Irvin Francis

About Dreams and Memories on the Old Farm Irvin Francis

Born just after the Great Depression, in this engaging memoir, Francis offers a collection of sad, joyful and comical experiences while the family eked out a living on their hilly West Virginia farm. The impacts of Roosevelt's New Deal programs and World War II activities, sacrifices and opportunities provide insightful stories of child and adult lifestyles, and many changes that occurred within this small agrarian community. Living without electricity was an adventure in itself. The Pleasant Valley country store with its pot-bellied stove played host to Friday night card games and story telling-all told to be the truth-until Gillette's Friday Night fights took center stage. Adam "Pop" Francis lost his first wife and only daughter shortly after her birth. His youngest of four sons was tragically killed at the age of four. After four years he married again and had three more sons-this author being the youngest. Mom and Pop taught their sons to act as "surrogate mothers" to lambs in winter, chicks in summer and calves throughout the year. Hunting provided the traditional family sport, meat for the table and us kids income from selling furs.