Elder Interview-Robert Bob King
Name/Title
Elder Interview-Robert "Bob" KingEntry/Object ID
A.2008.001.252Tags
Needs Accession Sheet, Needs Location, Needs PhotoDescription
King, Robert "Bob" Irving Born 03/24/1924 Parents: Rose King (Schuyler) and Antone King Maternal Grandparents: William Schuyler and Eva Schuyler Paternal Grandparents: Martin King and Elizabeth King Father did a lot of farm work for the Garvey’s. Father had to sell his land, when two of his daughter’s and got sick and passed away, to pay for Medical bills. Mother was a stay at home mother, she went to Boarding School in Oneida. Both parents spoke the Oneida Language, but never taught the kids to speak it. The house we lived in had no running water of electricity, had to haul the water. We used Oil lamps for light. Mother was a Seamstress for them at home only. She was a cooked good too, and made corn soup and corn bread. I can make the soup, but not the cornbread. I do a lot of cooking for myself. My job around the house was to haul in water and carry on wood, when he was younger, but there was always time to play. My father would go out to woods and get some kind of roots, to make into a tea, for anyone that got sick. My Uncle would drink that, he never went to the Doctors and never got sick. One time my uncle fell down and broke his hip, so I took him to the Hospital and 6 hour later he passed away. It wasn’t from the broken hip that killed him, he ended up with Pneumonia and that’s what killed him. Christmas at home wasn’t much; we had a tree and made their decorations. We use to string popcorn and cranberries to hang on the tree. We went Hoyahing and got a lot of donut, some were kind of greasy, maybe because it was too cold out. He thought Hoyahing meant Happy New year. Remembers 4th of July, and Decoration Day. Julius Summers, use to blow the Bugle. I remember a lot of classmates from school, mostly al guys, don’t remember to many girls, they didn’t impress him much. Then he went to the CC Camp, get up make your bed and get cleaned up, then go the breakfast, when breakfast was done , then you go do your job that was assigned to you. Wore a Military Uniform and got paid $5.00 a month. We could only sign up for 6 months at a time. I was 18 years old when I went into the service. I got a job in Construction when I got out of the service. Then I got married in 1946, I married a Metoxen lady, he has 2 sons and 1 daughter. Throughout all his travels he took a lot of pictures, he has to sort through them all. He went through about 40 States through his travels. He worked at the Indian School in Milwaukee for many years. Then moved back to Oneida and worked for The Radisson Hotel for many years then went to Custodial and that was the hardest job I’ve ever had. Advice to the young people. Stay in school and get an education and have more of responsibility, instead of jumping on the Computer and T.V. be strong and learn the Language.Recording Type
Audio/VisualCollection
Elder InterviewsCataloged By
Gerzetich, Courtney (Cottrell)Category
Digital Media