Matewan Oral History Project Collection
Sc2003-135

Manuel Barrios Interview

Becky Bailey: This is Becky Bailey for the Matewan Development Center 10:15 on the morning of Thursday July 27, 1989 I'm in the home of Mr. Manuel Barrios and my first question for you Manuel is what is your full given name, when you were born and where you were born.

Manuel Barrios: My full name is Manuel Barrios.

B: Okay.

MB: I was born in Spain, southern part.

B: Hmm!

MB: Huh, July the 4th, 1919.

B: and what were your parents names.

MB: My father was name Steven Barrios.

B: Hmm! hmm!

MB: and my mothers name was Carmen Blanco.

B: Okay, and was your fathers name, did he anglicize his name when he came to this country was it huh! originally Estebon? or...

MB: that was his name.

B: Okay.

MB: Estebon.

B: Okay. And you say you were from the southern part of Spain.

MB: that's right.

B: Okay. could you give me the name of.

MB: I'll give you the providence.

B: Okay.

MB: The providence is Cordova.

B: Okay.

MB: "Cordova".

B: Okay. and what brought yours parents to this country.

MB: uh...looking for work uh...my father came first.

B: Okay. and how long was it before your family joined him.

MB: uh...uh...I would say approximately about 10 years.

B: 10 years.

MB: Hmm! Hmm!

B: how long after your birth did he come to this country.

MB: I was a small child I couldn't say I would say between 8 and 10 years that the time uh...I would probably say that uh...about I was about 2 years old when he came to this country.

B: Alright.

MB: Something other like that I'm not sure I...I didn't question them on that.

B: Okay. but you came in 1929.

MB: I came in 1929.

B: Okay. did your father ever talk about his travels alone in this country. how did he. did he come to this area in particular.

MB: Well! uh...he came uh...to this area just about directly uh...I"m not sure on that uh...naturally the big factor was the language it was a big barrier for him.

B: Hmm! hmm!

MB: uh...like it was for me myself.

B: Hmm! hmm! Okay. so what had been his occupation in Spain.

MB: Bricklayer.

B: Bricklayer! Do you know, had there been advertisement for work, did he ever tell you that there was promise of work, did he know that there was a promise of work in this country or...

MB: Hmm! That part I couldn't answer because I...I...really don't know, but sense the uh...work was real bad over there and they was a I imagine they I don't know whether you call it an advertisement but it was just a big thing that go to the United States of America and you got it made you know and uh...I would say that's what brought him here the land of opportunity.

B: Hmm! hmm! Okay. how many children did he leave behind when he left to go to America.

MB: The first time he come here was one and then the second time two.

B: Okay. So did he return to to Spain.

MB: Yes, he came once and then uh...

B: While he was in America was he able to send money back to your family.

MB: That was the uh...means of it.

B: The first time that he came back uh...do you know had he had any intention of perhaps making money in America and going back to Spain to stay or did you all know that eventually.

MB: Becky, I couldn't answer that and give you a true answer I don't know.

B: Okay. But by the time you all came over it was pretty sure you all here to stay.

MB: Oh! yel that the reason we came we came here to stay that's right.

B: Okay. so you were about 10 years old when you came to this country.

MB: Hmm! hmm! yes mam.

B: How did you all come.

MB: We came by boat.

B: Okay.

MB: Uh...ship I imagine not a boat.

B: Okay. Do you, is uh...Cordova is that how you say it.

MB: Hmm! hmm!

B: Is that a port city or did you all have to travel to it.

MB: No we had to go to Cadiz.

B: Okay.

MB: "Cadiz".

B: Okay. and then travel over from there.

MB: From there we came to New York and from New York then uh...we came to Red Jacket.

B: Okay. was there many people on your ship we you came over here.

MB: Oh! yes there was probably I'd say several I don't know how many I really don't as a child you wouldn't be concerned about things like that.

B: What were your impressions as a child can you think of any thing that you have felt did you feel surrounded by people or what did you think of a boat.

MB: Well, that really didn't do too much naturally there was other children and we just played and uh...passed the time away uh...that way.

B: Hmm! hmm! Okay. If you don't mind I forgot I want to backtrack and ask you some questions about what you remember about living in Spain. What do you remember about Spain now looking back.

MB: About the only thing I can remember that we lived in uh...naturally it was a small uh...steel mill uh...just a small city.

B: Hmm! hmm!

MB: uh... they had a mine "a coal mine" and they manufactured their steel also there in the city uh...and the place that I lived I know that I had to go down hill for we went down hill about uh...I would say about maybe a quarter of a mile then it went straight up uh...this is uh...because this mostly Spain is in the Southern part is mostly at level it's a level country. So uh...I do remember that part about the street and that's that would be just in fact I don't know if I could find my way.

