Violet Douglas, March 3rd, 2014

Violet Douglas, March 3rd, 2014

In this interview, Violet Douglas talks about the transition from growing up in a rural town to living an adult life in Detroit and raising a family.

Detroit Historical Society

Detroit Historical Society

en-US

Violet Douglas

Violet Douglas was originally from Mecca, Indiana and eventually moved to Detroit with her husband. In addition to moving around different areas in Michigan, Douglas went on to have children and hold various roles in her work field.

Lisa Funk

Detroit, MI

3/03/2014

55:45

Lisa Funk: Interviewer Lisa Funk. The interviewee is Violet Douglas. Today is March 3rd, 2014. The interview is taking place in the home of Mrs. Violet Douglas in Taylor, Michigan. And the purpose of this interview is to record the oral history of Mrs. Douglass. Grandma, do I have your permission to record this interview?

Violet Douglas: Yes, you do.

Lisa Funk: Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. And I want to thank you at the beginning for giving me the opportunity to interview you. Okay. So where were your parents from?

Violet Douglas: Indiana.

Lisa Funk: Okay. And when when and where were you born?

Violet Douglas: I was born in Indiana.

Lisa Funk: What part of Indiana?

Violet Douglas: The central part.

Lisa Funk: Central part of Indiana. What year?

Violet Douglas: 1980.

Lisa Funk: Okay. And where did you grow up? In Indiana.

Violet Douglas: In Mecca.

Lisa Funk: In Mecca, as in this is Mecca in the central part of Indiana?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah.

Lisa Funk: Is it a big town or is it a city?

Violet Douglas: Small town.

Lisa Funk: A small town. Okay. What was your childhood like?

Violet Douglas: Good and bad. Oh. Starting out, it wasn't too good. But I overlooked all that. I was too young to know what was going on. Mm hmm. And I grew up there, so I guess it wasn't all that bad. All right. Outgrew it.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. When you say was good and bad, what were some of the good things And some of the bad things, maybe.

Violet Douglas: Well, some of the bad things. I was blind when I was little.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: Oh, well, maybe until the middle of seven and eight years old. But then the most I had a wonderful doctor because he didn't leave scars on me. And I grew up to see. All these years.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. Mm hmm. And so he said. Were you born.

Violet Douglas: Blind? No. I had poisoned teeth for baby teeth.

Lisa Funk: Okay. And that caused. That caused you to go blind during your childhood?

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: Early childhood?

Violet Douglas: Yes, it.

Lisa Funk: Did. Mm hmm. And so what? What were some other things about your childhood? Well.

Violet Douglas: I had three brothers that lived in the same house. Mm hmm. And three sisters. Okay. And we got along fine. We had lots of fun.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: And my brothers treated us like we were would melt if he dropped us or something, you know? Mm hmm. We never fought, never quarreled or never argued. Never said bad words.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: I never in my life lived in that house and heard one bad word. Mm hmm. From my brothers. Sisters or my parents mm hmm.

Lisa Funk: Did your brothers and sisters live in the house at all at the same time?

Violet Douglas: Yes.

Lisa Funk: You did? Yes. You all grew up in the same house?

Violet Douglas: Yes.

Lisa Funk: With. With. With your mom and dad?

Violet Douglas: Yeah. Mm hmm.

Lisa Funk: And that was in Mecca?

Violet Douglas: Yes.

Lisa Funk: Okay. Did. Did you go to school in Mecca?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah. Mm hmm.

Lisa Funk: And what was that like?

Violet Douglas: Oh, it's great.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: I mean, my brothers had all quit school and tried to get work, you know? Was farmers something about corner wheat or something or. I don't know what they did. I was too little. But anyway, yo, one by one, they left the roost, you know?

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: And my older sister, your oldest one in the family, she was married. Mm hmm. Already? I don't even remember her when she wasn't in the house, you know? Yeah. I couldn't recall how she looked like or anything.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. Okay. And.

Violet Douglas: But then we got along real well. And if things seem to be okay, you know, we had a roof over our heads and we had plenty to eat. And, you know, that's about all you could expect back then.

Lisa Funk: Right. Did you said a minute ago that you were blind and and then you started school and you eventually regained your sight? Yeah. And you were about 7 or 8 years old when you regained your sight.

Violet Douglas: Something like that. Yeah. So, yeah, I think I was in between 7 and 8. I think I started back to school sometime when I was eight because I was such a little thing and I didn't know what to do with myself. When I could see something, I didn't know what it was.

Lisa Funk: What was that like seeing after not seeing for so many years? Well, I.

Violet Douglas: Tried to do everything that I. I tried to fly like a bird, you know, cause they laughed at me while I laughed with them. I didn't.

Lisa Funk: Know. Yeah.

Violet Douglas: You know, And we went to Apple Tree to fix some apples. And I had somebody had give me some things in a little purse. And I had a compact with powder. Mm hmm. And my sister next to me, she was 2 or 3 years younger. She ran up and said, Let me see. And not knowing any better, I blew the powder in the face. And of course, I laughed, you know, And I thought that was so funny. I just gave her the contact.

Lisa Funk: Did you not know what the compact was?

Violet Douglas: No, I didn't know what it was. I didn't know the powder would fly or anything, you know, go in your face.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: And they laughed it off.

Lisa Funk: And how long did you how long did you live in Mecca, Indiana?

