Eleanor Martin
Title
Eleanor Martin
Description
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.
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.
Creator
Baquera, Richard
Martin, Eleanor
Date
2003-03-17
Subject
Bookkeeper at Allison Farms
Contributor
Cristóbal Borges
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
eng
title (Spanish)
Eleanor Martin
creator (Spanish)
Martin, Eleanor
contributor (Spanish)
Cristóbal A. Borges
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Original Format
Digital, WAV, MP3
Duration
1:10:00
Interviewer
Baquera, Richard
Interviewee
Martin, Eleanor
Location
El Paso, Texas
File Name Identifier
Martin_ELP031
Citation
Baquera, Richard and Martin, Eleanor, “Eleanor Martin,” Bracero History Archive, accessed April 25, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/46.