How did your Ancestors survive the Depression?

[chloe]

Well the only story I remember is during the "depression" my great grandma's husband went out for a pack of smokes and never came back:laugh2:

He left her with two kids to take care of and a house payment.

She took in borders rented rooms and her kids also worked jobs and gave there money to her. She put herself thrugh college and became a school teacher.

I noticed a pattern in my mothers ancestry, when the times get bad financially the men get going....:rolleyes:

[Gaffer]

My grandfather had a farm so they fed themselves that way. He had cows, bee hives, grew the feed fro the cows. My dad said they use to save cans and sell them for scrap to get money. I don't think people now days could survive that kind of depression.

[chloe]

My grandfather had a farm so they fed themselves that way. He had cows, bee hives, grew the feed fro the cows. My dad said they use to save cans and sell them for scrap to get money. I don't think people now days could survive that kind of depression.

I don't think so either.

[ConHog]

My grandfathers family were poor farmers from Arkansas, they didn't know when the depression began nor ended. Poor is poor. Not sure about my other relatives.

[Kathianne]

My grandfather had a farm so they fed themselves that way. He had cows, bee hives, grew the feed fro the cows. My dad said they use to save cans and sell them for scrap to get money. I don't think people now days could survive that kind of depression. Oh I guess we will and we're likely to find that out sooner than later.

[Kathianne]

My dad was born in 1920, my mom in 1923. Both born in Chicago, all of my grandparents were first generation Irish immigrants. My paternal grandfather got off the boat and before he walked away from the ferry he was recruited into the Navy and sent off to the Spanish-American War. When he got out, he was an American citizen. He became a railroad company conductor. He died when my dad was 3-he was youngest of 5. Up to that point they were pretty middle class. Benefits weren't what they are today, but in 1933 my grandmother cashed in his pension and bought a house in the same suburb I grew up in. My grandmother never worked, but when my dad was three, the two oldest brothers were working; another brother was in the seminary; oldest sister worked for phone company. My mom's family never had much and the depression only made things worse. Her old 3 flat was knocked down to build housing project in 1950's or 60's. My grandfather was deaf as I am, never could hold a job in the city. Never had the money to buy a farm. My grandmother took in laundry and ironing. They got some help from the Church and from Irish societies. Like my dad, my mom was youngest of 5 children, by 11 years. She was the only one to get a high school diploma, though 3 other got business school training, (I never was certain what that meant, but I'm assuming steno, typing, basic accounting). All the kids except my mom had full time jobs by the time they were 16.

[Trigg]

both sides of my family were farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma. I remember asking my great grandmother one time how the depression affected her and her family. She said they were already so poor the depression didn't really affect them. She grew up on a farm so they raised animals and canned their own food.

[Gaffer]

Oh I guess we will and we're likely to find that out sooner than later. Back in those days people were more self reliant and many went back to having small farms or laboring on farms. That can't happen today. The cities will be hurt the worst with crime and riots. How many on here know how to can vegetables, cure meat, milk a cow, collect honey, even sow a shirt together? It probably won't get that bad, but people take too much for granted these days.

[ConHog]

Back in those days people were more self reliant and many went back to having small farms or laboring on farms. That can't happen today. The cities will be hurt the worst with crime and riots. How many on here know how to can vegetables, cure meat, milk a cow, collect honey, even sow a shirt together? It probably won't get that bad, but people take too much for granted these days.



I have 300 acres of land with plenty of cattle, and horses if someone really gets hungry. We already trade beef with a pig farmer , and we buy local eggs, milk, and butter. My wife enjoys canning, and I don't mind gardening. I am also a stockpiler. Don't know why, just am, when I buy things I buy them in bulk. I'd imagine our family could eat at our regular levels for a year without going grocery shopping one time.

