Norman Lyda

Partial Transcript: The Lyda Family settled in what is now Henderson County in the late 1700’s. Norman is part of ~ the 6th generation of descendants. He also had ancestors who were part of the Mills family and were combatants in the Revolutionary War and the Battle of Cowpens; some were involved in the battle of Kings Mountain. Family members fought on both sides during the Revolutionary War. Ambrose Mills was captured by the British and hung; other members of the family were injured.

Keywords: 1700s; Battle of Cowpens; Henderson County; Mills family; Revolutionary War; Lyda Family

Partial Transcript: Andrew Lyda purchased several parcels of land in Henderson County in 1792; Henderson County and Buncombe County were originally part of Rutherford County until that year. He also bought 184 acres in what was then Transylvania County along the French Broad River. When he died, Jacob, his son took over most of the land. He was also known as Jacob the Pioneer. As time went on the land was divided among other descendants, some of who married into the Edney Family.

Keywords: Buncombe County; Henderson County; Rutherford County; Andrew Lyda

Partial Transcript: The Lyda family has a reunion in Edneyville to this day. Other family names associated with the family include Forest and Waters. Much of the family history has been passed down verbally so some stories cannot be verified.

Keywords: Edneyville; Forest and Waters; family history; Lyda family

Partial Transcript: Norman has done research on his family history in the Saint Paul’s cemetery in Edneyville.

Keywords: Saint Paul’s cemetery; family history

Partial Transcript: Original deeds include the names of Lyda, Andrew, David and William Mills. They owned large amount of land and formed a speculation company. They purchased land in the Clear Creek community which is part of Edneyville.

Keywords: Clear Creek community; speculation company; Andrew, David and William Mills

Partial Transcript: Squatters received part of that land if they followed legal guidelines. Some squatters lost that land because they did not follow all the necessary steps to claim it. Some who bought or squatted on the land came from England; these people often had money and were lords or governors in England. They may have been granted the land by England before the Carolinas existed.

Keywords: England; Squatters

Partial Transcript: Andrew Mills bought land but Norman does not know where his money came from as money seemed scarce as he grew up. His ancestors were farmers and hunters. One family story is that a man killed a bear with a knife on Bear Wallow mountain after the bear attacked his dogs. The same man went to Idaho and caught a bear with his dogs and was featured in the paper as a big game hunter.

Keywords: Bear Wallow mountain; Andrew Mills

Partial Transcript: Norman’s father quit school at the age of 15 to help the family keep the house, working in construction; he took over the apple orchard in his spare time. Norman started working in the apple orchard when he was 9 or 10, driving a tractor and hand-spraying the or hard. Eventually his father rented out the orchards for some time but eventually turned the orchard area into cattle land, which the family still uses. Norman’s mother worked in the school lunchroom.

Keywords: cattle land; apple orchard

Partial Transcript: Thanksgiving Day was hog-slaughtering day. The family did most of the work by hand since they were doing this on a small scale. Norman found this work unpleasant and describes the methods they used. They saved the meat in a smokehouse but infestation by insects was not uncommon.

Keywords: hog-slaughtering day; smokehouse; Thanksgiving Day

Partial Transcript: Norman’s brother taught himself to play the guitar, finger-picking style, performing in various venues. That brother died in a car wreck.

Keywords: finger-picking style; guitar; brother

Partial Transcript: Norman describes his childhood; He grew up in a very small house without much money but did not think of his family as poor. Most people lived as his family did. Entertainment consisted of listening to the Grand Ole Opry, riding horses, keeping chickens and ducks. The ducks created quite a mess. He was responsible for cutting and moving firewood and milking cows. He and his siblings worked planting crops too.

Keywords: Grand Ole Opry; childhood

Partial Transcript: His family started using coal for heat later which was quite messy. His mother cooked on a woodstove. They went to town no more than twice a month and bought what they needed, which was not much. He talks about pumping gas for around fifteen cents a gallon. He says there was two or three smalls stores, eventually closed when larger, more modern stores opened.

Keywords: pumping gas; coal for heat

Partial Transcript: Norman describes the schools that were built in Edneyville, originally a wood building that was replaced by a brick building. Grades 1 – 12 attended, until the high school opened in around 1955. Children primarily rode buses to school. Very few students in the high school drove.

Keywords: schools; Edneyville

Partial Transcript: Norman talks about what changes in farming practices have occurred since his childhood. Tractors that used to be pulled by horses, were replaced with motorized equipment. He discussed how they gathered corn crops. He discusses the mechanization of farming, including robotic equipment.

Keywords: mechanization of farming; motorized equipment; robotic equipment; changes in farming practices

Partial Transcript: Norman talks about how electronics have changed family interactions and entertainment now. He mentions how food production and family dinner habits have changed with supermarkets and convenience foods. He talks about how children use their imaginations less now. He thinks there is some return to people having an appreciation of farming and non-electronic entertainment.

Keywords: food production; family interactions

Partial Transcript: Norman says education and to some extent some religious beliefs are important. Kindness and politeness are qualities that young people should learn.

Keywords: religious beliefs; education

Subjects: Kindness and politeness are qualities that young people should learn.

Partial Transcript: Norman thinks the travel, domestically and internationally, which he did while in the Air Force was educational, giving him an appreciation for different parts of the U.S. and of the world. He met a woman in Mexico whom he married, and he left the service to return to this area where they raised their family.

Keywords: Air Force; travel