B: Uh...your wife just said that you traveled some with your grandfather when you were young.

MB: The only travel I did it was uh...we'd go from the blue of town that we was born in to the city the I remember we went a couple of times to see a bull fight.

B: Hmm! hmm! What do you remember about that.

MB: I really don't remember that much to be honest with you about it all I know that if uh...it was a lot of people, a lot of yelling, a lot of cheering, a lot of booing when the bull fighter didn't do thing which were pleasing to the crowd and that's about it but uh...I really don't remember that much about it.

B: Uh...I guess for most people its unusual to talk to someone that has lived in a foreign country when they were young so we ask questions like do you remember how the houses looked, or how the buildings looked where you lived.

MB: the houses there were no wooden uh...structure they were all made out of uh...brick, strong more or less what you would call a permanent home you know houses.

B: Okay. What did the inside of the houses look like, did they.

MB: Uh...for instance the uh...the house that belonged to my grandfather uh...the floors were not wooden floors they were cement pavements you know like the uh...and tile flooring there was no just almost the only wood that we had was probably on the roof the rest of it was either brick, tile, plaster the walls were plastered.

B: What kind of uh...you say the geography was kind of flat what kind of weather is typical for Southern Spain.

MB: Uh...I would have to probably put it in on the same basis as Florida, about like Florida in other words we uh...what little farming was done in the area there was done in the winter time I'm talking about this immediate area you know, because we did have some farming around the town then it was done in the winter time so that pretty well tells me that uh...it was sort of like Florida, the warm climate we'd have a few cold days but nothing to uh...I never saw any snow until I come the United States.

B: Oh! really, I bet that was a shock for a little boy.

MB: Yeh! It was uh...

B: Did you go to school in Spain.

MB: Oh! yes.

B: What do you remember about your school days there.

MB: Well, there little bit more, shall we call it strict and most of the schooling there is private tutoring in other words you get a tutor that will teach you and naturally there would be as many as 30 or 40 children boys and girls uh...that would go to this private tutor and uh...uh...yes you advanced if you was more advaned [sic] than another student they would go ahead and advance you on another book.

B: Hmm! hmm!

MB: in other words they give it to you as you were capable of learning if you learn fast while they would let you go and if fact I was just about taken high school equivalence to high school learning as we have in the United States I was already involved in that when I left my native country.

B: Hmm! So there really wasn't the graded school system that they have here that goes by age, you went by ability?

MB: By the ability yes if you were if you could go why they would let you go.

B: Hmm!

MB: You take for instance I was already uh...taking geometry when I left Spain that's something that's not even taught here probably up until high school level.

B: Right, especially in 1929 that was pretty rare here.

MB: I think they probably had uh...good method of teaching then of course later on government changed it was a change in government and uh...I think they went to uh...what they call public schools like we have in the United States.

B: So that the private tutor was that it would say several parents get together and hire a teacher or was it a neighborhood school.

MB: Well, they would be uh...for instance he would have a building designated for that and naturally if you was close enough to walk to the uh...building why they would had your parents could enroll you just like you would almost like your going to college but you was just going to school you enrolled and you pay so much I imagine so much a month, so much a week, I don't know how that was handled all I know that it had to be paid.

B: What kind of supplies did you have to take with you to school.

MB: Uh...you took your own books and what ever you needed tablets and pencils and so forth.

B: Do you remember any of the games that you played as a child in Spain say with your school mates.

MB: There were no games.

B: Oh! no games at all you had no recess.

MB: Uh...no recess.

B: Oh! my goodness how long during the day do you have an impression of.

MB: I was trying to think that when you I figured you'd come to that question I don't recall all I knowed I would probably say we was 5 or 6 hours in the school I'm not sure on that that's going back a long ways.

B: Yes.

MB: We did get out for lunch you know we did go out for lunch and normally we'd go home and eat and come back. I guess we got about an hour I really couldn't tell you that to be honest with you.

B: Hmm! Now uh...one of the stereotypical imagine but one impression that Americans have about Spain and other hispanic countries is that siesta is taken every afternoon, did you all take siesta.

MB: Well, I don't recall that my grandfather worked as a carpenter and uh...but I was surprised when I made a trip back in 76 and they still practiced the siesta I was really as surprised as anyone.

B: Hmm! hmm!

MB: I don't recall that was a boy I put it that way.

B: Did your father I mean excuse me your grandfather you say was a carpenter.

MB: Hmm! hmm!

