Interviews with older folks

          Transcribed by Joe Stout
 

This is not a commercial venture, but is a true history of the Region, being gotten up by C. R. DOWLAND, a native son, out of pride in his home community, and is financed entirely by him.  It is a labor of love, and without any obligation to you, whatsoever. 

Answers to the following questions will be of interest to readers of the whole region, as well as to the members of your own family and their descendants.  Of course, it will be
impossible to include any family in this history who fails to fill in these blanks, or as much of the information as they can remember.  Mail this questionnaire, after filling out, to: C. R. DOWLAND, colonial hotel, Greenfield, Tennessee.

1. Name of person furnishing information: J.  D. SULLIVAN
2. Name of business: Popcorn Johnnie       Address: Greenfield, Tennessee
3. Nature of business; or occupation  Concessionaire and Farming
4. Name of owner:  J. D. SULLIVAN               How Long in business:  30 years
5. Grandfather's name, on father's side, age, and whom he married: Elijah
SULLIVAN - died  at age  70 -  Puss ORR
6. Where were your grandparents from, where did they settle, and where
living now: Seiminary Church     -    Dead
7. Father's name, age, whom he married and whose daughter was she: Henry
SULLIVAN died seven years ago  -  Alice SULLIVAN  -  Jim SULLIVAN
8. Where father is from, where did he settle and where living now: Seminary
9. Your name: J. D. SULLIVAN      Age 48     Married whom:   Vera RACHELS
Whose Daughter:    John RACHELS
10. Names of brothers and sisters:  Loraine SULLIVAN   Married whom: Jack
RACHELS  Where living now?      Greenfield, TN
11. Names of your Children:  Earl J. SULLIVAN     Age 25  Married Whom:  Sue
JONES   Whose son or daughter?  Romey JONES     Where living now?
Greenfield, TN
12. Names of Grandchildren:
13. Your religious Denomination:  M E        Political Party:   Dem
      Fraternal organization:  Mason        What office held:  None

If there is insufficient space, use reverse side for any additional
biographical information about yourself, or older ancestors.

Mail To:  C. R. Dowland, Colonial Hotel, Greenfield, Tennessee.

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INTERVIEW OF J. D. SULLIVAN BY C. R. DOWLAND

Q: When you started in this here enterprise, had you inherited an enormous fortune from someone, or did you start on your own? 

A: I started on my own.  I started in the 5 cent business when I was 6 years old, working for the other fellow, of course.  I worked for my father on the farm, but I did not run to him on Saturday Night for money.  I made my own money.  I started out in the newspaper business.  I had about four or five weekly papers, the Saturday Evening Post, the Country Gentleman, the Ladies Home Journal - Oh, about six or seven weekly papers.  There were more people here, it seems, that there are now.  I had everybody in town reading my papers.  I did not let a single customer get by.  If one of them stopped a paper, I would sell him another one.  I thought that I just had to have everybody reading at least one of my papers. I would not let a customer get by.  I got in the pop corn business later on, and once in the five cent business, it looked like I could not get out of it.

Q. How old were you when your father died?

A: My father has been dead about seven years.

Q: Oh, you rooted your own hog, even though he was living.

A:  Yes, I have enjoyed my business as much as anyone could enjoy any business.  I can take a youngster and tell what is in him.  I have watched  them go on through High School and College.  It looks like to me what is born in a boy is what will come out.

(* this paragraph was altered, names left out, by Joe Stout.)..I hate to see a young boy as a teenager drift off with this bunch that is wrong, and if he does, he is gone.  I had a boy that used to sell pop corn for me.  He had a brother that got killed in Germany.  His name was Dan.  I began to see this boy get in with the wrong crowd and I says:  You are switching on the wrong track.   He says:  Oh, there is no harm in going with him, I am not going to do anything wrong.   It was not long before he got into trouble over here in Kentucky, and was sent to the penitentiary.  He served his time out, and when he got back, he saw me and throwed up his hand and says:  If I have thought of what you told me one time, I have thought of it a million.

Q:

Where did you actually start with your popcorn machines - Where did you first start going to fairs?

A: The first fair I ever made was Fulton, Ky.  It was an old gasoline spring machine, and I shipped it there by freight.  The Secretary gave me a location near to the grand stand.  Everybody would pass me up and not buy anything.  I watched the other machines in different other locations, and they were buying from them.  I figured it out that you had to have a location to sell anything.  So it came in my mind if I was going to make anything at the fairs, I could not ship my machines by freight  and I would have to get a truck.

I went to Mr. WADE, and tried to ge an exclusive franchise on the whole thing, and he says:  I think it can be arranged.   So next year I bought two more machines and a  T  model truck.  He gave me the exclusive franchise, and I gave him a little extra for the places and made out all right.  The first year I got homesick and wanted to go home. 

