Description:
The Hill Sisters talk about their family and sing gospel songs.
Transcript:
Interviewee: The Hill Sisters
Interviewer: Melba Holt
Interview Date: August 4, 2007
Interview Location: Unknown
File Name: Hill Sisters 8-4-7.wav
Transcribed By: Katie Widmann
Proofed By: Alex HintonTranscriber’s Note: This is a group interview. At some points, it is difficult to tell which sister is speaking.
Melba: We’re going to talk about growing up in the state of Oklahoma. I call it a privilege and an honor to be able to sit with the rest of Marila and Andrew Hill’s clan. I’m very blessed to be here with you all today. I’m going to ask you to give me your name. Give it with your maiden name and your married name, and I would like for you to give your age. If you’re going to be freaking out about it, we’ll go on, but I would like for you to give that because that information is, again, a part of the legacy of this family. One of these when your great-great-great-great-greats go to the library and pull a tape on the Hill family, the Hill sisters because it’s going to be listed, when they pull it and review that tape, they’re going to know that they are a part of you and that you’re a part of them. If you will give your age, that will give them a picture of what can I expect? What is my longevity? Again, that all runs in the family doesn’t it? I’m going to start with Aunt Tisha, and I’m starting with her because she is the matriarch of this family. She is the oldest surviving sister. Aunt Tisha, what’s your name?
Tisha: [weakly] Natisha.
Melba: Natisha. Smith?
Juanita??: Smith.
Melba: Where do you live now? (knowing the answer) Oakland, California. Somebody tell me what is Aunt Tisha’s age?
Helen??: 92.
Melba: Aunt Tisha is 92. [all talking over each other] She’ll be 93 in September, September 16th. One more month. It’s been awhile since Aunt Tisha’s had an opportunity to be with us at a family reunion. We’re just really blessed to have her with us today. [all make noises of agreement] I’m going to let each one of you introduce yourself. We’re going to leave the baby for the last. We’ll let the baby be the last one and we’re going to start with Aunt Lilian.
Lilian: My name is Lilian Crenshaw. I was born Lilian Hill. I live in Geary, Oklahoma. We moved to Geary in, I think, ’37 or ’38. We had moved there. My parents had migrated there from Sayre, Oklahoma because there wasn’t a school for us in Sayre. My parents were determined to be someplace that they could put their children in school.
Melba: I’m going to let each one of you – I want you to go ahead and introduce who you are so that we can have the sound of your voice, and so that you won’t have to say your name each time. Go ahead and say who you are and where you were born ‘cause some of you may have been born in Texas. I don’t know. I don’t remember. Aunt Eula Mae?
Eula Mae: Oh! [all giggle, faint beeping noise like medical equipment] My name is Eula Mary Hill Ewing. I was born in Altus, Oklahoma in 1928. I am at the grand old age, young age, of – uh…. (pauses)
Melba: Oh, 59 again are you?
[all laugh]
Eula Mae: How ‘bout that. 79 as of yesterday. I’m very proud to be 79.
Melba: Wonderful! This is a great birthday celebration for you. How delightful.
Eula Mae: Yes, it certainly is.
Melba: Aunt Juanita?
Juanita: I’m Juanita Hill Murray. I was born in Sayre, Oklahoma to Andrew and Marila Hill. I believe that I was born in 1933, but my mother has it as 1932 on my Social Security, on my driver’s license, on everything. I’m 75 years old.
Melba: Mom?
Helen: My name is Helen Hill Arthur. Helen Jo Hill Arthur. I was born in Altus, Oklahoma to Andrew and Marila Hill. I was born in 1927, a record shows.
Melba: Okay, and the baby of the family?
Ella: My name is Ella Ree Hill Franklin. I was born a twin, and the parents lost the twin.
Melba: I want you speak up, Auntie.
Ella: [a little louder] I was born in Sayre, Oklahoma February 20, 1934. I reside in Pueblo, Colorado.
Juanita: I need a correction. I said 1933 and I meant 1931.
[coughing in the background]
Melba: 1933 and you said you think 1931 or 1932. Is that correct?
Juanita: Yes. I always say I was born in ’31 and my mother had it down 1932, and that’s what she gave them for my Social Security information and for my birth certificate. That’s what’s on it.
Melba: Okay, I want to ask you this. Do all of you birth certificates? [more coughing in the background]
Juanita: I do and that’s what mine says. 1932.
