Depression and stand tall and strong once again.

President Franklin D Roosevelt would respond to the struggles caused by the Depression by rolling out his New Deal Plan from 1933-1938. Rachel likely heard of these programs on the radio. Her brother John would take part in these programs when he helped build roads across the state with the Civilian Conservation Corps. John would stay in CCC camps away from home when he was helping to build these roads. He would send back the money earned to his mother and sisters there on Teges.

Rachel’s family probably also heard news of the Dust Bowl that was decimating farmers out west in 1934. Years of poor farming techniques and severe drought led to blizzards of dark earth being blown up into the air. Families had to flee to survive in more hospitable environs. Many carried the dust within their lungs and would never recover their health. While this may not have touched Rachel’s family directly, it did affect thousands of families and Rachel would likely have heard of this.

Medicine was making advances during this time and life expectancy was gradually increasing. Vaccines were being developed to combat diseases such as diphtheria, smallpox, measles, tetanus….. More hospitals were available to treat serious illness and injury. Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky was one of the oldest and most prestigious medical schools in the country. Rachel’s future daughter Fanny Nolen Sorkey would earn a degree from Transylvania. The Frontier Nursing Service University began training nursing students in 1939. Medical advances were being made across the country and across Kentucky.

The importance of mental health was also beginning to be acknowledged. Facilities began to spring up to assist people who suffered from mental illness and physical limitations. At first, these facilities provided a very important service. It wasn’t long until, some doctors began using questionable procedures upon patients and inappropriate restraints were utilized causing many questions to arise concerning these facilities.

As Rachel’s family lived out the tedium, joys, and sorrows of life there on Teges Creek, they would hear news from the rest of the world on their radio and from friends and family. In 1936, Rachel’s family would hear of a great fortress that had been built about 200 miles away. The fortress was called Fort Knox and it was to be a stronghold to hold all of the nation’s gold supply. News reports would keep the country up to date on the progress of the caravans of gold that were making their way to Fort Knox, Kentucky. It must have seemed odd for a family who had very little money to think of all that gold converging on their state.

In 1937, Rachel’s family would hear the news that Amelia Earhart had become the first woman to make a solo trans-Atlantic flight. Amelia would disappear five years later when she tried to do the same across the Pacific.

The radio would broadcast news of Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939 . This was followed by the declaration of war on Germany by Great Britain and France. WWII had begun. The Allied forces would grow to include Great Britain, France, Poland, and Russia against the Axis Powers which would grow to include Germany, Italy, and Japan. The United States would initially try to stay out of the fray. News of the war was a regular feature of radio broadcasts.

The 1940 census shows Mandy still residing with her girls; 25 YO Esther, 23 YO Rachel and 18 YO Alta on Upper Teges Road. Rachel’s brother John is not with the family in this census. John had enlisted in the Army in January of 1940 and can be found at Fort Logan in Arapahoe, Colorado.

      
                             Esther, unknown, unknown, Rachel
                                       Mandy in background

                            Esther in front and Rachel in back
                                      and two unknown gents

This census indicates that the girls have completed school through the eighth grade. This was the best education they could get at the local one-room schoolhouse. This census also shows that Rachel worked on or was assigned to public emergency work (WPA, NYA, CCC, etc) for 34 hours during the week of March 24-30, 1940. We have known that brother John worked for the CCC, but this is the first indication that Rachel also worked in some capacity in the New Deal programs.

The 1940 census shows another family also residing in Clay County. They reside on Goose Creek, close to Furnace Branch. This is only a few miles from Rachel’s home on Teges, but a few miles back then probably seemed to be a might further than a few miles today. This is the family of Joe and Nancy Ann Chandler Nolen. One of those family members residing with them is their son, 26-year-old Boyd Nolen. Other children residing with Joe and Nancy are Lawrence, Albert, Cleo and William. The census indicates that Boyd worked outside the home as a farm laborer for 45 hours durin’ the week of March 24-30.

Now somewhere along the way, Boyd Nolen and Rachel Allen met. I am not certain how they would meet. A possible meetin’ spot was perhaps the Corinth Baptist Church. Perhaps they had met at a dinner on the ground, where folks went to the local cemetery on Decoration Day to clean up and decorate the graves. Rachel’s brother John and his buddy Robert Murrell also traveled around and about the county quite a bit. Perhaps John had been acquainted with Boyd and Rachel met him through her brother. I cannot say the exact circumstances of their first meeting, but it is for sure that they did meet.

