Willistine McClain

Willistine McClain remembers her mother's holiday fruitcakes.

To hear more from Willistine McClain, listen to her full oral history "Williestine McLean - On her childhood, parents, food, and farming."

Willistine McClain begins the interview by sharing her childhood background of living in Darlington, SC with 12 siblings. She also includes her battle with cancer and having to attend UNC Hospitals for treatment. Willistine describes her parents’ relationship; her father was in his 20s and her mother was 13 when they married. Her mother had to work in the field, however, her father wanted her mother to tend to their 4 children and not work. She speaks on how her mother did all of the cooking until she was in 8th grade. She describes how live chickens became angered whenever her mother wore red, which was her favorite color. Ms. Willistine talks of how her father grew products such as corn, hot peppers, wheat for flour, sugar cane for molasses, tobacco, and cotton. Her father was also a brick layer and carpenter.