Life During The Great Depression
Personal Stories from RC Fans

Images 1 and Two .. The Depression .. Life Magazine .. Articles .. Biography .. Literature .. Links .. In Braddock's Own Words .. Braddock News .. From fans: Personal Memories of the Depression


For related information, read Hard Times by Stud Terkel
(Recommended by Russell as background on the era)

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Personal Memories
(Scroll to bottom of page for the most recent entries. If you wish to add your own, you may contact me via e-mail)

Dear Murph,

I was born in 1934 in a small town in Southern Illinois.

We weren't hit by the Depression as much as those who lived in cities.

For one thing, "city gardens" were allowed, and people were allowed to keep chickens, so starvation was not imminent for us like it was for our urban friends. Everyone canned everything, all summer long (an all day job).

One of the sadder things I can remember is seeing some of my classmates going to school barefoot when it was very cold. The school rule was: children could go barefoot until the first frost. Many could not afford shoes. It was not uncommon to see children in boots that were so big, the child could hardly walk, with laces that were made from anything: rags, strings of animal skin, wire, rope, etc. Outhouses were allowed until 1941. The only indoor plumbing some houses had was: a handpump at the kitchen sink. Almost everyone had a #3 washtub hanging outside by the back door, and that was for the "Saturday night bath." (The same water was used by everyone - guess that's where "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater originated.) Kerosene lamps were very much in use, wood burning stoves were in one room: the living room, and refrigerators were actually "ice boxes."
Everyone had a cardboard sign, with numbers, that they placed in the window: 25, 50, 75, 100. Whichever number was on the top signified how much the customer wanted. Then, as no one's doors were locked, the ice man would use his tongs to select the right block of ice, carry it to the back and put it in the kitchen refrigerator. Smaller children in the family were responsible for emptying the "ice bucket" which was the water that came from the melted ice on top, draining into a bucket. Some people eliminated the bucket and just bored a hole in the floor to let the water drain in the ground. That idea, as clever as it was, did not work for those who had basements!

Butter usually came from the farmers, in tubs. There were no sticks of butter. Oleo was made by the consumer. There was an orange pill in a bag of squishy stuff, and one pinched the pill, to disperse it, and then, kneaded the bag until the contents were (more or less yellow).

In our hometown, unbeknownst to anyone, my grandfather (who was then Mayor) set up a breakfast program, before school, for needy children. It was secret. Only the recommending teachers, principal and janitor knew who the children were. They went to the basement, where the furnace was, and Mr. Benson, the janitor, would give all the children a carton of milk and 2 double graham crackers at 7:30, and hour before the other children arrived. My grandfather believed that children could not learn as well on an empty stomach as they could when they had breakfast of some sort.

Children could go to the Saturday matinee for five cents. Popcorn was also five cents. You could stay for all three showings - Cartoons, News, "The" Serial and a feature!

Polio was rampant. Nothing could be done. If the child survived the first stage, they were taken to St. Louis and were put into "iron lungs" (bought by the Shriners). If they survived that, heavy metal braces were attached to their hips and legs, and they walked on crutches. Ours was the first school to have an elevator in the junior high and high school. Administrators said it was for the janitors to move pianos and things, but we knew for whom they were really installed. This brings up community caring. Everyone helped everyone else, with few exceptions.

This "helping" extended to fun entertainment, as well. My parents (teenagers) had regular Saturday night dances in our home (as Mother explained, they were the only ones who had a house). They would roll up the living room rug, dance until dawn to records, and they feasted on "pot luck" wherein everyone contributed whatever was in their "icebox."

Girls wore Tangee lipstick - a chapstick sort of lipstick which turned different colors on different people! Mascara was in a little case wherein one spit on the block of color, mashed the little brush into it and put it on the eyelashes. "Blue Waltz" was the favorite perfume. All of these products were bought at the Five and Dime! If a girl wore RED lipstick and matching nail color, she was considered to be "fast." "Mum" was the only deodorant available. It was a white paste that was about as effective as Vaseline! All little girls wanted "weenie curls" like Shirley Temple. Very few mothers were clever enough to comb the hair around the index finger and secure this "curl" with about 4 bobbie pins. Bobbie pins made curls. Older women wore "rats" at the top and back of their heads to get a corona effect. Hair was coaxed over and under these things (which looked like the inside of a Tampax) with bobbie pins. A bobbie pin is hard to describe. They came about 20 to a cardboard card and were shaped like a "U"; one side was straight, the other was wavy; they would expand and contract and were perfect for the hairstyles of the time; they were about 2" long. My Mother wore rats on the sides of her hair and secured them with combs. I thought she looked beautiful. The truth? Lily Tomlin wears that style when she's the phone operator!

Few people had telephones. Our town had one operator who connected these calls. You'll love her name: Verlee Wurtsbaugh! Verlee knew where everyone was, at any given time; so often, Mother would just ask for Dad and get connected - somewhere!

Forgot to mention the hose that women wore - there were NO SEAMLESS hose back then. There were no pantyhose. Everyone had to wear garter belts or girdles or worse, yet - corsets.

Anyway, these silk hose had lines down the back (where they were sewn together?). Some men thought it was sexy, I guess. They were very expensive.

The line down the back prevailed even when there were no hose during WWII. I can remember helping my Mother "paint" her legs with something that looked like viscous foundation liquid. Then, they'd walk around in their undies until it dried, and a good friend would "draw" this line down the backs of their legs (from fanny to their heels) to emulate hosiery. (I was so good at the lines, I was "on call" for several of her friends.)

Bless their hearts. They soon found that they could not sit down because the stuff would melt and the lines would smear. So disheartening.

Thought I had to mention the hose. Bet all the women wear them in the movie.

