Daily Life, 1920-1940 in the United States

 
Many of the recent ancestors of particular interest in my family tree and hubby's family tree were born or came of age in the United States during the period between the two World Wars. All four of my immigrant grandparents settled in New York City during these three decades, and my parents were very young but growing up. My husband's mother and father were in high school and then he went on to college during the Roaring Twenties.

No wonder I was drawn to this concise and readable book by David E. Kyvig, Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940. Only 300 pages plus notes and bibliography and a detailed index. See table of contents below.

Unlike conventional history books, Kyvig's book looks at local, national, and international events, plus politics and law, social movements, religion, economic developments, technology, transportation, entertainment and more--all through the lens of how they affected people living in the States, both in rural communities and in busy metropolitan areas. Solid historical and social context, covering well-known events with the focus on the consequences for everyday people going about their daily lives.

Kyvig examines trends revealed by Census data and by numerous studies such as the 1929/1937 books about Muncie, Indiana to understand how American daily life changed in communities from coast to coast after the "Great War," during the Great Depression, and as the economy finally began to turn around. The author examines influences like: Prohibition. Radio. Movies. Car culture. These and other changes gave me more insights into how my ancestors probably lived during the period.

If your local library doesn't have this informative book, you can find it on the Internet Archive here. Dip in and dig a little deeper into how your US ancestors might lived at that time! 

PS There are similar books that explore daily life during other periods in history. I'm checking them out to better understand my older ancestors too.

Back to School with Lola McClure Lower

With school starting, it's a good time to remember the life of my husband's great aunt, Lola A. McClure Lower (1877-1948). Lola graduated from Wabash High School in Indiana in 1894, aged 17, and became a teacher. In 1903 she married Edward A. Lower (1873-1920). The couple had a daughter and two sons together, making their home in Wabash, Indiana.

Edward had already built a solid career as a civil engineer. His employers included a lumber company, a coal company, and several municipalities. In 1900 he was enumerated in the Census along with other civil engineers, a locomotive engineer, and surveyors' assistants who were living and working in the Woodville District of the Chickasaw Nation, part of the territory that became the 46th U.S. state of Oklahoma in 1907. 

Sadly, by 1918, Edward was bedridden and unable to sign his WWI draft registration card on his own. He made an X that was witnessed and signed. By that time, Lola had already gone back to work. With her education and her teaching background, Lola was named as the Wabash truant officer in 1916 (Indianapolis News, Aug 29 1916, p. 20). Edward died in 1920, just 47 years old. 

Lola continued to serve as a truant officer (later known as an attendance officer) for many years. During the Great Depression, she experienced pay problems as Wabash (both city and county) grappled with financial woes. In 1932, the county reduced her salary to $4.24 per day for the 180 days of her contract (The News-Sentinel, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Sept 12, 1932). 

Worse was yet to come. In 1933, she worked without pay from January through March (possibly beyond) as the county insisted it had not appropriated the funds for her salary and therefore had effectively abolished the position as of the start of that year. Lola went to court, arguing that she worked for the Wabash city board of education and should be paid by the city--and she won her back pay (Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette, Oct 12, 1935).

From the late 1930s into the early 1940s, Lola worked as an investigator for a local town's trustee and for the state unemployment commission. She was also a long-time volunteer valued for her leadership abilities. She passed away in 1948 at the age of 70. 

In 1985, when her son Edward recorded an oral history about his mother in Wabash, Indiana, he recalled that: "She was a tall, dignified-looking woman. She was musical. She played organs, even pipe organs, always played piano." He added that she was a good cook "but she was always in public life. She was secretary of the Red Cross for 25 years, and she handled the job well. She read law. She knew everything. She was on the board of Associated Charities in Wabash."

I'm remembering Lola McClure Lower as students go back to school across the United States, including her home state of Indiana.