Interview with Carl Clifford McKenzie, Helen Irene McKenzie, June 14, 1988

Interview Summary

Irene McKenzie was born in Auxier in 1921. She lived in the country on John's Creek while she was growing up, and moved back to Auxier in 1937 after she married. She describes her mother's work on the farm, and what children did for fun. Her father was a motorman and was killed in 1933. Her family lived on the insurance money and supplemented their income with food from their garden. Irene McKenzie's husband worked in the mines. She recalls being a member of the Ladies' Aid in Auxier which bought gifts for impoverished children during Christmas. She describes getting together with other women to cook and bake. She remembers medical care in Auxier. She describes the coal operators as fair and the people who worked for them as loyal. Irene McKenzie's husband, Clifford McKenzie, also comments about some of his work in the coal mine.

Interview Keyword

Appalachian people Auxier (Ky.) Coal mining Coal camps

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region McKenzie, Carl, 1905- McKenzie, Carl, 1905- --Interviews McKenzie, Helen Irene, 1921- McKenzie, Helen Irene, 1921- --Interviews

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.