Every-Day Living: Memories of a Family from Blaine, North Carolina

by Doug Russell

Every-Day Living is a book about a family and about how things were in rural North Carolina. Specifically, in Blaine, North Carolina. Blaine is near Eldorado. Eldorado is in Montgomery County, NC. Neither Blaine nor Eldorado have official populations now. But once, they were thriving townships, with a tan yard, a post office, gold mines and a copper lead, a millinery shop, a drug store, a doctor, a shoe shop, their own school, and country stores. “It all went down till there was just a wide place in the road,” said Ethel Harris Hilliard, the author Doug Russell’s great-aunt.
“Disappeared small town America” at its finest.
Bill Russell is the last surviving sibling of Cled and Lola Russell's nine kids. Through the course of the book, Bill takes the author on a talking riding tour of Blaine, North Carolina and talks about the people, places, and happenings from long ago. Other family members add their comments and stories.
Doug Russell, the author, investigates the Russell Gold Mine, midwifes, presidential pardons, a land grant, the birthplace of a long lost millionaire, military service records, creeping land masses, and the mystery of suicide from the Russell family past. Who would have thought all this happened in such a small place!

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2018

About the author

DOUG RUSSELL spent more than 25 years of experience in high-technology project management for commercial and government organizations. His first book covered leading project teams. Doug has recently turned to writing about North Carolina history. His newest book, Every-Day Living is about his family from Blaine, NC, a town which has essentially disappeared.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the mix of personal family anecdotes and North Carolina history. The stories are presented with a folksy style.