2/28
On this day Joy took me for a tour of the places she had lived at and told stories for 3 ½ hours. We visited Stringtown where she can first remember living on a farm. We then visited Mediapolis where her parents got divorced, and where she attended elementary and high school. Joy also talked about her daughter and how they had to sell everything when she died in order to pay the bills.
The rest of the tour with Joy consisted of her showing me places where she lived, where her family was from, and the graves of her family members.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
2/22 interview
2/22
On this day Joy started talking about her home as a child. She said her house was right next to the city dump and the railroad tracks. She also said that hobos used to come to the back door and ask for food. Joy also said that hobos back then were always men, and that they weren’t always homeless, sometimes they were just jobless. Joy said her mom was kind hearted and would always leave food on a bench that was by the back door. Another thing Joy mentioned was that hobos always left gifts, and Joy’s family still has them to this day.
Next Joy talked about what crops were grown in the farms she lived on. She said the crops that were grown were corn, alfalfa, hay. She also said they raised animals and the animals were: chickens and cattle. Something Joy recalls is that all she ever ate was bacon, ham, and sausage. And she thinks it’s strange how culture has gotten healthy over time.
Next Joy talked about holidays and how she spent them. She started talking about birthdays first. She started off with saying that no one ever received birthday presents. And she had her first birthday when she was sixteen. But the only reason she had that birthday party was because her friends threw the party for her because her mom was in the hospital with cancer. Something she always got on her birthday was a cake, but it never had any candles. The gift they would receive from their mom was that they were able to pick their favorite food to have on their birthday. Joy’s favorite food is meatballs that have sauce made of ketchup and sugar, with baked potatoes, and green beans with bacon boiled in with them. Christmas was always the biggest holiday tradition. They always had very little gifts, and she carried that tradition to her children. Joy also talked about how her mom’s ancestors were candy makers. So her mom would save up candy ingredients all year long to be able to make candy for Christmas. Their Christmas dinner wasn’t huge or fancy because they were poor, but it was always formal. After dinner women would clean up while the men played cards, and the children were sent outside to play. For Fourth of July, her family would always go to Morning Sun Iowa. For the Fourth they would always have potlucks, parades, and family gatherings. And to this day, Joy and her family still go there to celebrate the Fourth. For thanksgiving, dinner always consisted of turkey and bread dressing with gravy.
After that Joy started talking about dating. She wasn’t allowed to date until she was 16. But she had her first kiss when she was 14. The guy that kissed Joy was a friend of the guy her sister was dating. The guy French kissed her and she had no idea what was going on. Then Joy said how she got asked to prom when she was 15 and how her mom made an exception because the boy was a family friend. Joy said she got to wear her sister’s dress that had been worn to a wedding, the dress was baby blue. It was also the first date for both of them. Joy then talked about how dating was back then. In the summer a date would mean going to a drive in movie and getting food. During the winter a date would consist of going to a school event, school dance, or just going cruising.
Something Joy mentioned was that she started school when she was 4 yrs old. So her senior year she was only 16. Joy then proceeded to talk about her mom. She said that at her mom’s funeral people showed up that she hadn’t seen in more than 20 yrs. Joy also mentioned that her family only lived at the house by the dump for 6 yrs, and after that they moved to a trailer across town.
On this day Joy started talking about her home as a child. She said her house was right next to the city dump and the railroad tracks. She also said that hobos used to come to the back door and ask for food. Joy also said that hobos back then were always men, and that they weren’t always homeless, sometimes they were just jobless. Joy said her mom was kind hearted and would always leave food on a bench that was by the back door. Another thing Joy mentioned was that hobos always left gifts, and Joy’s family still has them to this day.
Next Joy talked about what crops were grown in the farms she lived on. She said the crops that were grown were corn, alfalfa, hay. She also said they raised animals and the animals were: chickens and cattle. Something Joy recalls is that all she ever ate was bacon, ham, and sausage. And she thinks it’s strange how culture has gotten healthy over time.
Next Joy talked about holidays and how she spent them. She started talking about birthdays first. She started off with saying that no one ever received birthday presents. And she had her first birthday when she was sixteen. But the only reason she had that birthday party was because her friends threw the party for her because her mom was in the hospital with cancer. Something she always got on her birthday was a cake, but it never had any candles. The gift they would receive from their mom was that they were able to pick their favorite food to have on their birthday. Joy’s favorite food is meatballs that have sauce made of ketchup and sugar, with baked potatoes, and green beans with bacon boiled in with them. Christmas was always the biggest holiday tradition. They always had very little gifts, and she carried that tradition to her children. Joy also talked about how her mom’s ancestors were candy makers. So her mom would save up candy ingredients all year long to be able to make candy for Christmas. Their Christmas dinner wasn’t huge or fancy because they were poor, but it was always formal. After dinner women would clean up while the men played cards, and the children were sent outside to play. For Fourth of July, her family would always go to Morning Sun Iowa. For the Fourth they would always have potlucks, parades, and family gatherings. And to this day, Joy and her family still go there to celebrate the Fourth. For thanksgiving, dinner always consisted of turkey and bread dressing with gravy.