Violet Douglas: Well, I lived there until I was 19 and left to I didn't know, you know, what was going on, but I had. Gotten married. I didn't tell my mom, you know, her and I weren't too close, you know. So I will tell you this little secret, okay? I got married in an afternoon and we went to a little hotel thing there, and we danced until 7 or 8:00 at night. Mm hmm. And I went to my own mom's house and crawled in bed with her.

Lisa Funk: And your wedding night is on.

Violet Douglas: My wedding night? Yeah. I don't tell what to everybody, but I did.

Lisa Funk: Did. Did you just say that your mom didn't know you were getting married?

Violet Douglas: Oh, she didn't. I didn't either.

Lisa Funk: Can you tell me more about that?

Violet Douglas: I don't know what happened. I mean, nobody drank anything, you know? I didn't even know what beer was.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: And some things were. Words were usable. Somebody said a saloon. I said I don't know what that is. Mm hmm. I didn't know what a saloon was. Mm hmm.

Lisa Funk: Is that where you got married?

Violet Douglas: Well, we got married seven miles from Mecca in a little town called Rockville.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: And. Yeah. I guess I'll never, ever forget that.

Lisa Funk: Were you married in a church?

Violet Douglas: No Well, we married by the see. I can't remember.

Lisa Funk: That's okay. Well, do you remember who was with you when you got married? Besides you and Grandpa?

Violet Douglas: George and Maureen.

Lisa Funk: And who was George and Maureen?

Violet Douglas: Well, they followed us. They got married the 23rd. After we got married on the fourth.

Lisa Funk: They got married in the same month?

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: And who is George and Maureen?

Violet Douglas: Oh, George was my husband's twin brother. Oh, that made her my sister in law.

Lisa Funk: Oh, okay. And so they got married the same month In the same year? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And so you said earlier you were 19. Yeah. When? That. When you got married?

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: And then you. But you said you. You went and spent the night with your mom. I did. When did you tell her you got married?

Violet Douglas: I don't remember if I woke her up since she worked hard and she was always tired, so I don't think I woke her up. I don't remember.

Lisa Funk: Don't you?

Violet Douglas: Okay. I don't think I wanted to remember, you know? Okay.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. Yeah. So how long how long did you stay in Mecca after you got married?

Violet Douglas: Oh, gosh, I don't know. Oh, not long because he couldn't find work.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: You know, there was work there for. For farmers once and a while, but they didn't pay anything.

Lisa Funk: You know.

Violet Douglas: You can raise a family on them.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: So that's how he his older brother came in there and wanted to go to New York and work. So that's where we did go to New York. But we didn't stay there a week or two because they couldn't find work in New York either.

Lisa Funk: So, okay, so.

Violet Douglas: We jumped in the car here and we come up here to Detroit.

Lisa Funk: Okay. So when you when you left Mecca, you didn't directly come to Detroit. You went to New York first. Yeah. And that was for the purpose for grandpa to look for work.

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: But there wasn't any work to be on the road.

Violet Douglas: Couldn't find anything. And New York's pretty good size. Yeah. You know, you just couldn't walk in and say, if you have a job, you know, you had to wait and wait and wait and wait. You know, your money don't last that long by then.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: So we came up here and they didn't have a problem getting work here. They'd done a few things. He worked on the roof. Buildings.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And made a little money. And they put out a wanted sign for Chryslers. And he went and got a job there, and. I guess close to 40 damn years.

Lisa Funk: Oh, okay. Okay. Also, so you. We left New York and then you relocated and ended up in Detroit. And you said that he worked, like, doing roofing for a little while. Is that. Yeah.

Violet Douglas: Well, yeah.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: Doing all jobs. You know, just to get money to have all this together until he did get a job and he finally got into Kroger's. Kroger's and we got Chryslers and worked there for a long time. Mm hmm. In fact, he retired from there.

Lisa Funk: Okay. And do you remember where you first lived when you came to Detroit? Did you live in a house?

Violet Douglas: No. Well, an apartment after another. Because they were all filled with roaches.

Lisa Funk: They were? Yeah. Okay.

Violet Douglas: Somebody who was like older people.

Lisa Funk: Couples. Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: We lived with one couple. Even with the roaches we didn't want to live in because they were so old and they loved us. I had my first baby. Mm hmm. And the woman, she was so nice and saucy. And they treated all their mothers with, like, kids.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And the baby they just love. Done with the baby. She'd call me upstairs and say, Bring my baby down here. I want to sing high opera.

Lisa Funk: So you said that when? So when you moved. When you got to Detroit. And you're talking about the older couple in the apartment building where you lived, You said they called you and grampa the kids. How old do you think you were?

Violet Douglas: I didn't even think about it, but I just felt like a kid.

Lisa Funk: You felt like it? Yeah. Do you remember how old you were? About how old were that?

Violet Douglas: Well, I couldn't have been very old, let's say. I got married in 35. Well, you. I guess I was almost 21. Okay. Mm hmm. And that would be two years. I think was 137.

Lisa Funk: Oh, okay. And then that's when Uncle Don was born. Your first child? Yeah. Mm hmm. And how many children did you have?

Violet Douglas: Four.

Lisa Funk: And were they all born when you lived in Detroit?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah. Mm hmm. Yeah. Don was born in Indiana. The other three were born in Detroit In Detroit.

Lisa Funk: Okay. Okay. And when your kids were little and you were living in Detroit, did you work?

Violet Douglas: Not until the little one was five years old.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And my dad. Mom came to live with us for a little while because they were going to move back to Indiana.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And. That's when I started looking for work. So I went to all the stores and, you know, I enjoy that because you meet a lot of people.

