Eileen; Several things happened, as is usually the case when the country's finances go very wrong. In the late 1880's, a large protective agricultural tariff was put in place supposedly to protect our agriculture, so the world quit buying ours, and prices bottomed out. Secondly, the "robber barrons" J. P. Morgan, the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, and other industry giants started losing money, so to combat this, they started cranking out worthless stock, and flooding the markets to raise money regardless of the overall cost, to make it appear their companies were bigger and worth more than they really were (sound familiar?). Third; American gold reserves were depleted by what were called the Silver Acts, which forced the federal banks to sell gold to buy required silver reserves (that was really smart). It added up to the stock market decline that started in March, 1893, and ultimately crashed completely in June of that year. More than 7000 businesses and 400 banks failed in that year alone. The numbers are small by todays standards, but in those times, as a percentage of gross national output, it was staggering. An epidemic of agricultural failures, which, in total, were worse than in 1929 and later, but things got turned around faster. The Silver Acts were quickly repealed on June 27, 1893. The panic hit it's worst point in March of 1894, with more than 4 million people out of work, many railroads failed. The Spanish-American War (which we really started) helped pull the economy the rest of the way out of the red. On Mon, 9 Sep 2002 00:18:14 -0500 "Joe & Eileen Cummings" <[email protected]> writes: > What was the panic of 1893 and 94? > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, September 08, 2002 12:03 PM > Subject: Re: [MODADE] Re: Caroline Matilda (White) Wilson > > > > Eileen; > > > > Hi Cuz, it's been a while! Hope you and Joe are well. From what > I > > gather, folks have been tricking out to California from Dade > County off > > and on since the Gold Rush. Interest in Tulare County started in > the > > 1880's and quite a few left during the panic of 1893 and '94. > After > > that, folks left to join relatives. There was another big surge > during > > the Hoover Depression. My Uncle, Harry Wilson, went out there to > seek > > his fortune in the 30's, but he caught Scarlet Fever, which fried > his > > mind, and Grandma and a couple of my other uncles went to bring > him back. > > > > > > I guess the big draw to Tulare County was the big agricultural > economy, > > which seemed to do well despite the national problems, and the > fantastic > > weather year round. > > > > If you look at American History, you can pretty well track > migrations > > with economic panics and depressions. It's like everybody gets > the same > > idea; "Times are hard, lets go West for a fresh start." > > > > The first really bad depression in America was in the 1830's and > early > > '40's, which coincides with when many of the first families of > Dade > > County showed up. Isn't that right? > > > > Bob > > On Sat, 7 Sep 2002 18:11:11 -0500 "Joe & Eileen Cummings" > > <[email protected]> writes: > > > Well, I'm very interested in what was just said about the high > tide > > > of Dade > > > Countians who went to Tulare County. My Great Grandfather was > one > > > of them. > > > I knew that he moved out because other family had gone there, > but > > > what on > > > earth took them out there? My GGrandfather was David Waldo > > > Duncan-his first > > > wife was Ardena Wilson. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: <[email protected]> > > > To: <[email protected]> > > > Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2002 3:42 PM > > > Subject: Re: [MODADE] Re: Caroline Matilda (White) Wilson > > > > > > > > > > Jim; > > > > > > > > Sorry to take so long to get back with you. I've been out of > town > > > all > > > > week. I have it that Bunk died in 1938 in Tulare Co, CA. > > > Apparently, he > > > > joined the high tide of Dade Countians who went to Tulare > County. > > > I've > > > > read where there were so many of them there, they had a Dade > > > County > > > > Picnic there in Visalia every year. That tradition lasted > into > > > the > > > > 1960's. > > > > > > > > Do you know if Caecilia is a descendant of Bunk and > Caroline's? > > > > > > > > Bunk was the son of James Calvin Wilson (May 1832 - 22 Nov > 1911) > > > and his > > > > unknown first wife, who died sometime between Bunk's birth in > 1857 > > > and > > > > the 1860 census. James Calvin remarried to Mary E. Amos > about > > > 1860. > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > Bob > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== MODADE Mailing List ==== > > > > This list is made available courtesy of Rootsweb.com > > > > To unsubscribe send a msg. to > > > > MODADE-L(or -D)[email protected] > > > > unsubscribe in the msg. area, turn off your signature, > > > > if possible. > > > > > > > > ============================== > > > > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online > genealogy > > > records, > > > go to: > > > > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== MODADE Mailing List ==== > > > Please no virus reports, no chain letters, no advertising! > > > > > > ============================== > > > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online > genealogy > > > records, go to: > > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== MODADE Mailing List ==== > > Please no virus reports, no chain letters, no advertising! > > > > ============================== > > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy > records, > go to: > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > > > > > ==== MODADE Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe send a msg. to > MODADE-L(or -D)[email protected] > unsubscribe in the msg. area, turn off your signature, > if possible. > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy > records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >

Thanks for posting that! It was very helpful... Laura Gray in southern Calfornia

Thank you Bob for the history lesson. Some of us fairly new genealogists haven't gotten to the point of "reviewing" our country's history and comparing it to a timeline that relates to our families. Amy