Regarding Evelyn's message, she said, >>My family was poor anyways, so I don't recall eating less since my father >>had a vegetable garden, raised chickens for eggs and meat, and usually got >>a >>deer each hunting season. Plus my mom worked at a nearby fruit farm. During the War I didn't realize that the people living in the country lacked food nor did they have to hand over ration stamps for them. And of course those farmers who had cows didn't lack for pure butter. Although your family was poor, our city families were also poor even if in a different way. The housewives had to forage around to find enough decent food to feed their families to keep them healthy. Yes we had enough to eat but Mother really had to work hard to put it all on the table. We were grateful for whatever we were served. vee

Wow! I love ordering things from catalogs and so look forward to receiving the item(s). Can you imagine ordering a house and waiting for it to arrive?! What anticipation! :) Lorraine In a message dated 03/20/2005 6:55:28 PM Pacific Standard Time, housman@adelphia.net writes: What you did back then was look through the Sears catalog until you found the sort of house you wanted to build yourself on your own piece of property. You would place the order and Sears would ship by rail freight all of the pieces to the house including window and doors.

Oh boy, that's a dream come true! Your husband must've been so thrilled that you were able to reach his aunt and to receive photos of his relatives! Kudos and congratulations! Lorraine In a message dated 03/20/2005 6:55:58 PM Pacific Standard Time, Snow689@aol.com writes: When we contacted her, to see if she was who we hoped she was, she answered, and she sent us all the family photos, with NAMES on them. Guess who most of the photos were of, that this other woman had copies of? All of my husband's relatives. Then there were a few that I didn't know, so I sent copies to his aunt. She wrote back to tell us who they were.

<<Lorraine said: Now I wish I'd rescued those lovely old CDVs, just in case one of the distant cousins I've met online might've been able to ID them! >> I actually had that happen. I connected with a woman who's gr-grandmother was sister to my husband's gr-grandmother. She sent me a load of photos that she couldn't identify. This is a real case of serendipity... I had found my husband's aunt online about a month before this. He hadn't seen her or heard from her, for about 30 years. When we contacted her, to see if she was who we hoped she was, she answered, and she sent us all the family photos, with NAMES on them. Guess who most of the photos were of, that this other woman had copies of? All of my husband's relatives. Then there were a few that I didn't know, so I sent copies to his aunt. She wrote back to tell us who they were. None of this would ever have happened without the internet, and who knew a few years back, what would happen with the net? Kathy

Lorraine said, > Wow, Kim. A "Harvey House?!" What a cool memory to have. Now I really don't know what a Harvey House looks like but I certainly know what a Sears Roebuck house looks like. It was only a few years ago that I figured out that the house I've been living in since 1977 was a Sears house that was built around 1929. What you did back then was look through the Sears catalog until you found the sort of house you wanted to build yourself on your own piece of property. You would place the order and Sears would ship by rail freight all of the pieces to the house including window and doors. My Sears house is my treasure. vee

Yes I remeber Wings, my parents smoked them also. They also rolled their own. I can remember watching my Mother roll it and then lick down the seam to secure it. A lot of the tobacco fell out even before you got to lite it. Also my husband who was in World WarII tells me that Lucky Strikes package went to green logo instead of red. Slogan was Lucky Strike goes to war. I guess I don't remember Lucky Strike because they rolled their own. Louise

