My mother was born in 1925 and the Great Depression overshadowed much of her childhood. She’d talk about the hard times, but most often she remembered good times and funny things that happened to her – rather than poverty.
After Mom passed away, my sisters and I went through her belongings, and each of us took what we wanted to remember her. Mom was an avid reader, and I took a number of books that belonged to her. One of them was a book titled: “We Had Everything But Money” which was the “…Priceless memories of the Great Depression…from strong people who tell in their own words what it was like when banks closed and hearts opened…”
Our country is going through some hard financial times right now, and will probably continue to do so for some time, as Washington struggles to get the economy back on its feet. I find I’m really not as frightened by it as I would’ve expected. Most people survived the Great Depression — apparently because people helped each other. The times were much tougher during the 1930s than they are now. (Unemployment was at 35 %.) I know we Americans have a lot of strength handed down to us by our parents and grandparents. This is part twelve of a Special Series from this great book.
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 great-depression5.jpg home.intekom.com |
 by my great grandparents during the depressionBy rodinal1 on Flickr
www.flickr.com
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‘WE HAD EVERYTHING BUT MONEY’
by Clancy Strock, Contributing Editor, Reminisce Magazine
CHAPTER ONE:
“WHEN THE BANKS CLOSED, OUR HEARTS OPENED…”
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one room schoolhouse,By 5cats4carol on Flickr, www.flickr.com
HOW ONE TEACHER’S LOVE HELPED TROUBLED FAMILY START A NEW LIFE
by Catherine E. Rogers, Danville, Arkansas
A combination of courage, pride, bravery, determination, and hard work helped build rural America, and one of my schoolteachers had every one of those qualities.
Her name was Mrs. J. A. Eikleberry, and she’d taught in many one-room schools. During the Depression, she lived on Hucleberry Mountain in Logan county, Arkansas and hiked down a steep 2-1/2 mile trail each day to her little school.
One Monday morning as she came down the rugged trail, Mrs. Eikleberry saw smoke coming from the school’s chimney.
“Now, who can that be?” she asked herself.
She opened the schoolhouse door and was greeted by a shy, embarrassed family–a man, his pregnant wife, two small children, and a grandmother. The family members had moved everything they owned into the schoolhouse. Their possessions consisted of an iron bedstead, a cot, a few pots, pans and dishes, and several pasteboard boxes, all neatly arranged in the back of the room.
The man explained that he was out of work and looking for a job. When his family reached the schoolhouse, they couldn’t pass up a chance to have a roof over their heads, a floor under their feet, and some warmth from the wood-burning stove.
He added that his wife was due to deliver a child soon, and he didn’t want her sleeping in the cold, stripped-down car that they had converted into a pick-up truck.
Could They Stay?
Mrs. Eikleberry was a compassionate person, and assured the man his family would not be turned out into the cold. She did advise him, though, that classes would have to go on. The fimily promised to cooperate as long as they could stay in the building.
the teacher noticed the family had only a meager supply of food, so she brought turnips, greens, and dry beans and peas from her farm to share with them. She also had some spare bedding and clothing at home, so she brought those items to assist the family as well.
During the next several weeks, the man continued to look for work. He carried in water for the school, and cut and hauled wood from the hill side for the stove. The grandmother took the two children outside whenever weather permitted.
Meanwhile, classes continued as usual in the front of the room. The husband, wife, and grandmother listened intently as the students recided their lessons. At recess, they asked the teacher questions about history, arithmetic, and stories she had discussed with her pupils.
One day the grandmother said, “My son-in-law will find work soon, but I’m hearing thigs I never heard before, and I’m going to hate to leave!”
One morning Mrs. Eikleberry arrived for school and saw that the grandmother was preparing to deliver her daughter’s baby. The teacher quickly ran back up the trail to meet the students before they reached the school. She told the oldest child to keep the others there until she heard the school bell. Then she went back to the school to help deliver the baby.
Mrs. Eikleberry had assisted at “birthings” many times in the remote Arkansas hills, bu this was th first time she’d turned her school into a maternity ward! The delivery went well, and mother and baby were both fine.
By the time the mother was able to travel, her husband had found a job at a sawmill in another community. The family of six piled into their old car to move on. We pupils hated to see “our baby” leave, and a few tears were shed as we waved good-bye.
The Depression days were like no other time in the history of our nation. The dedicated teacher who walked those mountain trails met and overcame problems that might have defeated someone with less courage and determination. How do I know? She was my mother.
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