B: Uh...In Spain at that time were there labor unions and did he have to belong to a union.

MB: there was no unions we was under a king the government was a king a monarchy I think that's what they call him.

B: Do you remember the kings name.

MB:     ?

B: I knew you were an awfully young boy at that time but do you remember anything about any political discussions did you ever hear any.

MB: Uh...I don't remember but knowing what we know now that you know and I know I don't think they had any there was no such a thing as political you just took what the king handed out. You know being under the rulership of king why he's the boss and he's the and he says the last words and the first word also.

B: How about your local town was there a mayor or.

MB: Oh! yes there was a mayor and just like it was run just like any other town.

B: At that time in Spain the society was probably more strict as far as men and women and what they could do especially women. What do you remember say about your mother and your grandmother did they about as freely as men or what do you remember.

MB: I don't remember that much but I do know I remember this much rather let me put it that way that I don't recall a women working outside the home they just homemakers is that a good word. I'm pretty sure by now things have changed you know.

B: Another imagine I think that Americans have of especially Spanish women their always dressed in black. Do you remember any of that.

MB: Oh! no, no that's not I don't think that's so at all I would have to say that most of the people in Spain they dressed in bright colors naturally uh...they uh...if there was death in the family they would wear black for a certain amount of period say uh... respect to the dead. That's about it but as far as women dressing in black I would have to say that.

B: Okay.

MB: It doesn't uh...hold true to that.

B: Okay. Do you remember were the foods different say from what you probably later grew accustom to in America from what you ate.

MB: Oh, Yel, they did have different food you know basically the food is the same but it is fixed different I put it that way and uh...that wasn't they have for instance like uh...you know you all like fried chicken well they might uh...fry chicken they might fry it different than we do in this country but uh...pork or whatever it might be lion you know whatever it just fixed different but the food basically we have potatoes and beans just like everyone else.

B: I'll get back to some American oriented questions. You say you came into New York when you came to America.

MB: Hmm! hmm!

B: What do you remember about that trip coming to New York. What do you remember about New York itself.

MB: Well, I would have to say my greatest impression on New York it was at the harbor the Statue of Liberty.

B: Really.

MB: Now that to me was uh...probably the greatest event that naturally I just seen it from a distance, but to me it was I thought the idea that uh...you come from a country boy to have a king then you come to a country that has the freedom.

B: Hmm! hmm!

MB: That we have in the United States.

B: Sometimes in the history books they'll say that people would tell each other on the boats that they were getting close that you could see the Statue of Liberty were people talking about the Statue of Liberty.

MB: Well, the day we landed at uh...you know New York by a misfortune we had alot of fog so it was difficult.

B: Oh! my goodness.

MB: and but uh...I did get to see the beautiful lady that what its referred to in most foreign countries "The Beautiful Lady".

B: As a little boy you might not have known this but I assume you have probably landed at Ellis Island did you land at Ellis Island.

MB: Yes.

B: What do you remember about having to go through the immigration processing there.

MB: Well, since we came by quota uh...we would just another words or papers were examined and checked and so forth and went on through and we didn't stay like the people that uh...probably didn't have their documents in order cause ours were in order so we have no problem we stayed very oh, I don't remember what length of time just a short time.

B: How do you know that you came by quota did you learn that later.

MB: Oh! yes I was the oldest in the family so I knowed what went on I took I more or less took care of the I was the man of the house I put it that way for ten years on.

B: The person that the American that perhaps that examined your papers I don't suppose that he spoke Spanish.

MB: That part I don't know.

B: Okay.

MB: You know because my father of course was already here so he uh...come to us naturally and uh...we went on through the uh... customs I believe that's what the proper name of that is.

B: So your father got to come to New York to meet you didn't have to travel by yourself down here.

MB: No, No, once we got to New York my father was with us then.

B: Okay. Was he a bricklayer here.

MB: That's what he was doing for the Red Jacket coal company.

B: Did you travel by train from New York to Red Jacket.

MB: Hmm! hmm, by train.

B: What do you remember about that trip.

MB: I don't recall uh...any must have been just a train ride but I don't recall anything exciting happening on it but I don't have any uh...knowledge at all of anything that uh...might happened on the train.

B: Had you ridden a train in Spain.

MB: Oh! yes.

B: Were they any different that you recall that just.

MB: Very much so.

B: Very different.

MB: Oh, yell.

B: Could you explain that.

MB: Well the trains that we have over there what little I can remember I didn't travel that much you know were just uh...ordinary cars I guess you would call it and these cars that we have here would call it uh...they had these nice soft seats like we have in uh...our homes our easy chair or couch or sofa and so forth they don't have that over there they have hard wooden seats in those string towns and I would say by this time probably they have been changes made to you know.

