"This is the Way I was Raised Up" Summary

This article, written by local resident Mrs. Marvin Watts, is introduced as being written painstakingly on a piece of small paper in pencil by the author herself. The editor, not wanting to alter the content of the work, has printed the essay exactly as it was originally written, beginning with Mrs. Watts' description of her family's source of food during childhood. Watts explains that her father grew the corn, sugar cane, beans, peas, and fruit that supplied the family with all of their dietary needs. In addition, Watts writes of her father's slaughter of cows, sheep, and hogs for winter meat use.

The family did not have much money, and often were forced to use alternate means to provide themselves with basic necessities. For example, chestnuts were...