Zetta Barker Hamby, a retired school teacher and principal, lived in the Grassy Creek, North Carolina, area for most of her 90 years, observing modernization with wry wisdom. She died in the summer of 1997.

“a particularly valuable contribution to the history of Appalachia...deftly describes and includes sketches of a number of ordinary household items that were at one time central to most rural households”—Appalachian Journal; “a must read for anyone interested in mountain history, culture or living. For those seeking a simpler, more natural lifestyle, it could almost serve as a textbook”—Ashe Mountain Times; “editors have preserved the charm of her manuscript and included her pen-and-ink illustrations of farmstead artifacts...good source material for Appalachian cultural history...well-indexed”—North Carolina Libraries.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments    Foreword      Families     Homes     Weddings and Funerals     Religion     Schools     Activities     Clothing     Health and Remedies     Food     Crops and Farm Animals     The Store and the Blacksmith     Roads and Automobiles     Appendix: Neighboring Families, ca. 1910–1924     Index

Zetta Barker Hamby, a retired school teacher and principal, lived in the Grassy Creek, North Carolina, area for most of her 90 years, observing modernization with wry wisdom. She died in the summer of 1997.

“a particularly valuable contribution to the history of Appalachia...deftly describes and includes sketches of a number of ordinary household items that were at one time central to most rural households”—Appalachian Journal; “a must read for anyone interested in mountain history, culture or living. For those seeking a simpler, more natural lifestyle, it could almost serve as a textbook”—Ashe Mountain Times; “editors have preserved the charm of her manuscript and included her pen-and-ink illustrations of farmstead artifacts...good source material for Appalachian cultural history...well-indexed”—North Carolina Libraries.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments    Foreword      Families     Homes     Weddings and Funerals     Religion     Schools     Activities     Clothing     Health and Remedies     Food     Crops and Farm Animals     The Store and the Blacksmith     Roads and Automobiles     Appendix: Neighboring Families, ca. 1910–1924     Index

Zetta Barker Hamby, a retired school teacher and principal, lived in the Grassy Creek, North Carolina, area for most of her 90 years, observing modernization with wry wisdom. She died in the summer of 1997.

“a particularly valuable contribution to the history of Appalachia...deftly describes and includes sketches of a number of ordinary household items that were at one time central to most rural households”—Appalachian Journal; “a must read for anyone interested in mountain history, culture or living. For those seeking a simpler, more natural lifestyle, it could almost serve as a textbook”—Ashe Mountain Times; “editors have preserved the charm of her manuscript and included her pen-and-ink illustrations of farmstead artifacts...good source material for Appalachian cultural history...well-indexed”—North Carolina Libraries.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments    Foreword      Families     Homes     Weddings and Funerals     Religion     Schools     Activities     Clothing     Health and Remedies     Food     Crops and Farm Animals     The Store and the Blacksmith     Roads and Automobiles     Appendix: Neighboring Families, ca. 1910–1924     Index