Juanita Lukachy

I was borned in Kentucky, to Dora Sluss Ramey and (Bud) Nathan A. Ramey on September 17, 1921. I had two sisters Mary June Ramey & Pearl Marie Ramey and 1 brother Alga Curtis Ramey. Two half sisters, Melster Ramey Mullins and May Ramey Mullins and one half brother Bill Ramey. My Father died when I was 9 months old.

That was when my world ended. My Father was 47 years old when I was borned and my Mother was 36 years old.

Mother still had the shoeshop that my Dad had. He had a man working for him Jess Stewart. He still worked for Mother after Dad died. I remember I would go to the water pump & get water in a very small pail & come back by the shoeshop set my bucket down & watch Jess work on shoes. He would slip around and put pennys in my bucket. And I thought I was getting them out of the pump.

So I made lots of trips to the water pump. And another thing I remember was hanging my stocking up every night after Christmas , and Mother would always find something to put in it. So every morning I would run and get my stocking. In the meantime Mother had taken in her two brothers for room and board. We needed help. So I got up one morning and run to get my stocking and there was coal and kendlen wood in it. Uncle Kenis said they had to stop me or I would have gone on till next Christmas. I was crushed! I remember things then that I don't remember now.

Curtis and I were walking down the railroad tracks one day. I always taged along every where he went. And we found a big wooden bucket that had fell off a train car and it was full of peanut butter And was broken. So we set down and started eating. but I still love peanut butter.

Finally Mother had to sell the shoe shop. And we moved to Skeetrock Grandmother & Grandfather had a big house down where Uncle Kenis lived and we moved in with them. One day Grandfather was cutting timber up in the hills and a tree fell on him and killed him. And then one night our house caught fire.

Mother said she thinks some one set it. Mother would take us up the road and tell us to stay there. but we would follow her back. I guess we were afraid we would loose her to.

All she saved out of the house was the organ, sewing machien and a few other things. And Curtis had hed suit hanging on the wall over his bed. And he went and got it.

So I guess Mother Married Cowan she had gone to cook in a lumber camp where she met him. He had never been married. And he had lived on the farm all his life.

I don't think he had ever been far away from home. Uncle Joe Stanley and Aunt Mary raised him. Mary was his Mother. And his real Father lived in Kentucky he married some one else. Cown had half brothers and sisters on both sides. I met some of them in KY.

I think the first house we had was the big old log house behind Uncle Noah Stanley white house, he and Aunt Emeline lived in it before they built the white house. That is where I had scarlet fever. They had to turn me in a sheet far a long time, the doctor gave up on me, he could do no more. But Mother got me through it. And Curtis had Phnaimonia the same time. I was small & don't remember to much, about living there Uncle Noah Stanley was Cowns Uncle.

Then we moved to a house up the hallow from where Iile lives now, but I can't remember to much about it except it had lots of snakes. And we went to Bear Pen School.

Then we moved to a little caben in the Gap straight over from Uncle Noahs house. Only one big room with 3 beds in it and a long kitchen on the side Curtis had to take a ladder out side up to the atic to sleep it was cold. Uncle Felex Ramey my Dads brother came to see us. just visit, Ivile & my self was home, We were small. We told him we would go get him a cantalope, And get a pumpkin he only laughtel at us he was so good. We loved him.

That is when mother lost a baby here and Cowan was down to the garden And she was pulling weeds And lost it she was walking back up to the house And blood was running down her legs! that is when they told Violet, Inile & I to go over to Uncle Joe Stanleys house and they called Dr. Phipps, She went through "H"

Then we moved down to the John Stanley place. All of us had two big rooms 2 beds in one room and three beds in the other room, And you go out on the front porch and walk down to the kitchen we had a smal wood stove and a big long table & chairs and Mothers big glass dish cabnet she saved. It was Cowan, Mother Curtis, June, Me and Uiolet & Inile. Pearl always stayed away with Uncle Noah and Aunt Emeline or Uncle Joe Stanley. She was home awhile when we lived here. We went to Ramey Flats School, one day She told the teacher her side was hurting her so bad and they would not let her go home. So when she did she was hurting so bad Cowan put quilts in the sled and she layed down in the slede and took her all the the way to Clintwood, They put her in the hospital and put ice on her side and froze it out and she came home. And she had no more troube with he Pendex when school was out she went to stay with Uncle Noah & Aunt Emeline and when Uncle Noah died she still stayed there. When we were at John Stanleys house that is when Bennie was born we all loved him to death. And Curtis was going with Ruby Caleman Tessies sister And Tessie wanted Curtis so she came to our house and stayed she run after Curtis so much they finally went down to Melsters Father in loaw & got married. Before Bennie was born June was going with Freeman Mullins And he wanted to marry her but Cowan would not let him. I think all the family came over to beg Cowan and he said no and told them all to leave. And Bennies Father wanted to marry her and Cowan still said no.

Then we moved to Melsters & Tines place down below them. Down on the ridge they did live there. So one day Violet said she would make her a cream pie and she accused Violet in taking her eggs to bake it with. She was always telling us we did things. that we did to her. And I even stayed with her when Jack was born. That was later on. Violet & I was suppose to kill a chicken. She was holding the chicken and I was using the ax on the chop block and every time I came down with the ax. Violet would pull the chicken back I asked her why did she do that and she said when I came down with the ax big blue eyes look up at her and she could not do it. So we turned her loose Mother had to wring her neck for dinner.

Violet would go to the store and get things for Mom and we kept seening her out in the field. And Inile & I followed her one day. And she had jar peanute butter & box of crackers hid- That is where we lived when Pearl my sister came by she was going over to Clinche to stay with Cowans Sister she was pregent with Shelton. She was staying at Uncle Joes & Aunt Marys. Stanleys and she was going on over to Cowans sister in Cilinche. Closer to the Dr- And they called us and told us that Mother better come she was having her baby. so she went and they were taking here to the Hospital and she died on the way to Hospital on Donnt Mountain.

Then we went back up to Uncle Noah Stanleys house again Unle Noah died and we took care of Aunt Emeline his wife and we would walk to Bear Pen School. And walk all the way to Cumberland Church Curtis was Married by then to Tessie She came to the John Stanley place & stayed till he finally married her. He was going with Ruby and Tessie broke them up. And when he went to Danville VA. he was going to marry a woman and the church jumped him because she was devoried. So he came home & married Tessie this all happened at the John Stanley house. And we were at the white house with Aunt Emeline Stanley.

I was helping Mother & June in the garden & fields and Grandmother came up to stay with us for awhile.

Written by Juanita Ramey, Burnside, Lukachy