Community Chat

[Mominohio]

On 10/7/2014 Marienkaefer2 said: My grandparents told me all about their lives during the Depression. My grandfather was 14 when it started. He had to leave school and get a job to help.support the family. A family friend got him a job in a hotel in NYC washing dishes. He and his family lived in Fort Lee, NJ. He described waking up at 4am every day to get to work, working a 12 shift in the basement kitchen of the hotel,then returning home late at night. He got a half day off during the week. And if you didn't like it, too bad. There were plenty others waiting for that job. His parents had told him.he could return to school when things got better. But my grandfather stayed at the job, eventually working his way up.to sous chef and then he learned to be a pastry baker. He worked there until WW II started. Then he took a course in shipbuilding and worked in the Brooklyn Shipyards repairing ships damaged in the war. He couldn't be drafted because he had lost part of two fingers on his left hand playing with abandoned bombs from WW I in his village in Italy. With the shipbuilding job, my grandfather started to make better pay. My grandmother wanted to buy a house. My grandfather wanted to save it to open a business, and after the war, that's what they did. So even though my grandfather never graduated high school, he became a very successful business owner and was able to make life better for his descendants. He and my grandmother worked side by side all those years.

Wonderful and touching story! This is how this country was built and became the leader in business, industry, science, etc. that it was. We need more people like this today, being happy and grateful and willing to work so hard. I'm sure you are proud to be from such wonderful people.

[chrystaltree]

....no. But if you decide you want to relive the Crusades, I have some doozies...lol

[straykatz]

Doing without was a natural part of life.....my grandparents talked about how long it took to save up for the downpayment on their house....the house cost 1800.00 which was a lot of money back then.....now you would be lucky to get a decent apartment in most places for 1800 per month.

I grew up very poor....my father always made sure we had the essentials - a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.....our clothes were all hand-me-downs or my mother bought scrap material on sale and made our clothes.....everything was cooked from scratch.....we did not have colored TV, cable, a phone, or other luxury items like my school friends....I was often made fun of because of my clothes or the fact I couldn't be involved in afterschool things that cost money to join and I didn't have things like a bicycle or other playthings my schoolmates took for granted....the result was I became a loner with the exception of a couple very close friends who I still am friends with today......today's definition of poor is different than in the times I grew up in but no matter how you add it up...poor is poor and kids tend to be happy when they are little and do not notice until they become schoolaged how vastly different the rest of the world lives.

[chumlee_]

On 10/7/2014 beckyb1012 said:

A couple of weeks ago I came across the bio. of the woman in the "Migrant Mother" photo that is iconic to the depression. She was and her family were extremely embarrassed that Dorethea Lange used this photo the way she did. Very interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Owens_Thompson

I've always thought the woman in this photo was beautiful. My Dad's family was not financially affected by the depression so they were able to adopt the three children of their housekeeper when she died in childbirth. The father just signed them away and disappeared forever. My mother's family was better off than most, but definitely always lived frugally. We always bought the best quality we could afford and didn't waste anything; i have inherited furniture, rugs, dishes & silver, some from the 1920's. chum

[OnlyShopsOnline]

My mother was very young during the Depression. She did have an older brother and sister, though. I really never heard any stories because they were never directly affected. My grandfather was one of the few lucky ones that remained employed. I do remember hearing stories about rationing during World War II.

My father's family was more heavily affected because he grandparents lost a business. But, I don't remember hearing many stories about that either. That side of the family never talked about things like that. The only thing I knew was that they lost their business. And, they had a "city" home and a "country" home (nothing fancy) and that they had to sell their second home.

[jubilant]

Lately, due to the Ebola scare, I think of the story my mom tells about her having scarlet fever. They were quarantined in their homes and there were signs posted outside the home. Thank God she was able to get the penicillin in time. I remember her saying it was quite expensive. I will have to ask her about that .... I thought it might be interesting to go back to see how some of these diseases were handled way back when but I haven't had the time.