Lisa Funk: Do you. Remember. The name of it? Of one of the dime stores?

Violet Douglas: Christy Moore.

Lisa Funk: Oh, yeah.

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. The dime store. You don't hear that very well.

Violet Douglas: No, I don't think there is any.

Lisa Funk: I'm not sure. Mm hmm. But you enjoyed working at the dime store?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah. You see so many different kinds of people. And it was nice.

Lisa Funk: Mhm.

Violet Douglas: You know.

Lisa Funk: Do you recall where the dime stores were?

Violet Douglas: Well, I know they were on Woodward Avenue. Mm hmm. But I don't know the off streets of any of them. No one ever paid any attention. You know, I was too busy.

Lisa Funk: Can you tell me a little bit about what maybe Woodward Avenue looked like then?

Violet Douglas: Well, it was busy, I can tell you that.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And it was.

Unidentified Yeah, well. Well.

Violet Douglas: I don't know. There was a big girl, Cunningham drugstore. Just below the dime stores. And that was nice. But they moved out. Never heard of Cunningham store after that. I don't know what happened, but. And I don't know any other. Or they had a lot of big clothing stores. Hudson's, for one, is for another one. Oh, we used to go to all of them, you know, just walk through if we didn't buy anything. But it was a busy, busy place. Crowd Always crowded. And on the eve of every holiday, they always had sales.

Lisa Funk: So was that something that you did when when you lived there and you worked in that area and you had little kids with you up and down.

Violet Douglas: And away.

Lisa Funk: Window shopping, mostly department stores.

Violet Douglas: All the sales. Sometimes you have a good day.

Lisa Funk: You know? Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: Or if you wait until after 5:00 at night, you know, you can get a lot of stuff on sale. Hmm. And we did that a lot.

Lisa Funk: How did you get around downtown when you lived there?

Violet Douglas: Well, we streetcar mostly, you know, to town. And there's no reverse. No, no. I don't know if they had busses. I don't remember seeing the bus.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: So I probably had them, but I don't know.

Lisa Funk: When you say that you rode a streetcar, what do you mean? Was there places that it stopped?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah. And you could get off and go from one street to another.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. You know, And that took you all over downtown or any place that you needed to. Hmm. Is that the transportation that you used to get back and forth from work?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah.

Lisa Funk: Okay. And did you always work in the dime stores, or did you have other jobs?

Violet Douglas: No. Well, I worked in one, and then I. I don't know. I got tired of it or something, and. Sometimes I was kind of foolish and I didn't like somebody and I didn't want to be bothered with them, so I'd go to them. What was your work?

Lisa Funk: Okay, well, I know a.

Violet Douglas: Lot of people down there after I worked hard and worked hard day in and day in a time.

Lisa Funk: Off, you know.

Violet Douglas: And I was very pleasant to people. And other people in the store would come over to my apartment, my department and talk to me, you know. So I know I was doing okay.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: But I got. When I quit, I got this other job. Now, see, I don't know if that was. Between. The Christian. Ward. And then. The airplane place the. I don't know if that was. Yeah, that was before my job in. Where I worked.

Lisa Funk: In the paper factory? Yeah.

Violet Douglas: I drew binder. Yeah, that was in between.

Lisa Funk: Okay. Well, can. Can we talk a little bit about when you worked in the airplane factory?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah.

Lisa Funk: Can you tell me about that?

Violet Douglas: Well, you know, my sister in law and I worked in there one third hurry, and. And they said they'd like to have a couple of small women to be work in the small parts if they need me. And they didn't need them. I went to a lot of places and I could just barely get into, you know. And so, oh, I don't want to work on airplanes. And I liked it. I enjoyed it. Except I couldn't get near people because I was always burning up. And they'd all if they touched me, they'd send me to the oh, they call aid first aid, first aid people. And they'd say, Well, I don't think you. You're not sick you have hurt any place here and there and here and there said no hurt. And I'm all right and I want to go back to work. Well, I've decided now, after you've been here about four times, that you don't you're not sick. You carry a degree of fever.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. So that was your nature. So what they were saying was maybe that was your normal temperature. Was that something that they looked at? They didn't want people there who were sick. Is that why they were always worried about.

Violet Douglas: I don't know. But it wasn't me. I didn't feel bad or anything. You know, I work so in my shift, you know, and every day.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: I was thinking. It's for home.

Lisa Funk: So, Grandma, when you say you worked in the airplane factory, was that. That was during World War Two. Yeah. Is that why you worked in the airplane?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah.

Lisa Funk: Can you tell me some more about what you did as a job there?

Violet Douglas: Well. Well, I don't know what they call them, but you had to put little, little screws in little tiny holes in a little tiny bit like a box, but it'd be real narrow. I could barely get my two fingers in there to tighten them, you know? But I did the best I could. And after they tested everything.

Lisa Funk: You know.

Violet Douglas: It had to be special. And I knew I had to do it right. So I did.

Lisa Funk: Were the airplanes you were helping to build? Were they used for the war?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: They were they were just coming out with the B two. They had to be in a number 12 or B two. Mm hmm. I can't remember, sir.

Lisa Funk: That's okay. That's okay.

Violet Douglas: Yeah, I had a I had a B and a number. I can't remember the number. But we worked on smaller planes, too.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: But usually it was the big planes that were just coming in to be hauled in. Oh, my God. I went to the first day, Monday, and I got lost. Mm hmm. And I went through this big, long hallway. It seemed like I walked 25 miles. You know, there was nothing there but planes on each side.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: And there I am, you know.