                                       Corinth Baptist Church

On October 26, 1940, Boyd Nolen would wed Rachel Allen. They probably had a simple ceremony performed by a justice of the peace or a preacher in the presence of a couple of witnesses. I doubt that there was any fanfare. Rachel was 24 and Boyd was 26. The average age for women to marry at this time was 15 and those women would, on average, go on to bear six to twenty children.

                          Rachel Allen Nolen and Boyd Nolen

A few years later, Boyd and Rachel would live in a two-room dogtrot type log cabin that had a stone retaining wall built around part of the yard. It was close to where Boyd’s parents Joe and Nancy lived. His paternal grandmother Elizabeth “Bettie Maw” Nolen Crider and her husband Luke also lived in the general area, as did Boyd’s sister Maggie’s family and his brother Noby’s family. This cabin may have been the same place they lived right after their marriage, as well.

Rachel’s new home was a few miles from the Allen home place on Teges, but a mule ride over the hill could allow Rachel and her family to visit each other as time allowed. I am certain that if there had not been a path worn over that hill prior to Rachel’s marriage, there likely was afterward. Rachel’s mother Mandy probably visited as often as she could and sisters Esther and Alta would have also. I am certain that Rachel’s brother John would also visit when he was discharged from the army.

So, Rachel’s life underwent a significant change in October of 1940. She went from being a sister and a daughter in a household with siblings and her mother to being a wife, a daughter-in-law and a sister-in-law living in a household with her husband Boyd with many Nolen family members nearby. Her family was still a mule’s ride over the hill. She had not lost her family; she had gained a whole bunch of new family!

I can only imagine Rachel’s new life. Aside from her role as wife, the different environment and different faces, much of Rachel’s life may have remained similar to her life prior to marriage. She had to perform many of the same chores that she had done before. Her day to day life would have really been little different than had been the day to day life of her own mother or even generations further back. Time in the hills and hollers of Kentucky seemed to march to its own slow beat. Rachel’s sisters and mother were not there to help, but there were many new Nolen family members around to help.

                             Boyd and Rachel Allen Nolen

Her husband Boyd likely continued working away as a farm laborer. At some point, he would go from working as a farm laborer to working in the mines around Oneida and the surrounding areas. These mines were not close enough to commute every day. We have to remember that travel was mainly by foot, mule, horse or wagon back then. It would not be feasible to go several miles to and from work each day. Boyd would live away from home for days at a time when he worked in the mines. He would then return home for a couple days before leaving again. His daughter Loretta remembers him coming home covered in black coal dust. Loretta also remembers Mammy, Rachel’s children called her Mammy, fetching and heating water for his bath.

Life was difficult back in these days. Not only were there endless chores to do, but death’s shadow was something that was ever-present and appreciated. A simple injury could lead to permanent debility or even death. Many young men, just like Boyd, worked in the mines. The working conditions were uncomfortable and dangerous. I imagine that every time the miners left the mines at the end of their day, they breathed a sigh of relief. That relief was likely short-lived when the miners realized that they would have to return to the mines the next day.

Many folks in the hollers of Kentucky drank, perhaps to blur the certainty that death might visit them at any moment. Perhaps the moonshine and homebrew dulled the sharp edge of that knowledge. I imagine alcohol may have provided a welcome respite from the harsh realities of life. Rachel’s husband Boyd sought refuge in the bottle also, and I cannot say that I blame him.

                                Boyd and Rachel Allen Nolen

Everyone that I have spoken with has told me that Boyd was one of the best folks you could ever hope to meet when he was sober. He was an excellent carpenter and helped neighbors, family and friends to build many structures. He was a wonderful person, but drink could make him seem like a different person. I imagine that Rachel may have experienced this other Boyd early in her marriage.

In April of 1941, Rachel would take on another new role. She would give birth to a daughter named Loretta. Loretta would be Rachel’s first child and her grandmother’s first grandchild. A local midwife would probably assist Rachel with the delivery. Lula “Putter” Allen was one midwife who lived in the area. Perhaps it was she who assisted in the birth of Rachel’s first child. Rachel Allen Nolen would spend most of her remaining life pregnant.