Melba: Okay, so you all have Oklahoma Department of Health birth certificates?
[All give the affirmative]
Melba: I just wonder because some people have other identification to verify their birth. I just wondered if any of you –
Juanita: Well that’s what happened for me, is I was at the department to get my birth certificate, and they wouldn’t give it to me. My mother had to come and give the information, and that’s how I got it. I was really in a batch of trouble there. I had an accident, and I needed that birth certificate right away.
Melba: About how old were you when that happened? Were you a child?
Juanita: No, I wasn’t a child.
Melba: Oh, you were an adult?
Juanita: Yes.
Melba: So you had been working without proof of you age? Is that right? You never had to have proof of your age?
Juanita: I did not have a driver’s license and that was required. When I had that accident, I needed that driver’s license before I went to court, so it was right away I had to get one. That was in 1967, I think.
Melba: Oh, that’s a long time to not need it. I wanted to ask you about – I know that we – that you all moved, all came to Geary, Oklahoma. Was Geary, Oklahoma the first town that you all lived in after you left Sayre?
[All say yes]
Lilian: The only town
Melba: You came from Sayre to here. Where had you been before Sayre?
All: Altus.
Melba: Okay, Altus, Oklahoma. Were you anywhere before Altus?
Helen: I don’t know
Lilian: We don’t know for sure. We were kids, just babies.
Ella: I was born in Sayre
[All indicate they don’t know]
Melba: When you all moved to Sayre, were there fourteen children at the time? You were born in Sayre too?
Juanita: Mm-hmm.
Melba: That makes fourteen. Everybody was here when you moved to Geary, Oklahoma?
Eula Mae: Euphrates was born in Geary.
Melba: Oh, okay. The baby brother, Euphrates Hill, was born in Geary, Oklahoma. Okay. I’ve heard different stories about moving. Were you all in a – someone could not remember if it was an old T model car, or a wagon, or what. Does anybody recall the means of transportation for you to come from Sayre to Geary?
Juanita: My mother said that she came on the train to Sayre, and she brought a lady with her who was Miss Ellie. Miss Ellie came the day I was born. She came from the train station with my mother and she delivered me.
Melba: So Grandmother, Marila Hill, came by train? Does somebody else have a different memory of that?
Ella: I don’t have any memory of that whatsoever. But the first thing you asked concerning when we moved from Sayre to Geary, in my memory, whether we was in a wagon or whatever. But no, we wasn’t in a wagon. We moved from Sayre to Geary in an old car. I don’t know what kind of car it was, but I do remember that it was a car.
Melba: Okay. Somebody else? Were you going to say something?
Helen: What I remember is standing on the porch and the car or whatever we were moving in was loaded. Everything on it.
Melba: Are you getting emotional?
Helen: Mm-hmm. We had a dog named Frank, [all start giggling] a chicken named Wittie, and a cow named Ellie. All I remember is they come to the porch and got me after everything was on whatever it was loaded in, and they laid me up on it –
Melba: They laid you up on it. Okay. And the next thing you remember after that?
Helen: The next thing I remember is we were somewhere in another place. I never remember the travel. I don’t remember Sayre. I was just big enough to know, and I didn’t know we were moving. So I wake up and I think maybe we’re still here. So, I don’t know anything about the travel. All I know is the animals. The next thing that I know, and that I can remember, we are in Geary going across the creek to the dug-in where half of it is house and half of it is dirt.
[All agree]
Melba: Can anybody describe that dugout for me? I think I have in my mind what a dugout looks like.
Eula Mae: My vision – I was very young – but my memory tells me it was half dirt and part of it was kind of into the wall. It was built and covered, and we had a door that entered into it that we built out of something. I don’t recall. But I do remember that we would go around some way and walk up on the top of this little building, and we would have church up on top.
Melba: On top of your house?
Eula Mae: On top of the house, yes. We would sing and we would pray and we just– [Female interviewer and Eula Mae? talking over each other] We were out in the country and we had our own church service.