Lisa Funk: All right.

Violet Douglas: Believe me, I didn't feel good.

Lisa Funk: No.

Violet Douglas: I thought I'd never get to the first day. Mm hmm. I said we're on my own. Or your first day. There is a door. You can go home if you want to.

Lisa Funk: So was it. So how did you feel about working there at the beginning?

Violet Douglas: Well, I liked it. You know, I enjoyed working. And the money was really good. But I didn't want the war to go on, so I told them how I felt.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: I said the same thing that I'm saying to you. Mm hmm. You know, I like the money. I like the work, But I don't want the boys to die by the dozen every day.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: I can't do anything about it.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: You know. So. But I worked for quite a while.

Lisa Funk: Well, do you remember what Grandpa was doing when you were working at the airplane factory?

Violet Douglas: He worked. Something moves in her. Oh. He worked no I don't know. I might get this wrong.

Lisa Funk: That's okay. you can take your time.

Violet Douglas: I'm trying to think. When he went to or he went to work at Chrysler's in. She was born in July. He went to war between July and August. Causes insurance. Didn't go until after she was born.

Lisa Funk: Okay. So he was he was working at Chrysler. And you were working at the airplane factory during World War Two?

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: And who was taking care of the babies?

Violet Douglas: Well, frankly, the youngest and my dad. Mama, remember I told you that you had come to live with me until it was all.

Lisa Funk: Okay. Thank you for telling me that. I wasn't sure when. Oh, when?

Violet Douglas: Grandpa and Bailey? Yeah.

Lisa Funk: Your dad and mom came to stay with you, and so did they help you with. With your. With your youngest? With the baby? Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Violet Douglas: Well, Frank was five years old when I went to work, so he wasn't really a small baby, you know, He was. He could wash his face and hands and put on his clothes, you know?

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. And so you. So you said that after you moved to Detroit, then you had several jobs at the beginning because you worked at the dime store.

Violet Douglas: yeah.

Lisa Funk: Then you worked in the factory. And that's. That sounds like. All right. Now it sounds like. But am I correct? And was that was during the beginning of the Depression or the end of the Depression In the beginning of the war?

Violet Douglas: Yeah, that's what I was in beginning.

Lisa Funk: Okay. So during the Depression, you didn't work?

Violet Douglas: No, I didn't.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. And so what was that? Was there anything you can remember about living through the Depression?

Violet Douglas: Well, not much, because I was. We didn't have very good work. You know, it had been just kind of. My husband did work, jump from job to job in order to keep her family. Yeah, of course I didn't. I only had one kid then, so it wasn't that bad. But you had to fight for what you wanted. Mm hmm. And you had to go and get your food stamps. We only got for a week. Remember? I told you that.

Lisa Funk: For filling out the food stamps for one week? Yeah. Okay. And why? Why was that?

Violet Douglas: Because he was laid off for a week or something like that. I don't know. But he didn't want to take charity if he didn't have to. Mhm. So we, we took it for one week. Mm hmm. I thought that was pretty good. Yeah.

Lisa Funk: And what, what does that mean when you say they, what did they do for you? What did you get from. From the people who were helping through the Depression. Do you.

Violet Douglas: Well, they didn't give you anything like money to spend or anything like that. But if you had a baby and they needed diapers, they would see that you had diapers and milk for them to drink and stuff like that that you wouldn't ordinarily do.

Lisa Funk: You know? Okay.

Violet Douglas: So I don't know. It was yeah, it was bad going through it. I don't remember at all because I can't. I got too much stuff, you know?

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: Something else is coming on all the time.

Lisa Funk: Right, Right. Okay.

Violet Douglas: And he knew he had to get better work and we had to leave Mecca because there's nothing there, you know, and.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. So that's what you said. That's why you left Mecca. Because it was a there was a small town and everything around it was farm. Yeah. And that's where you grew up. That's what you were used to.

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: So was it very different for you to move from a place that was all farms and moving into a big city?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yes. I couldn't believe what I was saying. You know what.

Lisa Funk: Kind of things that you say That was all the.

Violet Douglas: Big buildings and the clothes were all different.

Lisa Funk: They were.

Violet Douglas: You know, if you had a pair of overalls and a T-shirt in Mecca you were dressed up if they were clean or new.

Lisa Funk: Mhm.

Violet Douglas: You know, of there you could put on your dress, your clothes and you know.

Lisa Funk: So that was really different.

Violet Douglas: Oh that was different. It made me feel like I was a queen.

Lisa Funk: Mm.

Violet Douglas: Because I didn't. Well when he got a job I bought myself some clothes and gloves and stuff I never had.

Lisa Funk: So that was something that they didn't have in Mecca.

Violet Douglas: That's right.

Lisa Funk: Or was it something that they didn't have or that people just didn't bother with?

Violet Douglas: They didn't they didn't think they needed a no one never had an event, were never seen like this in my life.

Lisa Funk: No, it wasn't this the weather was different between.

Violet Douglas: Oh yes.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. And here.

Violet Douglas: Yeah. Oh yeah. We would have light snow. It might be up to your ankles sometimes calf of your leg. But we got, we had a big. Stone wall. Not a sand. Pile. No. It was just a big place that was the level, or we called it the gravel pit. But it wasn't until it was just level and it would snow on that and then we'd go out there and play games in the snow and it was soft, white and. Cold , but we. Enjoyed that. Here I can enjoy snow.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. Did you enjoy it then, though, when you when you first came to Detroit? It was just too much. So you.

