Broadway here we come!

When going to school, they only taught 1 through 5th grade.  We had to move in order for me and my sister to go on with our education.  Dad found a place on 117 East Broadway. This would be where we lived for about eighteen years.  Dad found a job working at  Service Station.  Mom Still worked at J.J. Newberry 5 and Dime store. In fact, she worked for 30 years there and retired later. The house we lived in had four family apartments and we lived on the bottom floor.  Have you ever lived in a place like this?  we did not have a telephone, car, or much money.  How do you work in those jobs without a car?  WE WALKED!  WE WALKED!  WE WALKED!  The secret to this puzzle is very easy to answer.  My mother walked 0ne block to her job.  My dad walked two blocks to his job.  We walked to Hickmen School,about Two blocks. Allowances!  What is that? The question next would be " who baby sitted for your parents" ?  My dad took me with him, also baby sitter some times.  We moved  when I was about 10 or 11 years. Thelma was 8.  I was shipped out to some of my cousins in the summer, but never knew who watched over us most of the time.  All I knew was work, work and work.  That was my thoughts at 11 Years.  I had to get job also.     

Grandad and Grandmother were Life saving

In order to become a normal family, must find a job.  At the worst point of the Great Depression , in 1933, one in four Americans who wanted to work, was unable to find a job.  This massive wave of unemployment hit before a food stamp program and unemployment insurance existed.  From now on we we will surmise what happened.  Not much was said about this time of trouble, maybe did not talk about this tradedy. 

First was to find a place to live.  Between 1932 and 1936, we moved four times, probable because finding a place can become a problem.  All the houses were within one or two blocks of Grandmothers house.  This is importment for I believed she was a baby sister, helping their daughter.  This was never mentioned to me or anyone.  My dad and mother tried to find a job, but they not able to find one. 

My dad had one eye and it did not help.  My mother found a job at S.H. Kresses, 5 and dime store.  She helped the family and dad find work at the State Highway .  That lasted a very short time because the party he supported , lost and so did he.  How can they work with two children to watch  The only was it would happened was need of a baby sister. Here is the reason of my thoughts on my granmother doing this great deed. 

What I remember was playing in the yard, at my Granny' s house.  Other things like the story.  Was very short and could not see on the table.  Reaching with my little hands I saw big candy squares on top of the table.  Reaching for that good candy bars, all of a sudden my grandma hollared " Don't touch those bars."  They were LIE SOAP!  I didn't touch that table anymore.  Out in the yard was trees with their barks all painted on the trunk. Never did find what that was for except keep me from climbing them.

On one cold night, when visiting .my granny's house, I came in the front doorand was really surprised!!  Their see stood, backed up to the fire place, with her dress hiked up and you could----well I was not suppose to see that when coming out of  cold.

Another thing was to watch the well water cups come up with water.  Sound silly,  but just presenting my case about the mystery of who was the baby sitter.

I could not have seen these things unless being there.  

Moving into the unknown

Now the change has come to make new plans for the next step in our lives.  I am only 4 years old and was not in the same thoughts as my parents.  Their plans was very upsetting to Rae and me;we did not know why?  With the misfortune that happened in my fours years was hard on everybody. My grandfather moved to Lexington, Ky.  Ethel was 54, Harold 18, and Jean 11. Ethel never married and worked to support their family.  Jean told me that Dad gave up on everything.  He was sick and dieded in 1939.  never saw the depression come to a close. 

We moved to Winchester and found some angels that pull us through this hard time with nothing in our hands.  Have not mentioned my mothers family.  When we ask if they could help us out, they said yes and would be glad to.  My grandfather Henry Monroe ran a little store and raised eight children on this little store.  Now my knowledge of what was going on; begain to see the life in a different way.  Seems like we moved to Winchester in 1931 or 1932.  Started to school at this time and misfortune came our back on us.  At this time we lived on Holly when we all caught Whooping Cough.  Never will forget this in my little life.  Can see me running to the bath room; vomiting and coughing. Run down the hall and to the bath room.  Me and Thelma  survived.  Flossie Mae did not survived.  She was two and never got to see this dragon of proverty gone. What will we do now about work and supporting our family?  four children now and still no job.  The women did not work at this time so the husband was to support the family.  Will continue in my next blog , What is going to happen on us again.

Eyes are so precious

My storie will continue about Dad eyes and what happened after the accident.  After some time checking the damage,  they found out that one eye was gone but could see a little.  God saved him from death which could have happened.The telephone company was sued and had to give his 20,000 dollars.  Trading your eye for 20,000 dollars will never come out even with the loss of health.  This time was about 1926 or 1927.  I was about one year and one half when this happened.  Have picture with Dad and Mother holding me wearing his thick glasses.  Had to be in this time;  he did not have to wear glasses before the accident..How wood you get a job with one eye?  This was very hard times for to find a job.  People had to work almost for nothing.  The story was told that you would be payed 50 cents to shock corn for a day. also My brother in law said he worked for one dollar to work in the fields for one day! Also the farmers did not raise crops because they could not afford it.

My dad and mother lived with my grandparents from my birth to about 1930.  Thelma gave birth in 1928. We now had four in our family now..Things changed again as life does.  Grandad decided to buy a farm in Versailles, Ky.and do some farming.  Why not, he was a farmer some time back!  Let see now, they had five in their family and we had four.  In planning the cost, his house would help and someway he talked my dad to pitch in
his 20,000 dollars. They would both families live on the farm and raise crops for them.  Dad could not see very well and my grandad close to fifty.

Now comes the answer that will solve all the problems.  Nona, my dads sister, came up with a good idea.  Her husband would do the work that needy to be done.  Great! Great!  Now let us count heads now.  Five grandfather, four of us, and five in Nona family.  That counts to be fourteen to feed and make the payments of the farm.  Pay at time was about 50 cents for one day and 1.00 for a full days work.  Well you see what was coming!  They lost everything!  The house,  20,000 dollars and no where to go!  What will they do and where will they go.  This was about 1928 till 1930.  My sister Flossie May was born in 1930, at Versailles, Ky.  Now we had five in our family and what is the future for us?  What will we do?

Time in review

Hi!  This story is true.  It did happen with the help of my grandparents, mother, and friends.  My occupation was The Post Office.  Delivered mail to the little town of 8,000 people.  Now it is around 30,000.  My hobby was taking pictures of family members.  No one wants to let you take them farther than the front door.  Getting around this problem was to take pictures with your camera of the pictures.  My collection has reached about twenty albums of everything.  My 8MM movie camera has the pictures when my children was very young.  The grandchildren like to watch their parents move around in a very funny way.  We all laugh together.  That is what families should do very often.  Now I am going to start a story of our family from Grandparents to my great grand children.  Our line has been in this location for about 100 years.  I have lived here all my life, except two years in the service. 

Grandfather Jones and family will be my begining.  He was a farmer when moving from Richmond, Ky.  He changed his job to selling candy in the eastern part if Ky. My uncle said he did well and met all the quota every time they ask.  If fact he own his house,  and did have the first electric refrigerater on Central Ave!  This was about 1920.  His desire was to buy a farm and become a farmer. 

Now we begin to see about my father.  Dad and Mother was married in 1924.
They were two young people, starting out to meet world problems. Things did not go very well because they lost the first child in child-birth.  They had to go own with their lives.  He had a good with the telephone company and put this loss aside.  I was born in 1926 at 126 Central Ave.  On his job they were dynamiting holes.  Something happened and they did not go off.  Dad went to check the problem.  Yes, you guessed right.  The dynamite went off and they thought he had lost both eyes. Watch for my next blog for what happened on my next blog.