When my son Albert was born, he was my mother’s ninetieth grand child – my family was very productive. My sisters had ten, twelve and thirteen children – a very productive family. They found their way into motherhood and fatherhood very early in life, because there was no opportunity opened up to them. They settled largely in …. And some of them, of course developed….
None of them had much opportunity, none of the older ones had the opportunity for any kind of academic training that could give them a clear vision of the full life they were capable of living. My two sisters over me – Julia and Rebecca, did learn after they were grown, how to read, and were able to get hold of some ideas. And my brother, immediately over me – William Thomas – got some opportunities after he was grown, to learn to read some.
Johnson: It might be well here to have you name your sisters and brothers, possibly chronologically….
Bethune: Let’s see, now if I can – there was Sally, she was the oldest, then Satira, Samuel, Julia, Kissie, Kelly, Carrie, (all old fashioned and odd names) Beauregard (named in honor of General Beauregard), Cecelia, Rebecca, Magdalena (we called her Margie), Mary Jane (myself, of course), Mattie Bell, William Thomas, Monday (a common S.C. name)….