Violet Douglas: It was too much

Lisa Funk: Is that what you mean? Okay.

Violet Douglas: My sister and I would go downtown and. Easter. Time to buy clothes for Easter. Couldn't wear or be snowing when we first came here.

Lisa Funk: What kind of clothes would you buy for Easter?

Violet Douglas: Would buy a dress and a coat to match. Silk or rayon or whatever. There was a made out. To the Boston shoe shop and buy shoes to match. If we want to live there. And that was good. Something I'd never done before.

Lisa Funk: So it was the first time to shop like that. And because you didn't need the clothes like that when you lived in Mecca? No.

Violet Douglas: Well, I had some dresses, but even when I was a kid at home, when I was like 15, 14, sometimes mom would get the catalog out and she'd order me a dress. While, they were $1.98, you know. Yeah. You can imagine. But I loved it. Yeah, I did, too.

Lisa Funk: What do you what was the difference when you were shopping here? So you just said that that maybe something out of the catalog when you were a kid was $1.98. What was the difference when, like, let's say if you went if you were in Hudson's or Crowley's. I want to.

Violet Douglas: Catalog up.

Lisa Funk: Here. No. When you went to the store and shopped and bought your dress clothes there.

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. That's how you That's. Is that how you did it?

Violet Douglas: No, I would just look.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: And if I saw something that I really liked, I would say, can I save some money to get this?

Lisa Funk: You know? Yeah.

Violet Douglas: Because it took a while to save up a little bit, you know? Yeah. I couldn't just go in and buy a dress, and. But if I didn't, he would. Cause he wouldn't hang on to his money, but he'd buy some for me.

Lisa Funk: When you say, Hey, are you talking about your husband? Yeah. Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: Yeah. And he comes straight to town. I don't know, because I was never down there where he'd go. He went to the head shop and the record shop, and. And he found a sample shoe size shop.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: And he'd bring me home two and three pearl high heeled shoes. And that's all I ever wanted was high heels. I didn't know what a low heel she was. You know, I never had sneakers or anything. Never saw her.

Lisa Funk: Was that. Was that how women mostly dress, then?

Violet Douglas: Oh, yeah.

Lisa Funk: They were nice. Did they wear, like, nice dresses and overcoats and high heeled shoes? Was that.

Violet Douglas: Well, I don't really know. But yeah, when we go out, we go to Frank and George's. I never drank, you know? I never drank anything.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: Now, if I couldn't order a shot but he wouldn't drink it said to put it up to his mouth. You know, he wasn't very good. George wouldn't drink, period.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And, of course, you know, right there.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And we'd sit in there and then pretend to drink while we had a beer.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: Oh, boy.

Lisa Funk: What did you do? What did you do socially during those times? Like, what did you do for fun? bowl? Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And I went to local bar so we could have a beer, you know?

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: I wouldn't sit and drink all night. Don't get me wrong. But, you know, we'd have one bottle of beer was enough.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: I was just slow drinkers, you know? Just talk. Say what we'd like to do and what we would like to do. And how much money have you saved? The lives of years. And we can go and buy the girls a dress or her shoes.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: But of course, they couldn't buy. Oh, Oh. High heeled shoes for her because she had bad taste.

Lisa Funk: You're talking about your sister, Amanda. She had. Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: I don't want to call them. Mm hmm. They turned in. And she could wear high heels.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: Well, I started mine, and I loved them.

Lisa Funk: So, Grandma, you. So you said that the whole time we've been talking, you've told me about your childhood and about being born blind and going to school after you regained your sight and how those experiences were for you and getting married. Yeah. Going back home and spend the first night with your mama and then grandpa not being able to find work. So you ended up moving to Detroit by way of New York because you went there first. Right. You worked in the airplane factories and you worked at downtown in the drugstores and buying.

Violet Douglas: Mm hmm. I loved that.

Lisa Funk: So almost everything that you've talked about, you've included Uncle George and Aunt Maureen. And just to clarify. You've told me that Uncle George was your husband. My grandfather's twin brother? Yeah. And Aunt Maureen was his wife. Which in turn would be your sister in law.

Violet Douglas: Right.

Lisa Funk: Were the four of you always together?

Violet Douglas: Oh, no.

Lisa Funk: No, no.

Violet Douglas: No. I. We were married so long and Frank could dance. He could dance any kind of dance he wanted to. I don't know if you ever saw him dance, but

Lisa Funk: I have Gram

Violet Douglas: George would never do that. So all those years, I never danced One time with George.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And we went to a lot of dances. So he would dance with her all the time. And, of course, our dance with Frank. I couldn't dance. She didn't wanna dance at all.

Lisa Funk: And he'd make.

Violet Douglas: Do you know, like Frank does? He couldn't dance. You don't dance up a storm any place, any kind of music. But not trying to move his feet.

Lisa Funk: But I. Oh, Uncle George couldn't dance. So. But sounds like. I mean, it seems like when you're talking about all the things you did, Uncle George and and Maureen were part of it. So I guess maybe what I'm trying to ask you was if you moved to a particular area, did they soon move to that?

Violet Douglas: He followed Frank everywhere I went.