                          Rachel and Boyd's first child, Loretta

On December 7, 1941, Rachel and her family would have heard the terrible news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Until this attack, the United States had tried to remain neutral in World War II. The U S had provided arms to the Allies, deeming their defense important to the security of the United States; but the military had not taken part in the war. This changed when all but one member of Congress passed the motion to enter World War II on December 8, 1941.

Rachel’s husband Boyd would not serve in the military. At some point, Boyd had gotten fertilize in one of his eyes and he had lost that eye. I imagine that this disqualified him from serving. However, two of Rachel’s brothers-in-law, John and Bill Nolen, would serve in the army, as well as Rachel’s brother John Allen. Other family members and friends also fought in the war. There would be many folks worrying and praying for these men and all of the others who fought.

                                                John Allen

On the home front, paranoia and sentiment against folks who descended from countries in the Axis powers were beginning to increase. The most obvious example of this happening was when American citizens of Japanese descent were placed into internment camps over the worry that they could possibly be spies. Rachel’s community did not seem to have any folks who would fall into these categories; so in her community this would not be a problem. She was sure to hear of it on the news programs though. She may have been shocked at the extreme measures that were being taken.

As WWII was waged on two fronts, life on Furnace Branch continued on. Sometime in the early to mid-forties, Rachel’s sisters, Esther and Alta, would move to Dayton, Ohio in search of work. Rachel’s mother Mandy would remain alone on Teges but with many good neighbors around. I imagine that Mandy would visit with Rachel’s family as often as possible; she would probably help Rachel with her grandchildren. I know that she helped her to piece quilts and she probably helped Rachel with her other chores also. Rachel and Boyd’s family continued to grow. They had; Lola Ray in April of 1942, Fannie in April of 1943, and a son Billy in April of 1944.

Life in Eastern Kentucky continued on much as before the war save for the absences of young men who were away fighting in the war. The ones remaining behind would have to share the chores of the missing family members. WWII did lead to shortages of some materials such as metals and rubber and certain foodstuffs. This led to rationing. Processed and canned foods were in short supply as they were being sent to the military overseas. Rachel and her family grew most of their own food. They would probably not notice the restrictions on these food products.

Coffee and sugar were imported though and with restrictions on importation during the war, these items were rationed. Because Rachel’s family could not grow these products, their rationing would be more noticed by the family. Sorghum could be grown and some families kept bees, so Rachel’s family could still have some sweet in their lives. Thankfully coffee was rationed for less than a year. During that time each family was allowed a pound of coffee each five weeks. Folks began drinking substitutes for coffee such as Postum which was made from roasted grains. During the rationing, other folks even drank “coffee” made from roasted ground acorns. Mountain folks knew how to make do with what they had rather than dwelling on what they lacked.

Folks back home were eager to hear news of the war. I imagine that the atrocities carried out during the Holocaust must have been difficult for Rachel and others to imagine. Other atrocities were being committed on the Pacific front. Letters were written and sent overseas to loved ones on both fronts; and news from loved ones was eagerly awaited. Along with the letters, prayers were sent up for our soldiers. Prayers were also said for those families who had received the news that family members would not be coming home. I am certain that each time a letter from Rachel’s brother John or from her brothers-in-law and neighbors made it home, everyone rejoiced and thanked God.

On May 8, 1945, Winston Churchill declared Victory in Europe after the Axis powers surrendered unconditionally following the death of Hitler. The War continued against Japan, but the world had reason to rejoice.

Rachel’s sister Alta would meet a handsome young man named Olen Clarence “Bug” Cantrell in Ohio. Bug had served in the Army during WWII. On June 2, 1945, the two would wed. They would reside in Dayton, Ohio where they would raise their family.

On June 23, 1945, Rachel would give birth to another son, Geralddale Nolen. August of 1945 would be a tumultuous time for both Rachel’s family and the world. Then-President Harry S Truman made the hardest decision of his life. On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay would drop the recently developed atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The news of the devastation caused by this new weapon must have been received by Rachel’s family and friends with near disbelief. Truman had hoped that the Japanese would immediately surrender, but they did not.

