Strange Family Folklore
Strange Family Folklore
Strange Man of Many Talents
During this year’s Strange Family Reunion, we honored 12 second freeborn generation elders. My mother, Velma Mae Roberson, was one of the honorees, along with two of her older brothers. I managed to pull my Uncle Herbert aside for a short interview.
My great grandfather, Jesse Strange, was born a slave and freed in his 20s. His 12 children were born free, and referred to as "The First Freeborn Generation." In this podcast series, I interview Jesse Strange's descendants in order to document our stories. This is Strange Family Folklore.
During this year’s Strange Family Reunion, we honored 12 second freeborn generation elders. My mother, Velma Mae Roberson, was one of the honorees, along with two of her older brothers. I managed to pull my Uncle Herbert aside for a short interview.
Teresa Roberson
Uncle Herbert, I am so glad you were able to sit down with me during our 82nd family reunion.
Herbert Strange
Well, I'm proud to sit with you.
Teresa Roberson
You are a hard man to pin down. I thought you were in your 80s. Why are you still working so hard?
Herbert Strange
Well, I don't work so hard. I just stay busy.
Teresa Roberson
What's the difference?
Herbert Strange
Well, I don't do hard work. I just do soft work.
Teresa Roberson
But over your lifetime, you have worn many hats. Can you talk a little bit about the jobs that you've had?
Herbert Strange
Well, I started off working in the mill, Dan River. I worked there for about five years. So, decided I wanted to move on out. Put in a notice. Two weeks and left. Went to New Jersey. Stayed up there for about seven years and I loved every day of it. I was a mixer there and makes up the dough for the cookies. I loved it. My wife wanted to come back home to the family, which was great because the kids had started to school. The school is not that great up there. It was a lot of stuff going on. So, they started school when they were four years old. Came down here and had to wait ‘til they were six before they could go to school. It's a blessing that I came back because I came back to be with the parents. It was just a blessing to come back. There's always good to be around the family, especially the one that brought you into the world. So, the Lord has been good.
Teresa Roberson
When did you start your construction company?
Herbert Strange
I started construction in I'd say maybe about seventy-eight. Something like that. In about seventy-eight, I bought me a truck.
So, in addition to all the family reunion background noise, of course one of my cousins had to announce on the mic that lunch was served. Actually, delicious food is half of the appeal for our 3-day reunions, where we feast on a different menu each day.
Anyway, back to Uncle Herbert.
I went to West Virginia in about '76. Well, really, I worked at Goodyear for a couple of years. I didn't like that. So, I bought me a truck and went to West Virginia, and we hauled coal for two or three years. I enjoyed that. ‘Til the mine went down. Then I came back, and started construction, grading and hauling, and doing demolition. Demolishing I loved that. And finally, they realized no need of tearing these houses down. They rebuild them. So, they started rebuilding the houses and fixed them up. So, I say, let's give it up. I just piddle around and do a little work around home. So, I'm on easy street now. I don't do much.
Teresa Roberson
When did you run for mayor?
Herbert Strange
I ran for mayor, let's see it's been, it's been a good 10 years ago. About 10 years ago. And you know what was so funny about it? I never tried to ask for no money or nothing. My daughter come down from Maryland and she gave me money. And I did work for a church below me. They knew that I was running for mayor.They came over and put a big check at my house. Left it there. They called me and told me where it was at. And then we went to vote that Saturday.People was coming up, giving me money. Andthe same people gave me more money. I had did work for these people at the church down there. Andhe told me, he said, "Herbert,if you will join our church, you will have nothing to worry about. We'll take care of you." Yeah, but that won't work. I didn't like that. But anyway, people were selling cakes, having sales, bake sales and everything. I won't doing nothing. People just bringing me money and I end up winning. They couldn't believe it. This girl bake cakes, man, and sell them. I didn't bake nothing. So, when we won, the man at the funeral home had me and Dot to ride his limousine and gave us candy and stuff.
Dot AKA Aunt Dorothy, is Uncle Herbert’s wife.
That was during... was it Halloween? I believe it was Halloween time or something. He gave us a big bag of candy to throw out to the peoples 'cause the people's in line. They having a parade. There was a parade, yeah. And we throw out to them. Man, we rode that limousine all over North Carolina. Came down here in Virginia. Rode it all over Cascade. I said, "Man, looky here."
Teresa Roberson
I am just amazed because so many politiciansare fundraising and you didn't have to do any of that.
Herbert Strange
I didn't do nothing. I didn't ask for a dime. People gave me money. Just come up and give me money.
Teresa Roberson
Just based on your reputation.
Herbert Strange
Based on the reputation. The other people's selling and going on,trying to make it. They said, "We're gonna win. We're gonna win it." They were shocked when I won.
