The Writings of Roy Lang

1917-1998

Written by Roy Lew Lang, September 10, 1992.

Bracketed information is provided by Maria Lang.

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It seems that all my earliest memories are connected with my maternal grandparents [Armentrout]. Like once at about two years of age I went to the outdoor "privy" with my mother and grandmother. This was a three holer which was common with large families. My grandmother reached under me brushing my bottom with a piece of paper. I complained that now I could not finish my movement because she had already wiped me.

One of the earliest things I remember was my mother took me to visit my grandparents when they were working in the timber cutting area. They lived in what was called a shantycar.

This was a boxcar like structure that was moved on a flat rail car, and set off along the tracks in the timber cutting area. We rode back into the woods in a model T outfitted with train wheels. I was two or three years old.

One other memory that I have is of the farm my grandparents lived on near Muddlety, WV. On at least two mornings my grandmother and I caught a sun fish from a creek that ran through the farm, and cooked it for my breakfast.

One day my two Uncles, Jack and Charlie, were chewing tobacco. They asked me to try it. I said my mother would whip me if I did. They told me it was none of her business, and I should tell her where to go! The result was I got a good hard spanking.

The next memories of my grandparents are that they were running a boarding house at Arcola for the Howard Lumber Co. I spent one summer there so I have several memories of it. The area around there was very barren. The houses were all built of rough lumber placed vertically on the sides. The cracks were covered with a narrow three inch strip. Inside, most were lined with tar roofing paper. There was a creek between the road and most of the houses. The boarding house had about twenty rooms. Some of the workers roomed as well as ate there.

A wide porch ran almost entirely around the boarding house, this provided a great place for my cousins and I to play. On rainy days it was like having your own play house. There was always a place where you could be along with your thoughts.

It was on this porch that my cousin Veon Cox approached me once saying he was going to whip me (my uncles Charlie and Jack had convinced him he could). I tried to tell him he couldn't, but he took a swing at me. I punched him once in the chest. He ran to his mother who removed his clothes to check him for bruises.

Arcola was where I taught my cousin Maureen to play mumb-lte-peg. With the losing rutting the peg, half a match driven into the ground by the winner. I was often the winner.

I went to two different schools briefly while at Arcola. One was at Hardwood. This was a one-room school with seven grades taught by my Aunt Loretta. The other was north of Arcola and had three rooms and was taught by a short heavy man. I felt superior to these folds from the hills. One day we had boxing gloves and I put them on with a boy named Triplett who was about my age. I easily beat him which increased my confidence. His older brother then asked me to box with him. My ego was at a high.

[page(s) missing -- it picks up below. He is probably talking about his uncles as the ones who bought whiskey.]

. . . sheepskin coats year round. On weekends they would buy a gallon of whiskey. They would pour it into flat pint bottles. These they could slide into the lining of their sheepskin. Now they were set for the weekend.

There's were I came in. I collected a number of bottles and kept them washed and ready. these I sold to them for 10 cents. As they drank the whiskey they put the empties back in their coats and gave them back to me. I had money to buy all the books of Frank Merriwell, Billy West, and those written by Horatia Alger. Plus, I indulged myself in the fattening sweets available.

I was in the seventh grade and there ended my poor appetite and my skinny figure.

Camden only had once policeman. One day a still operator on a toot walked down the road shooting into the air. The policeman ran to the jail and locked himself in. Later the still operator gave his gun and gunbelt to my father [Carl Guy Lang] because he feared the State Officer would be called in.

My maternal grandparents were Virginia Elizabeth Armentrout and Lorenzo Jerdan Armentrout.

Since I say my earliest memories are mainly of maternal grandparents I guess the family of these grandparents should be listed. The two oldest children died at an early age. One at four months the other at about two years. Their names were Mary Agnes and Sarah Elizabeth.

The remaining children all lived to maturity. The oldest was Cecil, who married Bertha Lewis and had three children, La Gene, Beatrice and Claude.

The next in age was my mother, Bessie Elizabeth. She married Carl Guy Lang. They had two children. The first was stillborn, the other was myself, Roy Lew Lang. Bessie died at an early age 42. Her death was caused by an operation and complications.

Carl Guy married Lucy Teter about two years later and Mary Roberta was born. A premature baby survived only due to the excellent care of a sister at the hospital.

Next born was Loretta who married John Carl (Dewey) Gray. They had two offspring the first lived on a few months -- followed by Wanda Maureen next year.

Then came Ivey Belle. Her husband was Hortly Cox. Two sons were born, the first Veon, then Hortley, Jr.

A son was then born to [Lorenzo and Elizabeth], Okie D., who married Louise Mace. This marriage produced Virginia Ruth, Vernon, Robert and Shirley.

[Lorenzo and Elizabeth] then had a daughter, Thelma, who married Bert Tracy. Only one child blessed this union, James.

Another daughter [of Lorenzo and Elizabeth] was Dainty -- whose marriage to Fred Brewster did not last long, but produced Agnes Lee.

The youngest girl was Josetta who remained single until late in life. She then married James Wagner. They had no offspring.

A son was next [for Lorenzo and Elizabeth]. Charles -- who married Laurie Utt. They had six children, Wilda, Charles Jr., Betty, Bill, Mike and Cathy.

The youngest son [of Lorenzo and Elizabeth] was Emil Jerdan (Jack) who was married three times. First to Erma Boggs. They had one child, Jackoline. Erma died at an early age. Jack then married Bonnie Hammond. this marriage lasted only a few years due to the early death of Bonnie. They had no children together. Jack then married Ida Miller. They had two children, Gary and Debbie.

This family of ten children was a very close knit group who often disagreed, but heaven help any outsider who found fault with any one of them.

END

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