Do any of you remember "Wings" cigerates? Mother somked them and we saved the cards with pictures of airplanes for awhile but then they got lost when we moved about ao much. Darn. Charles ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruth Barton" <mrgjb@sover.net> To: <NYNIAGAR-FOLKS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 4:04 PM Subject: Re: [FOLKS] Collecting Tin Foil During WWII >I was born in '42 but I still remember certain aspects of the war. I > remember rationing, tokens, and yes, collecting the tin foil off cigarette > packs and gum wrappers. We live on what used to be the main route through > eastern Vermont before the interstate went in so there was quite a lot of > stuff thrown out and we used to pick up and save the tin foil. Ruth > > > > > At 8:28 AM -0500 3/20/05, evelyn wrote: >>Hello all, >> >>Having been born in 1940 one wouldn't think I'd have any memories of WW2, >>but such is not the case. The songs of that time are some of my >>favorites, >>and I remember bringing money to school (I started in first grade at age 5 >>so this had to be at least June of 1945) to buy stamps that went in a >>small >>paper book.) ??? What do you think? Do I have this correct or is my >>memory >>playing games with me this morning? >> >> >>My family was poor anyways, so I don't recall eating less since my father >>had a vegetable garden, raised chickens for eggs and meat, and usally got >>a >>deer each hunting season. Plus my mom worked at a nearby fruit farm. As >>for collecting tin foil and such - it must have happened though I don't >>remember. Perhaps with my earliest childhood being during WW2 is where I >>learned to be frugal and not waste. >> >>Evelyn > > -- > Ruth Barton > mrgjb@sover.net > Dummerston, VT >

How fascinating, and moving, to hear these stories. A co-worker was recently telling us that he found it so odd that his Mother still adds water to the last of the shampoo/conditioner/dish soap, etc., to make it last a little longer. He said she does it because she lived through the depression, and WWII, when you had to make due with less. That had never occurred to me.... I've always added water to the last of liquids and thought EVERYBODY did that! But I certainly did learn it from my Mom so it must be true, and how strange to think some of us still do things because of conditions 60-70 years ago! Lorraine In a message dated 03/20/2005 4:00:16 PM Pacific Standard Time, mrgjb@sover.net writes: I was born in '42 but I still remember certain aspects of the war. I remember rationing, tokens, and yes, collecting the tin foil off cigarette packs and gum wrappers. We live on what used to be the main route through eastern Vermont before the interstate went in so there was quite a lot of stuff thrown out and we used to pick up and save the tin foil. Ruth

Wow, Kim. A "Harvey House?!" What a cool memory to have. I love old (especially Victorian) houses. I do scrapbooking also and have been struggling with getting started on a family heritage one. I can't quite figure out how to do it... do you keep your family branches separate? Or is everybody together in chronological order? I've really got to get started on it, as I've been procrastinating for ages, but continuing to buy supplies for the scrapbook, in the form of heritage paper, stickers, vintage postcards from the towns my kin came from, historical info for specific times, etc., etc. Speaking of which, have you thought of finding a RPPC (real photo postcard) of a Harvey House to add to your book? You could add some journaling explaining that your aunt lived in one. I've purchased sooooo many postcards from eBay, but I've also just saved (right-click with mouse) and printed them out as well. I even saved and uploaded some to my Ofoto account and had them printed for 20 cents! They actually came out pretty well. :) Lorraine In a message dated 02/22/2005 10:56:25 AM Pacific Standard Time, kimpaul@nque.com writes: Dear Folks: While this doesn't necessarily pertain to Niagara County History, it still pertains to family history, at least I think anyway. Recently, I've been putting together my family heritage scrapbook, and have been deciding which pictures to put in. I realized that I was fortunate in having pictures of my dad's house in Kalamazoo, MI., and a picture of the homestead in Kansas where my Mom & her brother grew up. I remember spending many a summer at the farm and it was a lot like Dorothy's farm in Wizard of Oz. I have only one picture of the place and I feel it needs to be in the scrapbook. However I do wish I had a picture of my aunt's house in Kansas (my aunt married my Mom's brother). I found out later when I was older that my Aunt Mildred's house was a "Harvey House"! I thought, how exciting was that! In case if any of you doesn't know what a Harvey House is, watch the movie, "Harvey Girls" with Judy Garland, or do a Google search. Harvey Houses were like restaurants where travelers on the trains could get a bite to eat, and they where family places. You could tell that my aunt's house was different than most. It had two stories and the upstairs had a big room with several smaller bedrooms and a bathroom. The house wan't too far from the railroad. I used to love visitng there in the summers and sit on the huge porch and drink lemonade while swinging on the porch swing. On painting over the woodwork-my aunt's house has beautiful woodwork and none of it wasn't painted. The upstairs floor had the original wood flooring. I hope it stays that way! Kim

