During the Great Depression, my grandfather was a minister in South Dakota with 8 children to take care of. Not many of his parishioners had spare money for the collection plate. So they helped out in other ways.
Mother remembers that Grandpa was given chickens or flour as offerings. One farmer kept one acre set aside for his annual offering. Grandpa was allowed to chose between keeping whatever grew on that acre or the money that came from selling the produce.
One time Grandpa drove up to the house in his Model A Ford with a big smile on his face. A neighbor had offered him as many watermelons as he wanted out of the field for $1.00. Mother says she saw six large watermelons in the back of the car and she remembers that they were sweet and juicy.
The children each got one pair of shoes per year. It didn't matter if their feet grew or not.
The family raised chickens for the eggs and kept a cow for the milk. They also tended a large garden and ate out of that as much as they could. The children helped with all of the chores from a fairly young age.
I've seen pictures of Mother and her siblings as they came of an age to enter the military or go on to college. They were all lean - not bony or emaciated - but definitely not overfed.
Thanks for visiting with me,
Kathi
Mother remembers that Grandpa was given chickens or flour as offerings. One farmer kept one acre set aside for his annual offering. Grandpa was allowed to chose between keeping whatever grew on that acre or the money that came from selling the produce.
One time Grandpa drove up to the house in his Model A Ford with a big smile on his face. A neighbor had offered him as many watermelons as he wanted out of the field for $1.00. Mother says she saw six large watermelons in the back of the car and she remembers that they were sweet and juicy.
The children each got one pair of shoes per year. It didn't matter if their feet grew or not.
The family raised chickens for the eggs and kept a cow for the milk. They also tended a large garden and ate out of that as much as they could. The children helped with all of the chores from a fairly young age.
I've seen pictures of Mother and her siblings as they came of an age to enter the military or go on to college. They were all lean - not bony or emaciated - but definitely not overfed.
Thanks for visiting with me,
Kathi
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