Q. What do you remember about your grandfather, William Pembroke Wykle [1862 - 1936] ?

A. He was a staunch Republican who supported Hoover, Coolidge, etc. against Roosevelt. He always carried a copy of The Literary Journal in his back pocket. When the topic of politics came up, he would pull it from his pocket and say, "look here fellas, here's how things should be." He was one of the first in the locality to get a car - a '27 Chevy. He'd drive it to Oak Hill on Saturdays to get feed for his cows. He showed favoritism among his kids. He liked Homer the best because he was a Republican like him. He left Homer a farm. But he didn't like my dad [James French Wykle] because he was a Democrat - he left him nothing! William Pembroke owned a sawmill. He had a handlebar moustache and was bald on top, with a ring of hair around the sides. He was 74 years old when he died. He claimed to know Devil Anse Hatfield.

Q. What do you remember about your father, James French Wykle [1888 - 1933] ?

A. Everyone liked him. He liked to joke around. He had a special talent with horses. He could break any horse in a couple of weeks. Once he made a batch of moonshine because his friend, Bob Arganbright, talked him into it. At the dinner table, he would put all the chicken bones on my plate and pretend like I had done all the eating by myself.

Q. What do you remember about your mother, Winnie Cantley Wykle [1894 - 1934] ?

A. She was very thin, quiet, and smoked.

Q. Do you have a story about any other family members?

A. My uncle Reed Cantley [1882 - ?] was a shady character. He gambled a lot - never worked but always had sharp clothes. He was making moonshine and hiding his barrels under chicken coops in holes covered up with carpet. The sheriff found his stash and he was arrested. I suspect he double-crossed someone and they tipped off the law.

Q. Do you remember any big family occasions?

A. Every Sunday some branch of the family would host a chicken dinner and everyone would go. Inevitably, it would end up with all the men in a big fight over politics. I remember being a little kid, maybe five or six, and one of my aunts kneeling down in front of me and severely instructing me "to vote for the man with the chicken" when I grew up. I guess they were talking about Hoover.