63 years ago

[cessna170bdriver]

My still-living in-laws were married in 1947, and still have newspaper clippings of the event. They will
celebrate their 63rd wedding anniversary in September. My own parents (both now deceased) were only 14 and 11 on this date in 1947.

One of my grandmothers, born 1907, still used a chamber pot (she called it a "slop jar") even after she got indoor plumbing.

From Jeff Foxworthy: "If relieving yourself in the middle of the night involves shoes and a flashlight... you just might be a redneck!".

[GAHorn]

... "Lincoln shot and killed" head lines. ... I now have it between glass to be able to display it. ...

Headline: Yankee president killed ....... Proudly saved by the "Cajun Connection way down south, most of you are yankees to me!" from Looeasiana, ....just like a true Southren Boy who would consider it good news!


(Hey, Ron! Mabbe your ancestors were part of the conspiracy and were saving that headline hidden behind grandmaw's picture for family-posterity?)

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Hey Del you might be surprised to hear that lots of folks around here today would classify Milleville, NJ as being in the middle of no where.

It is amazing to hear how folks just a generation or two away lived. And in many many cases like yours Del there is a stark contrast between their lives and my ancestors. I've come to realize in my middle age that my fathers ancestors up to his parents were actually VERY wealthy. I grew up in the house my great grandfather built in the mid 20s. It had indoor plumbing and electricity from day one. My grandmother and her sister attended a private boarding school in NY state during the depression. We've just come to realize that my aunt whom just past a year ago at age 71, had a personal maid when she was a young girl. My Grand Parents not only had their public phone service, they actually had a private phone service between just their two neighboring houses which worked up till about 1964. We think they actually used the private phone in the early days to call the servants who lived on top of the common garage built between the two houses.

Of course my sisters and I till recently didn't believe the few stories we heard. The thing is that as kids we never understood the wealth the family had at one time. By the time I was born the wealth had to support to many people and all most all of it had been given away by my grand aunt. We never heard stories first hand because my grand parents had died before I was born and my father was not one to tell stories about his parents or grand parents.

My mother and father lived week to week hoping the newspaper made enough money to make payroll with my father being the last to be payed. Our house which was considered from the outside to be one of the nicer houses in town still only had one toilet/bath when all of my classmates had two bathrooms. And while the house may have had electricity from the early days the problem is, it still had electric wires from the early days. We blew fuses several times a day.

Old newspapers are very interesting. Growing up with the family newspaper we had all the past issues bound in books. I could and did look at them all the time while I grew up so while I find them interesting to read the fact they still exist doesn't have the same impact with me. After all doesn't everybody have a copy of every issue of the newspaper printed back to 1881 (we didn't have the first 3 years).

In fact since they had all been photographed to micro film when the new owners bought our paper they did not want the bound issues. My mother and then my sister had them at their house till they got destroyed by a flooded basement. This flood was a blessing really. Del you didn't say how many papers you found but it has seemed to occupy a bit of your time and you will probably save that paper somewhere safe. Could you imagine having 107 years or 5564 issues at your fingertips?

[Zreyn]

It's all a matter of economics,people who could afford it used "real wallpaper" mostly anything that was purchased at a store was referred to as "store bought" or more often "brought on" At first the purpose was not to decorate or insulate but simply to slow down the "relative air speed"through the cracks.The houses were generally built with green lumber & as it seasoned the gaps between the boards got wider & wider until the lumber arrived at "ambient moisture content". Then it became a definite art form as people sought the Sunday "funny's"& color ad's to paper with.That evolved to magazine pages & they were picked & chosen through & applied in artistic patterns.The practice was especially prevalent through Appalachia but was found all through rural America. My very earliest memories of my relatives homes all around Booneville KY (my Dad had immigrated to Cincinnati as a teenager) are houses with newspaper walls,large stones for foundations & a front porch with rocking chairs.

[cessna170bdriver]

The next time any of you fly in to Johnson Creek, Idaho, check out the old abandoned cabin off the north end of the runway. The kitchen is wallpapered with newspapers from the 1930's.

Miles