One more thing about The Depression: In the movie (Cinderella Man), I'll bet you see older women with fox fur "stoles." Even though the Depression was at its height, my grandmother and all of my Aunts had one. I believe you see this on Eleanor Roosevelt in a lot of pictures. The stole was worn around the neck over a suit. The head of the stole had little glass eyes, and believe it or not, the fastener was the mouth of the fox. One draped the skins around, and it fastened by pinching the mouth of the fox open and clamping it onto the "tail" that was hanging from the right shoulder, down the front! The little mouth had a hinge to open and shut, and it had little metal, pointy teeth, which meshed, one with the other. Sounds ghastly, I know, but the women who had them thought that they were the height of fashion in accessories!

- Mary Beth Brown
I was born after the Depression, 1947. However, my mother, a first generation American of Czech heritage, never forgot it. Till the day she died she did not throw away anything because she remembered being without-"you never know when you might need it." I finally got her to let go of a pair of old Sears short drapes by offering them for the church rummage sale. When she pulled them out of the top of the closet, they were so full of moth holes she finally threw them away.

I have found a place to buy the Blue Waltz perfume in Fredericksberg, Texas. I have worn it for the last year or so. It still comes in the little heart shaped bottles with the blue plastic lid. I bought it because my dad used to sell it in his little variety store in the 50's. I have never seen it anywhere else.

From a fan
Not my own memory, obviously, but a family heirloom memory....

During the depression apparently many people sold family heirlooms to obtain some money, make ends meet. My grandfather, my dad's dad, must have socked away some money just after the depression ended. He bought up jewelry with diamonds in it, none of the diamonds being the exact same size, but close. He took these 4 diamonds to a jeweler and asked him to make a wedding ring for my grandmother, who by that time had borne 4 sons. He gave her this ring, which she wore for her entire life. They had to cut it off of her in the hospital where she ultimately passed away after over 50 years of marriage.

My mother, their daughter in law, had taken care of my grandmother during her last illness, and then took care of my grandfather & his house afterward (since they had no daughters of their own). She would go there occasionally & clean house, etc. When my grandmother passed away, many of her family members swooped in & whisked off many of her personal items, including her collection of silver dollars she had promised to me. A few years after she died, my mom was at my grandfather's helping him, and asked whatever happened to my grandma's wedding band? He said he had it, and would she like it? She gratefully accepted it & said she'd treasure it always. She took the 4 diamonds to a jeweler and had the 3 larger ones made into a cocktail ring, and gave me the smallest one. I had it added to a small diamond pendant I already had.

Years passed, and my mom realized she didn't wear the cocktail ring very often, and gave it to me and said she'd rather see me enjoy the diamonds now, than wait many years to do so. So I took that ring & had one of the diamonds added to that same pendant, then had the remaining 2 others put on an emerald ring I already had.

I wear both pieces every day of my life. I often think of the people who had to sell the diamonds during the depression, then how my grandma wore them every day of her hard life, then my mom wore them for special occasions. I feel as though I am wearing stones that have been everywhere, seen everything, felt every emotion that their prior wearers did. And I now have 2 pieces of jewelry that go back to my grandmother, to share with my 2 children so they can enjoy the story with THEIR children, and so on.

Sue

An acquaintance of mine was a child in southern Oregon during the Depression. At that time, he saw elderly people who wore clothes that had become literally rags, with many holes, and held together with string or pins. For some, what they wore was their only set of clothing. This sight so affected him that as an adult, he could never throw away any clothes. He stored his old clothes in his garage. And he wore them when he was off work until they wore out or got too small as he got older and gained weight, even if they were a bit tight.

Sandy

Depression, thats my subject, my dear wife Judy wrote two books about the two jewish orphanages that existed in Montreal from 1909-1942 and they were definitely during the depression days, I was in one of the orphanages for 10 years, These books are available in book stores in Montreal and Toronto.

The two books, though Judy wrote them are OURS, after all I was the inspiration ( joke ) are
Book #1 ($23.00 US includes mailing) Four Hundred Brothers and Sisters - Pub.2002
Book #2 ($21.00 US includes mailing) 400 Brothers and Sisters , Their Story Continues - Pub 2004) -- Books #1 & #2 are $42.00 inc mailing. Both books are about Montreal's two Jewish orphanages that excisted from 1909-1942 , they are completely different in that they both have history, many bio's from the kids themselves and many pictures.

They were tough times though we "kids" were treated pretty well, three meals a day and lodging. The books will give you an insight look how the community helped these orphans grow up and go into the real world. I could tell you some stories of my own but its all in the books, bio's, pictures and history, if anyone is interested, they can contact me at my email. I will write again with stories...

...I wrote you about the two books that my wife Judy wrote about the two orphanages and that I was in one for 10 years, I don't know if you will post that, however, I would like to point out that in 1926, my mother placed my brother, 11 years old and myself, five and a half in a jewish orphanage, we were very forunate that we had a great staff that loved the kids. We went to public school and later to jewish school. I will only tell one story, to read Judy's two books would be an insight to depression days.

When I was about 11 years old there was a couple that requested from the staff that they wanted to take a boy for lunch at their home, I was chosen and we walked the ten blocks or so to their apartment, the couple were in their late 30's or early 40's, we had lunch and later on they brought me back to the orphanage. Since I never really had a father, my dad passed away when he was 29 from T.B. and I was not yet three years old, I had hoped that they would adopt me but that was not to be and they left after giving me a quarter.

That quarter was spent on 2 honeymoons, 4 carmels, an icecrem and a bottle of pop, still had 13 cents left so I took a streetcar downtown and with the remaining ten cents went to a movie. That one story, more later.

Thanks for the platform Murph

Myer

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