Once again, here I am chiming in with my weeks old delayed response to a post! Bert, have you thought of posting the photos on one of the various sites dedicated to reuniting old photos with families? My favorites are "Dead Fred's Relatively Speaking," and "Lost Leaves," but I know there are a bunch of sites out there for this purpose. Gosh, I can recall my Mother pitching out old CDVs and when I asked why on earth she was doing that, she said, "I don't know who they are and no one is left to ask, so we'll never know." Now I wish I'd rescued those lovely old CDVs, just in case one of the distant cousins I've met online might've been able to ID them! Or, to post on one of those sites in hopes of making a connection. Oh well. ( Silly me, in moments of unrealistic hope, I've purchased several large lots of old photos on eBay, just because they're by Horseheads or Elmira photographers. I've gotta get those posted on the sites mentioned!) Best, Lorraine In a message dated 02/22/2005 8:54:44 PM Pacific Standard Time, Buddbo@aol.com writes: It must have been a common occurrence about the turn of the twentieth century and late nineteenth to take pictures of homes with the occupants in front. I have half a dozen of them. One an old log cabin with a family in front. wish I knew who the were. Bert

Evelyn, you are correct about the stamps going into a small paper book and after you collected enough to fill the book you turned it in then a bond would be mailed to you. I was eleven years of age in 1945 with 3 sisters, 2 living brothers being raised by my mother with no father in the home and living in Chicago. I love the songs from that period of time, 30's - early 50's. Charles ----- Original Message ----- From: "evelyn" <ebcooper@copper.net> To: <NYNIAGAR-FOLKS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 7:28 AM Subject: Re: [FOLKS] Collecting Tin Foil During WWII > Hello all, > > Having been born in 1940 one wouldn't think I'd have any memories of WW2, > but such is not the case. The songs of that time are some of my > favorites, > and I remember bringing money to school (I started in first grade at age 5 > so this had to be at least June of 1945) to buy stamps that went in a > small > paper book.) ??? What do you think? Do I have this correct or is my > memory > playing games with me this morning? > > > My family was poor anyways, so I don't recall eating less since my father > had a vegetable garden, raised chickens for eggs and meat, and usally got > a > deer each hunting season. Plus my mom worked at a nearby fruit farm. As > for collecting tin foil and such - it must have happened though I don't > remember. Perhaps with my earliest childhood being during WW2 is where I > learned to be frugal and not waste. > > Evelyn >

I was born in '42 but I still remember certain aspects of the war. I remember rationing, tokens, and yes, collecting the tin foil off cigarette packs and gum wrappers. We live on what used to be the main route through eastern Vermont before the interstate went in so there was quite a lot of stuff thrown out and we used to pick up and save the tin foil. Ruth At 8:28 AM -0500 3/20/05, evelyn wrote: >Hello all, > >Having been born in 1940 one wouldn't think I'd have any memories of WW2, >but such is not the case. The songs of that time are some of my favorites, >and I remember bringing money to school (I started in first grade at age 5 >so this had to be at least June of 1945) to buy stamps that went in a small >paper book.) ??? What do you think? Do I have this correct or is my memory >playing games with me this morning? > > >My family was poor anyways, so I don't recall eating less since my father >had a vegetable garden, raised chickens for eggs and meat, and usally got a >deer each hunting season. Plus my mom worked at a nearby fruit farm. As >for collecting tin foil and such - it must have happened though I don't >remember. Perhaps with my earliest childhood being during WW2 is where I >learned to be frugal and not waste. > >Evelyn -- Ruth Barton mrgjb@sover.net Dummerston, VT

