Oral History Interview with Eba Wilson

Interview Summary

Came from Ohio County

Great-great uncles are of Irish descent

Father William Thomas McKaley (??) is from Arkansas

Mother’s name is Nole Baize

Has four siblings: Ruth, died at seven years-old, Gladys, died at thirteen years-old, Mildred, as an infant, and Raymond, died ten years ago

Born 11-13-1 91, identifies as a Baptist, obtained an eighth grade education

Worked as a farmer and a grocery store clerk

Came to Owensboro in 1950 and worked at General Electric (GE) for fifteen years

Retired from GE, has one son Wendell C. Wilson

Wendell lives in Beaver Dam, has one son, Dwight, and a grandson, Blake

Married William Thomas Wilson, sister to Flossie Hines

Born in Baizetown. Ky. (Ohio Co.), father owned a grocery store

Family moved to Grayson when she was two, returned to Baizetown when she was twenty-two and opened another grocery store

Went to Baizetown Baptist Church

As child she skated, gardened, and tended to the family’s chickens, had a lot of chores growing up

Her half-brother farmed and her father sharpened saws for $4 per day

Didn't have any music in church when she was growing up, but there was singing

Went to a one-room school in Union, which had about fifty students total

Bill Monroe went to school with her husband

Dated her husband for three or four months before they married

Husband played the French harp, his father Clarence, played the fiddle and the banjo

Clarence Wilson farmed and drove cattle before he got married, would use cattle instead of mules to pull logs

Minnie Cook married Clarence Wilson

They farmed, raised cattle, hogs, chicken, and grew corn, oats, and wheat

Did not meet father-in-law, died before she got married

Clarence Wilson and Uncle Pen were buddies, they played together a lot

Clarence Wilson was friendly, had the prettiest black, wavy hair, blue eyes and was about 5’4”

Clarence Wilson didn't play at the dances, but was a good dancer

Made their own ice cream and sold it at ice cream suppers

After the ice cream supper there was a dance

Only ice cream at the ice cream suppers, no alochol

Would make the ice cream at the school where the event was being held

Nolton Baize was the best fiddler

Dance hall in Horton, even danced with Bill Monroe

Nolton Bays lived in Horton, had three children, two boys and a girl, worked in the Central City mines and played country music at dances

Music was an important part of their lives