When I was small we had an outdoor toilet,a two holer, got water from a pump in the yard or had a well.
I was 11 when we got electric lights, but outdoor toilet didn't have one. , and we didn't have a phone, one rich neighbor had one but it had a party line.

We washed clothes once a week on Monday in a big black vat in the yard. Momma used a washboard and everyone took a bath on Saturday (once a week) in a big number 2 washtub in middle of the floor, had to heat the water for it on the stove so it took a few hours for everyone to get a bath.

Then we went to the company store to get groceries and sometimes got to see a black and white movie (western) with words to read on the screen instead of talking, and that was in the early fifties at Hagers theatre, Argyle West Virginia. So a lot of these changes were in the past 50 years.

We had less money than some people., but it didn't seem like you were poor because other people had similar situations.You didn't have all the complications of technology we have now.

There was more jobs available. Although they didn't pay much we didn't need so much. Neighbors helped each other, traded work on the farm.

Like once a year in the winter we killed hogs to put up meat in a house made for that purpose (to hang hams and other meat that had been salted to keep it fresh).

They killed the hogs, put them in a big vat of hot water to loosen the hair, removed the hair after you put them on a wooden slab and hung them up to cut the meat off.

We had chickens to kill when we wanted to have chicken, and the hens laid eggs.

We grew most of the things we ate on the farm, so we didn't have to go to grocery store all the time to get food.
The cows gave milk, and we made butter in a churn.

We had a big garden with potatoes, tomatoes, okra, lettuce, radish, onions, cucumbers, cantalopes and green beans.

We had a bed of sweet potatoes, corn fields and a apple orchard on our farm at Vinton Ohio.
The apples was sold when we picked them to buy other things needed, like clothes, sugar and flour. We had our corn ground to flour at Vinton.

We went to town with a horse and wagon pulled by grandpa's horse named pet..
We ordered most of the clothes from the Sears Roebuck catalog, then it was used for toilet paper in the outhouse when it was a year or two old.

We didn't get daily newspapers and junk mail, if mail came it wasn't bills. There were no credit cards.

Mail was usually letters from family or friends who lived in other places. Guess your early years were like this too.

I didn't mind not having toys as I liked the outdoors most, climbing trees, swinging in a tree swing we had, and playing in the creeks, going fishing and picking blackberries.

We played in the dirt, making things from the dirt like you would with sand. We had home-made slingshots, whittled from a forked tree limb (small tree).

It was fun to play on the hay or roll down a grassy hill. These were the good old days!!

Written by:
Delmar Lee "Dale" Ashley
December14, 2002

---

Autobiographical Sketch:

I was born at Orville Camp, on Rum Creek 11-23-1937,
Logan County West Virginia.

I attended Logan High Scholl class of 1955 with my brother Carl Curtis Ashley.
He died on August 18, 1997 of cancer. He was 61 when he passed. He's buried at Siler City, N.C. Memorial Gardens.
I was the school bus flag boy on the Rum Creek run for Marvin. My claim to fame..

I served four years in the United States Air Force as an
Aircraft Engine Mechanic 1955-1959.
Took basic training at Sampson Air Force Base, Elmira, New York.
I served 27 months in Fairbanks, Alaska, flying north of the Brooks range daily.
I was sent to Sewart Air Force Base, Nashville, Tn.
as a helicopter mechanic and got out in 1959.
Two years GED equivalent of college in the Air Force.

I owned Dale Ashley's Phillips 66 station in Nashville.
I was an apprentice mechanic [Johnsons Auto Repair, Nashville] and a mechanic [Hibbets Shell Service] Nashville.

I was a Sargent with the Nashville Police Reserve Force.

I left Nashville and went to Henlawson, WV. I went to work in the coal mines for my father, Harlen Ashley at Slagle, WV.
I worked about a year [ENOUGH FOR A LIFETIME] and left for Seattle, WA., where I have lived now for some 35 years.

I went to work for Pacific Lincoln Mercury as an air conditioning mechanic, later went to Olympic Mercury and did the same thing. I worked there for about a year and was selected to become a union business agent for Automotive Machinist Lodge #289 International
Association of Machinist & Aerospace Workers.
I worked 12 years for the machinist and held many positions with the union and in Democratic Potitics, just like my Grandpa Ashley. He was a good Democrat.

I worked boxing over 20 years. Fought in the Golden Gloves at the Logan, WV armory,[1955].
My coach was Silas Moreno. He is still living at Hemet, Ca.


Some of the major things I've done:

Automotive Machinist Union [Business Agent] 15 YEARS
Vice President King County Labor Council.
Sgt at Arms King county Labor Council.
Lobbyist for the Wash State Machinist council 60K members.
Director [Professional Div., Retail Clerks Union 1001]
Commissioner [Washington State Boxing Commission]
Licensed Judge [Washington State Boxing]
Chief Inspector [Washing State Boxing]
President [Young mens Democratic Club] King County 1975
Investigator [US Government for 7 years] Seattle
Elected Commissioner, Kenmore Fire Dept.,Dist 16, Kenmore, Wa. Asst Executive Officer [California Boxing]
Asst Chief Inspector [California Boxing]
Chief Inspector [California Boxing]
Private Pilot, Member of Washington Pilot's Assoc.
Referee, Professional Wrestling. Big time wrestling.
Announcer for the big time professional wrestling.
Announcer for the Washington State pony club.
Announcer for playday's and rodeo's.
Consultant current, boxing in general.

Delmar Lee 'Dale' Ashley

Dale passed away on June 04, 2004.
Below you will find a link for a special page I made for REMEMBERING DALE.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

DALE ASHLEY REMEMBERED

---

LOUISE ASHLEY
1930-2003

Louise Ashley (Dales wife) passed away June 16, 2003 at the age of 73.
She was laid to rest on June 20, 2003 with over 200 people at her services.

The following words were spoken for Louise on Dales behalf by a friend: Jerry Townsend.

BELIEFS

People of high intelligence Sometimes say they doubt there is a supreme being.
They may take many words and time to explain why they believe this way.
In the end they state that they reject the idea of a deity, God or imminent being.
I like many are tempted to become angry, argumentive or even combative,
but realize that anything I say or do can possibly harden their resolve.
So I wait and pick my time.
Now I happen to believe that the supreme being would have made the answer real simple
so that all could understand "the answer would have to be close to love".
Now I am a man who loves. I particularly love a bargain.
Now you have the supreme being offering something, "mostly life after death"
and you have the other side offering something,
"mostly death after death".
The price of life after death, a simple belief in God the supreme being.
Even us with little knowledge can recognize a bargain.
I think Louise recognized a bargain too and we will see her again.
Finley (Jerry) Townsend

---

EMAIL WVGIRL

MAIN SITEMAP

RUM CREEK SITEMAP

HOME

Music: Back Home Again