Lisa Funk: Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

Violet Douglas: She had she always lived with her mother. She had a stepfather. Mm hmm. And she called Pappy. Her dad lived in the town. Mm hmm. And he came over here one year, and he came to our house. Mm hmm. And he said. Well, I knew if I found Frank and VI, I would find George. Cause Frank, no worries. And he wouldn't be too far.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: And of course, that's how he found her, you know?

Lisa Funk: What was it like to be so close? So close with them all the time? What was it like to have that family so near to you all the time?

Violet Douglas: Sometimes. Okay. Sometimes not.

Lisa Funk: You know? Yeah. Yeah.

Violet Douglas: You know how families don't agree? Sometimes.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. Well, sure.

Violet Douglas: She was the same old. You know, I had a big mouth.

Lisa Funk: Okay, so we've talked about, you know, all those jobs that you've had, but that's not our. So how many years? I'm sorry. You worked in the airplane factory. You said for quite a while. But of course, that didn't last very long because you didn't work there anymore after the war ended. Am I correct? Is that when you stopped working there?

Violet Douglas: I Well, married.

Lisa Funk: And then do you know where you went after that, where you worked after that?

Violet Douglas: No, I didn't work until I got a call to go to the bookbinding.

Lisa Funk: Okay. Do you remember the name of that place?

Violet Douglas: Oh, my God. I should.

Lisa Funk: Was the name of it consolidated litho. Your mom's place. Is that where my mother worked? Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: Mm hmm. Consolidated litho? Yeah. Not us.

Lisa Funk: But it was the photo bindery.

Violet Douglas: Well, no, there wasn't really a binding place like ours. They had some of the machines. Same, but didn't work like we did. Yeah. Yeah, I like that too. I finally did. I didn't like it at first, but I got with it. I really liked it.

Lisa Funk: What about. What about? At first you did. You didn't like What was it that you didn't like?

Violet Douglas: Well, you had to put wires in binders. You know how the sheets of paper go into this spring? Mm hmm. Well, I had to do that, and I hurt my fingers, and I didn't like it. Mm hmm. But then we had to take that binder after we got that done, flip it over and fasten it on the other side. I love that I could do that fast. So that's how I got a good job. But everything I tried until I could do it damn near made it boss.

Lisa Funk: You almost made the Boss. How long did you work there?

Violet Douglas: 20 some years. Mm hmm.

Lisa Funk: Did you retire from there?

Violet Douglas: I just quit. Okay. I guess you call it retire?

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. So what was it like when you were working there? Well, what was it like around that area when you were working there?

Violet Douglas: Well, Frank drove me to work and picked me up. Mm hmm. It didn't look too hot. It was near this some expressway. And I can't think out how well it was. But the people were all nice. The bosses were nice. And everybody got along pretty good. Mm hmm. Somehow, I think, you know.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: So something. This is not. This is other people and. And they will listen to you in a few more years. Don't wear those flowers, flip flops, or you drop a book or a handful of books or whatever, you know? Just things like that. But not.

Lisa Funk: In bed. So you didn't love it at first, but eventually you enjoy working there? I mean, I have friends there.

Violet Douglas: Oh, God, yes.

Lisa Funk: Can I ask you maybe a silly question? I'm curious to know where you because I know it was downtown. Even though we can't remember exactly where Downtown.

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: Where did you go for your lunch? And what was around there?

Violet Douglas: There was a restaurant right behind the building.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: But sometimes I didn't go there. I would just stay there and I'd take something. Mm hmm. You know, I didn't like sandwiches, but they had a place where you could buy sandwiches and coke and coffee and stuff. You know, you had your room to go to for dinner. For lunch.

Lisa Funk: Was there a lot of places to walk to in that in that area of downtown, or was it an area just where it was mostly business?

Violet Douglas: Yes. Businesses.

Lisa Funk: It was business.

Violet Douglas: All kinds of buildings, you know.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: That wasn't all corroded. Well, it was very old. It was painted like a burnt orange or something, you know, funny looking, but it was spread out pretty good size. Mm hmm. When you started walking through again, it kind of tired.

Lisa Funk: Yeah.

Violet Douglas: But I've done a lot of different things in there. You know, they had machines that done all kinds of things. They had a machine they put me on one time, The boss, he said, No way. You can only use. You can only there's two screws in this machine. You can only put oil in one. Don't ever put a drop of oil in this hole because it don't work. Okay. Well, the guy that done all the all the machines had two special oils, and he combined them all for the special Screw that. You put the oil and I said, It's right here. I said, this one has never had an oil. I said, Why don't you come drop in there? No, Harold told me, Don't you ever put in it. I said, I have to work this machine and that one. I can't use that pedal and I have to use this one twice. Put a drop in half. A drop? Yeah, please. Oh, What's for Harold? So he did. And then I put my foot on that.

Lisa Funk: So it was much better. Did it work? Much better with.

Violet Douglas: Herald come by He looked at me looked at the machince and he said, How do you get the door? I said, I put my foot on it.

Lisa Funk: So when you worked at the paper bindery or the it was a bindery current, when you worked at the paper bindrey, do you remember where you lived? What part of the city you lived in at all?

Violet Douglas: Sure.

Lisa Funk: Take your time.

Violet Douglas: Oh, God.

Lisa Funk: It's okay Gram.

Violet Douglas: We lived. Oh, he still lived out on the farm.

Lisa Funk: He lived and we drove.

Violet Douglas: They lived in Christchurch, but they were dropped off at the restaurant. And when it came time, we'd go right straight across the street to work.

Lisa Funk: Okay, so at this point, you didn't live right in the city you lived on. You lived on a farm? Well.