After that Joy started talking about dating. She wasn’t allowed to date until she was 16. But she had her first kiss when she was 14. The guy that kissed Joy was a friend of the guy her sister was dating. The guy French kissed her and she had no idea what was going on. Then Joy said how she got asked to prom when she was 15 and how her mom made an exception because the boy was a family friend. Joy said she got to wear her sister’s dress that had been worn to a wedding, the dress was baby blue. It was also the first date for both of them. Joy then talked about how dating was back then. In the summer a date would mean going to a drive in movie and getting food. During the winter a date would consist of going to a school event, school dance, or just going cruising.
Something Joy mentioned was that she started school when she was 4 yrs old. So her senior year she was only 16. Joy then proceeded to talk about her mom. She said that at her mom’s funeral people showed up that she hadn’t seen in more than 20 yrs. Joy also mentioned that her family only lived at the house by the dump for 6 yrs, and after that they moved to a trailer across town.
2/16 interview
2/16
On this day Joy started off our discussing with talking about her mom. She started off with telling me that her mom did many things to be able to have food on the table for her children, and one of those things was making wedding and bridesmaid dresses. Joy also mentioned that her mom made her prom dress when she was in high school. Joy’s mom was a nurse and a seamstress. Joy also mentioned that child support back then was ten dollars per child.
Joy went on to talk about her parent’s marriage after that. The day of the divorce, the hearing for the divorce was held in the morning and the sanity hearing for her father was held in the afternoon. And this was arranged because Joy’s mom wouldn’t have been able to get a divorce if Joy’s dad had already been sent to a mental institution. Joy went on to say that it was a doctor friend who convinced Joy’s mom to get a divorce. Joy’s mom knew that Joy’s dad didn’t mean to be abusive, and that it was the schizophrenia that turned him into someone he wasn’t. One of the reasons Joy gave for knowing that her parents always loved each other was that up to the day she died, her mother never talked bad about the children’s father to anyone. Joy’s father was buried with his family, and Joy’s mom was buried with her children. A sweet thing Joy mentioned was that her father is on her mother’s tombstone. Joy’s father was the first to die and Joy attended his funeral. Back then the legal age was twenty-one, so Joy was not allowed to visit her father until she was twenty-one. Her father was released from the mental institution seven years after he went in. After her dad died, Joy united with her father’s side of the family and is now the family historian.
Next Joy told me about the pets she had. She said she always had a dog but they were always considered farm animals. She next talked about Pete and Pauli, the two pet raccoons they had. Their raccoons lived in the house until they were adults, and that’s when they were let into the wild. Joy also had Pierre, a pet squirrel. The story with Pierre was that some men were cutting down trees and there was a nest in one of the trees, and the mom squirrel was accidently killed. The babies were then given to the biggest families in town, and Joy’s family was one of them. Joy fondly remembered that she carried the baby squirrel home in a glove that was later named Pierre. Pierre unlike the raccoons stayed living in Joy’s family home until he died. Joy recalled that Pierre loved strawberries and soda crackers. As for now, Joy said that she own nine cats right now.
Next Joy started talking about how time was spent in her family. She said that when it was light outside, they would hang out outside and play the games they loved. They would also help their mom with the garden. But basically what they would always do was either chores or play. What Joy loved about her family was that there was always someone to play with. On a typical day Joy would go to school and then when she would get back, she would change clothes and then she would go help around the farm. After the chores she would help prepare supper. Another thing about Joy’s family is that they are a card playing family, and they always play cards at big family gatherings. Another thing Joy talked about was that their family never had a tv until Joy was a teenager. And when she was married it took five years for her to get a tv.
After that Joy talked about her first job. She got her first job when she was thirteen. She was a secretary for the First Presbyterian Church in Mediapolis.
Joy then proceeded to talk about the types of meals she used to have at home. Joy said that she always had gravy with every meal, no matter what it was. Her favorite meal, even to this day is bread with gravy. A thing Joy said she admired about her mom was that her mom was able to feed herself and her kids with just two slices of baloney. Joy also mentioned that she was part of the youngest group that was still educated in a one room school house.
