Eleanor Martin

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.

Baquera, Richard

Martin, Eleanor

2003-03-17

Baquera, Richard, "Eleanor Martin." Bracero History Archive, Item #46 (accessed January 07 2009, 3:37 pm)