Unfortunately, Rachel and Boyd would experience losing a child in August of 1945 when Geralddale died less than two months after birth. The cause of Geralddale’s death was listed on his death certificate as bacillary dysentery. This illness was likely caused by contact with fecal matter of an infected person. Poor hand washing, contaminated food or water, even flies may spread this disease. If you can imagine what living conditions were probably like for Rachel and her family, it may seem incredible that more family members did not come down with this illness. In fact, this illness is very contagious and other family members may have suffered from it at the same time as Geralddale. Rachel may have had it herself. So while, perhaps ill herself and while perhaps tending to other family members with this disease, Rachel had to watch her baby boy suffer from nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, watery and bloody diarrhea, loss of desire to nurse, dehydration and weight loss. I can imagine that little Geralddale cried inconsolably and like most mothers, Rachel likely longed to take on his pain herself. She probably hated to hear his pitiful cries; and when he grew too weak to cry, she probably longed to hear those cries again. 

Geralddale’s small body gave up its fight against illness on August 8, 1945. His paternal grandfather Joseph Nolen was the informant on his death certificate. His small coffin would be buried in the nearby Hensley Cemetery with a small rock marking the place of his grave.

I am certain that Rachel experienced a great sorrow at the loss of her baby boy, but the busyness of living and having four children with the oldest being four probably left her little time to grieve. The minutia of life, like a David defeating Goliath, staved off the huge sorrow brought on by death.

On August 9^th, while Rachel’s family was going through their own devastation, news would reach the eastern Kentucky hills that a second atomic bomb had been dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Six days later, the Japanese surrendered. Official surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri. On September 2, 1945, WWII was officially over but the Cold War was just getting started; still, family members, neighbors, and friends would be able to return home.

Rachel’s brother John Allen would be released from the Army on August 19, 1945. He would return home and either start up a courtship with Hortense Smith who lived in nearby Owsley County or he would continue his courtship of Hortense after his return. He would then probably go to Dayton, Ohio to line up a job before marrying Hortense on February 1, 1946.

Now, Rachel’s sister Alta was married and living in Dayton, Ohio with her husband Bug. Rachel would become an aunt when Alta and Bug had their first child, Dale, in March of 1946. Alta worked outside the home. Sometime after she and Bug began having a family, Mandy would move to Ohio to live with Alta’s family. She would watch Alta and Bug’s children while they both worked and would help to run the household.

A little over two months after Geralddale’s death in August of 1945, Rachel would become pregnant with her son Ronnie who would be born in July of 1946. In June of 1947 the couple would have yet another son named Olen Clarence Nolen. In slightly over seven years, Rachel had borne seven babies and had experienced the terrible loss of one of them.

               The Nolen children; Loretta sitting holding Ronnie;
                                 Billy, Lola and Fanny standing

The Wright brothers’ first flight had occurred back in 1903 and flight had progressed rather rapidly. During the 1940s, flight was gradually becoming a means to travel. In 1946, a project that had first been approved back in 1942 was completed. This project was the building of the Covington Airport which would later become the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport. This airport would change the lives of Kentuckians in a positive way. It would provide jobs and would one day become an international hub. Rachel would never fly in an airplane, but she would hear of the airport in the news. Perhaps, she even dreamed of being able to actually fly someday.

As I explained earlier, the home they lived in for at least part of this time was a small dog trot type cabin. The yard had a stone retaining wall around part of it and snakes were not an unusual sight. Many snakes can actually be desirable and can keep the rodent population under control. Copperheads were also not an unusual sight and copperheads are venomous. While their venom is not as toxic as rattlesnakes or cottonmouths, copperhead bites do require immediate medical attention which was unavailable in this area at this time. Children are more vulnerable to these bites than are healthy adults. Worry for the safety of her children must have often furrowed Rachel’s brow, particularly after losing Geralddale.

Now sometime after the birth of their son Olen in June of 1947 and before the birth of their son Cecil in 1949, Rachel and Boyd would move their family to the Allen homestead on Teges Creek. Mandy had recently moved in with her daughter Alta’s family in Dayton, Ohio so this left the Allen homestead vacant. Rachel was back in her childhood home and had her old and beloved neighbors around her. Rachel and Boyd brought six living children with them when they moved to Teges.