B: When you got to Red Jacket was there we've heard that there was a pretty good size Spanish community here.

MB: There were.

B: Okay. Do you have any impression of about how many say 4 or 5 families or maybe more than that.

MB: I think they was in a neighborhood of about 12 families I would say 10 or 12 I'm not completely uh...up to prompt on that part of it. I know there were several, but yet the ambition of a young little fellow like that like myself was to try to learn to speak the language which was pretty much of uh...took about a couple of years before I could really do what I wanted to do and say what I wanted to say.

B: How did you uh...do you remember how did you learn did people say this is such and such or you know like hold up an apple and say apple or.

MB: Basically, this is because I went to the store most of the time for mother and didn't know any English at all, so uh...I would pick up what I was looking for and uh...the manager knowed that I didn't speak English so he would tell me and I learned a whole lot of it that way by picking up on object whatever it might have been whether it was fruit, vegetable of any kind or like milk and stuff like that.

B: You say it took you about a couple of years to.

MB: Well, I before I could really converse with other people to oh, I was probably gettin' along in 4 or 5 months making out you know but uh...you know I had to go to school and all that.

B: How did that work with you having such a limited command of English how did you go to school.

MB: Well, uh...with the exception of the English uh...the school was no problem.

B: Oh! really.

MB: Geography and of course that any small grade but as far as reading I knowed my abc's and all that stuff I knowed that you know because I was 10 years old but now uh...I couldn't say a, b, c,. I could say it in my language all that but I knowed what they were you know.

B: Did you all retain your language in your home did you continue to speak Spanish.

MB: Yes, hmm! hmm!

B: Okay. Could you say a b c for me in Spanish.

MB: Says a b c's in Spanish.

B: Now I've my mother uh...took Spanish in college and she had to learn Americans would say custodian spanish was that the Spanish that you learned and how would you say that with I know it's pronounced slightly different.

MB: Speaks Spanish.

B: Okay. How did the teacher uh...bring you into the classroom now when a teacher as a foreign student perhaps they'll have them teach a little bit about their home or teach the other children a little bit of language how did they teach you that.

MB: Becky, I think I just went into the class and uh...what is the old saying "here I am" I don't recall of any special uh...naturally everybody especially boys and girls they were all curious you know hey who is this fellow you know where did he come from and all that.

B: How about your mother did your mother eventually pick up English.

MB: Hmm! hmm! oh, yes.

B: Uh...I assume were you all Catholic were you a Catholic family.

MB: Yes.

B: Okay. Did you all remain practicing Catholics.

MB: I do.

B: Okay. How about your parents did was there a catholic church close enough for them to attend.

MB: Williamson.

B: Williamson. Did they travel to Williamson every week to go to church or...

MB: When they went they went to Williamson you know then after that they started coming to the Red Jacket Community Church.

B: What kind of uh...denominational services did they have at the Red Jacket Community Church.

MB: It's undenominational.

B: It is.

MB: Yes.

B: Was that in existence when you came or?

MB: Yes, hmm! hmm!

B: How long do you think it took when you were a child to fit in with other school children I'm sure you were probably much more advanced in your education than they were.

MB: Well, after pickin' up uh...enough of the English language to uh...to get along to make out with them then what they did they didn't keep in low grade they just promoted me to a higher grade uh...so I could be with children of my age and at the same time with children that uh...were taking about the same uh...be taking the same lessons that I would be accustom to take I don't know really how to say that.

B: Hmm! hmm!

MB: Uh...But they did advance me, they didn't wait until the end of the year. I noticed that once I picked up the language enough to converse with each person, whoever I was conversing with I was promoted.

B: Were still talking about uh...Mr. Barrios first impressions of this country when he came. One of the questions I suppose people always ask is how long did it take you did you ever realize one day you were thinking in English or did you just try to immediately use English and not think about Spanish.

MB: When it comes to thinking in English uh...those things really doesn't uh...you don't realize it again even through school most of the time my thinking was in Spanish language uh...because I was not good enough yet in English I'm still not good enough in the English to uh...do the things that I was doing in Spain see.

B: Right.

MB: So uh...for instance in arithmetic I always in my mind when I had arithmetic problem I worked it in Spanish naturally the figures were the same so I put down the answer.

B: But you still thought in your mind at least in terms of.

MB: I still do in counting or adding up or subtracting I still do it in Spanish seem like I can do it faster.

B: Hmm! hmm! That's fascinating.

