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Farming For A Better Future, page 66
Family and Cemetery Relocation
The damming of the river created lakes and permanently flooded some areas. This necessitated the need to acquire portions or the whole of people's properties - their farms, sometimes their homes. Mapping and surveying served the purpose of identifying parcels within the “taking” line. Those residents living along the river were visited by case workers who would assess how much the resident would be affected by the construction, flooding, and/or relocation. Landowners and
(Below) A Family of Color Standing in the Doorway of Their Home before TVA Relocation (Tennessee Valley, Historic
Photograph Collection, 1933-1980, Circa 1935; Records of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Record Group 142; National
Archives and Records Administration - Atlanta)
tenants alike were evaluated for their ability to relocate, to find a new landlord, or to purchase new property. Case workers would fill out an extensive, multi-page questionnaire detailing the family's lives including their race, whether they owned or rented or rented out, what crops the family grew, and what income this afforded. The family was casually assessed for literacy by noting how many books were in the home and
what magazines and newspapers they subscribed to. The family's debts and incomes were tallied along with a description of the house and its facilities. Even the informant's perception of the TVA itself was recorded; very little was overlooked. Oftentimes the worker would need to check back with the family and ensure they were resettled and assess whether they were well-adjusted to their new circumstances.
(Left) Example of a Handwritten Questionnaire for TVA Family Removal, John Johnson of Waterloo, Lauderdale County, 1935 (Tennessee Valley Family Removal and Population Readjustment Case Files, 1934-1953, National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com) (Below) List of Cemeteries Surveyed for the Wheeler Reservoir, Lawrence and Lauderdale Counties, Circa 1935 (Tennessee Valley Cemetery Relocation Flies, 1933-1990, National Archives and Records Administration via Ancestry.com) - (4594)