Rachel’s sister Esther was still unmarried and lived in the Dayton, Ohio area. Sometime during the late 1940s or early 1950s, she would be diagnosed with tuberculosis. Esther would be admitted to Stillwater Sanitarium in Dayton where she would live the last few years of her life. Esther would not be able to visit her sister Rachel and her family, but she would be able to send letters. Rachel’s family was once again affected by the terrible disease of tuberculosis.

                                                Esther Allen

Life was difficult during the time Rachel lived. Death must have seemed to be a presence that ever lurked in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to make its presence known. Boyd worked away in nearby mines for days at a time. He would be gone for several days and then return home for a couple days. I am certain that miners were ever aware of the possibility of death snatching their lives at any moment in a cave-in.

I have mentioned before, that many folks, including Boyd, drank. Perhaps drink numbed their minds to that ever-present possibility of death. I really cannot say. I have heard from everyone that I have communicated with that Boyd was as fine a man as you could ever want to meet when he wasn’t drinking.

He could be a wonderful father. I have heard how his children loved to go for walks in the woods with their daddy. He would point out different animals and different plants and teach them about the wonders of nature. He taught them what plants and animals to avoid, those that were harmless and those that were useful. When he wasn’t drinking, he was a wonderful father and I am sure he was a wonderful husband as well. 

He was a good neighbor. Boyd was a good carpenter and helped his neighbors. He helped the Spurgeon Murrell family build a new chicken house. He was at their house when a letter arrived from the military. Emma and Spurgeon Murrell’s son Robert was serving in the Korean War. Emma knew that the letter could not be good news and she could not bear to read it. It was Boyd who read the letter to the Murrells. Robert had been injured, but thanks be to God, he was alive!

I have also heard from several sources; children, family, neighbors, that Boyd could seem like a different person when he drank; and he was not a stranger to drink. Boyd probably bought moonshine from nearby folks; perhaps he even made his own. He did make his own homebrew. Once when Rachel was busy outside, the kids were inside and they got into their daddy’s homebrew. When Rachel came back inside the house, the kids were all jumping on the beds making like fools. Rachel realized what the kids had been into. Her daughter Loretta remembers getting the only whippin’ she can recall her mother ever giving her after she and her siblings had partaken of the homebrew! Rachel could not stop Boyd from drinking, but she could keep her young’ uns from doing it!

Drinking did not affect Boyd in such an innocuous way. Once, Rachel and the children had picked blackberries from the surrounding hills. Folks who have been blackberry picking can probably attest to the fact that it can be an unpleasant task. The sun can be scorching hot. You have to watch out for briars, snakes, ticks, and spiders; and you very likely will end up with chiggers. Believe me, chiggers are a scourge to be avoided! Rachel had canned the blackberries in a big washtub out in the yard. She had finished canning them and had them sitting outside to cool when Boyd came home. He had been drinking and the other Boyd was the one who came home. He took his shotgun and mowed down the blackberries. Not only was the fruit lost, fruit that could sustain the family during the lean months of winter, but the canning jars were also lost and all of the effort put into those jars of blackberries by Rachel and her children was for naught. A bit of hope was probably lost that day too. Boyd’s daughter Fanny remembers him shooting his gun once in the house also.

When Boyd came home drinking, Rachel would hurriedly gather the children together and take them or send them to a neighbor’s house to stay until everything was okay. Unfortunately, this was not a rare occurrence.

Rachel’s brother John and her sister Alta were both still living in Dayton, Ohio and were busy raising their own families. Both of them would return to Kentucky to visit family and friends. Rachel’s mother Mandy would return with them. Seeing her mother, siblings, in-laws and nieces and nephews must have been like a ray of sunshine to Rachel and her children. Rachel’s daughter Fanny would be amazed at the sandals her cousin “Kookie”, Linda Cantrell, wore. She had never seen sandals before and she snuck and put them on once so she could walk around in them before Alta’s family returned home. Watching their loved ones load back into their car to go home must have been a sad occasion.

