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Kelly Krieger

Professor Andrus

English Comp 1001

20 November 2014

American Ingenuity: Shaping the Country

The everyday lifestyle of the American people is constantly changing. This lifestyle

change occurs in many ways such as in customs, technology, laws, and family. When looking

into the past it is obvious that America changes over time. Customs, technology, and laws each

contribute to change in the Job Market. Even the family dynamic has changed over the years.

While types of Jobs change overtime the idea of Jobs have not. But as jobs have changed so has

the education requirements to get a certain type of job. Jobs will forever be a part of the

American lifestyle for without jobs there would be a lack of drive, self-worth, and innovation.

Same for family biological or not it is part of the American lifestyle. Family teaches people to

have the drive, self-worth and innovation which contributes to the ever changing job market.

Jobs, family, and education are a part of America’s past, present, and future without them

America would not be able to strive economically. The Hartsogs, Bonhams, Stickley , and

Krieger families impacts America Jobs such as framing tobacco, coal mining, social work, and

nursing all affect the economy in significant ways and require different amounts of education.

To begin the origin of the Bonham family starts with Cephas Eleaney Hartsog who was

born on October 22, 1874. Rumor says he was born to a Nettie Hartsog Sullivan at 16 years old

out of wedlock to Bill Childress of Chilhowie, Virgina. He was raised by his Mother and Step-

Father Amos Sullivan and grew up with two half-brothers and two half-sisters. The family

resided in the Idlewild section of Ashe County North Carolina. Cephas married his first wife

Mary Powers they had two children together Etta Mae and Lee. Mary died in childbirth during

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the birth of her son Lee who later died at age of 3 months. Cephas then married the daughter of

Lugenia and Solomon Nelson Howell, Hattie Caroline Howell who is the third child of eleven

children and born on April 13th, 1894 and twenty years younger than her husband. Cephas

Hartsogs raises tobacco on a small farm in Ashe County North Carolina. He also did some house

carpentry for all of his life. The place where his mother, step- father, first wife, and infant son are

buried on a hill above the home he built and made most of the furniture.

Before the harmful effects of tobacco use were realized, in 1617-1793 “tobacco was the

most valuable staple export from the English American mainland colonies and the United States”

(Tobacco). Eventually tobacco became the chief incentive for economic growth of the colonies.

The laborers of the tobacco crop were the servants but later slaves imported from the West Indies

and Africa began to tend to the crop (Tobacco). The “quantity of tobacco shipped to Great

Britain rose from twenty thousand pounds in 1617 to over 40 million pounds in 1727”

(Tobacco). By the year 1775 the colonies supply most of Europe with tobacco. Later in 1860 the

Cephas and Hattie Hartsog

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United States produces more than twice as much tobacco as in 1775. (Tobacco). Around the

time of the Civil War the “American production of tobacco had nearly doubled again, led by

increased demand for smoking tobacco and cigarettes” (Tobacco). After Civil War and the

abolition of slavery the “small independent farmers, mostly white, and tenant farmers, both black

and white, grew most of the tobacco; their families assisted in cultivation” (Tobacco).

Cephas Hartsog began to farm tobacco during the late 19th century and during the early to

mid-20th century. But even before tobacco was part of Cephas’s life he needed a little education.

He was born a little after the time, “In 1869-70, there school year was only about 132 days long

compared to about 180 today” (Snyder 27). The students take time off in order to help with

harvests and other work on the farm. Students also would take time off because of the lack of

medicine and hygiene made students more vulnerable to illness (Snyder 27). Those students

who graduated High School around the time where only “about two person receiving high school

diploma per 100 17-year olds” (Snyder 30). High education through the years “1869-70 only

63,000 students were attending higher education institutions though out the country” (Snyder

64).

Cephas only had about the education of an 8th grade student. He did not need much of a

formal education to be a tobacco farmer to support his family as much of his job was manual

labor. During Cephas’s lifetime he and many others did not need a formal education to make a

living. Most Americans were not educated as well as they could have been but there was no need

for most American’s to be educated for the jobs did not require much of an education. Cephas

and his second wife Hattie Carolina Howell lived there entire lives in the Nella Community of

Ashe County, North Carolina.

