Tobacco Growing Heritage

Tobacco cultivation learned at an early age

This Library of Congress photo is dated August 21, 1916. Here is the photo's caption:

5-year old Jack and 13-year old Bitsey are regular workers on their father's farm. Worming and suckering now. Bitsey goes to Wallonia School in Div. 1, Trigg Co. "He worms and he suckers. Quite a worker but he aint old enough to go to school yet." The mother said this about Jack. Father, B.F. Mitchell, Route 1, owns farm. Location: Trigg County--Gracey, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine.

Gracey, Kentucky, is near the Christian County and Trigg County border. This photo is one of a group of related Trigg County photos. Photographer Lewis Hine was on an assignment to document child agricultural laborers for the National Child Labor.

I hope that when this little fellow was old enough to go to school, the teacher let him play at the sand table sometimes.