                                           Rachel and Alta

                                     Unknown gentleman in front, 
                                       Alta, and Rachel on porch

                                         Rachel Allen Nolen


Usually, Rachel’s siblings would bring some kind of surprise with them. It might be coloring books and crayons or a bushel of red delicious apples. The family did not have an apple tree on Teges. They had a pear tree that provided fruit for the family as well as neighboring children who passed through the yard on the way to the one-room schoolhouse down the road, but they had no apple tree. There had been a horse apple tree on Furnace Branch. The apples were not much to look at, but they were delicious. Sometimes Rachel would get on the mule and ride back over the hills to Furnace Branch to collect apples to bring back to Teges. I cannot help but imagine that this alone time, riding the mule over the hill to gather apples during the splendor of a fall day must have been a treasured time for Rachel. I cannot imagine that she had much time to just be quietly alone. It must have been a rare joy to her.

                      Some of the Nolen children; Fanny in front;
                          Loretta holding Olen, and Lola on porch

In 1949, Rachel would have another baby, a son named Cecil. Cecil died as an infant. I could find no record for Cecil; no birth record, no death record. They may be out there somewhere, but my meager research skills have been unable to unearth them.

I have heard from multiple sources that when Cecil was just weeks to months old, Boyd was drinking. He went out riding the mule in the surrounding hills and took Cecil with him. The weather was cold and not conducive to riding around with an infant. The family chased after Boyd to try to stop him or at least get him to leave the baby home, but he took Cecil and continued riding. Not long after Boyd returned from his ride, Cecil took sick and died. Rachel’s daughter Loretta thinks that he may have contracted pneumonia, but that is not for certain. Cecil was buried in a small hillside cemetery on Lower Sadler. His grave was marked with a small rock.

By May of 1949, Rachel was pregnant again. The cough that her daughter Fanny recalls Rachel having was probably becoming progressively worse. Rachel may have even noticed flecks of blood on her handkerchief after particularly severe coughing spells. Rachel probably realized that she was ill but she had too much to do to be sick. She had six living children and was pregnant with yet another. Rachel had to keep going.

On February 26, 1950, Rachel would give birth to another son. This son was named Johnnie H Nolen. Now the Nolen household would consist of Boyd, Rachel, and children; Loretta, Lola, Fanny, Billy, Ronnie, Olen and Johnnie.

After Johnnie’s birth, Rachel must have become progressively more ill. Her cough must have become more severe and more persistent. Less than ten months after baby Johnnie’s birth, on December 15, 1950, Rachel Allen Nolen would die. Her husband Boyd would be the informant of her death and her death certificate would give the cause of her death as bronchial pneumonia due to pulmonary tuberculosis. Christmas was never the holiday that it has become these days, but it must have been particularly low key and somber that year.

A neighbor would build a simple wooden coffin for Rachel. Her body would be prepared by family and friends and laid out in a room of the small Allen home place. The weather was very bad on the day that Rachel was buried. Rachel’s children would not be allowed to go to the small cemetery on Saddler where Rachel’s father Narm and her sister Fanny were buried. Daughter Fanny remembers being asked if she would like to give her mother one last kiss before she was taken to be buried. Fanny said no. It was after the lid was nailed upon the coffin and another neighbor had brought his wagon and mules to carry Rachel’s body to the cemetery that Fanny changed her mind and wanted to kiss her mammy goodbye, but then it was too late.

I can imagine the children standing at the window peering out, watching the wagon disappear down the road as the mules took their mammy away. They could not realize how their lives and the life of their daddy would be forever changed.

When Rachel died on December 15, 1950, she was 34 years old. She had been married just over ten years and had born nine children within that period of time. She had buried two sons durin’ that time. Following her marriage, Rachel had often been at home alone with the children while her husband Boyd was away working in the mines. She had done the chores necessary to run the household and her family’s small farm, all the while taking care of her children; the oldest being nine years old and the youngest ten months old at the time of her death. The children would have helped her as much as they were capable of helping, but Rachel bore a huge responsibility and she often bore it alone and all of this while she had tuberculosis. I have asked my mother Loretta if she remembered her mammy Rachel taking to her bed sick because of the tuberculosis. My mother says that she doesn’t remember Rachel ever spending time in a sickbed. Mom says that she reckons that Mammy just went on doing what needed to be done until she just dropped.

Rachel was only 34 years old when she died, but I can’t help but think that death was truly a blessing for her. She could be with her babes who had died, as well as other loved ones who had already passed on. She could enjoy their company without worrying about a thing. She could truly rest in peace.