Welcome to the SOP Memory Book!
A major accomplishment of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was the collection of life histories and slave narratives. These autobiographical accounts give us a first-hand account of life during the Great Depression. Now you can help continue the work of the FWP and share your family stories of the Great Depression in our "Soul of a People" Memory Book. Your memories may help others recall their own stories and encourage them to contribute. This is a chance to share history created by the people who lived it!
Submit memories via email or bring the print version to the library; you may also submit a photograph. Be sure to submit only your own content and be sensitive to copyright law. Memories will be posted online and printed out and displayed at our first and third events. (Please note: The memories will be reviewed prior to being posted; we reserve the right to make edits or reject posts.)
Feel free to contact us with any questions or for more information. Also be sure to visit our "Soul of a People" website for information about upcoming events!
Interview with Carmena Howard written by Emily Howard
Carmena’s parents were first generation immigrants from Italy, who arrived through Ellis Island. Because she grew up with immigrant parents, she speaks both English and Italian. Carmena recalls being about 8 years old when the Great Depression began. Her family life was not as bad as it could have been. Her father was a baker at a local bakery called Acme. She remembers them as being lucky for her father still had work so they could have food and a stable home.
After going to school all day, Carmena and her brother and sisters would come home to work in the gardens that were in the backyard. Every now and then, the family would go to a church function. Because her father was a baker, she remembers eating a lot of sweets, such as donuts, and Danishes and cakes. She recalls eating Italian food, beans, fried peppers and soups as well. When I asked about her neighbors, she did not remember too much about them but she said that she lived in a quiet community. They all worked which was lucky considering the state of the economy and the distress of the U.S. When thinking back about what she did for fun, there was not much. They only played hop-scotch for fun. She spent the rest of her time tending the garden or attending school.
As for family traditions, she recalls always having an Italian Christmas feast where her family would come over and celebrate the holiday. She also remembers hanging her Christmas stocking, and waking up the next morning to find money and fruit in it. The Great Depression did not affect her family too much as her dad always had a job and the family never struggled for much. There was little free time in her family, because there was always something to do, such as picking grapes for her father to make wine; attending school, or doing chores.
Although they knew about the depression, she was not aware of the WPA or the Federal Writers’ project. She and her family went about their daily lives. If you were to ask Carmena if living through the depression affected the kind of person that she is today, she would simply tell you that it did not affect her for the worse. If anything, the depression made her better and stronger.
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