Oral History Interview with Samuel Thomas Crowder

Interview Summary

Born November 22, 1922 on an Ohio County farm

Parents Ezra C. Crowder and Susan Emulous Taylor Crowder, both from Ohio County farm families

Grandfather’s name was Thomas Franklin

Maternal grandfather’s name was Samuel Taylor

Names of children in Ezra and Susan Crowder's family

Had three siblings, Irene Taylor Crowder: died at eighteen months of diphtheria; Ezra Kenneth Crowder, and Mattie Mae Crowder

Sam has 8th grade education

Lifelong member of Mount Pleasant Methodist Church

Church was founded in 1840, it started with a brush harbor meeting

Church started on a farm adjacent to a spring, next to where Sam lives

Had a revival then and decided to build church. called it Mount Pleasant Methodist Church

Farming is a common occupation in the community

Father led church choir

Alfred Stewart taught singing school

Process of selecting a new singing school leader, two candidates: Ezra Crowder and Connally Parks (brother-in-law)

Crowder won by a single vote and led until 1975

Bobby Cane took over as choir leader, Sam’s father had poor vision in his later years

Built new a church and asked Crowder to lead first song

Different people involved in church choir: George Leach, Bill Rafferty sang Bass. Doomey (??) Parks (Lova's sister, Randall's Mother) Goldie Davies and David Beck sang Alto, Joe Stewart and Richard Iller were tenors

Lova is Sam’s wife

Lots of the Crowder family are buried at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery

Singing school teaching methods, was open to the public at large, not just church members

Alfred Stewart taught pupils to read music at the singing school

Crowder attended the singing school and was a bass singer

Crowder taught singing school at Hickory, which is three miles from Mt. Pleasant

Bill Rafferty (Bud Raley's grandpa), family had flu, story about the cooking abilities of Buddy’s grandfather

Meet on Sunday, members from the congregation chose songs

usually three songs before the preacher preached, Crowder taught

Sunday school. adults both men and women, lot of membership

Special days at church Mother's Day. Homecoming, Thanksgiving

Mrs. Crowder raised turkeys. Sam didn't eat turkey until grow. sold turkeys did not

eat at home

Thanksgiving at church lots of good food. everybody came

Mother's day preacher preached morning afternoon program: dialogues recitation,

sing songs, something about mother

Crowder family history:

Parents married, farm where children born given to mother. her dad killed in coal bank when mother 5 days old. her grandpa had ground for each of the children she only child she

got her daddy's part, Uncle Macy's Crowder, dad's brother he was going to get

grandpa's place for taking care of him. In 1931 he got sick and died so they give the place to dad, we had to move up there in 1933 Grandpa Crowder got down sick and he died in 1933. he was 85 years old. tells how he hurt himself Grandpa feeding of the cows, I did the milking He probably had a stroke and his mind was not too good after that Details about grandpa's confusion. not knowing where he was. Henry Iller married grandpa's daughter couldn't do anything with him, more stories about this and other incidents about aging grandparents

Mother's mother Taylor had a stroke at the other farm, Grandpa and Grandma Crowder

One of the children would stay with Grandmother Taylor

Dale Raley stops to see Sam. Sam Checks on applause and beans

Dad Crowder farmed; was in old fields for a while also Whiting, Indiana in oil

refinery, this was after married

Crowder farmed, sold cream, corn hay. tobacco, not much price then

sold cream to Louisville to Armour and Sugar Creek, kept on farming even though involved

singing at church

This is not on tape. Sam talked about these things

Mother worked part time in younger days when healthy

Family raised turkeys. chickens, eggs for sale. fryers for sale