IBARW: Family

[nex0s]

I listened to PopPop's tapes finally. Am still grateful to necturus for transferring them. Most of it is about PopPop's grandparents. Both his grandfathers were slaves. One did not tell his history to PopPop except did show him the scars he incurred. He was lashed for "being a disobedient servant". He was 94 at the time he showed them to PopPop. Dad has

Comments

[coraline]

did he perhaps say hod carrier? (it's a common term, it's a bricklaying thing, and it's not a term one often hears nowadays...)

[nex0s]

Yes, I think that's it. It's hard to hear parts. PopPop had cancer when he made these tapes over the period of a couple of years and sometimes his voice isn't as strong. Plus, they were made in 1977 on a home tape machine. It's not like high end recording stuff :) So, you hear the hiss of the tape, and the sound of the machine itself.

Add that to words I don't know and you get massive confusion :)

N.

[la_directora]

That was my guess, too. I only know it because of the Christy Moore song Missing You. There's a line that goes, "To where you're a Paddy, a Biddy or a Mick, good for nothing but stacking a brick. Your best mate's a spade and he carries a hod. Two work horses heavily shod." One of your basic, "It sucks in Ireland, but it's even worse when you try to go somewhere else," songs.

[beowabbit]

*Hugs.* Thank you for telling us these stories.

[la_directora]

I'm so happy for you that you have these stories. Sitting and listening to my grandmother and her sister tell stories from their childhood while I ran a videocamera made me feel very grateful. And their stories weren't always as interesting as these. :)

[beaq]

Man.

[boxofdelights]

Could it be "hod carrier"? That's the guy who carries bricks and mortar to the bricklayers.