[Marienkaefer2]

On 10/7/2014 mominohio said:

On 10/7/2014 Marienkaefer2 said: My grandparents told me all about their lives during the Depression. My grandfather was 14 when it started. He had to leave school and get a job to help.support the family. A family friend got him a job in a hotel in NYC washing dishes. He and his family lived in Fort Lee, NJ. He described waking up at 4am every day to get to work, working a 12 shift in the basement kitchen of the hotel,then returning home late at night. He got a half day off during the week. And if you didn't like it, too bad. There were plenty others waiting for that job. His parents had told him.he could return to school when things got better. But my grandfather stayed at the job, eventually working his way up.to sous chef and then he learned to be a pastry baker. He worked there until WW II started. Then he took a course in shipbuilding and worked in the Brooklyn Shipyards repairing ships damaged in the war. He couldn't be drafted because he had lost part of two fingers on his left hand playing with abandoned bombs from WW I in his village in Italy. With the shipbuilding job, my grandfather started to make better pay. My grandmother wanted to buy a house. My grandfather wanted to save it to open a business, and after the war, that's what they did. So even though my grandfather never graduated high school, he became a very successful business owner and was able to make life better for his descendants. He and my grandmother worked side by side all those years.

Wonderful and touching story! This is how this country was built and became the leader in business, industry, science, etc. that it was. We need more people like this today, being happy and grateful and willing to work so hard. I'm sure you are proud to be from such wonderful people.

Thanks. Yes, I'm proud. They were from The Greatest Generation. They did what they needed to do. They had no choice. I left out a lot of the painful experiences. But, they did well in spite of it. What's remarkable to me is a 14 year old boy getting up every day at 4am for a two hour commute (no bridge then, had to take the ferry, then walk many blocks to save car fare), work a 12 hour shift in a basement kitchen washing huge pots and other cookware (not a pleasant job), then commute two hours home. Every day. No break except for a half day during the week. No time with friends, no fun times. No.school. And my grandfather loved school and would have loved to.go to college.

[ROMARY]

Yes, sometimes it's very worthwhile to keep these experiences in our hearts; remember that life is fairly easy now-a-days, considering the past. Yesterday I printed all of the pages, so I can read and reflect poster's comments and their relatives' experiences. Reminds me of my parents' and grandparents' experiences, what life was in those days.

[raven-blackbird]

I was raised by my grand parents........so, oh boy did I hear those stories.......but more importantly, I got the reap the benefits of that time through my grandparents.........so I actually do have a make over, make do, or do without attitude and it has served me well.........................................raven

[madcity411]

On 10/7/2014 MJ 12 said:

On 10/7/2014 mominohio said:

On 10/7/2014 qualitygal said:

On 10/7/2014 MJ 12 said:

Hi Qualitygal -

My parents were born after the Depression, and my grandparents didn't talk about it (that I can remember). What is the title of the book? I'd like to read it. thanks!

It's called "We had Everything but money". It's a Reminisce Book.

I have this book, and it was published back when Reiman (sp?) Publications did excellent work. Now their magazines are full of ads, and the content just isn't the same either (I think they were bought out by Reader's Digest).

My folks were born during the great depression. My dad's side of the family had a 40 acre farm and that made them better off than most, because they could grow food and raise animals. The folks that had it the worst were the ones in the big cities, as there were no jobs, and no place to raise food.

As many as 4 generations were living on the farm at one time. I have a picture of my dad and he was probably not even 5 years old, sawing firewood with his great grandfather. Everyone did what they could, no matter how young or old. Oftentimes, when they had run up a bill at the grocery in town that they couldn't pay, they'd have to take a cow in to the store, to be butchered and sold to pay for their bill. My great grandma would always shed a tear, as she loved the cows. My dad was born in July 1934, at home, with no air conditioning, no fans, and temps in the 100 degree range. No money for a hospital then.

When I listen to my great aunts and uncles talk of that time, and the time during WWII, they remember most things fondly, even though they had little, most were healthy and they stuck together as a family.

thanks Mominohio!

Your story sounds very much like my family history too! We grew up not far from the area Reiman Publications are today. My mother used to get Reminisce Magazine, and enjoyed it very much.