Violet Douglas: For a little while we still did. Okay. And then we moved to. Detroit City. Mm hmm. Is this sort of where we live now? No.

Lisa Funk: That's okay.

Violet Douglas: Well. Oh, we lived over there. Oh, I don't know where it was as a side west side or whatever. Remember when you're involved at the church?

Lisa Funk: Yes, I do.

Violet Douglas: Okay. That's where we lived then.

Lisa Funk: That was the east side.

Violet Douglas: And this is our last stop.

Lisa Funk: That was your last stop. This is all right here now. Yeah. Okay. But when you lived on the East side, were you. And you worked at the paper factory. Were you? How old were your kids then? Were they in school?

Violet Douglas: Oh, when I worked in them. In bindrey. Oh, yeah, sure. And worked in a binder. Okay. With me. So did Jojo.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: And, uh. But not long periods, you know, when you're not busy and lay off. But it worked for a while, and each one of them I just got part of, I said, oh, I'm old enough to retire. So you'd fly.

Lisa Funk: So you did. So you did. Can you can I ask you a little bit about where your kids went to school? Yeah.

Violet Douglas: Don went to Don to Western High School. Mm hmm. Sharon. I don't know if she went to Western at all or not but she but she worked at Witmore mostly.

Lisa Funk: Okay.

Violet Douglas: And Frank want to. You can think of it.

Lisa Funk: That's okay. Grandma, did they all graduate from Detroit High School?

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: They all did. And Gay actually, did Aunt Gay graduate early, and then she went on to college. And where did she go to college?

Violet Douglas: Ann Arbor.

Lisa Funk: So did she move out of Detroit then? Does she live there?

Violet Douglas: Well, she had a room there, you know. And she. Yeah, she fell in love and bachelor went to Maine and, well, they got married. You know. I heard. Gwen. And you took her to Maine?

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: I don't want to have to talk about. Oh, no, we.

Lisa Funk: Don't have to talk about that. So everybody else was still in Detroit?

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: And they graduated from there? Yeah. And then eventually you moved away from the city?

Violet Douglas: Yeah.

Lisa Funk: Where did you move? Do you know? Do you remember?

Violet Douglas: I'm trying. That's what I thought about a minute ago, you know? But I lost.

Lisa Funk: It. Was that when you moved to Walden Lake?

Violet Douglas: No, I never did.

Lisa Funk: No, you didn't. Okay. I'm sorry. My mistake. Thank you for clarifying that.

Violet Douglas: All right, George.

Lisa Funk: Uncle George and Maureen lived involved. Say, I know I heard it somewhere. Okay, well, it doesn't matter where. But you knew what?

Violet Douglas: It was out there. near Wald Lake

Lisa Funk: it was was out there Milford.

Violet Douglas: South Lyon.

Lisa Funk: South Lyon. Okay, good. Thank you.

Violet Douglas: I knew. I thought of the wall and all.

Lisa Funk: And what was it like living when you moved away from the city? Moving to a place like South Lyon?

Violet Douglas: I didn't like.

Lisa Funk: It. You didn't know? What was it?

Violet Douglas: There was Nothing there. You could go to the post office, but look around. You might as well stayed at home because there's nothing there to look at, you know?

Lisa Funk: So do you. Are you saying that you didn't like it because it was different from the city?

Violet Douglas: Nothing to do or look at or see or no place to go in the car.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. You know.

Violet Douglas: The only thing I like for the kids to do is go get apples. They got apples every weekend.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. And.

Violet Douglas: Of course, I enjoy that because I thought they were getting them for nothing, you know?

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm. Yeah.

Violet Douglas: Plan?

Lisa Funk: Yeah. And so you lived. How long did you live in South Lyon for?

Violet Douglas: Oh, gosh, I don't know. But we had good friends there. You know, they come over. One was a musician, and his wife was to. Yeah. And they played music and sang and danced. And that's what we did on the weekends.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. So although you didn't love it and South Lyon and you still haven't got.

Violet Douglas: Sick of it, you.

Lisa Funk: Know? Yeah. But it sounds like you enjoyed your friends and dances. Well.

Violet Douglas: They were really good friends, and they were nice and. Mm hmm. Of course, he got very drunk a lot. I think he was sick. Mm hmm. You know, I feel sorry for him now. Yeah. Hmm. I think that those would kill him, you know? Yeah. I felt bad for him. I felt bad for her. She was nice kid.

Lisa Funk: And so you. You stayed in South Lyon for a while, and then. And then you moved to.

Violet Douglas: I'm trying to think now from South Lyon to, uh.

Lisa Funk: I don't know. I remember when I was little, you lived off of Eight Mile Road. Is that correct? Mm. So you ended up back in Detroit for a little while? Yeah, back in this. Right in the middle of the city. Is that right?

Violet Douglas: Yeah. Mhm. lived in a Trailer.

Lisa Funk: Lived in a trailer. Yeah. And how was that? I remember that. How was that for you?

Violet Douglas: Wasn't bad. I had a lot of company.

Lisa Funk: You know.

Violet Douglas: All the time. Don was in the church deal and I had parties and they had bingo and everything and we were always busy. And I took you to shopping every day.

Lisa Funk: I know you did every day.

Violet Douglas: I know.

Lisa Funk: I'm not supposed to say this because it's not about me, but I have really, really good memories of that time when you lived on Eight mile.

Violet Douglas: . Can we go, Grandma? Can we go to the. What did you call it? You said it backwards, whatever it was. Not true storm. It was a secondhand store, wasn't it? Or was it?