Teresa Roberson
How old were you when you won? Do you remember the year?
Herbert Strange
I say, maybe I might have been 70.Seventy years old. Yeah, about 70. They were shocked. Well, I was too. When you running like that, it was four or five running, you don't know who gonna win. One lady said, "Well, I'm a win this. I'm a win this." Then it wasn't so.
Teresa Roberson
How many terms did you serve?
Herbert Strange
Look, I'm still the mayor. I think they supposed to have something down there today at the fire station. I'm thinking they supposed to be picking another one todayfor mayor.
Teresa Roberson
So, you've been mayor for about 15 years?
Herbert Strange
Oh yeah, I was there a long time.
Teresa Roberson
You were also the president of our family reunion for about 33 years. Is that right?
Herbert Strange
Right, yeah, a long time. I'm the one clean this place off for the shelter.
The shelter is family built, family owned, and family run on family land. Uncle Herbert was pivotal in the shelter’s construction, where we hold our reunions.
I cleaned it off. I had some friends that worked at the factory. I ordered all the material. The material was $2,100. After we got the material, first thing we did was fix the cement floor. Man, put this whole floor in for $1,700. That was cheap. That was cheap. Cement now cost you $100 whatever, square whatever. Back then, it was only about $35. It was a whole lot cheaper. But me and Shorty did a lot of work.
Shorty AKA Sherman Adams, son of Lucille and Clyde Adams, is one of many relatives who volunteered to build and maintain the shelter.
We had it framed up. We put the top on, Shorty and I. So, we was busy here. After we built the shelter then, see, I was working. I had a job working with APEC hauling asphalt. I go to work at seven o'clock in the evening. Get off six in the morning. I would come in and buy stuff for the bathroom and the kitchen. Make that kitchen. Fix it and the bathroom.
Teresa Roberson
So, how many years has this shelter been here? When did you first break ground to build it?
Herbert Strange
I'm not sure. I will say back in '80. I believe we were breaking ground in round about '80. Wait a minute. Just say '90. Back in the 90s. I believe we built it back then because I hadn't bought my truck. I bought me a tandem truck because I was working with APEC holding asphalt and also buying material and had a man working here.
Teresa Roberson
What do you see as your legacy when you reflect back on your life?
Herbert Strange
Well, I enjoyed everything I was doing. I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed fixing the shelter for the family because we wanted something bigger. The family was getting larger. We were using tents. Starting off, we would rent tents from the funeral home and the family is getting larger. I said, "We need a shelter." Me and Clyde Adams, we got together and borrowed money.Put our name down. Clyde was a big help.First with money. We'd go to the bank and get it. We'd have family reunions and they would pay it back. We got this shelter built. You wouldn't believe it. And the bathrooms and everything here. Less than 50,000. No. 50,000? Wait a minute. 5000. Yes. Cause all we did, was did the bottom and the top and the bathroom. We spent about five no more than $6,000.Cost us 2000 on the rafters. Now this here is an addition.
Uncle Herbert gestures to the extension of the original shelter where we were sitting.
But from right there back,we spentabout 50,000 And now we done added on this right here. I think we did real good. One guy he said, "I'll build that for y'all for $40,000." That's before we started the shelter. He gonna do it for 40,000. I got it, all this done for $5,000. The top and the floor. That's the difference. He come to me. He say, "How about that estimate that I give you?" I said, "Well, we end up getting somebody else a little bit cheaper." A whole lot cheaper. Yeah, I think we did good.
Teresa Roberson
And it was all with volunteer labor.
Herbert Strange
Yeah, we did volunteer labor. But me and Shorty. We did a lot putting the top on. I had somebody put the rafters in on it. We put shingles on it. I think we come out really good.
Teresa Roberson
That is awesome. The skill set in the family.
Herbert Strange
We didn't have a bathroom. We was renting outside commodes, toilets. We decided we wanted toilets outside. Me and Clyde went and borrowed money. We borrowed $2,000. Got it build for about $900. Carl did the digging. I bought the graveland I covered it up. All he had to do was dig the hole and put the pipes in.
Teresa Roberson
You said "Carl"?
Herbert Strange
Carl. Annie's husband.
Annie Pearl Walton is the granddaughter of Jessie Strange the Younger.
He dug the hole and put the pipe in and I put the gravel in it and covered it up. He wantedabout 1600 to do it. Back then it was cheap. So, we come out good on that.
Teresa Roberson
Well, Uncle Herbert, I thank you so much for sitting down with me briefly and talking about the history of the shelter and your life, but we need to get in line to get some food, right?
Herbert Strange
Come on girl!
Teresa Roberson
OK!
Herbert Strange
There you go!