MB: Our minister alot of time he'll be talking to me at the Church Mr. Mollette and uh...he could talk to me and I could talk to him but he then one day he realized I was counting in my native language you know so that's the reason it doesn't bother me doesn't bother you for me to talk to you I said that's right.

B: When you say your father was a bricklayer for the Red Jacket Coal Company what did he do you know did he build the buildings or what did he work on.

MB: Whatever anything that uh...had to do with bricks, plaster of course he did it all you know that's the way they learn in the old country the old country in other words were referred to in Spain why a bricklayer was not only a bricklayer he could plaster he could cut stone my father could do that and lay stone whatever the uh...masonry why whatever they had to do why he would do it.

B: What do you remember what kind of things he would build because most people when they think of a coal company all they can think of is miners and perhaps men on the temple they don't think of what other jobs men would do for a coal company.

MB: A lot of the foundations for some of the houses and the uh... chimneys and uh...things like that why and then of course inside of the coal mines why they were raddishes for the circulation of the air and he would build them too.

B: So was his work fairly steady for the company then.

MB: Oh, yes.

B: Now was your fathers occupation did he when the union came the coal miners union did he join that or was there a bricklayers union or anything like that.

MB: He stayed with the union just like everybody else.

B: How long did you remain in school, did you graduate from high school.

MB: I graduated from uh...high school.

B: What was the name of the schools you attended here was it just.

MB: Red Jacket and Matewan "Magnolia High School".

B: Okay. What year did you graduate.

MB: 39.

B: 1939, Okay. Looking at the date of your arrival you all really weren't in this country all that long before the great depression really hit the country or did you come and.

MB: We came as you say uh...at well the depression came in about was it 32.

B: That was when it was at it darkest, deepest. Okay, We've had some old timers around here so they really didn't notice the depression had really hit they had such limited contact with the cash economy did you all notice there was a depression.

MB: Oh, you notice because the mines were not working like they had been you know the mines sometimes would work 1 or 2 days a week sometimes not even that much but uh...the live saver was the coal company they would give the employees their necessities so they survive actually survive by the goodness of the company they became naturally in debt to the company and then when the times changed why then the company as they worked the company would take out so much a month or half actually to pay back what they owed and that's the way they collected their debt.

B: What did you do when you finished high school.

MB: I went to work for the Red Jacket Coal Company.

B: Doing what.

MB: Just general labor to begin with.

B: And what did that mean...did you...were you kind of handy man.

MB: Do just well, uh...being out of high school uh...didn't know too much about how to work like they did you would normally go with someone else and they would tell you show you and so forth what to do.

B: Okay. Had you worked at all during the summer you were in school.

MB: Red Jacket when I was in high school Red Jacket Coal Company would give the young people that wanted to work they would give them a jobs in the summer that's how it started.

B: Okay. Do you remember how much you earned when you were working in school.

MB: Very little, Becky I don't recall how much it was but it was what 3 or 4 dollars a day.

B: Oh, my goodness.

MB: Something like that it wasn't very much.

B: And then where did you go from your general labor job when you finished school did you stay with Red Jacket.

MB: I stayed with Red Jacket and uh...they put uh...a program that where people could advance themselves another words like become a foreman, become an electrician and so forth and uh...I did I took that.

B: Okay. So did you become.

MB: An electrician.

B: How long did you work for Red Jacket.

MB: Twenty-four years until the mines worked out and I left Red Jacket Coal Company I didn't leave Red Jacket but I left the Coal Company.

B: And what did you do from there did you retire or go to.

MB: No, I went to work with uh...for Gala's Manufacturing Company in Fairmont.

B: Okay. So you all moved to did you all move to Fairmont for a while did you stay there.

MB: We stayed here at Red Jacket, I traveled on the road.

B: How long of a trip is that or was it at the time.

MB: About like it is now, about five and a half hours for normal driving young people faster.

B: Okay. So would you come home on the weekends or surely you didn't drive every day.

MB: I stayed on I traveled from one mine to another since the Manufacturing Mine Equipment that used to do that and they sold it naturally to sales people I was a surface man for them I tried to keep them operating.

B: So your home base was Fairmont you drove.

MB: My home base for working was Fairmont then my home was still in Red Jacket right here where I'm at now.

B: What different places did you travel to do your service work where did you.

MB: Just about any place in the United States that they had Coal Mines and also into Canada then later on the company was sold to the FMC Corporation.

B: Okay.

MB: And uh...they expanded out to foreign countries then I had to go to South America then I went to Africa in Johannesburg Africa that was as far as they went you know I don't know if they've gone any further now or not.

B: Was that who you were working for have you retired yet or are you still working or have you retired.

MB: Rephrase your question please.