On this day Joy started off our discussing with talking about her mom. She started off with telling me that her mom did many things to be able to have food on the table for her children, and one of those things was making wedding and bridesmaid dresses. Joy also mentioned that her mom made her prom dress when she was in high school. Joy’s mom was a nurse and a seamstress. Joy also mentioned that child support back then was ten dollars per child.
Joy went on to talk about her parent’s marriage after that. The day of the divorce, the hearing for the divorce was held in the morning and the sanity hearing for her father was held in the afternoon. And this was arranged because Joy’s mom wouldn’t have been able to get a divorce if Joy’s dad had already been sent to a mental institution. Joy went on to say that it was a doctor friend who convinced Joy’s mom to get a divorce. Joy’s mom knew that Joy’s dad didn’t mean to be abusive, and that it was the schizophrenia that turned him into someone he wasn’t. One of the reasons Joy gave for knowing that her parents always loved each other was that up to the day she died, her mother never talked bad about the children’s father to anyone. Joy’s father was buried with his family, and Joy’s mom was buried with her children. A sweet thing Joy mentioned was that her father is on her mother’s tombstone. Joy’s father was the first to die and Joy attended his funeral. Back then the legal age was twenty-one, so Joy was not allowed to visit her father until she was twenty-one. Her father was released from the mental institution seven years after he went in. After her dad died, Joy united with her father’s side of the family and is now the family historian.
Next Joy told me about the pets she had. She said she always had a dog but they were always considered farm animals. She next talked about Pete and Pauli, the two pet raccoons they had. Their raccoons lived in the house until they were adults, and that’s when they were let into the wild. Joy also had Pierre, a pet squirrel. The story with Pierre was that some men were cutting down trees and there was a nest in one of the trees, and the mom squirrel was accidently killed. The babies were then given to the biggest families in town, and Joy’s family was one of them. Joy fondly remembered that she carried the baby squirrel home in a glove that was later named Pierre. Pierre unlike the raccoons stayed living in Joy’s family home until he died. Joy recalled that Pierre loved strawberries and soda crackers. As for now, Joy said that she own nine cats right now.
Next Joy started talking about how time was spent in her family. She said that when it was light outside, they would hang out outside and play the games they loved. They would also help their mom with the garden. But basically what they would always do was either chores or play. What Joy loved about her family was that there was always someone to play with. On a typical day Joy would go to school and then when she would get back, she would change clothes and then she would go help around the farm. After the chores she would help prepare supper. Another thing about Joy’s family is that they are a card playing family, and they always play cards at big family gatherings. Another thing Joy talked about was that their family never had a tv until Joy was a teenager. And when she was married it took five years for her to get a tv.
After that Joy talked about her first job. She got her first job when she was thirteen. She was a secretary for the First Presbyterian Church in Mediapolis.
Joy then proceeded to talk about the types of meals she used to have at home. Joy said that she always had gravy with every meal, no matter what it was. Her favorite meal, even to this day is bread with gravy. A thing Joy said she admired about her mom was that her mom was able to feed herself and her kids with just two slices of baloney. Joy also mentioned that she was part of the youngest group that was still educated in a one room school house.
2/15 interview
2/15
On this day Joy and I decided to answer the questions that the packet gave us.
1. When did your family first move to Henry County?
Joy said her family first moved to Iowa in 1839 when Iowa was still a territory. She said that her mom’s family came first and settled in northern Henry County, and her dad’s family soon came after and settled in Mahaska County.
2. Where did your family live in before Henry County?
Joy said that her mom was Pennsylvania Dutch but not from Holland but actually from Germany. Joy’s dad’s family was from North Carolina, but they were originally English from Scandinavia.
3. What type of house did you live in as a child?
Joy said that her father was a hired hand so it meant that they moved a lot as kids. It wasn’t until Joy was eleven when her parents got divorced that her family moved to Mediapolis where they got their first indoor toilet. The reason they got their first bathroom when they moved to town was because before that they had always lived in farms that had outdoor toilets. Joy mentioned that they used to use the poop from the outhouse for manure, and that they used to use catalogs as toilet paper.
4. How was your home heated?
Joy said that when she lived on farms they had fuel oil stoves that heated their homes. And to this day Joy doesn’t have heat in the upper story in her house because she loves the cold. Something she mentioned was that as a child she would sometimes had icicles hanging from her bedroom ceiling.
5. How did you keep cool in the summer?
Joy said that to keep cool in the summer, she would sleep outside. And she also mentioned that she slept with her sisters till she was fourteen.
6. Did your family have a cellar?
Joy said that yes her family did have a cellar when she was growing up. Her family did a lot of gardening, canning, and butchering. They grew literally everything so they could eat, they raised chickens for eggs, and they milked cows for milk.
