Stories will be written as I remember Tom's recall and of course my own.
My husband Tom and I were young during The Great Depression.
Both of our families had very tough times. It was common for fathers
to be out of work and because of the great need, mothers did housework
for affluent families. One census states that Catherine (Tom's Mom) did housework
for a private family. This helped put food on the table and pay the rent.
The number of men out of work amounted to over 25%.
My father held a few menial jobs during this time. Working for the WPA (shoveling
snow and digging ditches for the city), a cook's helper in a diner, and a tailor's assistant
at the Hotel Statler. Finally in 1938 he obtained a position at Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp.
As a salaried employee he retired from there in 1971.
After WWII came along, my mom worked for Curtiss-Wright and learned riveting. She retired from an
Aircraft Company, Twin Industries in 1971. One of the original "Rosie the Riveters", she loved her job.
Our depression menus during these times were lean. Our dinner usually consisted
of fried potatoes. Meat perhaps once or twice a week, usually chicken or hamburger,
never steak. Steak, what is that? Other days we had creamed salt codfish over mashed
potatoes. For my fifth birthday, two little girls came to dinner. We had fried potatoes.
and then birthday cake. I don't know where my mother got supplies to bake a cake,
but she did. Tom said that their dinner meal many times was baked beans and 'toutens'
(fried bread dough). Dad Somers made toutens when he came to visit. He was such a good cook.
When Tom was young and living in Albany, New York, he and brother Jim would go to the
railroad tracks to harvest pieces of coal that had fallen from the coal cars. These pieces
of coal were placed in the coal stove that heated their home. No such thing as central
heating in those days unless you could afford it.
Tom said that one Christmas season he and Jim cut down a pine tree from a filling station
because they did not have funds for a tree. His Dad would have beaten him if his Mom had
not stopped him. There would be no stealing in this family.
My Mother made my dresses out of my Dad's old shirts. She would cut around the thin/ragged
parts and hopefully if there was enough fabric left, she would make bloomers (panties) to match.
If you have any interesting links that tell about The Great Depression, write and let me know
about them. I will provide links to the sites. It is important today to know how people suffered
during these tough times. All families were affected, no matter how small. It was the longest
depression in world history.
My parents talked about the same problems when I was growing up.
Very low interest rates for mortgages and savings banks. Some homes for sale at 35-50% of market value.
Many business closings and many, many people out of work. Millions of forclosed homes.
Folks are walking away from their homes as they cannot pay their mortgages.
Benefits, both insurance and incomes being cut. This includes government (federal and local) positions
and teachers. Many are retiring without life insurance and health benefits.
Utility bills skyrocketing. Food prices almost to double in the last two years. Graduating college
students unable to find work. Instead they are working at low paying fast food places.