Lone Star Book Blog Tour: What Momma Left Behind by Cindy K. Sproles (Author Interview)

Cynthia K. Sproles, author of What Momma Behind Left Behind

Can you provide a brief description of your new book, What Momma Left Behind? 

This book addresses an issue found in the Appalachian Mountains in the late 1800s—the number of children left as orphans due to illness. What I love about this book is that it shows how the mountain people step up to care for the children, even when the children aren’t their own. There was always a Christ-like desire to care for the poor, the widows, and the children. What Momma Left Behind is one young woman’s desire to do what needs to be done to protect these children, never realizing the twists and turns it will bring into her own life.

What Momma Left Behind addresses the topic of adoption. Can you expound on what adoption looked like in the 1800s compared to now? 

In the deep mountains, adoption wasn’t an official, legal-signing thing. Many times folks would see a need and try to fill it, often bringing homeless children into their own families, especially if there was illness or a lack of food. It was not uncommon for families to either bring children into their homes or, if the children were old enough to fend for themselves, simply keep watch over them, making sure they had food and warmth in the winter. For example, my own father’s parents were both deceased by the time he was five years old. His oldest sister managed the household and cared for the younger children, with an aunt and uncle checking in from time to time.

The main protagonist, Worie Dressar, struggles to find a way to care for the growing number of orphans. Is there any historical information on how these orphans were cared for in these communities? 

There were a few orphanages in larger cities. The orphan train was another method of caring for these orphans. They were placed on a train that made its way out west, stopping along the way and dropping children off for people to take in. Basically, they were cheap labor, but the mind-set was that they would have food, clothing, and shelter. In the deep mountains, a family member would take in the orphans or simply watch over them if there were older siblings who could manage the upkeep of the homestead and the children. There is little information, other than stories passed down, about care in the deep crevices of the mountains.

During this era, dysentery and influenza ran rampant in the mountain communities. Why did these diseases affect adults more than children? 

This is still a mystery. All we really have are stories and theories since medical records were not kept in the mountainous regions. What people tend to believe are two things: First, children worked closer to the home rather than out in the farther part of the fields, where ponds were dammed up and drinking water became stagnant. More adults would be in these areas and drinking from these ponds than children.

Second, the old adage of “children should be seen and not heard” seemed to come into play. When there were gatherings of people, the children were shooed outside or away into the barns to play, so exposure was a bit less. When individuals were ill, children were once again sent out from under foot so the ill could be cared for without interruption.

There was also the theory, though not a lot of proof to back it up, that children seemed to be a bit more resilient. Without medical records, there was little explanation. Doctors were far and few so when illness hit, families were at the mercy of their mountain grannies who wielded herbs, incantations, and wives’ tales to try to treat illness. When someone became seriously ill, death was imminent since there were very few medicines or doctors to help nurse them back to health.

There are a couple of underlying themes in this novel. Can you relay how these themes played a key role in Worie’s life? 

First was her own fear of being alone—becoming an orphan. Worie was named appropriately, for she spent a good amount of time worrying about her mother, making sure she was not alone, and keeping up the farm when her brothers were away. Adoption weighed on her heart. She couldn’t bear the thought that these children who wandered to her door might be the one thing she feared—alone.

Second, Worie had to learn to trust and seek to forgive when everything she had was taken away. Her family values, despite the trouble her brothers were, kept her pushing ahead, trying to do all she could to bring the family back together. Her deep-rooted desire to care for others caused her great discord internally. Worie had hopes and dreams, but she gave them up in the name of family. She learned the value of forgiveness, even when it is not accepted, and she learned that forgiveness was, more times than not, meant for her own peace of mind. She worked through the things she didn’t understand, and though she was unsure why, she held onto her faith, learning how God never stopped working in her life.