Interviewer
Beth Morgan
Project
Bracero Oral History Project
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
John Tomlin was born on April 20, 1926 in Albuquerque, New Mexico; his father died of polio when he was an infant, leaving his mother to run the family farm on her own; he later went on to serve in the military, receive his master’s degree, and ultimately work as a farmer; from 1948-1964, he hired braceros to help him tend the land.
Summary of Interview
Mr. Tomlin recalls how his mother ran the farm after his father’s passing by using Italian and German POWs; in 1946, after finishing his tour of duty in the Army, he returned home and began attending New Mexico State University; the following year in 1947, he started running the farm on his own while he went to school; in 1948, he began hiring braceros; he used a crew of thirty men during the cotton harvest, which ran from mid September to the beginning of December; he had about six braceros who stayed on year-round driving tractors and irrigating; oftentimes, he had to go the El Paso Coliseum to hire workers because the working contracts needed to be renewed periodically; he provided housing with showers, utensils, and bedding in addition to equipment such as hoes, shovels, and boots for irrigating; the braceros often went home to México on holidays or to care for sick relatives; they did not work Saturday afternoons or on Sundays; he goes on to recount anecdotes of the braceros in general and stories of particular workers he was fond of.
Date of Interview
4-23-2003
Length of Interview
127 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1572
Transcript Number
No. 1572
Length of Transcript
51 pages
Transcriber
Courtney Richards
Interview Number
No. 1572
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with John Tomlin by Beth Morgan, 2003, "Interview no. 1572," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.