Browsing the archives for the 1924 category.

On the Depression and Subsequent Scarcity of Employment

1924

The 21 of May we were blessed with our last son, Eldon, which makes it the 12th son to my name, and six daughters. This makes the family complete. Eighteen children, two of the sons dead.

This year I had to go under a heavy operation for rupture, and went through it successfully, but I never got my full strength back again. I was taken to the Salt Lake County Hospital for the operation. That put an end to the misery I had been in for years. Under the circumstances I had been placed in I had a very hard struggle to bring up that big family, under a hard depression of later years, but I never lost courage and good faith in God.

My Patriarchal blessing said that I shall have joy in my children when I get old. I always rejoiced in my children and I loved my family next to God.

After the first world war a depression came on so that employment was very scarce. Millions were out of work in the United States. In Salt Lake City alone they were 12,000 strong, out of work, before the plan of relief was invented by the government.

At that time I went back to Canada again in order to get a job so I would not have to go begging for support, for to get work was impossible in U.S.A. for years.

I am now getting along in years and through an accident and an operation I never got my strength back again, so I in reality am not able to do heavy work.

I never could get my family to stay and be contented in Canada, therefore I had to go different times to the States on that account.

While I was in the States one time, they advertised for chances in the Uinta Basin and I went to Utah State Capital Building and got a letter from Utah State Commissioner in introduction or recommendation to the Stake President of Duchane Stake to show to me a piece of ground or farmland in that locality.

As I got ready to make the trip one of my boys said that he would like to go with me to se the country. I told him that if he thought he could stand the trip I would be pleased to take him along. We had no money, no car and now a way to get there except walk it. I had faith to ask the Lord for a ride on the road to bring us down there and back again.

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