B: Have you retired from the company.

MB: Now.

B: Yes.

MB: Oh, yes I've been retired for about 5 years next month.

B: You graduated from high school in 1939 do you ever go in the service during War World 11.

MB: I make a joke out of it uh...when they heard the war ended with Japan I was scheduled to go yes I was scheduled to go then Japan surrender to the United States and then they reclassified me because of the job I was doing.

B: We saw a lady brought in a newspaper clipping the other day I believe did you have a brother that served in the service.

MB: I had three brothers that served in the service and my son also served in the service.

B: Did your brothers I see here your brother Daniel was in England in 1943 did he serve in Europe.

MB: Yes, he served in Europe he was at the invasion of uh...D-Day he was on that.

B: Did your others brothers also serve.

MB: They served George serve in the Air Force and Joseph he was in the Navy.

B: And these were younger brothers.

MB: Oh, yes.

B: I guess a question going back uh...did the people in this area discriminate the Spanish I mean did you ever notice any.

MB: I would have to say that probably not that much but as a general rule there was not that much discrimination the people here accepted the people for what they were, or in other words for what you were sometimes discrimination causes by the individual himself you know but the people in Red Jacket were very fine people.

B: So the Spanish families they weren't forced to live near each other that was just they naturally lived closer to each other at least in the beginning.

MB: There is a reason for that Becky, Becky when you think about it you don't get along to good with the language what are you going to do you going to stay together or you can talk to each other and pass the time do the things basically that everyone likes to do you see what I'm saying.

B: How close were those ties did they stay fairly closer as people got used to being in America did you kind of go your own way say that the families or was there always a close tie because of your common background.

MB: I would have to say there was pretty much of a close tie because you sort of begin you begin a new life in a new country and you learn lean on each other for the lack of you know if you don't know something you figure well maybe my neighbor will know or my other neighbor will know so you learn to lean on each other.

B: Americans are not known for their sensitivity about where different people from Europe come from where did they ever just say mixed the Spanish and the Italians together or was there always a difference I mean did people in Red Jacket know who was Spanish and who was Italian in their ignorance did they know.

MB: Well, I would say they did because you said uh...just then in America the Americans where did the Americans come from, they came from Europe, they came from England, they came from Germany which is one of the countries in Europe, they came from different countries so basically uh...when you go to thinking about it that's all we all are were not really natives of the country so that's the reason I think the people in Red Jacket was so good I believe they were just plain people you know, working people and they figure well we can earlier we can later I believe that's about the only way to look at it.

B: I was wondering when you told me your brothers names were they called the Spanish equivalent of those names were you all called your Spanish equivalent of your names in your home or did you anglicize your names and did you come to think of say your brother George is George or did you always call him say the Spanish equivalent of that name.

MB: Well, George to begin with was named after his doctor.

B: Oh, Okay. Who was that.

MB: George uh...let's see I don't recall his last name he was the doctor at the Williamson Memorial.

B: Okay.

MB: He may be George Connely I'm not certain on that.

B: Okay.

MB: The doctor that uh...

B: Okay. Let's see how would your name had been pronounced in Spanish.

MB: Speaks Spanish.

B: You say that you returned to Spain in 1976.

MB: Yes.

B: What brought you to make that trip, why did you decide to take that trip.

MB: I was in Africa and the company gave me a weeks vacation in Spain naturally I appreciated that because uh...and I went to Madrid then I went to Valencia and that was about the limit of my traveling in Spain.

B: So you really didn't return to your provenance then.

MB: No, I didn't get opportunity to go to Cordova.

B: Had your family kept contact with the family that was left in Spain, did you all have family that was left in Spain.

MB: Yes, I did. I stayed in contact with my aunt my mother's sister still living and I have contact with her.

B: I suppose you wrote letters and things like that.

MB: Yes, hmm! hmm!

B: My colleague that's down here from WVU with me he was wondering if he says in other coal camps that the emigrant families had a volunteer type community organizations where they would get together and say uh...food in the style of the old country or perhaps have a holiday celebration in the style of the old country was there did you all ever get together and do any of that.

MB: Well, as I said before they pretty well stayed together as far as the where the location of the houses and on holidays naturally they would get together and uh...celebrate in their own way, yes they did that, they do it now.

B: What do you remember about how you all celebrated those holidays say differently from your uh...longer American neighbor you know your American neighbors, how did you all celebrate your holidays any differently when you were young, why don't we just describe how you did say celebrate Christmas, did you celebrate Christmas.

