Working the Family Farm in 1930
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Submitted by McCreary County Museum
Photo Submitted Anna Mary Creekmore at the age of six and her two brothers working on the family farm.
During the Great Depression families in rural Kentucky relied on their land for survival. They raised gardens as well as cattle and hogs and supplemented their food supply by hunting and gathering. Families were interconnected and relied on each other. They repaired shared plows, bartered, and sometimes pooled money to assist their neighbors in times of crisis. Clothing, quilts, and other items were handmade. McCreary Countians have always been resilient and supportive of one another.
The picture above was taken in 1930. The children are Anna Mary Creekmore, age eight; Jasper Campbell (J.C.) Creekmore, age ten; and Thomas Willard Creekmore, age six. The youngest child, Dora Edna (Creekmore) Carman, eleven months younger than Willard, is not pictured. Children were expected to assist with farming and household chores from an early age.
Anna Mary, J.C., Willard, and Edna were the children of Thomas Arthur Creekmore (Feb 24, 1891 – Apr 6, 1961) and Dora Ellen (Neal) Creekmore (Feb 8, 1891 – Feb 19, 1928). Each of their children was extraordinarily successful in their chosen field.
Jasper Campbell (Dec 23, 1919 – Sept 7, 2001), known as J.C., achieved the rank of SGT in the U.S. Army and served during WWII. Anna Mary (May 15, 1922 – Apr 18, 2021) graduated from Pine Knot High School in 1938 and completed two years at Cumberland College. She began her teaching career in one of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company camp schools and later became a college professor. She authored books about clothing and textiles and volunteered for many years at the McCreary County Museum. She spent her career in Tennessee, Iowa, Florida, Oregon, and Michigan and traveled the world twice. She was a guest lecturer at the University of Cairo in Egypt and was an ardent supporter of her siblings and their children.
Thomas Willard (Jan 11, 1924 – May 3, 2007) graduated from McCreary County High School and Cumberland College before enlisting in the Naval Air Corp during WWII. Edna (Dec 15, 1924 – Jun 8, 2016) received a Masters degree in Christian Education from Berkeley Divinity School and was a secretary at one the Naval bases in California during WWII. While there she met her husband, Kenneth Carman, and the young couple served as missionaries in the Philippines before moving to Salina, Iowa in 1953. She authored several books, was a member of the Salina Art Society, and sang with the Sweet Adelines.
The children of Thomas Arthur and Dora Creekmore learned the value of hard work, dedication to family and friends, and resilience at an early age. On behalf of the McCreary Journal and the McCreary County Museum I honor the life and legacy of Thomas Arthur and Dora Ellen (Neal) Creekmore and their family. For more information contact Debbie Kidd-Trammell at [email protected].
