The autobiography of James Hill is a detailed and engaging look at life
in western North Carolina from the early twentieth century to the present
About the Author |
Foreword |
Preface |
Dedication |
Contents |
Chapter 1 |
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I HAVE BEEN
BLESSED!
Hard Work and Happiness
James M. Hill, Sr.
A remarkable story of making the best
of life's struggles and opportunities
Preface
I am glad to be sharing this story of my life. I am an ordinary man, but my life has
been special because of God’s blessings and my wonderful family. I’ve written this as a “Thank You” back to God and my family.
I was born in 1913 in a log cabin out in the woods in the foothills of North Carolina.
I grew up in the country without electricity or running water. From my childhood days till now, I have witnessed a mighty lot of change.
This book tries to get across the kind of family I grew up in, my experiences in life, and the
family I have now. It’s my story, and I tell it like it was for me.
It’s about what we went through, the good times and the bad. I don’t mean to put in friction,
but if there is some of it at times, what of it? That’s the way life was.
People did things different back then. When I was just a kid I was given responsibilities most people don’t get until they grow up. By the time I was eight years old, I did every kind of work around a farm that an adult did. The first time I drove a car to town I was ten years old. We didn’t need licenses to drive cars, we just needed a car!
This book is about challenges that kept popping up in my life and ways I was able to handle them with God’s help. I’ve learned that no matter what befalls me, God always blesses me.
Young folks especially might benefit from hearing more about the difficulties and wonders of life that we experienced in the early twentieth century. Others may enjoy taking a look back too.
I’ve been writing my life story for close to five years. Because of people’s curiosity, several times I printed out what I had written up to that point and I gave away or sold copies. I think I got as much out of handing out copies of these earlier versions of my story as people did in reading them. I feel good about putting this all down on paper.
Since I didn’t start writing this until I was in my late eighties, I was scared that my story wasn’t going to get written down. I was afraid that I’d get gone before this got done. But writing my first book at this age makes me wonder just what all I might do before I reach a hundred, the Lord willing!
Finally, I hope that this book will encourage you to write down at least some of your life story for your family and others to enjoy.
James M. Hill, Sr.
Rutherfordton, North Carolina
November 2005
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