Laurentina Ramos Juárez
Title
Laurentina Ramos Juárez
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Laurentina Ramos was born on August 24, 1922, in Rio Grande City, Texas; her parents were migrant workers, and she consequently went to school in Roma, Texas; in 1945, she married Benito Juárez; he owned a ranch that had been in his family for several generations; in the mid 1950s, they began hiring braceros to help with the harvesting of the cotton.
Summary of Interview: Ms. Ramos married Benito Juárez in 1945; her husband owned a ranch in Delmita, Texas, that had been in his family for several generations; although her parents were migrant workers, she did not begin ranching until shortly after getting married; she and her husband knew about the braceros because they would often come to work in the neighboring city of Edinburg, Texas; in the mid 1950s, they began hiring braceros to help during the cotton season; they would hire between eighteen and twenty workers to help with the harvesting of the cotton; Laurentina recalls that most of the workers were between the ages of twenty and forty; the braceros would stay in the old abandoned house that belonged to Benito’s parents; although there were no beds in the house, the workers were given plenty of blankets and a radio for entertainment; they would use the bathrooms and washing machines in the main house; oftentimes, the braceros were passed on to her brother-in-law, and they would help him on his ranch; she would interact with the braceros often, as she would weigh the cotton they picked; in addition, she goes on to describe what some of the braceros were like in general and specific memories she has of them.
Summary of Interview: Ms. Ramos married Benito Juárez in 1945; her husband owned a ranch in Delmita, Texas, that had been in his family for several generations; although her parents were migrant workers, she did not begin ranching until shortly after getting married; she and her husband knew about the braceros because they would often come to work in the neighboring city of Edinburg, Texas; in the mid 1950s, they began hiring braceros to help during the cotton season; they would hire between eighteen and twenty workers to help with the harvesting of the cotton; Laurentina recalls that most of the workers were between the ages of twenty and forty; the braceros would stay in the old abandoned house that belonged to Benito’s parents; although there were no beds in the house, the workers were given plenty of blankets and a radio for entertainment; they would use the bathrooms and washing machines in the main house; oftentimes, the braceros were passed on to her brother-in-law, and they would help him on his ranch; she would interact with the braceros often, as she would weigh the cotton they picked; in addition, she goes on to describe what some of the braceros were like in general and specific memories she has of them.
Creator
S. Vera, Homero
Ramos Juárez, Laurentina
Date
2003-03-02
Subject
Rancher's wife
Contributor
Cristóbal Borges
Rights
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Language
eng
title (Spanish)
Ramos Juárez, Laurentina
creator (Spanish)
Salinas Vera, Romero
contributor (Spanish)
Cristóbal A. Borges
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
Original Format
Mini Disc
Duration
18:48
Bit Rate/Frequency
24 bit
96 k
96 k
Interviewer
S. Vera, Homero
Interviewee
Ramos Juárez, Laurentina
Location
Edinburg, Texas
File Name Identifier
Ramos_Juarez_LRG002
Citation
S. Vera, Homero and Ramos Juárez, Laurentina, “Laurentina Ramos Juárez,” Bracero History Archive, accessed April 16, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/items/show/95.