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One of the interesting things, is when I asked the gas station attendant where the family lived (after diffusing his animus with a bit of Yankee charm), he asked which one. It seems that various permutations of the family lived just about everywhere, and owned the town. Mentioning the family name however seemed to reduce his appetite for physical violence. Then a cousin popped by for gas in a red convertible Mustang, and said hey hi, I'm kin, and led me to the correct relative! I know this sound apochryaphal (sp), but it is a true story.

I haven't been to a lot of rural areas in Alabama, but I am not surprised, especially given the time period. Among the ignorant folk, some are confined to the older generation who felt that "book-learnin" was a waste of time (I believe because they were born and bred to work on the farm in order to keep the family from destitution; also, the Great Depression had a lot of influence on their attitude). Also, you will find this anywhere, but there are people who have an animosity, for whatever reason, towards anyone who they do not know. I don't think that any particular state has a monopoly on this.