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E Miller E. Miller responded to questions during an oral interview conducted by his daughter on October 10, 1999. Mr. Miller is a resident of Indiana. Question: When were you born? How did the Great Depression affect your life (childhood) at the time? ANSWER: 1908, November 23. I was 22 when I got out of college in 1931. The Stock Market crash was 1929. So I graduated from college in the worst part of the depression. When the stock market crashed in '29 I switch from engineering to education because I could see that the engineers wouldn't have jobs, but they would always need teachers. Question: During the Depression, where did you live? How was that geographic area affected by the Depression? ANSWER: I got my degree at the University of Illinois in 1931. I was lucky to get a job teaching in a one-room country school at $145. a month. That was the highest salaried one room school in Peoria County. I built a small modern home, doing most of the labor myself. I hired my brother at $3. a day to help me since he was knowledgeable and didn't have a job. Many of my 64 students, all eight grades, parents were farmers and coal miners. The coal miners were out of work, on strike for several years, to get better working conditions. The farmers were selling corn at 12 cents a bushel. Some of them started burning corn for fuel since it was cheaper than heating with coal and it didn't have to be transported. At the Caterpillar plant in East Peoria there were lines of men waiting to apply for jobs and no jobs were available. This scene occurred everyday at the Caterpillar plant in Peoria. During the summer when school was not in session I continued to work part-time at the Peoria Post Office. Until in 1933, when they called me in and wanted me to work full-time at a permanent job. To try to spread the jobs out they had a lot of men at the post office working part time. But when I was offered a full time job, I decided to stay with teaching and that ended my summer part-time job ended. One summer I worked for my brother, a farmer, for $1.00 a day and lunch. The farmers couldn't afford to pay more than a $1.00 a day for part-time help. Question: When did your family or community first feel the economic impact of the Depression? How did it affect you and your community? ANSWER: This question and the one above are sort of wrapped up together. A lot of building contractors went broke. One near relative would have lost everything had his mother not stepped in and saved him. If you had a job, any job, you were considered one of the fortunate ones. I taught for five years in that one-room schoolhouse. I still see some of my former students. Some of them are now past 80 years of age. Farmland was selling for $50.00 an acre if you could get a buyer. When asked about the stock market he told me the following about people who bought stock prior to the stock market crash. One of my teachers, and her father lost their entire savings in the stock market. She still had her teaching job and had to start over again to build up her savings. Some of the victims of the crash committed suicide. One neighbor told my father that his friends were all selling their stock for little or nothing, but he had a job to live on and he was go to keep his stock with the hopes that it would be worth more in the future. The economy recovered in the 40's and he eventually died a multimillionaire. The companies he had invested with recovered, many did not. Question: How was the school in your community affected by the Depression? ANSWER: Some of the schools ran short of cash and gave the teachers Script that was promised to pay later. Some of the teachers bought groceries and so forth with this script at a reduced value. Script looked like a promissory note. Also some of the schools shortened their term by two weeks to meet their budgets. The following year the teachers got their regular jobs back for the full length of 10 months at the same salary. They honored the promissory notes--whoever had them, the grocers, clothing retailers. The teachers had used the script to purchase food, clothing, and shelter. The script was passed along the same as money. The only thing, people would not take it at full value. Question: Could you tell me how other people in your community survived during the Depression? ANSWER: Every family of any size had their own garden in their backyard for their vegetables. If they were out driving and they saw a fruit tree with ripe fruit they would go in and offer the owner $1.00 or $2.00 for what was on the tree and usable for food. Everyone was short on cash but they had a lot of company. Everyone was poor, but so was everyone else. Question: What did you do for entertainment during the Depression? ANSWER: We'd get together with our friends and play cards that didn't involve money. We just didn't engage in social activity that cost a lot of money. But everyone quit spending, which really made the depression worse. Question: How would you describe society during the Depression? ANSWER: Too many people had given up hopes of any economic recovery. If they had a dollar they tried to hang onto it. If you had money you were fortunate. If you didn't have money you had a feeling of helplessness because you couldn't get a job. There was talk of giving everyone $200.00 a month income which in those days was considered fabulous. But most people considered that idea crazy. But they still didn't have any answers. Question: How did your life change when the Depression was over? ANSWER: When the depression finally tapered out, the economy improved, people had money, they could buy things they had dreamed about. This put money in circulation and everyone's spirit was elevated. I bought property in a good location, at a reasonable price, which later became good business property. I stayed with teaching, but the salaries, like everything else, have been climbing. Which puts money in circulation and keeps the economy vigorous. All of which caused a bad case of inflation that at the present time seems to have been kept under control. Question: How does the Depression continue to affect your present life? ANSWER: My generation realizes that nothing is permanent. Depressions come and go. Boom times come and go. Those in the depression that invested in the future prospered. Those that were afraid remained marginal - economically. Question: If a similar financial crisis happened today, how do you think individuals and society would react? ANSWER: Many of the new generation, who hadn't experienced life of former depressions would react about the same as the former one did in the 30's. Human nature remains much the same. The present generation has been conditioned by such good times that psychologically they might have a worse experience than those who lived during the Great Depression. The younger generation's spending habits have been on a high so long that the shock would be devastating.