Hello all, Having been born in 1940 one wouldn't think I'd have any memories of WW2, but such is not the case. The songs of that time are some of my favorites, and I remember bringing money to school (I started in first grade at age 5 so this had to be at least June of 1945) to buy stamps that went in a small paper book.) ??? What do you think? Do I have this correct or is my memory playing games with me this morning? My family was poor anyways, so I don't recall eating less since my father had a vegetable garden, raised chickens for eggs and meat, and usally got a deer each hunting season. Plus my mom worked at a nearby fruit farm. As for collecting tin foil and such - it must have happened though I don't remember. Perhaps with my earliest childhood being during WW2 is where I learned to be frugal and not waste. Evelyn

Dear Folks, A memory popped into my head tonight. It had to do when Great-Aunt Annie Riley died in 1943. She was the sister of my grandmother, Lillie (Essick) DeWees. Aunt Annie lived in Westchester, PA, whereas my grandmother lived in Steelton, PA. It was some distance to travel. Grandma was the closest kin of Aunt Annie and it was up to Grandma to settle her estate. My mother told me that Grandma took the train to Westchester and eventually made her way out into the country where Aunt Annie had lived. The whole estate was advertised for sale and when Grandma arrived it wasn't long before a vulture of a buyer showed up ready to grab up every single item of furniture and the contents in the house. Grandma knew that she had to retrieve such precious items that she could pack into cartons to ship back to Steelton. WWII was on and she couldn't depend on any of the family to drive there to take back any of it. After all, gas was rationed at that time. Grandma slaved in the hot summer sun trying to salvage whatever she could. All the while the vulture buyer kept circling around. At one point Grandma went inside the house and removed her hot corset. She took it outside and placed it on a barrel or such. It wasn't long before she noticed the vulture snatching it up for him to sell! Now I've never seen Grandma mad at all but Mother told me that Grandma was furious at the indignity and snatched it right back. Now here's the heartbreaking thing of it all. Aunt Annie and Uncle Will had furnished their house with the most wonderful (now antique) furniture, glassware, etc. that the family would have prized to have inherited, even if it were only a piece of glassware. Let's face it, both of them were born in the late 1860s. But in my memory as a kid, the most precious thing they had in their front parlor was their player piano. Oh how my sister Norma and I were thrilled that on occasion we would be permitted to play it. One of us would pump the pedals to get the piano roll going and we were fascinated by the music and how the piano keys would jump up and down to the music. But I guess that's the sort of thing that happens in many families. In some cases the children/heirs view all that stuff as just old junk and toss it out or burn it, including family bibles. And when you consider the family value of that "junk" it just about breaks you heart. But in Grandma's case, she did the best she could do. vee

Dear Folks, So many of you responded how to possibly freshen up my saltines. Several of you suggested heating them up in the microwave and several of you mentioned heating them up in my oven. I tend to lean toward my gas oven. Another suggestion was to store them in a plastic covered box and putting them up my pantry shelf. Now I don't have a plastic box that would accommodate them but I sure have a fancy metal box. I believe that I bought it at a yard sale. It was originally made for a bottle of scotch liquor to be presented as a Christmas present. So there, I believe the problem is solved and I thank all of you. vee

Put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the oven at about 250 degrees for 15-20 min should do the trick. You can always put the crackers with cheese on them in the microwave for about 15 sec for a real treat. Ruth At 11:53 PM -0500 3/18/05, Vee L. Housman wrote: >Dear Folks, > >Tonight before I trundled off to bed I thought I'd like to have a late night >snack and decided that a bit of a slice of American cheese on some saltine >crackers would hit the spot. > >But here's where I've been having a problem. I don't snack on saltines very >often and therefore I'm very careful how I store them once I've broken into >a small stack of them out of the big box. I've tried to secure the stack >and I've been storing them in the meat drawer of my refrigerator but so far >that doesn't work. They always turn out stale. > >Now if any of you know how to freshen the saltines up, I'd be grateful to >find out how you do it. There's such a big difference between fresh >saltines and stale saltines. >vee -- Ruth Barton mrgjb@sover.net Dummerston, VT