After this Joy went on to talk about how only once they moved to town they had running water along with flushing toilets. She also mentioned that her family had the only kids from a divorced family in the district. Joy went on to talk about how when they moved into town they moved into a house that was right next to the town dump. She also mentioned how they always had to have the toilet seat down because rats would come up the toilet if it wasn’t. To this day Joy still checks the toilet before sitting down because of her child tendency.
Joy went on to talk a bit about her family after that. Joy has three living sisters and one living brother. She also has four siblings that passed away as little babies. Joy also has a daughter named Kathy that was born in 1975, and has a son named Edward Eugene that was born in 1976. Joy mentioned that Edward Eugene was also her husband’s name and that he was a descendant from King Edward of England. And that every first male born since then has been named Edward.
After that Joy said that the house work she did as a child was pretty much just house work. Things like gathering eggs, doing the dishes, helping around the farm, carrying trash to the dump, hung laundry, and helped butcher.
On this day Joy and I decided to answer the questions that the packet gave us.
1. When did your family first move to Henry County?
Joy said her family first moved to Iowa in 1839 when Iowa was still a territory. She said that her mom’s family came first and settled in northern Henry County, and her dad’s family soon came after and settled in Mahaska County.
2. Where did your family live in before Henry County?
Joy said that her mom was Pennsylvania Dutch but not from Holland but actually from Germany. Joy’s dad’s family was from North Carolina, but they were originally English from Scandinavia.
3. What type of house did you live in as a child?
Joy said that her father was a hired hand so it meant that they moved a lot as kids. It wasn’t until Joy was eleven when her parents got divorced that her family moved to Mediapolis where they got their first indoor toilet. The reason they got their first bathroom when they moved to town was because before that they had always lived in farms that had outdoor toilets. Joy mentioned that they used to use the poop from the outhouse for manure, and that they used to use catalogs as toilet paper.
4. How was your home heated?
Joy said that when she lived on farms they had fuel oil stoves that heated their homes. And to this day Joy doesn’t have heat in the upper story in her house because she loves the cold. Something she mentioned was that as a child she would sometimes had icicles hanging from her bedroom ceiling.
5. How did you keep cool in the summer?
Joy said that to keep cool in the summer, she would sleep outside. And she also mentioned that she slept with her sisters till she was fourteen.
6. Did your family have a cellar?
Joy said that yes her family did have a cellar when she was growing up. Her family did a lot of gardening, canning, and butchering. They grew literally everything so they could eat, they raised chickens for eggs, and they milked cows for milk.
After this Joy went on to talk about how only once they moved to town they had running water along with flushing toilets. She also mentioned that her family had the only kids from a divorced family in the district. Joy went on to talk about how when they moved into town they moved into a house that was right next to the town dump. She also mentioned how they always had to have the toilet seat down because rats would come up the toilet if it wasn’t. To this day Joy still checks the toilet before sitting down because of her child tendency.
Joy went on to talk a bit about her family after that. Joy has three living sisters and one living brother. She also has four siblings that passed away as little babies. Joy also has a daughter named Kathy that was born in 1975, and has a son named Edward Eugene that was born in 1976. Joy mentioned that Edward Eugene was also her husband’s name and that he was a descendant from King Edward of England. And that every first male born since then has been named Edward.
After that Joy said that the house work she did as a child was pretty much just house work. Things like gathering eggs, doing the dishes, helping around the farm, carrying trash to the dump, hung laundry, and helped butcher.
2/2 interview
2/2
The person I interviewed was Joy Lynn Conwell. She is a librarian at the IWC library. The reason I interviewed her was because she has been a resident of Mount Pleasant almost her whole entire life. Our first interview was kind of random hitting many different topics.
We started off my interview with talking about her religion. Joy is a Mormon and she has been one since 1974. She then went to talk about how she had married her husband in Utah because they wanted to be married in a Temple of their religious faith. Their wedding in Utah was held in the Logan temple, and the reception was held at the Blue Bird restaurant. Joy proceeded to tell me that the Utah reception was just a small one for her husband’s family and that the real reception was held back in Iowa where Joy was from. Joy also mentioned that her husband had proposed to her on Valentine’s Day.
After that Joy started talking about how she attended four different colleges and other schools. After college she did many things like have lunch at the White House with Ronald Reagan the day Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married. She went on to say that she also had barbeque with the King of Sweden.