I don't know if I could go for making my own clothes though. :D

[Trigg]

Back in those days people were more self reliant and many went back to having small farms or laboring on farms. That can't happen today. The cities will be hurt the worst with crime and riots. How many on here know how to can vegetables, cure meat, milk a cow, collect honey, even sow a shirt together? It probably won't get that bad, but people take too much for granted these days. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near a city if the shit hits the fan.I grew up canning so that wouln't be a problem for us. We already buy all our meat and eggs locally and I do some gardening. I think we'd do ok, but you never know.

[Kathianne]

Back in those days people were more self reliant and many went back to having small farms or laboring on farms. That can't happen today. The cities will be hurt the worst with crime and riots. How many on here know how to can vegetables, cure meat, milk a cow, collect honey, even sow a shirt together? It probably won't get that bad, but people take too much for granted these days. A greater percentage of people lived on farms in the 30's, but today more people do have land that they can grow on. Those in the cities don't, but their numbers have gone down, big shift to suburbs. Besides the point, people are remarkable in adaptation. Really.

[ConHog]

A greater percentage of people lived on farms in the 30's, but today more people do have land that they can grow on. Those in the cities don't, but their numbers have gone down, big shift to suburbs. Besides the point, people are remarkable in adaptation. Really.



I don't know. I'd like to think people are adaptable. But the sad truth is many people are dumb shits and would be screwed if they couldn't take their little SNAP card into wal mart and buy their nice prepackaged food. It might actually be good for the US if such a situation were to occur.

[KartRacerBoy]

My wife's grandfather was a youth during the Depression from Kentucky. Unfortunately, he came from a family that had a alcohol still. When I met him, the man was a raging alcoholic (as he had been throughout his sad life) and even in the 90s, lived in a house on the very east edge of Indianapolis that had cardboard nailed to studs and a dirt floor. One room with a outhouse. He refused any attempt at addiction treatment. Apparently he had been functional when he married my wife's grandma.

At his funeral, the minister told the story of how he was the only one in his family who remembered where the whiskey still was in the Kentucky woods (hidden to hide it from the feds). At 7 yrs old he used the info to bribe his olders into giving him alcohol in return for info on where the still was. I don't know to what extent it's true but given his condition near the end, I do not doubt it. Given his age, this had to be during the Depression.

My mother in law married my father in law when they were 16 and 18, respectively. She had to get a judge's order since she was underage. He granted it. It was get married or go back into foster care. Father in law had a scholarship to Purdue but gave it up to get married. He then became an apprenticed steel engineer and retired at 60 (never having gone to college) when he had $1,000,000 saved for retirement.

Amazing story, really. Hope I can do as well (in the end).

[J.T]

They ate hitchhikers and people on roadtrips

[PostmodernProphet]

my father was in his late teens at the time.......he and a cousin went from Iowa to Minnesota and got working digging potatoes.......when that harvest was finished they moved on to South Dakota and got a job thrashing wheat......following that he and two others went to California and he worked milking cows on a huge dairy farm in Bakersfield......the farm was big enough that there was a dormitory for milkers (all done by hand)....two shifts, twelve hour days.....

[DragonStryk72]

Well, my mom's side of the family are pretty much all redneck, so it was a collection of hunters, fishermen, and farmers, and thus they were pretty much cool. On my dad's side, his parents were still in Ireland for most of it.

[chloe]

Well, my mom's side of the family are pretty much all redneck, so it was a collection of hunters, fishermen, and farmers, and thus they were pretty much cool. On my dad's side, his parents were still in Ireland for most of it.

Update us how are you doing? we worry about you.

[DragonStryk72]

Update us how are you doing? we worry about you.

Doing okay, got a job doing inventory for various stores. Tedious but it pays well enough, and I managed to get my rent caught. Granted, I hocked a whole bunch of my stuff, but oh well, I can get it back later.

[chloe]

Doing okay, got a job doing inventory for various stores. Tedious but it pays well enough, and I managed to get my rent caught. Granted, I hocked a whole bunch of my stuff, but oh well, I can get it back later.

Dragin, I'm sorry you have had a rough go of it lately, you are such a kind person and I like your posting style. I really am thinking good thoughts your way. Keep us updated from time to time.