Howard Herron Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield
Howard Herron Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield Howard Herron Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield
Howard Herron 2 9 Q: Was she from around here? A: Yes, her father ran a saloon. (2: That takes quite a bit of talent playing one of those pianos? A: Louise was . . . . Q: Did she play fast? A: Yes, she was pretty good at it though. And there used to be a Chili Parlor on the south side of the square. I'd go in there, by the livery stable, old John Isaac had a saloon and Sug Armstrong had a chili parlor there. Just a little narrow place on the sidewalk. Had stools in there and a little table. Tables like booths and he made good chili too. Gave ten cents for a bowl of chili. Q: Describe what the inside of a grocery store looked like when you were real young. A: Well, this Wineman store I was telling you about had four clerks and a bookkeeper and you'd come in the store and tell the clerk what you wanted and he would go get it for you and he would weigh it on the scales. They had a barrel of sauerkraut and a barrel of pickles and sacks of potatoes and they had two delivery wagons. One for the east side of town and one for the west. The people would call, if they had a phone, or they would send their children down and list the groceries they want. They'd fill them all up and charge them and you'd go in on pay day. Most of the people worked in the mine here or the game farm, and they would, about 10:OO in the morning well, the east side would start out with his route and the west side would start out with his route and then when the dad would go to pay the grocery bill, the kids that were along would get a sack of candy. Q: Oh, what kind of candy? A: Oh, Christmas candy mostly, ordinary candy. They didn't have it wrapped like that. They had trays in there, a showcase to keep the flies off. Q: Did you have licorice? A: Licorice whip, and when they had . . . . Q: What was your favorite kind of candy? A: They had a butcher shop and he didn't sell nothing but meat and if you were going to town, a kid would say, "Are you going to the market, to the butchers, can I go with you?" Well, if you get twenty cents worth of beef steak, it would be enough for three or four people and the butcher would give you a weenie and if a kid would come in he would get a weenie too.
Howard Herron Q: Like the bank does with the suckers? A: Yes. I'll never forget a boat full of English came over here and they, Willie Turner was one of their names and Jimmie Richardson, and we were out in the yard one day and he says, "Where does the chemist live?" And I didn't know what a chemist was and I said, "What do you mean a chemist?" and he said, "Where you get the pills, the medicine." I said, "You mean the Doctor?" He said, "No, the chemist, the chemist. Where you get the balls, the balls, the baseballs." "Oh, you want the drugstore." He wanted to know where you could buy a baseball. They just didn't know what that was in England. A baseball. Boy they all went for baseball. People would come in here, some Italian family would come in and they'd write back to Italy or France. This town was originally farming town but they would go out to the coal mine and they'd send them money to come over here. They would get them a job in the mines. That's how, at one time this was all made up after a few years, the mines got going so good here and why there were Czechoslovakians, Lithuanians, Polish, Irish, French, Italian, everything. That's why we got Yasinski's and all, Baschieri and it used to be Jones, Brown and Herron and Smith and names like that. Q: Most of these people settled on the east side of town? A: Yes, most of them settled on the east side of town. They kind of kept to theirselves. Q: Was there a language problem? A: Well, to a certain extent. When I started the Chevrolet business, I was the lawyer, the secretary, their advisor and they'd come to me with all their problems and I always treated them right and honestly. And I'll say this, they were good people to pay their bills, better than the Americans. The Americans would cheat you out if they could. Not the foreign people. I'll never forget I sold a fellow a car, Felician Gignet was his name. Q: What's the name? A: Felician Gignet. I sold him a used car and he had paid it all but $40. This was later on, during the depression of 1929 and I bought Dr. art's house then. I had just come back, I sold my business, and come back from California, we went to California, my wife and son and I, put my money in three banks and they all went broke. I had to start over and Felician came down to my house and he stood there and he had his hat in his hand and he said, "Mr. Percy, I owe you but I cannot pay." He said, It I got no money, I got no work, I got no money." I said, "Well, let me look at the books," and I went in and he only owed $40. And I had made a pretty good profit on the car and I said, "Just forget it, Felician," so I wound up tearing the bill up and he had the rear end of his pants out and I gave him a suit of clothes. He was honest and most of the foreign people were very honest. They had to be, they were taught that way over there.