MB: Well, Christmas most of the time they would be maybe 2 or 3 families would get together they naturally they would have food, different foods and maybe uh...they might even uh...get together and sing those songs like for instance a hillbilly sings their hillbilly songs and uh...probably as even as much of some of them would like to dance, they would dance that's the way they celebrated.

B: Can you think of any of the names of the songs that they sang.

MB: No, I wouldn't know.

B: Let's see, did you all hear from your family during the Spanish Civil War I know this.

MB: Yes, we did.

B: What kind of news did you all receive from that about.

MB: Bad news, we lost several of our relatives in the war.

B: What side had your relatives taken was their sides that they.

MB: I couldn't tell ya, I couldn't tell you, but more than likely it would have been uh...I would say I'm not sure it would probably been the freedom side the one that seeking for freedom.

B: Most Americans do not learn much about the Spanish Civil War, myself included, What side would have been the freedom side would that have been the anti-franko side or the pro-side.

MB: You know enough that's down to it anti-franko.

B: Okay. What did your family think of did they ever write to you all about it or could they have written you all about "franko".

MB: That's something we didn't talk about we didn't talk about that, you couldn't uh...uh...at one time for a long time the letters were that were written over there picked out before they, they were censored by the government.

B: Would things be blacked out or would not receive a letter if was censored.

MB: Well, if it uh...if it had something that wasn't completely right they would just erase it out.

B: Oh, my goodness.

MB: Anything that's censored another words anything against the whatever it was the government or whatever it is the law firm or lawbody if it again their what they would just sensor it, they would just erase it out.

B: How did the country and especially your family how did they do under Franko there's not much that's been said about how Spain did did the economy suffer.

MB: Becky, I would probably have to say I learned more from the news media in the United States than I did from them, they didn't talk to much about it.

B: I know there were some factions that were apposed to Franko that fought in the war that uh...were socialists not in the Russian Communist but consider themselves socialists did you know anything about your relatives.

MB: No.

B: About their political adventures.

MB: No, I didn't know that.

B: Here in Red Jacket, I'll start asking some questions back about Red Jacket. Do you remember going to the movies after you had come to Red Jacket say going to the theater.

MB: Yes.

B: Had you gone to the theater in Spain, was there a movie theater say where you lived in Spain, can you remember.

MB: To be honest with ya, I don't recall ever going to a movie you know I don't recall, we don't have too many luxuries in Spain at that time.

B: It's hard to work those questions around but that's the kind that we want to find out what they did have verses what they didn't have, you know how did things compare that's why I'm asking those questions. What do you remember about going to the movies as you were practically a teenager really you were 10 so you were.

MB: Well, back then in the movies they were very cheap and probably someone has told you about it and the great big thing back in those days was the they had a serial going on and you looked over from week to week to see about it you just went to the movie once a week if we got to go.

B: Like the serial cowboys that the cowboy shows that would be shown sometime. Do you remember having a favorite, did you go week to week, did you have a favorite.

MB: Well, I didn't really go that much I be honest with ya, I didn't go to the movies that much.

B: Okay. Why was that did your family consider it a luxury to go or.

MB: Well, I don't know you know, you notice the times were not the best in the world you had any money at all you'd want to keep it for the family for the use of the family so I would say probably I couldn't answer that with any kind of a truth in it because I would just be guessing at it I don't know.

B: How about, I've heard you say part of the way you learned English was going to the company store for your mother, how much contact did you all have with the town of Matewan when you were growing up.

MB: Back then Becky, back in those years you just about had about anything you wanted to buy in Matewan when I'm saying clothing, shoes and what necessities you needed that you could find them there, the stores now they don't have any stores with comparison to what they used to have.

B: What were some of the stores that you all shopped at, do you remember.

MB: Well, I can remember back Schaeffers was one of them, Nenni's was the other, uh...Kirk was another one, Abis (Ibos?) came in later you know we was already we was older and uh...of course there was the old drug store uh...

B: Was that Lackey's you think or.

MB: Uh...I don't there was something else before Lackey's but I don't recall what the name was then lackey's come in.

B: Because we've seen an old 1932 high year book kind of thing and it just had the drug store and there was no name so we were trying to uh...

MB: I would say probably they might not have been a name to the drug store.

B: How about uh...say meats and things like that we've noticed there were several butchers in Matewan over the years you know at different times, did you all raise your own animals, or did you buy butchered meat?

MB: We did alot of that, in other words back then we would raise some of the animals and they were butchered at the end of the year and so forth, but we still had the uh...meat store in Matewan and I was trying to think where it was located.

B: This is tape two of Manuel Barrios interview uh...as I was just asking you and your wife off tape, so there was no family opposition to you being Spanish and your wife being Italian.