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Cephas Hartsog died on March 19th 1963 followed by his wife who died on July 16th

1966. Even though Cephas Hartsog did not revolutionize America by tobacco farming. He still

affected the economy because as “Tobacco remained a central part of the North Carolina

landscape even through the period of prolonged instability that occurred after the Civil War and

lasted into the Great Depression” (Griffith). As time passes “family-farm and farm-community

identities yet increasingly seeming a viable economic enterprise to fewer and fewer families and

communities” (Griffith). So Cephas made is living with a job during a time where it is becoming

more and more difficult to be a successful tobacco farmer. As his family helps tend the crops he

would have not been a successful tobacco farmer without the help of his family. That even with

his lack of education he was able to be a successful tobacco farmer in the 20th century.

Cephas Hartsog’s Birthday

Cephas and Hattie had eleven children who all grew up tending to the crops on the family

farm. Julia Magdalene their fourth child born on November 2nd 1913 married Arthur Theodore

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Bonham on October 4th 1932. Arthur Bonham was born on January 2nd 1907 he grew up in the

care of his grandmother because of his parents’ divorce. He sometimes came to Ash County

North Carolina to visit his mother there he meet Julia at the Ash County Chatauque he continued

to come back to Ash County until they got eloped together. They then moved to West Virginia

and Julia and Arthur lived with his grandparents till he got a job as a coal miner.

Arthur Theodore Bonham

Coal Miners “worked an average of 238 days and produces 4.71 net tons prises” in the

year 1930 around the time Arthur was born (Kiessling 84). “West Virginia alone contains more

than half of the country’s probable supply” of bituminous coal (Kiessling 85). In the year 1928

41,000,000 tons of coal by Class 1 railroad were delivered from eight southern states for the use

of railroad fuel and 39,000,000 tons were uses for coke manufacture, mainly in East and Middle

West America (Kiessling 87). Then by “1949 coal accounted for 37% of the energy consumed”

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(Alters 53). Eventually in the early 1970s coal mining only provided 17% of Americans’ energy.

Due to the concerns of pollution and the nuclear power as a new energy source (Alters 53). Only

three years later the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries directed people attention on

the fact that a heavy reliance foreign energy sources would have a “crippling effects that

dependence could have on the U.S economy […] the nation revived its interest in domestic coal

as a plentiful and economical energy source.” (Alters 53). Then in 1977 America as a nation

consumes 625.3 million short tons of coal (Alters 60).

Arthur Bonham earned a High School Diploma before his decision to become a coal

miner for a short period of time. As the Coal Mining in America declines education begins to

rise. Between the years 1929-30 the school year lengthened to 175 days per year since then the

days spent in school has only had minor changes (Snyder 36). Those students who graduate High

School also began to rise during 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s. “In 1939-40 the ratio rose above 50

percent for the first time” (Snyder 39). During World War II those who graduated High School

fell as most young man joined the armed forces then after the war the graduation rates began to

pick up again. Julia attended school in Ashe County in North Carolina a school that her father

Cephas had built.

As Coal Miners line of work is a very beneficial line of work for coal provides with

American with most of its energy though out the early to mid-20th century. As “The coal industry

has played a major role in the culture and history of West Virginia, establishing an identity as the

“backbone” of the economy in this region” (Blaacker). West Virginia “was a frontier of

American industrial capitalism during the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth c. despite popular

beliefs to the contrary” (Lewis). Arthur Bonham did not exactly dominate the coal mining career

path he did contribute to economic success of West Virginia and the United States of America.

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Even with only a High School Diploma Arthur did successfully contribute to the American Coal

industry.

Julia Magdalene Hartsog Bonham

Mary and Arthur Bonham had three children together Theodore Sylvester born on August

25th, 1933 and Mary Jane born on January 13th, 1935 then when the son and daughter were 17

and 16 years their Mother gave birth to another son Mitchell Wayne on October 10th 1950. The

oldest son Theodore married Bonnie Alice on November 22nd 1956. He owned a car lot and had

two children Patricia Margaret and Lisa Ann. He later died in 2007. Then Mitchell became a

lawyer and married Janice Cornett on September 10th 1970. They had two children together

Brain Winsor and Brendon Arthur.

