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WEST VIRGINIA

HILLBILLY MISCONCEPTIONS

Yep, I am a West Virginia hillbilly. Never have denied it and am proud of it. Growing up in these hills, I just took for granted that everybody was about the same all over , never really thought much about it. Then when I was about nine years old our cousins came to visit from Virginia, didnt really think much about it until they tried to talk. Now you would think West Virginia and Virginia people would talk pretty much in the same manner, but they dont. They lived in the city and we lived in the mountains, so I guess that made the difference. I didnt really understand much of what they said the whole week they were there, but liked them anyway. Well, when my Aunt talked to my Mother after that, she said her children enjoyed being at our house, even though they couldnt understand what we said. Now, I say , that was surprising to me. I talked just as plain as day, while they were there, so if they didnt understand me then they were at fault. I know that we made fun of some of their words and expressions after they left. They would say something that sounded like " Lets go in the hoose." I finally undrestood that they wanted to go in the "house". They asked for "soda" and we asked for "pop". After we all grew up we were talking about that first visit and learned that they also made fun of the way we talked, So I guess it depends on which side of the fence you are on, whether you talk with an accent or not. Now in my later years I learned that city people had the most astounding ideas about us hillbillies that I had ever heard. I have collected a few through the years and will try and clear up the misconceptions, Below are a few of the questions that I or a member of the family have been asked.

1. BAREFOOT AND PREGNANT:: This question was asked by a Pennsyvania School Teacher who taught my daughter in High School. His question for the girls in the class was " DO YOU WANT TO END UP BAREFOOT AND PREGNANT?? Now, I ask you wasnt that a stupid question? First of all most people" ARE" barefoot when they get pregnant and second , you really dont have to be in West Virginia to get pregnant. So my answer to the teacher (when I visited him the next day was: ) " I have been both barefoot and pregnant, but both was a choice; not because I didnt have any shoes or birth control.

2, DOES WEST VIRGINIA HAVE ROADS: This question was asked by a Georgia woman, when my daughter lived down in Georgia, on an Army Base. My answer to that question is, "Yes, we do have roads, and from the taxes I pay, they should be super highways. But they "Aint" and I dont expect they will ever be. The roads wind around the mountains and there are several what we call " kiss your own butt curves". But my answer to that question is, "Yes, we sort of have roads around here."

3. DO COAL MINERS REALLY CARRY CANARIES IN THE MINES? This question was asked of me when I was down in North Carolina. Now, Get Real People!! Where in the world are the thousands of West Virginia Coal Miners going to get enough canaries for every miner to carry one in the mines. Not only is it bad luck to take a bird in the mines , but the Humane Society would never stand for it. So Please try to use common sense, before asking questions.

4. DO WEST VIRGINIANS REALLY MARRY THEIR COUSINS ? This question has been asked by people from several areas. Now this is a hard one to answer. I use to resent that question, until I got into Genealogy. But I have to admit that it is entirely possible to marry ones own cousin. The records that I have searched indicate that people in all states seem to be guilty of that, so the answer is a definate Yes, a lot of people have married their own cousin.

5. DID YOU EVER GO TO SCHOOL? A woman in North Carolina, asked me this question once. My answer was simple. "Yep, I did.". I find that a simple hillbilly answer to a stupid question usually does the trick.

6. WHERE DID YOU GET THAT ACCENT ? Asked by many, many people who have ever heard me talk. And I have no idea what they mean. As far as I can tell I dont have a accent. Cause when I was growing up, if my Mom heard me trying to talk with an accent she would say " You stop trying to talk like them city people". So I never did get good at talking with an accent.

7. DO ALL WEST VIRGINIANS HAVE MOONSHINE STILLS? My Aunts use to live in Chicago and they were asked this question many times. Well, I can honestly say that I dont have a Still. Not yet anyway. But if the economy in West Virginia gets any worse, I may consider getting one. They say moonshining runs in the blood. And if so, I would probably be good at it, since my Grandpaw Blankenship was a moonshiner from old Buchanan County Virginia. And my Dad use to keep "Homebrew" in a big crock, out behind the house when I was growing up. But he didnt have a Still. So I guess the answer to that question is: "No, Not all West Virginians have Stills."

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