Joy was born in 1952. Her parents got divorced in 1964 when she was eleven years old. After that Joy mentioned that she and her husband were the family historians. After that Joy started talking about her family a bit. Her dad was a hired hand which is why they lived in several different farms as a small child. There were nine children total in her family. She has a younger brother, three older sisters, and there were four children that died in between herself and her brother. Her parents never remarried after their divorce, and Joy knows they loved each other till they died. Joy and her siblings were the poor kids in town since having a single mom was extremely rare. So their childhood was hard, but as a child she never felt like she was poor. After the divorce Joy’s mother had to learn how to drive and handle money. But Joy’s mom was a very determined lady, she went to school while she worked and was a mom. And she ended up graduating college at the same time Joy graduated from high school in 1970.
Other things Joy mentioned was that her father had schizophrenia which caused her parents to divorce. Her mother later on in life got cancer and Parkinson’s disease, and her brother has cerebral palsy. Because of her brother’s medical problems, Joy’s mother moved to California and then to Arizona so that Joy’s brother could get educated. Another thing Joy mentioned was that her mom was a nurse, a nurse in neo natal, for children with cleft pallets. Joy’s mother not only was one of very few single moms (only one in Mediapolis or surrounding areas), but she was also the first single parent allowed to be a foster parent for the state of Iowa. So not only did Joy have eight siblings, she also had 41 foster siblings.
Another thing Joy talked about was her religious beliefs. Joy is a Mormon, and they are called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her husband is the president or “lay minister” of their local congregation. Joy was originally Presbyterian, but she converted at age twenty-one. Joy also explained a little bit about how her church works, like; how their churches must be four-hundred people or less and how she is considered a “pastor’s wife.”
Joy graduated from high school in Mediapolis, Iowa. Her husband was from Kansas City, and after her wedding she and her husband moved to Mount Pleasant. And another thing Joy mentioned was that her grandfather was one of the first pilots for WWI, and she has his uniform and helmet.
The person I interviewed was Joy Lynn Conwell. She is a librarian at the IWC library. The reason I interviewed her was because she has been a resident of Mount Pleasant almost her whole entire life. Our first interview was kind of random hitting many different topics.
We started off my interview with talking about her religion. Joy is a Mormon and she has been one since 1974. She then went to talk about how she had married her husband in Utah because they wanted to be married in a Temple of their religious faith. Their wedding in Utah was held in the Logan temple, and the reception was held at the Blue Bird restaurant. Joy proceeded to tell me that the Utah reception was just a small one for her husband’s family and that the real reception was held back in Iowa where Joy was from. Joy also mentioned that her husband had proposed to her on Valentine’s Day.
After that Joy started talking about how she attended four different colleges and other schools. After college she did many things like have lunch at the White House with Ronald Reagan the day Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married. She went on to say that she also had barbeque with the King of Sweden.
Joy was born in 1952. Her parents got divorced in 1964 when she was eleven years old. After that Joy mentioned that she and her husband were the family historians. After that Joy started talking about her family a bit. Her dad was a hired hand which is why they lived in several different farms as a small child. There were nine children total in her family. She has a younger brother, three older sisters, and there were four children that died in between herself and her brother. Her parents never remarried after their divorce, and Joy knows they loved each other till they died. Joy and her siblings were the poor kids in town since having a single mom was extremely rare. So their childhood was hard, but as a child she never felt like she was poor. After the divorce Joy’s mother had to learn how to drive and handle money. But Joy’s mom was a very determined lady, she went to school while she worked and was a mom. And she ended up graduating college at the same time Joy graduated from high school in 1970.
Other things Joy mentioned was that her father had schizophrenia which caused her parents to divorce. Her mother later on in life got cancer and Parkinson’s disease, and her brother has cerebral palsy. Because of her brother’s medical problems, Joy’s mother moved to California and then to Arizona so that Joy’s brother could get educated. Another thing Joy mentioned was that her mom was a nurse, a nurse in neo natal, for children with cleft pallets. Joy’s mother not only was one of very few single moms (only one in Mediapolis or surrounding areas), but she was also the first single parent allowed to be a foster parent for the state of Iowa. So not only did Joy have eight siblings, she also had 41 foster siblings.
Another thing Joy talked about was her religious beliefs. Joy is a Mormon, and they are called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her husband is the president or “lay minister” of their local congregation. Joy was originally Presbyterian, but she converted at age twenty-one. Joy also explained a little bit about how her church works, like; how their churches must be four-hundred people or less and how she is considered a “pastor’s wife.”
Joy graduated from high school in Mediapolis, Iowa. Her husband was from Kansas City, and after her wedding she and her husband moved to Mount Pleasant. And another thing Joy mentioned was that her grandfather was one of the first pilots for WWI, and she has his uniform and helmet.
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