- Page 1: University of Illinois at Springfie
- Page 5 and 6: Table of Contents (cont.) Auburn Bu
- Page 7 and 8: Howard Berron 2 A: I wouldn't know
- Page 9 and 10: Howard Hexron 4 A: Eighteen hundred
- Page 11 and 12: Howard Herron 6 b- it's a fact beca
- Page 13 and 14: Howard Herron 8 started in and I ha
- Page 15 and 16: Howard Herron 10 Q: When you were a
- Page 17 and 18: Howard Herron 12 kid in school had
- Page 19 and 20: Howard Herron 14 always been gratef
- Page 21 and 22: Howard Herron 16 A: Oh, pumpkin pie
- Page 23 and 24: Howard Berron 18 father bought this
- Page 25 and 26: Howard Herron 20 eleven inches in c
- Page 27 and 28: Howard Herron 2 2 Q: A rod or a gui
- Page 29 and 30: Howard Herron and he had these pink
- Page 31 and 32: Howard Herron 2 6 A: Oh, about ten,
- Page 33: Howard Herron 2 8 Q: Where was the
- Page 37 and 38: Howard Berron 32 A: Open and shut t
- Page 39 and 40: Howard Berron 3 4 about 8:00 in the
- Page 41 and 42: Howard Herron 36 Q: What was your f
- Page 43 and 44: Howard Herron 38 Q: Straight in? A:
- Page 45 and 46: 1 Howard Herron 40 Q: Did you read
- Page 47 and 48: Howard Herron 4 2 of it and put abo
- Page 49 and 50: Howard Herron 44 It was below zero
- Page 51 and 52: Howard Herron 4 6 A: When I got hom
- Page 53 and 54: Howard Herron 4 8 Q: Do you want to
- Page 55 and 56: Howard Herron 5 0 A: That was at Lo
- Page 57 and 58: Howard Herron 5 2 building and we b
- Page 59 and 60: Howard Herron 5 4 A: Yes, mostly, t
- Page 61 and 62: Howard Herron 5 6 Q: Can I ask you
- Page 63 and 64: Howard Herron 58 that wants because
- Page 65 and 66: Howard Herroa 60 Q: Do you remember
- Page 67 and 68: Howard Herron 6 2 Q: What are some
- Page 69 and 70: Howard Berron 64 Q: Did they ever h
- Page 71 and 72: Howard Herron 66 Q: How old was she
- Page 73 and 74: Howard Herron 6 8 Q: So times were
- Page 75 and 76: Howard Herron 7 0 A: Used to but th
- Page 77 and 78: Howard Herron 72 A: Well, not much.
- Page 79 and 80: Howard Herron 74 A: Yes, but you se
- Page 81 and 82: Howard Herron 7 6 and everything, a
- Page 83 and 84: Howard Berron 7 8 the papers. I sai
<strong>Howard</strong> <strong>Herron</strong> 2 9<br />
Q: Was she from around here?<br />
A: Yes, her father ran a saloon.<br />
(2: That takes quite a bit <strong>of</strong> talent playing one <strong>of</strong> those pianos?<br />
A: Louise was . . . .<br />
Q: Did she play fast?<br />
A: Yes, she was pretty good at it though. And there used to be a Chili<br />
Parlor on the south side <strong>of</strong> the square. I'd go in there, by the livery<br />
stable, old John Isaac had a saloon and Sug Armstrong had a chili parlor<br />
there. Just a little narrow place on the sidewalk. Had stools in there<br />
and a little table. Tables like booths and he made good chili too. Gave<br />
ten cents for a bowl <strong>of</strong> chili.<br />
Q: Describe what the inside <strong>of</strong> a grocery store looked like when you were<br />
real young.<br />
A: Well, this Wineman store I was telling you about had four clerks and<br />
a bookkeeper and you'd come in the store and tell the clerk what you<br />
wanted and he would go get it for you and he would weigh it on the<br />
scales. They had a barrel <strong>of</strong> sauerkraut and a barrel <strong>of</strong> pickles and<br />
sacks <strong>of</strong> potatoes and they had two delivery wagons. One for the east<br />
side <strong>of</strong> town and one for the west. The people would call, if they had a<br />
phone, or they would send their children down and list the groceries they<br />
want. They'd fill them all up and charge them and you'd go in on pay<br />
day. Most <strong>of</strong> the people worked in the mine here or the game farm, and<br />
they would, about 10:OO in the morning well, the east side would start<br />
out with his route and the west side would start out with his route and<br />
then when the dad would go to pay the grocery bill, the kids that were<br />
along would get a sack <strong>of</strong> candy.<br />
Q: Oh, what kind <strong>of</strong> candy?<br />
A: Oh, Christmas candy mostly, ordinary candy. They didn't have it<br />
wrapped like that. They had trays in there, a showcase to keep the flies<br />
<strong>of</strong>f.<br />
Q: Did you have licorice?<br />
A: Licorice whip, and when they had . . . .<br />
Q:<br />
What was your favorite kind <strong>of</strong> candy?<br />
A: They had a butcher shop and he didn't sell nothing but meat and if<br />
you were going to town, a kid would say, "Are you going to the market, to<br />
the butchers, can I go with you?" Well, if you get twenty cents worth <strong>of</strong><br />
beef steak, it would be enough for three or four people and the butcher<br />
would give you a weenie and if a kid would come in he would get a weenie<br />
too.
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