Many thanks to G. M. Deaton, Mr. Miller, his daughter, and for their assistance with our project.
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1. When were you born? How did the Great Depression affect your life (Childhood) at the time? "I was born on December 12, in 1924, into a family of seven children with a mother and father. The Great Depression affected us immensely, but we weren't really aware of it at the time. We were children, and had grown up in the Depression, so didn't know any other lifestyle. It seemed normal to us. "Our entire day-to-day lives were affected by the Depression. We were very poor, but we always had enough to eat. We lived on a 15 acre farm (which we paid $10 a month in rent for), so were able to grow and make enough food to live on. We had no electricity, well water, and an outhouse. The only hot water was from the reserve on the stove, and we bathed only once a week when my father brought the big tub inside and filled it with hot water. My father worked as a laborer (he had a steady job some of the time, but mostly just went to where work was needed), and made 25 cents an hour. We didn't have a car, so he had to pedal his bicycle to work every day. His pride wouldn't let him go on relief like most of the other families in our area; we managed to budget his salary and live off of it all through the Depression with no help from the government. It was enough to buy the staples on (flour, sugar, etc.). We bought everything in bulk; big jars of peanut butter, tins of ketchup, and bags of flour. All the rest of the food we grew or raised ourselves. We had a big garden, and grew lots of fruits and vegetables. We had chickens and cows, so had meat, eggs, and milk. My mother canned everything she could (fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish), because we didn't have a fridge or even an icebox. This canned food is what we lived on in the winter. "My mother was an excellent budgeter. If she had a quarter, she could always save a dime from it. We didn't have enough money to buy new clothes, so my mom made all of our clothing herself. My dresses were made out of old sugar sacks, and our underwear was made out of flour sacks. It was hard not having new loathes, but mom did the best she could. Our clothes looked quite nice! "I think the hardest part for me was not having proper shoes. We got shoes once in a blue moon, when Mom and Dad had enough money to order new ones from the Eaton's Catalog (we ordered everything from the Eaton's catalog). A lot of times, the shoes wouldn't fit, but we lied and said they fit anyway, because we were afraid that if we sent them back, we would never get new shoes again. Because I wore improperly fitting shoes for most of my childhood, I developed a hammer toe later in life. Our shoes had to last us for years, and when the soles wore through, my father lined them with cardboard. But, the cardboard would wear through in no time at all. Many times, I would refuse to go to school because the cardboard in my shoes would fall out on the walk there. Other children would make fun of us when they saw our shoes. "We never got presents for Christmas. The most we got was a little hard mixed Christmas candy, two Japanese oranges, and some nuts. But, we thought we were rich just getting that! When some of our friends at school did get Christmas presents and told us about them, we lied and made up gifts so that they wouldn't realize how poor we were. I got my first second-hand doll when I was twelve years old. "Living in the Depression was a lot of hard work. My father had to get up before dawn every day to go to work, and went to bed at 7:30 every night because he was so tired. We worked around the house and farm helping our parents as much as we could. Hops were a big crop where we lived, so all of us kids would miss the first two weeks of school so that we could go and pick hops. We picked all day, because hops are very light and it takes a lot of them to make any money (they were paid for by the pound, but weren't worth very much). Picking was awful; we were up before dawn, picking all day in the hot sun, and the juice from the hops stained your hands. The money we all made picking the hops helped pay for the winter groceries. "It was hard living, but we didn't have bad lives. We enjoyed ourselves, and were glad to be alive. And, we were a lot better off than other people; we always had enough food to eat. And, every now and then we got treats. Once a month, when my father got paid, he would buy each of us an ice cream cone, which was a real treat. And sometimes my uncle would give us a penny to buy some candy from the store. It was a hard life, but a good one." 2. During the Depression, where did you live? How was that geographic area affected by the Depression? "We lived in Sardis, British Columbia, a rural community. The whole geographic area was affected by the Depression. Most people were poor, poorer than us. Almost all of them were on relief. Almost everyone had some land to grow food on, but for many it wasn't enough. A lot of people didn't have enough food." 3. When did your family or community first feel the economic impact of the Depression? How did it affect you and your community? "We moved to Sardis when I was about five, so the Depression had already started. I can assume Sardis felt the economic impact of the Depression as soon as it started." 4. How was the school in your community affected by the Depression? "The Sardis school itself was not majorly affected by the Depression. It was always heated, kept in fairly good condition, and had good teachers. It was the students that were most affected. In the younger grades, the school provided our supplies for us (books, scribblers, etc.). But in the higher grades, we had to pay for our own books. I had to drop out in grade eleven because my parents couldn't afford to buy the textbooks I needed. This was the case with a lot of students; their parents just couldn't afford to buy them the supplies they needed. Also, many children were needed to stay at home and work for the family to help them survive. I started to work full-time after I left school, at seventeen. I still helped out at home, and gave my parents part of my earnings to help support the family." 5. Could you tell me how other people in your community survived during the Depression? "We were better off than a lot of people in Sardis, but there were people better off than us, of course (the doctors, people with educations, etc.). Almost everyone in the community was on relief. Everybody had land, because you couldn't get by without a way to grow your own food. Like us, most people had to make their own clothes. Our next-door neighbor resold his children's' shoes with old tires." 