Kathy said, > During WWII, my dad was a radio man. He spent several > years in different parts of Europe. Two of the other guys in his company > were > Printup and Aarons. (Vee will recognize the first name.) Both of them were > Tuscaroras. If you've seen Windtalkers, you know why they were radiomen. > Germans > never could figure out how to break their code. Yes I've definitely heard of the Windtalkers and the very important part they played in WWII. Now regarding the Tuscarora Printup family, I've heard that name like forever. They were and still are a respected family in the tribe. I must admit however, that I can't recall the Aarons family. Over the years I'm continually reminded of the old Tuscarora families; the Printups, the Greenes, the Mt. Pleasants, the Hills and it pleases me that I still recognize those names the minute I read about them. However, in most recent years those names seem to pop up in the local police reports in the worst way. I've always been interested in getting to know the local Indians and actually sitting down and talking with one of them about their history, their language and their genealogy. But I have a strong feeling that they aren't all that receptive to talking about such personal information with someone who isn't an Indian him/herself. Oh your brothers were the luckiest boys in the world to have been taught to hunt with a bow and arrow from a real Tuscarora Indian! How I envy them. vee

Dear Folks, Tonight before I trundled off to bed I thought I'd like to have a late night snack and decided that a bit of a slice of American cheese on some saltine crackers would hit the spot. But here's where I've been having a problem. I don't snack on saltines very often and therefore I'm very careful how I store them once I've broken into a small stack of them out of the big box. I've tried to secure the stack and I've been storing them in the meat drawer of my refrigerator but so far that doesn't work. They always turn out stale. Now if any of you know how to freshen the saltines up, I'd be grateful to find out how you do it. There's such a big difference between fresh saltines and stale saltines. vee

Louise said, >I certainly remember collecting tin foil for the War Effort. We also >collected the fur from the Milk Weed plants but I do not remember where we >took it or what it was really used for. Some said for parachutes. Dear Louise, Oh I really, really wanted to collect milkweed pods myself but I lived in the city of Niagara Falls and there just weren't that many vacant fields where milkweed grew. The purpose of the fluffy silk inside the pods was a substitute for kapok (from Asia) for life vests. > > We also saved our pennies and bought savings stamps to be licked and put > in booklets for war bonds. Oh my goodness yes. Once a week in the fourth and fifth grade (1941/42) we handed over a dime to our teacher and she would hand us one red War Savings Stamp. Yes, we took them home and pasted them into booklets with hopes that we could eventually turn them in to the post office for a real War Savings Bond that would eventually be worth $25. > I came from a family of 9 children and there were never enough rations > coupons to go around for all we needed especially shoes. My Aunt used to > take us girls over to Canada where there was no rationing and buy us > shoes. Oh my goodness, I can't begin to imagine how your mother with a family of 9 children could juggle all the ration stamps to keep you in shoes. I can't recall our family having that problem; there were only my older sister Norma, me and then baby brother Johnny. I have a vague recollection of people doing that, not only with shoes but especially with meat. I also recall that it was a pretty risky business getting back through US Customs. It seems to me that if the Customs Inspector would find such goods in your car, you would be either/and/or be fined a high duty or the goods would be confiscated. Yes those days were difficult ones for the civilians to cope with especially when so many families were worried to death that they would receive a telegram telling them that one of their sons or daughters had been killed overseas. The telegram would start out, "We regret to inform you . . ." Yes, that was a death knoll. vee

I certainly remember collecting tin foil for the War Effort. We also collected the fur from the Milk Weed plants but I do not remember where we took it or what it was really used for. Some said for parachutes. We also saved our pennies and bought savings stamps to be licked and put in booklets for war bonds. I came from a family of 9 children and there were never enough rations coupons to go around for all we needed especially shoes. My Aunt used to take us girls over to Canada where there was no rationing and buy us shoes. Louise