Lisa Funk: I think so.

Violet Douglas: Thrift shop. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. There you go. Thrift shop or they call it. Not a secondhand store. I know, because I used to say, yes, I'm going to take you there. And I'd say the same thing you did.

Lisa Funk: And how how did. How did you take me there? How. How did we.

Violet Douglas: Want.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. What? We wanted was on the big city streets.

Violet Douglas: I said, Oh, yeah, you can see everything, you know? And it was nice. You didn't have to be afraid of anything and anybody bothering you, you know? And we'd walk in there and some of the girls would be there day to day, and they'd look at you and say, We're still with your mama, Grandma, That can't be your grandma.

Lisa Funk: Hmm.

Violet Douglas: That's where that woman used to do it. Kasia The small men down and go in there and you see. Moms not feeling good today, so I thought I'd bring her up here and buy her a ring. I knew that was your mother. He said, That's not my mom. My mom is way over on the side. I know your mom when I see her.

Lisa Funk: So you lived. You lived on eight mile? Yeah. And you lived there for quite a while.

Violet Douglas: Yeah, we did. Mm hmm. And then remember, then we moved to, I guess, back here someplace. But now. Oh, I have to. I do have to stop. Think.

Lisa Funk: No, that's okay. Yeah. Because you lived on my own in the city. You went back to the city and lived there, and then you moved just outside of the city and one of the suburbs, which is where you are now? Yeah. So do you do. What's the difference between here and when you lived in the city where you live right now and when you lived in the city?

Violet Douglas: Well, things a lot of things have changed. You know. I used to go places all the time with Don. We went everywhere.

Lisa Funk: And who was Don?

Violet Douglas: Don, My son.

Lisa Funk: Okay. Hmm.

Violet Douglas: Yeah. Him and I used to go to the racetrack once a month.

Lisa Funk: Mm hmm.

Violet Douglas: And no, we didn't go to the casinos. There was nothing here. Right. And. But they take me to the racetrack and on my birthday they take me to Canada where they'd look at the programs. And if there was a horse in there, maybe something. One was Who? Who's your Playboy or something? And because Hoosiers are Indian and as a nickname, right? They take me over there and we have a good time. Now, frankly, I don't like to go anywhere. I said, I wish you'd learn to drive. Take me to the casino. He never does get lost downtown.

Lisa Funk: Can I ask you about that, Grandma? Why? You never had a driver's license since you've just learned to drive. I don't. Well.

Violet Douglas: Everybody would pick me up. There was. Everybody had cars, so I didn't feel like I had to drive.

Lisa Funk: Right. Mhm.

Violet Douglas: I wasn't lazy.

Lisa Funk: Mhm. No. No. You know. Mhm. Ah.

Violet Douglas: I don't know, I just seemed like somebody said well come on let's go somewhere a little early and go you know. Mhm.

Lisa Funk: I was asking because I wondered we've talked a lot about how you were blind as a child and you and I know you have your eyesight now. You said that you got your eyesight back when you were and only, you know, 7 or 8 years old. I wondered if you had had a vision problems with your vision even though you had your eyesight back. If you still had problems with your vision, with your, you know, with your eyes and losing the swings, you feel like you're losing sight in one area. I know I am.

Violet Douglas: I can tell when I look. Everything is blurry. Mhm.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. And so you'll.

Violet Douglas: Know to left before I finally water off. But I would sit here and do this and it's all fuzzy like and I do this, it's plain as.

Lisa Funk: Plain as day. Mhm.

Violet Douglas: I could look at your writing up there on that thing with this eye and would look like you was a little nurse.

Lisa Funk: Okay Grandma. So it sounds like then that. Well doesn't sound like what you've told me is that you were born and raised in South Indiana. Central Indiana? Yeah, in a little tiny town called Mecca. And that you had a pretty decent childhood, even though you had some struggles because you were blind.

Violet Douglas: Well, see, I don't remember most of that because I had somebody taking care of me all the time.

Lisa Funk: Yeah. You know, and then you said things got better because. Oh, yeah, Because they helped you. Oh, yeah. And you got your side back, and then you got to go to school. Oh, yeah. And you talked about how amazing it was to be able to see something. Yeah. And try to fly like a bird when you see a bird fly.

Violet Douglas: Well, the teacher showed me books, and they showed me pencils and papers and, you know, a desk that I could have. Yeah. I was so low, my feet went to the floor.

Lisa Funk: Mhm. You're still little. And then you, you married your husband. My grandfather? Yeah. When you were 19 now and moved to the city of Detroit and worked in some dime stores, as we call them, drugstores. And you worked at the airplane factory during the war and you lived through the Depression and. And did some things there that you talked about and then went on to have a job that you essentially retired from at a paper factory and raised your kids there. They graduated from there. Oh, yeah. And you spend a lot of years there and then ended up just kind of moving not completely away from the city because you're in a suburb of the city. Yeah. Okay. Well, I've.

Violet Douglas: Lived here quite a while.

Lisa Funk: Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. You've been here for about 20 more than 20 years or.

Violet Douglas: More than 2020. Your rambles have been married. Been married more than 20.

Lisa Funk: Oh, yeah. I've lived here a long time. Yeah. But so close to the city. Yeah. Okay, Grandma. Well, I would like to say thank you so much for the opportunity for this interview.

Violet Douglas: And it's very welcome.

Lisa Funk: It's been my honor and my privilege. Thank you.