Elder Interview-Ethel Cooper
Name/Title
Elder Interview-Ethel CooperEntry/Object ID
A.2008.001.050Tags
Needs Accession Sheet, Needs Location, Needs PhotoDescription
Cooper, Ethel Yomy (House) Born 4/14/1927 Parents: Aaron House and Ruth (Cornelius) Baird Stepfather: Cornelius Baird Paternal grandparent: Aaron House Sr. Maternal grandparents: Calvin Cornelius and Katie (Powless) Cornelius She thinks she was born at St. Vincent Hospital. She had 4 sisters and no brothers. Her parent’s spoke Oneida language and her grandparent’s did also. I spoke it a little. When I was young we lived in Green Bay on Mason St. Her father started to work at a young age at the Green Bay painting mill until he die at the age of 47. My mother had to support her 4 girl’s so they moved back to Oneida they lived with my grandmother Katie at Chicago Corner. Mother married later on, and then we moved back to Green Bay. Their house burned down and they lost everything there. So they had to start all over. I went to school at the Oneida Mission and then went to Nicolet High School in De Pere. My teacher at the Oneida Mission was Alice Cornelius. The school was just one big room. I graduated 8th grade from Oneida Mission. My mother was always working. I was only 10 years old when dad died. Mother would make a list of thing to do around the house before she would get home. She worked at the Oneida golf Club and Prange’s in Green Bay. She worked at custom Chile in Green Bay. My grandmother Cornelius played the organ at the Church for 25 years, and grandfather sang solo. Grandmother made braided rug’s, she also was a good steamers and did a lot of crocheting and lace work, she was handy in everything. My mother was in the Oneida Hymn Singer, they sang at funerals and wakes. In the summertime the first job was picking beans and then cherries for 5 cents a pail in Sister Bay. Then I was taken out of school. I did all the house work and we didn’t have electricity or running water. Mother was a welder in Sturgeon Bay until after the war. Then we moved back to Green Bay, I was still taking care the house work, in the morning and then I’d work from 3 o’clock til 10 o’clock at the Larson Canning Co. in Green Bay. We lived in Oneida when I had 2 children. They were born in Green Bay My husband Harry did constructions work. They married in 2/9/1946. And he worked at Northern Paper Mill in Green Bay. Then he worked for Wisconsin Tree Co. He had an all Indian crew. Then he worked for Solar Battery Co. I worked until my son came home from the service, I babysit for my grandchildren Advice to the young is to stay in school and get a higher Education. And have respect for others.Recording Type
Audio/VisualCollection
Elder InterviewsCataloged By
Gerzetich, Courtney (Cottrell)Category
Digital Media