6. What did you do for entertainment during the Depression? "We didn't do anything for entertainment during the Depression; we had too much work to do! There was no movie hall in Sardis, or anything of the like. Also, my father went to bed at 7:30 each night, so we all had to go to bed then as well and be very quiet, so he would be able to get a good night's sleep. But, we were able to make our own entertainment. We played games, built forts, and made our own toys to play with. We always had plenty to do, and had lots of fun doing it. Unlike children these days, we didn't need a mountain of toys or electrical gadgets to keep us occupied; we made our own fun. And, we went to church and Sunday school." 7. How could you describe society during the Depression? "We didn't really get that involved in society at this time, because we were too busy trying to make ends meet and survive. I imagine that society was much the same as it had been before and after the Depression, except for the fact that we were all poor now. We all worked hard. And, if a family was really struggling, the neighbors would pitch in and help. You were aware of the hardships your fellow man was facing." 8. How did your life change when the Depression was over? "My life didn't really change much at all. I was still working my full-time job, we were still fairly poor, and there was always work to be done. Only now, we had the war going on in the background." 9. How does the Depression continue to affect your present life? "The Depression continues to affect my present life quite a bit. I have never been a 'Shopaholic'. I lived without luxuries for many years, so discovered that I didn't really need them to be happy. I have never been able to 'window shop'; if I don't need to buy it, what's the point in looking at it? I don't need material goods to make me happy. It seems to me that the more you have, the more you in turn need to have to keep yourself happy. Most of all, I am happy with who I am and how I have lived my life. I also have fond memories of my childhood. Yes, it was hard, but it was a good life." 10. If a similar financial crisis happened today, how do you think individuals and society would react? "That's hard to say. I think people would react much the same way they did in the time of the Depression. There would probably be a lot of suicides, because money is so important to people nowadays that many can't imagine surviving without it and without their many possessions. But, I think another Depression would draw society closer together in the long run. In times of crisis, the human race pulls together to keep itself going."
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T. Ledger 1. When were you born? How did the Great Depression affect your life (Childhood) at the time? I was 3 years old when the depression began. We were a family of 7 and my father made $12.00 a week . We ate lots of one dish meals to survive. Mother baked bread every few days and raised a garden for vegetables. It was a happy family and I was the baby and didn't realize we were poor until I got older. 2. During the Depression, where did you live? How was that geographic area affected by the Depression? We lived in Chicago, Illinois and my father was a devout Republican and in those days if you worked for the Alderman you got a chance to make a little extra money for your family. My mother worked in the polls every election day as a judge. Father would go door to door and speak to the people to get out the vote. 3. When did your family or community first feel the economic impact of the Depression? How did it affect you and your community? When my father 's factory slowed down he was laid off and we couldn't pay our rent which was $16.00 a month, our landlord agreed to let my dad pay whatever he could afford until he was able to get another job. My mother got a job in a nursery school ran by Olivet Presbyterian Church which we attended every Sunday morning and evening service. She did the cooking 5 days a week there and walked both ways to and from work, about 2 miles each way from home. Most of our neighbors were struggling to keep their families fed and sheltered and friends helped each other. The homeless went begging door to door and mother fed anyone who came to our door. 4. How was the school in your community affected by the Depression? In school I began to feel I was not alone in poverty , most of the kids wore home made clothes or hand me downs from older siblings. My dresses were made out of flour sacks (at the time flour sacks were printed material) and lots of girls noticed their dresses might look different but the material was the same! I attended Newberry Elementary School at the corner of Orchard Street and Willow. 5. Could you tell me how other people in your community survived during the Depression? The people we went to Church with, our neighbors, the ones my folks worked with and our school chums. All we were close to struggled and we helped each other as much as possible. No one called a plumber or a repairman, they would exchange "favors" for their needs. 6. What did you do for entertainment during the Depression? The radio was our major source of entertainment. Every family had their favorite programs and people would sit and listen to the news to comedy shows and stories. When bedtime came my mother would read aloud to us a chapter or two a night of what book she was reading at the time. 7. How could you describe society during the Depression? Society in our neighborhood was just making do and hoping some day to be a little better off. But they were nicer then and cared more for each other. 8. How did your life change when the Depression was over? When my parents were finally able to pay the back rent to the landlord my father and mother bought a new couch for our living room. At Christmas I got my first store bought doll with real hair and patent leather dress shoes for me. 9. How does the Depression continue to affect your present life? All my life I have tried to be thrifty because I never wanted to have to worry about my children. I had seven and I knew my parents had a hard life but we always had food and a home. I didn't want to waste money on frivolous stuff so I tried to be sure to spend wisely. However I did buy more presents when I could for birthdays and Christmas 10. If a similar financial crisis happened today, how do you think individuals and society would react? I think it would be very hard on most people because they have had so much more than depression babies ever had. Once you have had all the luxury items its hard to give them up.
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