Browsing Items (7 total)


Interview with Mrs. & Mr. Allen Townsend   [September 25, 1975]

Mr. and Mrs. Townsend talk about the Depression and how it affected their families. He explains: "It was just everything, you know, seemed different and a shortage of everything." Farmers were the ones who fared the best, because they didn't have to buy in order to support themselves. His family worked on a farm during the Depression, but they didn't own the farm. Most people in Ashe County, because they "lived so far back from everybody else" didn't know much about the political situation, or why the Depression was happening. He remembers that when Roosevelt things changed, and schools started to be built in his area. His father was assigned to a work program and had to walk eight miles a day to get to work.

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Mrs. Richards was born March 5, 1902 in Silverstone, NC where she was raised on a farm. Mr. Richards was born in Caldwell County in 1897. He worked many different jobs including sawmilling and carpentry.

Mr. and Mrs. Richards recall their childhoods growing up on farms and their small amount of schooling. Mr. Richards talks about the hard time he had finding jobs and describes his working experience in his different career paths. He worked for four years in Cleveland, Ohio. The couple talks about the community and the changes it has experienced in transportation and religion.

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This letter from Aswell Eller to his father, Luke Eller, asks Luke not to come look for land until a later date because of the increased prices. Aswell says that crops are also increasing in price. Aswell has asked his father to pay for the postage of the letter.

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This letter from Mary Eller to her mother talks about the dry summer weather, crops, gardening, and how the family is faring. Mary also mentions her half-brother A.P. Eller.

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This letter from V.A. Kirby to Elizabeth Kirby talks about her time in North Topeka, Kansas. She wrote that the crops were doing extremely well and that she wished they could come on a visit.

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This letter from Alice Kirby to her aunt Ada Kirby talks about life on the Kansas farm where Alice and her family live. Alice talks about going to school, fairs, and other sources of entertainment, but her letter is focused on the price of various goods. She goes in detail about how much money was made from everything they raised on their farm, and what the going price is for various crops.

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This letter from D. L. Pickett to two of his friends, William (Wm.) Daniels and Luke Eller, discusses Pickett’s recent move across the American Midwest. He mentions the natural geography of the country he tours, discusses people he sees, and includes the prices of various goods that he notes in the stores.

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