Stories of the Depression years

[Pebbles]

I have spent some time with some older people listening to the stories of the depression era.

If you know of some put them up.

This one man is 80 years old. He told a story that his family was so poor he would go to the butcher and ask for 10 Cents worth of stew meat. The butcher would always give him extra. They stretched that meal for a long time.

He also said he used to collect cardboard boxes to heat their home. One day he came home with a box from the alley and when he gave it to his mother they discovered it was filled with boxes of cereal. He had to bring it back to the store but the store owner knew they were poor and let them keep the cereal.

Things people owned or made in past years

One doll, one carriage, one pair of skates

no toys from parents - only from salvation army

1959 $3000/year for teacher salary

[voyager35]

My grandparents almost went bankrupt during the depression, Pebbles. They had a clothing store and because they felt sorry for the hard times people were living in, they let a lot of people buy work clothes and jackets on credit. Some of those folks never paid them back, although they tried.
Folks today have no idea how tough things were back then.

[jigfreak]

Cool thread. My grandpa caught carp and catfish from the river so they would have enough protein. They were tough times from what they told me.

[jonthepain]

My dad was born in 1919; mom was born 1920. dad's family was in the beer business (think prohibition) and mom's dad had all his dough in the stock market. mom's mom died in 1928. she said that the local population varied by the thousands by the tides cuz of all the guys living in boxes on the riverbanks who left their families cuz they couldn't support them.

[7deadlyplugs]

My grandmother tells a story about how she and her 5 brothers would have to share one loaf of bread a week for food. Her mother would have to keep it locked up so that it would last. If her husband was home after long periods of being absent trying to find work, she would take the little money they had and bought a small piece of meat. This was cooked and only served to their father.

There were no toys and they would beg for food, or follow the coal trains. As the trains went by coal would fall off the cars. There were lots of kids running trying to get as much coal as they could.

Sometimes I wonder with the economy the way it is if this could have happen again at the same magnitude and devastation as it happened back then.

[CharlieTuna]

There were no toys and they would beg for food, or follow the coal trains. As the trains went by coal would fall off the cars. There were lots of kids running trying to get as much coal as they could.

Sometimes I wonder with the economy the way it is if this could have happen again at the same magnitude and devastation as it happened back then.


I didn't think there were too many people who would remember getting the coal that fell off the trains. An uncle of mine used to go after the coal that fell off with his brother. Those 2 were the oldest in the family, older than my Dad. They said the conductor would yell at them when they were near the tracks and sometimes throw rocks at them. They needed that coal badly and did whatever they had to do to get it. Sometimes when the train was stopped they would climb on top and throw some pieces of coal off. I know that was bad, but they were just trying to survive. Not many people had steady work back then fom what he tells me. Tough times.

[blitzhunter]

My grandfather talked about the long soup lines. Hundreds of people would line up to get a bowl. Hope we never have to see anything like it in our time.

[jonthepain]

current unemployment rate of 10 or 11% is bad ...

(tell me about it i got laid off in june and the wife just got done bitching me out about trying to get a loan to fix our leaky roof - who the hell's going to loan us 10 grand with no job? much less how the hell would we make the payments even if some idiot would loan it to us?? i tell her this over and over again but she continues to nag and *****)

...but it's not half as bad as the 25% rate in the great depression.

[stripermania]

I didn't think there were too many people who would remember getting the coal that fell off the trains. An uncle of mine used to go after the coal that fell off with his brother. Those 2 were the oldest in the family, older than my Dad. They said the conductor would yell at them when they were near the tracks and sometimes throw rocks at them. They needed that coal badly and did whatever they had to do to get it. Sometimes when the train was stopped they would climb on top and throw some pieces of coal off. I know that was bad, but they were just trying to survive. Not many people had steady work back then fom what he tells me. Tough times.


It is funny how you mentioned picking up coal that fell of the trains. My dad used to do the same thing. He was one of 12 and they ended up being divided up amongst relatives since his parents had no work and could not feed them all.

[stormchaser]

I remember tales from my grandparents of the ice man coming around. I can't imagine in todays time having to wait for ice.