On the farm during the depression

Pop-Pop was born in 1917; the year modern zippers were invented and two years before the first electric toaster. His dad, Timothy Futty (see picture) was a farmer in North East Maryland when farming was a tough life.

Pop-Pop’s mom died from a heat stroke while whitewashing a farm fence when he was very young. Sadly, his main memory of his mom was the ride in the pickup truck taking his mom to the hospital after her stroke and the subsequent wake held in their house before she was buried – it scared him having his mom’s casket in the house during those days.

Timothy Futty

I always wondered where Pop-Pop found such acceptance and love of African Americans during a generation where most whites didn’t share that sentiment and found it was because of a woman named Tilly. After Pop-Pop’s mom died, his dad hired Tilly, African American woman who lived with them to take care of the house and seven children. When I say “hired,” that was a temporary condition. Although Tilly continued to be paid, she became the children’s second mom. Pop-Pop’s dad told Tilly that she had full reign to discipline the children whenever they needed it and, from what Pop-Pop says, she didn’t shy away from that right!

Taking care of seven children in any circumstance is tough, but during the depression, it was brutal. They ate from the crops and livestock on the farm. Pop-Pop told me there were stretches where bean soup, milk and water were the entire menu for dinner. (At least that finally explained Pop-Pop’s fondness for baked beans on his pancakes) The children grew up loving Tilly stayed in the house, ate at the table with them and, in the truest sense of the meaning, became part of the family.

When the farm was lost later during the depression and Timothy Futty packed the kids up and moved to Delaware to find work, Tilly remained back in North East Maryland with her family. Over the years, contact with her was lost, although she would never be forgotten…

Today, many people have it tough, but think about farm living during the depression.  

No electricity or indoor plumbing.

Farm work that started before sunrise so the children could finish thier work and still get to school on time.

Walking two miles to school regardless of the weather.

You ate what you grew. A bad year on the farm meant less to eat.

Seven children and one bicycle.

Clothes sewn from onion-cloth previously used to bag seeds.

The children's Christmas presents consisted of an orange, some nuts and two pieces of candy on a plate.

When you couldn't provide for your family, you had to move to where the work was or starve.

No welfare, unemployment, or other government support systems.

Do we really have it that bad now?