Book Synopsis
A memoir chronicling five decades in the life of a tobacco-growing farm family in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest North Carolina. Written by Dr. Cleve Hollar, former superintendent of schools in Yadkin County, this book draws not only from his own experiences and memories but also from those of many of the members of his large extended family to provide an intimate look at everyday life on the farm and in Yadkin’s historic communities of Huntsville and Courtney. In addition to the raising of tobacco and other crops, activities such as hunting, moonshining, cooking, gardening, and beekeeping are all vividly described, as are local schools and religious and social life, as well as family members’ experiences during the turbulent years of the Great Depression and World War II. Full of firsthand accounts, stories, individual profiles, and photos, the volume offers a unique portrait of a time and a place—and of one farm family's hard work, resilience, and faith.