tailieunhanh - The Autobiography of Mother Jones

I was born in the city of Cork, Ireland, in 1830. My people were poor. For generations they had fought for Ireland's freedom. Many of my folks have died in that struggle. My father, Richard Harris, came to America in 1835, and as soon as he had become an American citizen he sent for his family. His work as a laborer with railway construction crews took him to Toronto, Canada. Here I was brought up but always as the child of an American citizen. Of that citizenship I have ever been proud. After finishing the common schools, I attended the Normal school with the intention. | 1 CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI CHAPTER VII CHAPTER VIII CHAPTER IX CHAPTER X CHAPTER XI CHAPTER XII CHAPTER XIII CHAPTER XIV CHAPTER XV CHAPTER XVI CHAPTER XVII CHAPTER XVIII CHAPTER XIX CHAPTER XX CHAPTER XXI CHAPTER XXII CHAPTER XXIII CHAPTER XXIV CHAPTER XXV CHAPTER XXVI CHAPTER XXVII The Autobiography of Mother Jones 2 by Mary Harris Jones published by Charles Kerr in 1925 copyright lapsed in 1953 CHAPTER I 3 CHAPTER I - EARLY YEARS I was born in the city of Cork Ireland in 1830. My people were poor. For generations they had fought for Ireland s freedom. Many of my folks have died in that struggle. My father Richard Harris came to America in 1835 and as soon as he had become an American citizen he sent for his family. His work as a laborer with railway construction crews took him to Toronto Canada. Here I was brought up but always as the child of an American citizen. Of that citizenship I have ever been proud. After finishing the common schools I attended the Normal school with the intention of becoming a teacher. Dressmaking too I learned proficiently. My first position was teaching in a convent in Monroe Michigan. Later I came to Chicago and opened a dress-making establishment. I preferred sewing to bossing little children. However I went back to teaching again this time in Memphis Tennessee. Here I was married in 1861. My husband was an iron moulder and a member of the Iron Moulders Union. In 1867 a fever epidemic swept Memphis. Its victims were mainly among the poor and the workers. The rich and the well-to-do fled the city. Schools and churches were closed. People were not permitted to enter the house of a yellow fever victim without permits. The poor could not afford nurses. Across the street from me ten persons lay dead from the plague. The dead surrounded us. They were buried at night quickly and without ceremony. All about my house I could hear weeping and the cries of delirium. One by one my four little children .