MySource:Samples 59/Norma Jeanne Samples

MOM WAS BORN AND RAISED IN WEED, CALIFORNIA (Journal #3)

Mom was born Norma Jeanne Samples in 1932 in the local Weed Hospital to Claude and Auda Samples. Her Dad was born in Oklahoma and her Mom was from Tennessee. She was the fourth child: Irene was the oldest, followed by Rocky (Roscoe), Wilma and then Mom. Grandma Samples also raised Jackie and Donny (these were Irene's birth children). Mom always was proud of the fact that her name was the same as Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jeane Mortenson). She also always says her name is Samples--but she wasn't a "sample" but the "real thing!"

Mom remembers the majestic Mt. Shasta where the mill-town of Weed, CA was nestled in the high Sierra Nevada Mountain range--always snow covered and beautiful. She remembers the wind, rain, and snow blowing diagonally while they walked to and from school (up hill both ways ha!). On days when the weather was bad, school let out early, and the principal would find rides home for the kids.

Grandma Smallwood's home was in S. Rabbit Flats and the church they attended was in Angel Valley. Weed was a mill-town. Mom's parents divorced when she was small. Her Father was a mill-fireman with little interest in church. He lost several fingers working in the mill-plant and after recovering went to work at the mill fire department. Mom remembers her mom and dad fighting (over her dad's jealousy) before they divorced. Her Father's jealously left an indelible mark on Mom's memory--time and time again her somewhat feeble memory returned to the subject as she remembered how her Mother couldn't go to church without Grandpa Samples accusing her of being interested in the men at church or the fact that her Mom and siblings had to walk everywhere in town because her Dad didn't want her riding in a car with another man. Sad emotional load for her to carry all these 7-8 decades later.

Mom attended school in Weed. She even had a job in the principal's office working for Mr. Roberts (for which she got paid) during grade school. When a teacher called in sick the Principal would have Mom fill in and teach the class. Half of Mom's school was Black (Negros in those days). They lived across the highway in "shacks". She didn't remember the Black kids being treated differently than the White (or Italian) kids. She says the Black kids were liked better than the White kids because they behaved better fearing they might be kicked out of school. She remembers no Jim Crow laws; only poverty in the Black section of town. Her Mother did not allow the "N" word to be used to describe her Black classmates or their families. Weed was predominately an Italian town. Grandpa Smallwood had moved to Weed from Oklahoma before Mom was born. So she was a native Californian. He had come to work in the mill with his brother (Uncle Jiggs--his real name was Alvin) who lived in Weed.

Mom was musical as a child--she took piano lesson, learned to read music, and could sing beautifully. She was the featured soloist in all the school plays and open houses. These were talents she would utilize her entire lifetime, especially her years serving with Dad in the church! A boy named Gus (Warren) was her male counterpart in the musicals. She remembers that just about everything was a "sin" in those days. So they weren't allowed to participate in a whole lot of the activities other kids were involved in. She primarily remembers going to church often and playing with other kids who also lived in the mill-town housing. Her sister Irene was a waitress and married and divorced several times. She made good tips and provided Mom and her siblings with gifts and clothes on a regular basis. Remember, two of Mom's siblings were actually her niece and nephew, Irene's birth-kids.

Her Mom raised chickens and Mom made pets out of them. Her Mom would kill a chicken for food but Mom refused to eat her pets. Theirs was a simple life without much extravance. She tells of the time that they had a small house fire and when her Dad got the news that the house was on fire, he got so excited he ran all the way to the house and upon arrival pulled the phone off the wall (everything else had already been "rescued"). These were the 30's through the late 40's in America with all the post-depression and WWII challenges. Living and working in a mill-town provided the security of steady work, decent housing and medical care--rare commodities for many living in this era.

I'll need to fill in the details of Mom's adolescent years on my next visit (if the memories are still retrievable). That's all for this journal entry!