Interview with Frank D. Clifton, November 5, 1988

Interview Summary

Frank Clifton, a native of Prestonsburg, Kentucky, was born in 1916. He was eleven years old when his family moved to Van Lear so that his father could work in the mines. He remembers how his mother used to play the banjo, but states that his father made her give it up. Mr. Clifton talks about his father drinking "right smart" but says that his father never neglected his family. Clifton also mentions the topic of politics in his home as a child and as an adult. He describes the need for a large family on a farm. Clifton also describes working in the mines and remembers a mine explosion in 1935 which killed several men. He recalls what happened to the families of the deceased miners. He also talks about diversity in Van Lear. Clifton remembers Mrs. Henry Singleton, a black woman, who taught the African American children in her home. He states that there were no serious prejudices against immigrant groups like the Italians and Hungarians.

Interview Keyword

Appalachian people Appalachian social issues Black coal miners Coal mining Consolidated Coal Company Drinking Election of 1988 Immigrant coal miners Johnson County (Ky.) 1935 mine explosion Van Lear (Ky.) Marriage Coal miners Coal mine accidents Race relations--Kentucky

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Clifton, Frank D., 1916- Clifton, Frank D., 1916- --Interviews

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.