Interview with Bertha B. Kretzer, November 5, 1988

Interview Summary

Bertha Kretzer married at sixteen years of age in 1922, and gave birth to her first child shortly thereafter. She had thirteen children all told and explains that she does not believe in birth control. She was born in Rush, Kentucky near Ashland and moved to Van Lear, Kentucky in 1924 where her husband got a job in a coal mine. She states that she worried constantly about the dangers of mining. In fact, two of her husband's brothers were killed in the 1935 mine explosion in Van Lear. The Kretzers also lived in West Virginia for five years. She remembers an African American man who worked for her husband and came to dinner at their home several times. She describes her daily work, her children's schooling, and her husband's drinking habits. Kretzer remembers her mother, who was a midwife, and helped with the delivery of her children.

Interview Keyword

Appalachian people Appalachian social issues Black coal miners Coal mining Consolidated Coal Company Gender issues Gender roles Johnson County (Ky.) Van Lear (Ky.) Women's role in coal camps Race relations Birth control Coal mine accidents Social conditions Coal miners

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Kretzer, Bertha B. Kretzer, Bertha B.--Interviews

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.