MB: None, no.

B: How old were you all when you married, Mrs. Barrios was twenty-two, so your wife's parents had to go to the court house with you.

MB: Her parents did, yel (yes).

B: Is that where you were married, were you married by a justice.

MB: No, we was married in the church but to get a permit what they call a permit, back then license I guess you call it.

B: What church were you married in.

MB: Catholic church.

B: Speaking of permit and license, how old were you when you got you driver's license, when did you learn out to drive.

MB: At that day and time you was twenty-one before get'em.

B: Did you or your family have a car by then or a truck.

MB: Yes, my father had a car.

B: What kind of car was it.

MB: Ford.

B: Was there a some men have preferences did your father have a prefer...did he keep a preference for Ford or was it just bought a Ford.

MB: I don't have any answer for that, probably the most economical car you could probably buy was a Ford.

B: When you all were growing up once you were here in Red Jacket, did you all buy your clothes ready made or say did your mother buy material.

MB: Already made.

B: When you were growing up did you learn how to play baseball, were you a baseball player or.

MB: We played baseball but I never was a what you might say a good baseball player.

B: I've heard that soccer is probably the bigger sport in Europe, did you all maintain your.

MB: There was no one here, there was not enough people to play soccer.

B: Okay.

MB: Na.

B: So American football did you all play American football.

MB: I did in high school.

B: Okay. Who were some of your teammates, do you remember any of your football teammates.

MB: Oh, yel there were Mounts boys, then there was Cooper, uh...Fields, Ventuweller, you caught me off guard on this one, but there was coach Haffsteader was the coach.

B: Was he a local man or had he moved to this area do you know.

MB: He was at the school when I went to school, I don't know that's all I can tell you on that, Becky.

B: I noticed you played with the Mounts boys, do you know was their father Ben Mounts was that their fathers name, did they have.

MB: That part I don't know.

B: Did they have a sister named Ruby, do you know.

MB: I don't know that they were from Walkland.

B: We've talked to some men informally that played football and other sports in high school during the thirties, and we've heard that there are times that the coaches would go and basically recruit young boys from other areas to come and go to school and play for their team, did.

MB: That wasn't so in my case because the we did not have a high school at Red Jacket we had a Junior High automatically you went from Junior High to Matewan "Magnolia High" for high school. I don't think that was practice very much that far back, probably do that more now a day.

B: Well, the man that we talked to graduated I think in 1932 and I think he was brought from way far away because he was so good so that's why I was wondering. Did you all ever hear about what had gone on here in especially in Matewan say with the shoot out in 1920 or did you all ever hear about the Hatfield and McCoy feud.

MB: As a boy and as a teenager we heard very little about that this was kindly brought out a live shall we say brought to life or alive but whenever they started to make the movie itself because all that just passed on then the McCoys and the Hatfields they went to marrying each other and so forth and all that so that was just forgotten more or less.

B: I suppose one the interest we've had in trying to interview some of the Italian and Spanish decedents of the 1920's immigrants is that as you probably know many times the Italians and Spanish and Blacks were used by the coal companies as replacement workers or scabs as the miners call them. When the movie came out did you did that strike any memory of any talk when you all were young about did your father ever have to say no I was a bricklayer or I was a scab or.

MB: Like, I couldn't say and tell you just exactly that this is the truth, but my father was already workin' here when all that took place, what they brought in here mostly was blacks that were brought in here and the people that were already here was already workin' any how so now what conditions they was workin' or what they were doing, who I don't know I couldn't tell you.

B: I know in some other countries all ethnic minorities are grouped together say in the days of segregation were the Spanish and the Italians say when you went to Matewan were you treated as the whites were you know how they were restaurants and things blacks could not go in were the Spanish and Italians treated as whites not as blacks.

MB: We were caucasians just like you so we were treated just like the whites and actually around our neighborhood Becky there was never that difference like they do in extreme south I think that goes probably to the south mostly where the blacks were not aloud to do this and around here we mix with each other, play together and rode the same buses together we never had that kind of a problem we were just people why they had that much problem I don't know that part I couldn't answer you on that, but they was not that way around this part of the country.

B: I guess my final question and my final along those lines. This was probably this was past the hay day of the Klan by the time your family came to this country was past the hay day of the early twenties was the hay day of the Klu-Klux-Klan and in many parts other than in the deep south they were also and anti-emigration group, did you all ever hear of any activity.

MB: No, we didn't there was never too much of that going on in fact I never heard of it right here at all.

B: Well, I thank you for talking to me today and.

MB: Your entirely welcome.

B: Okay.

Matewan Oral History Project Collection