Melba: Well, you had a big enough family to have a congregation, didn’t you? It was big enough you had your own congregation. That’s great. That’s fantastic. I’m really enjoying pulling those memories out because I know a lot about our family history, but I’ve already heard several things already that it’s my first time hearing them. I really want to pull those. I want you to just reach back in there. That’s wonderful. You’re doing a great job. The baby over here doesn’t –
[all laugh]
Melba: She doesn’t remember a whole lot. So tell me Ella, how old were you when you all moved to –
[all talking over each other]
Ella: I haven’t the vaguest idea. Oh, wait, to Colorado? I was about nine or possibly ten years old. I was very young. I was in elementary school still. I’m was just listening to the beautiful memories of – I have not much input because I only recall Geary and even that was in elementary school, you know? All of my life I’ve lived out of state in Colorado. But I do vaguely recall – I don’t know exactly how old we were, but when they bring up the memories of church and what have you, that my dad, my sisters, and my brothers had this quartet. They were a group. He would take them to the old churches to sing, no music. I remember the voices. Larry Faye did tenor, sometimes did bass. Lilliam did so much lead and Myrtle was leader. I remember all of those sings where they would go and sing, and I know that they would carry me along. Such beautiful memories. I was too young to actually participate, but I do recall the quartet singing. It just touched my heart thinking about it.
Melba: Well, we did have the opportunity at one of our family reunions that we held in Geary, Oklahoma. At that time, I think we probably had all but one of the original family in Geary. I do remember when you all sang. I could hear everybody. You knew exactly where your parts were when you sang that song. I want you to sing a song. I’m going to start with having –
Eula Mae: I have a request, if I may, and I’m sure that Lilian would be able to do that.
Melba: Sure you can.
[talking over each other]
Eula Mae: “I’m Looking for the Stone that was Hewed out of the Mountain.” I do know she led that equally with Myrtle, if she recalls enough that she can do that. I think everybody would remember it.
Melba: Aunt Lilian led the song? And did everybody sing in with that?
Eula Mae: She would take the lead sometimes. Myrtle was the initial leader of the song, I think. But she was able to— I think they were doing some switching or something like that. Is that right? I’m not that...
Melba: And the rest of you – did you all join with her in on that song?
[All indicate yes]
Melba: Let’s cover another topic until Aunt Juanita gets back since you are missing a few of the original, but we certainly praise God for those that are here. What do you know about Grandfather Andrew Burl Hill? What do you know about his family?
Eula Mae: You mean our dad?
Melba: Your daddy.
Eula Mae: Oh, okay.
[all giggle]
Melba : Anybody? What can you remember about him? I have that he was born in 1985 in Rusk County, Texas. That’s on his death certificate. (Transcriber’s Note: She says 1985, but I believe she means 1885.)
Lilian: Not ‘85. Dad was born in 18--, not 1985.
Eula Mae: Mother was born in 1896 and Pop was born in 1894. 1894 was Dad, and 1896 was Mother’s.
Melba: Okay. This information, what I put here, it may be a type-o. It may have said ’94 on the death certificate. That was where I pulled the information from. He died in March –
Eula Mae: 1957.
Melba: Where was he when he passed away?
All together: Pueblo, Colorado.
Melba: So they held a memorial service for him in Pueblo and in Geary?
All together: Yes.
Melba: Oh. I remember going to Grandfather’s funeral, and one of the things that I remember, and this is a child’s thing. I would have been nine years old at the time. I remember all the children sitting together and watching the sisters cry, and it tickled us. We knew you’d better not laugh out loud or you’d be in great big trouble. I remember that we were so - I guess it was the first time we had seen all of you display that kind of emotion, and it was funny to us to watch you cry. Here I stand fifty-nine years later, and I think I get the picture. I think I understand that. We were waiting for you to get back, Aunt Juanita.
Juanita: Yes.
Melba: Aunt Lilian is going to do that song. She’s going to start it out and you know how you all join in there?
[All indicate yes]
Lilian: [singing] Well, I want that stone -
All: [other sisters joining in singing] That You left on the mountain that came a-rolling. I want that stone that was hewed out the mountain tearing down the kingdom of this world. I want that stone that was rolling, that stone that was rolling (repeat 10x), well I’m looking for the stone that was hewed out the mountain, I’m looking for the stone that came a-rolling, I’m looking for the stone that was hewed out the mountain tearing down the kingdom of this world, the stone that was rolling (repeat 10x), I found that stone that was hewed out the mountain, I found that stone that came a-rolling, I found that stone that was hewed out the mountain tearing down the kingdom of this world, the kingdom of this world.