I knew that it was the location, and that people would not buy right at the grandstand as they came in.  I then went to Jackson, Tenn., and B. F. BERRY, the Fair Secretary, says:  I have not sold the exclusive on anything.   So I picked out my own locations.  Some of the others would not pay for their concessions, and would leave, and he did not get all of his money.  They would come up with three or four dollars and tell him that is all they had, and they would pay the balance later and then run off and not pay him at all.  I told him I would buy two more machines and take care of all the business, so I traded with Mr. BERRY at Jackson. 

I then went to Memphis with Mr. J. P. SLOAN.  He had been trying to sell some locations, and those fellows would not pay him, so the Fair Secretary there asked  me to get enough machines to take care of all this business, and he says:  We can then sell you the whole exclusive franchise , and I says:  What about the ice cream business along with it?   He said that was all right with him, and I had the ice cream, pop corn and all for several years down there.  So I then got started with the Cotton Carnival, and handled all that.

Q: In how many towns, roughly speaking, have you had corn poppers, first and last?

A: I would say about twelve or fourteen different towns, as far as Memphis, Tupelo, Miss., and in Alabama and Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.

Q: What is the total number of machines that you have had working for you at one time?

A: As high as 8 or 10 machines working at one time.

Q: Now I am going to ask you some questions, and you can answer them or not answer them.  That is the right of an American Citizen.  What would you say your gross volume would run at the most?

A: Well, that would be hard to say, and I believe I would rather not try to go into that.  I have also handled a lot of snow ball machines.  It has been a pleasure, and I have really enjoyed it and I think my son, Earl J, as soon as he gets his discharge from the army, will fall right into my line.

Q: How many acres have you had in pop corn at any one time?

A: I had about 65 acres last year.  I am not planning on raising that much this year, only about 17 acres.  How come me to raise that corn was it looked like there was not going to be any pop corn raised.  There was such a shortage of pop corn that you could not buy it, and I figured I would start raising it myself.

Q: Did you ever stage any out-door picnics of your own?

A: Yes, I have messed around with them some in my own groves, and in partnership with other fellows, but there are so many people in the business, you can t make much out of it.  When these entertainers ask you $600. or $700. for just a little entertainment, you cannot afford it. 

Q: You have had some pretty big crowds though?

A: Yes, but not as big as yours.  The first one I had, I was discouraged.  I did not notice but a very few out of my town.  I learned that there is not a great many people from town who go. Naturally each year a few more would come out.  With my place, it is a little different from Grady s.  I can get more people at night  than in the day time.  At night they will come in from Martin, and the other towns.  The people I get in the day time, they come from Trenton and around Skullbone.  I made up my mind to have good clean entertainment with no beer.  People will not go to a place with their children where there is beer.  Now at Martin they wanted a big beer stand.  If you sell beer they will drink whisky, and say they only had a bottle or two of beer, and you sold it to them.  If you don t sell beer, and they drink whisky, you know they did not get it from you.  For the past few years, you could not get soft drinks, and I think that it is necessary to sell soft drinks for 5 cents at a picnic.  People will pay 10 cents for soft drinks at a ball game and think nothing of it, but they will not do it at a picnic.  The best way is to let the bottling companies take the chance on the bottles.  You pay them a little more on the case and let them worry about it.

Q: How many houses and lots do you own here?

A: Just my house and lot.  I have sold all my other lots here in town. 

Q: How many acres of farm land do you own?

A: 150 acres.

Q: Did you used to dabble with strawberries?

A: Yes, I am still handling strawberries.  I have several acres of strawberries.  You can come near to getting 25 acres of strawberries picked than you can 5 acres.  People like to have a good crowd around.  I get over two thirds of a stand, and in the spring I am planning on setting at least 15 acres.

My father, as long as I can remember, he had a patch of strawberries, and have never heard him say that he lost money.  He sometimes would not come out very good or make very much, but I never heard him say that word "Loss."

I believe that with the canning industry what it has been in the last 5 years and it seems that it will continue, the strawberry business will be good.  I think I will be able to get a ton and a half truck in May.  I will use that to get my hands up around Martin.  I will pay a man to get the hands together, and round them up and keep them together, and I will go up in my truck and get them.  I pay the man so much per hand for getting them
for me.

We have as good soil for raising strawberries as anywhere.  Over in Arkansas, the land is too rich for them, and I believe that this section right around here is better than anywhere else.

I have worked the Strawberry Festival.  It will  be May 9th and 10th this year.  When my son was going to school, I did not encourage him to go in this business, but I believe that when he gets his discharge, he will come in with me.  I let my employees work on a percentage basis.  Roy POPE went to work with me.  He used to go to Memphis and make $100. a week.  He is now in the novelty business for himself.

I did not get to go to school, but it was my own fault.  I won't encourage a boy to get in business until he has completed his education.  I could have worked my way through college, if I had wanted to.  I do not advocate a boy going on through college before getting into business, but I do think he should finish high school at least before going into business.