(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights Elaine P. Gartman Hartzog of Columbia.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in Walthall County on Aug. 11, 1928.
Q: Who were your parents?
A: My parents were Burley and Gertrude Pittman.
Q: What did your parents do for a living?
A: They had a small dairy farm back in those days. My dad had a milk route where he carried the milk to town in Tylertown for it to be processed. That’s what we did for a living.
Q: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
A: I had five sisters and three brothers. We all lived to be a good age, except I lost one sister when she was in her 30s.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I went to Salem High School. I was born in a community called New Zion in Walthall County, then we moved to the northern part of the county to Salem. I finished high school in 1946, and then I went to Southwest Junior College for a year.
Q: What do you recall most from your childhood?
A: I had to help with the farm and the milking because it was during World War II, and my brothers had to go in the service. I had to help my dad because all of the other siblings left home and had their families. We had what you call “ration stamps” during the war where you couldn’t buy gas, some foods or sugar without them. People tried to stay home as much as they could, and there was more farming going on. We didn’t have any electricity, and it was just get up in the morning, do your chores, go to school, come back home and do it again.
Q: Where have you lived?
A: After I left home, I went to Kokomo and lived there for most of my life. I lived with my husband and his parents for a while. After he passed away, I worked little jobs that I could find to do. Later on, I married again and lived in Improve for 10 years. Then I lived in a community called Union and lived there for 10 years. I moved to Columbia in 2004.
Q: What was your husband’s name? What did he do for a living?
A: I got married in 1947 to Jessie K. Gartman, who was from Kokomo. He farmed but was in the service himself during World War II. I also was married to Robert Hartzog until he passed away.
Q: Do you have any children?
A: I have one daughter, Betty, who was born in February 1949.
Q: What advice do you give married couples for them to have a long, healthy relationship?
A: The advice I would give is just to be able work and do the things you need to do in order to survive, make a living and raise your family to where they can take support themselves. You have to take care of each other. That’s the way my daddy and momma did, and they expected us to do the same thing. It’s very important that you try to make a living to support your family, get along and also trust in the Lord.
Q: Who are the people who have been most influential in your life?
A: I had good parents and good in-laws, too. My in-laws expected people take care of themselves and do for each other, too. My daughter and her husband have had a lot of influence on me and also the pastors I have had. I have a lot of support from my family.
Q: Where do you attend church?
A: The Church on Main. When I lived in Walthall County, I went to Calvary Baptist Church.
Q: Where did you work?
A: Jessie and I worked in factories until he passed away. I stayed with people and tried to help that were sick. I also went into a restaurant business, but it didn’t turn out too well because it was a small town and the person I was in business with got up in age, so we got rid of it.
Q: Do you have any grandchildren?
A: I had three grandchildren, Billy Martin, Centeral Martin and Victoria Hopper, and one of them passed away in 2003. I have nine great-grandchildren, too.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I have been to a few places like the mountains and Florida, but I don’t really have a particular place I would like to go. I would still love to travel a little bit more if my health stays well enough. My grandson has a camp on the river, and we love to visit him and his family. I love going places, and I want to try to stay busy.
Q: What do you enjoy about Columbia and Marion County?
A: It took me a long time to get used to it to tell the truth. We would come to Columbia once in a while a long time ago, and I never thought I would want to live over here. But since I moved here and got settled, there have been a lot of people I’ve met that have been really good to me. They have made me feel at home. I’ve enjoyed living here.
Q: What inventions have you witnessed that intrigue you? Why?
A: Cell phones, but I don’t use them like some people do. I only use it to make calls. We didn’t have electricity until after I got married, so electricity and all of the modern things that goes with it are interesting. The different kinds of automobiles have been interesting to see.
Q: What keeps you busy these days?
A: I do my needle work and can cook a little bit when I want to. I do some word puzzles and read some. I try to stay occupied, and I more or less try to be independent.
Q: What advice would you like to give people on staying healthy?
A: Eat three meals a day and eat healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, meat and drink milk and dairy products. Also, stay active.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I would just like to be remembered as a person who likes to take care of herself, stayed busy, associated with people and became friends with people I came in contact with.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: Elaine P. Gartman Hartzog recently celebrated her 90th birthday at the Church on Main with family and friends. | Photo by Mark Rogers