Melba: Thank you, Aunties.
[all cheering, sighing, vocalizing and shouting words of praise, such as hallelujah and thank you Lord]
Melba: [crying, everyone is clearly feeling a bit emotional. Somewhere in the room it sounds like someone is winding an disposable camera] That concludes this interview with the remainder of the Hill-Blanchard-McKnight sisters. You are formerly called the Hill Girls, the children of Andrew Burl Hill, born in Rusk County, Texas and migrating to Geary, Oklahoma and Mary Marila Blanton Hill, born in Whitewright, Texas and migrating to Geary, Oklahoma. We know that we can see them joined in eternity at Geary Cemetery in Geary, Oklahoma. Praise the Lord.
[All sisters agree]
Melba: Thank you all. Thank you so much.
[You can tell the recording ended and is being resumed a short time later]
Juanita: Yeah, yeah, let’s do that one.
Ella: Papa used to sing that. You mean that song?
Juanita: Yeah, “Better home, ever since I have been...”
Melba: And this is a song that who sang?
Ella: Papa
Eula Mae: All of us
Melba: That grandfather used to sing?
Eula Mae: Yes, one of his old originals.
[all talking over each other, while Helen sings a line of a song]
Melba: Okay, work on it. Work on it. [Apparently encouraging everyone]
Eula Mae: Come on, Lilian.
Lilian: [sings] Every since...
[Sisters join]: ...I have been living in this world of sin, I have had trials almost every day, every day. Always something more or less to miss all my happiness. That is how I have pain all the way. I have started out to find a better home, a better home, where the trials of this life never come, never come. There with relatives and friends, Lord I’ll be so happy then in the presence of the Lord all the time. Satan tried to get me to live a hypocrite and to try to get around without a cross, without a cross. But I found out that would not do, for the word of God is true, and unless I lived a right life, I’d be lost. I have started out to find a better home, a better home, where the trials of this life never come, never come. There where the relatives and friends, Lord, I’ll be so happy then in the presence of the Lord all the time.
Amen
Juanita: And the song says, “when I was young, I began to think upon you.” Remember that? “My condition-”
Melba: “My condition as a sinner unsaved.”
Juanita: “And I at once made up my mind.” [She seems to have jogged their memories; everyone joins]
All speaking: “I made up mind, that while had sufficient time, that I would bow down on my knees and pray.”
Eula Mae: And then it says “I decided for awhile – “
Juanita: “I decided for a while...no.”
Helen: [whispered close to the mic] With a minute baby let me help you a little bit. I’ll be right back.
Melba: There you go. Okay.
Ella: It’s okay, nana. [something has apparently happened]
Juanita: “I at once made up my mind.”
Melba: “I decided--”
Juanita and Melba together: “That while I had sufficient-”
Melba: Now you’re not taking that are you? [It’s unclear whom is being addressed is here)
Ella: Ma, don’t worry about that.
Melba: Your business is over here, not over there. [Again, something is happening in the room]
Juanita: Hey Ella, come over here right quick. Yeah.
Ella: Listen to this quick one.
Juanita: [begins to sing] Be done...
[all singing and clapping] Be done, be done, be done. Let the will of the Lord be done, be done, be done, be done, be done. Let the will of the Lord be done. I’ll bring You praise. I’ll bring You praise. I’ll bring You praise. Let the will of the Lord be done, be done. When you pray, when you pray, when you pray, when you pray, let the will of the Lord be done. Preach the Word. Preach the Word. Let the will of the Lord be done, be done. Preach the Word. Preach the Word. Preach the Word. Let the will of the Lord be done.
[all cheering, sighing, laughing, praising the Lord. A hallelujah call and response]
Juanita: Read a book! [someone gives a whoop] Share the season! Sing that song to me! [she begins to speak in tongues]
Melba: Thank you
Helen: Give God the glory, girl. Give God the glory. He is worthy to be praised.
Ella: Yes, Lord
Melba: Y’all gonna let the baby girl lead a song?
Ella: Oh no, I don’t think Grandma wants to hear--
Juanita: You’re not gonna sing it for me? [clearly joking]
Eula Mae: Come on. Sing something so we can go.
Ella: I didn’t do no leading. [She laughs, perhaps embarrased]. I was just doing...
[all talking over each other. Someone sings the opening line of something to themselves.]
End of interview.