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After all of Arthur’s time in the coal mines he developed Black Lung Disease “caused by

inhaling coal dust which accumulates in the lungs, and forms black bumps or coal macules on

the bronchioles” (Rehkopf). He and his family moved to Ohio were he got a job with the

Montgomery Cemetery. Then 18 months after Arthur had is first Hear Attack he had another one

that killed him on November 23rd 1991 he was 84 years old. Then 10 years later Julia dies on her

birthday in the year 2001 at the age of 88.

Arthur and Julia Bonham

A little after Mary Jane graduated from Mullians High School in West Virgina in the year

1952 “the graduation ratio resumed its upwards trend, reaching 70 percent in 1959-60” (Synder

30). Then then in the late 1960s the number of students who graduated High School peaked a 77

percent before falling back down to 71 percent in 1979-80 (Synder 30). During the 1950s

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“college enrollment rose by 49 percent” (Synder 65). Then in the 1960s enrollment rose by 120

percent by the end of the decade “college enrollment was as large as 35 percent of the 18-24-year

old population” (Synder 65).

When Mary Jane moved to Cincinnati Ohio where she met Jerome Stickley they married

in the year 1957. Mary Jane had five children with him Chandra Renee, Tara Lee, Julie

Catherine, Jennifer Babette, and John Jerome. Later Mary Jane and Jerome divorced. She then

raised the children as a single Mother before marrying Paul Litchenberg. In the year 1980 she

graduated from University of Cincinnati Blue Ash formerly known as the college of Raymond

Walters, with an Associate’s Degree in Social Work.

Mary Jane Bonham

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Julie Catherine Stickley was born on August 21st 1962. She graduated Mount Notre Dame

High School in the year 1980. She later saved up enough money to attend the University of

Cincinnati Blue Ash. She earn an Associate’s Degree Nursing and Graduated from college in the

year 1988.

Julie Catherine Stickley

In 1979-1980 the percentage of High School Graduates fell back down from 77 percent to

71 percent. The ratio went back to what is was in the late 1960s (Synder 30). By the year 1979

women constitutes the majority on college campuses. College Enrollment only increased 17

percent between the years 1979-1989 (Synder 66).

Prior to the 1960 nurses were trained at a hospital not at a college or university but are

now almost nonexistent (Judd 263-64). Nursing Associates Degree Programs were “created

during the 1950s to deal with the nursing shortage” (Judd 264). In the 1980s the shared

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governance was” implemented in the 1980s, allowing nurses to contribute to and share in

decision making processes” (Judd 269).

Being a nurse in the 20th century is a difficult task because it involves being in charge of

another person’s life. As the criteria to become a nurse has changed the nurses job is still needed

to impact others’ lives. For Nurses impact the economy differently as well.

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Works Cited

Alters, Sandra M. Coal. Detroit: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.

Blaacker, Debra, Joshua Woods, and Christopher Oliver. "How Big is Big Coal? Public

Perceptions of the Coal Industry's Economic Impact in West Virginia." Organization &

Environment 25.4 (2012): 385-401. ProQuest. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

Griffith, David. "The Moral Economy of Tobacco." American Anthropologist 111.4 (2009): 432-

42. Print.

Judd, Deborah M., and Kathleen Sitzman. A History of American Nursing: Trends and Eras.

Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2014. Print.

Kiessling, O. E. "Coal Mining in the South." Annals of the American Academy of Political and

Social Science 153.1 (1931): 84-93. Print.

Lewis, Ronald L. "Appalachian Restructuring in Historical Perspective: Coal, Culture and Social

Change in West Virginia." Urban Studies 30.2 (1993): 299-308. ProQuest. Web. 20 Nov.

2014.

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Rehkopf, Linda. "Black lung disease." Environmental Encyclopedia. Ed. Marci Bortman, Peter

Brimblecombe, and Mary Ann Cunningham. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003.

Biography in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

Snyder, Thomas D. 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. Vol. 1. DIANE

Publishing, 1993.

“Tobacco.” The Reader's Companion to American History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2014.

Credo Reference. Web. 6 November 2014.v