I forgot to include the link: Appleton's Vols. 1-14 have title: The American annual cyclopaedia and register of important events. page 335 http://books.google.com/books?id=Wo4EAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA335&lpg=PA335&dq=%221882+1883%22+depression&source=web&ots=rJ2ctzeSOA&sig=iQwXlCiPv_qTUEBLu7xlsCqi_wE#PPA335,M1 (3 line URL) On 12/31/07, Judy Florian <cageycat@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > Nationwide Depressions hit in 1878 and again in 1882-1883. Watered stocks > had been sold to the unsuspecting public, with little chance of getting a > profit. As far away as the Railroad in Tacoma, Washington, the 1883 > Depression hit hard. > > Farmers in "Little Washington," Little Washington, Pa were not > immune. Many families had prosperous years pre-1870 and were eagerly > building better houses and especially barns, adding new machinery, and > acreage. Many, though, bought on credit -- known as "notes." Notes were > used between family members, friends, and of course, the Bank and some > merchants. > > As with any family experiencing financial stress, the quickest way to fast > cash is selling (1) personal possessions and (2) land acreage. While some > families could wait and sell land in smaller pieces, others who were heavily > in debt (from building all those new barns etc) were forced into almost > immediate bankruptcy---and the loss of land and home. > > Miners and farmers were hit hardest, because their "assets" were literally > in the land. If they had not been able to save---or had been too eager or > foolhardy to build and acquire--they felt the Depression the hardest. > > My ancestor, Daniel Lane, built his small log cabin in the early 1830s. > He had willed his land to a son, who sold it to the other son, R.J. He > decided to build a huge and beautiful barn of poplar wood covering, wide > plank threshing floor, huge hay mowls above, and a large feeding and holding > area for cows on the first floor. They had about 107 acres. I don't know > how they fared in the 1878 Depression, but Daniel was still alive then; I > suspect he was frugal, being a German Baptist preacher. But, for R.J. the > 1883 Depression hit hard. They lost the entire farm, house, barn, > out-buildings, livestock, etc. Earlier, the daughter of Daniel and her > hubby & kids were living on a small corner of Daniel's land. When R.J. > lost the farm, it meant his sister and her family also lost their "home." > Mary A. Lane Flowers in 1879 wrote bitterly about this loss in a letter to > her sister-in-law (Anna Dager Lane, wife of Joseph Lane), telling how she > now had to rent in the City of Washington PA. Anna and Mary were both then > widows (Joseph died 1879; Samuel Flowers died --- ??1876??); they were > alone, parents deceased, husbands deceased, children grown, and wondering > how they would be able to support themselves. Mary's grown daughters and > gr-child lived with Mary, so her daughter's income supported Mary, I > believe. > > I hope this gives some insight into that time in Washington Co PA > > Judy > > -- > Washington County PA Websites: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~florian/ > http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~florian/ > http://freepages.religions.rootsweb.com/~florian/ > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pawashin/ > -- Washington County PA Websites: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~florian/ http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~florian/ http://freepages.religions.rootsweb.com/~florian/ http://www.rootsweb.com/~pawashin/