Interviewer
Richard Baquera
Project
Bracero Oral History Project
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Eleanor Martin was born on March 1, 1932, in Colorado City, Texas; her father worked for Southern Pacific Railroad, and as a result, they moved around quite often; she attended Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas; in order to support herself financially while going to school, she began working at Allison Farms as a payroll bookkeeper for braceros during the cotton season.
Summary of Interview
Ms. Martin briefly recalls how she spent much of her childhood moving around due to her father’s job with Southern Pacific Railroad; after graduating from high school, her parents moved to Tornillo, Texas, and she began going to school at Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas; in order to support herself financially she moved to Tornillo with her parents and began working as a bookkeeper for Allison farms; she kept the payroll books for the braceros during the cotton season; it was her responsibility to handle all the paperwork and financial figures for the weekly pay of the braceros; she details how they were paid and how and where they worked and lived; in addition, she describes how the cotton was weighed in order to calculate their salaries; because the cotton season lasted from September through January, she was able to go to school during the spring and summer semesters.
Date of Interview
3-17-2003
Length of Interview
67 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1562
Transcript Number
No. 1562
Length of Transcript
31 pages
Transcriber
Vanessa Macias
Interview Number
No. 1562
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Eleanor Martin by Richard Baquera, 2003, "Interview no. 1562," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.