Depressions -- 1929

Scope and Contents The American Indian Oral History and Omaha Folklore Project Oral History Collection contains oral history interviews of Native Americans in Omaha, Nebraska as well as interviews collected as part of a program called the Oral History Collection of the Omaha Folklore Project. The interviews cover the cultures and personal histories of interviewees in the U.S. as well as leaving Europe in the first half of the 20th Century. Topics of discussion include life in Omaha, World War I, the Great...

Content Description The papers of Elmer Teeple document his experiences attempting to find work and survive during the Great Depression in Omaha, Iowa, and Kansas City through notebook-sized journals or diaries (1932-1940) along with family photographs from his sister Mary's family and identified individuals (1910s). Teeple was a barber and also found work in work camps with specific reference to the Iowa Service Bureau for Transients (1934) and a work camp at Benson Park in Omaha. There are references to him...

Content Description The five year diary of Gardia Reta (Peaker) Bailey documents life in the western United States during the Great Depression. The family lives in a trailer and stays at auto parks, such as the Wallow Saw Auto Camp, on the West Coast including in the state of Washington. Included in the diary are various pieces of ephemera including news clippings and photographs as well as notations about family members and birthdays. The diary mentions the family traveling to sell Reta's handmade baskets,...

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The papers of June Turney include correspondence written to family and friends when she was a teenager or young woman in the late 1930s during the Great Depression. The letters were sent from June Turney’s time at Moss Lake Summer Camp in Eagle Bay, New York and a later trip to California.

Content Description The collection consists of three diaries that belonged to housewife Laura Sutterfield of Sikeston, Missouri. In the three hardback volumes, Laura described the daily lives of herself and her family: husband Jeff, son Rodney, and daughter Ruth through the years 1938, 1945, and 1946. From the tail end of the Great Depression to the final stages of World War II and the beginning of peacetime, Laura documents the weather, daily plans, weekly church attendance, and personal reflections....

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The oral history interview of Anastasia Burke Dobney about the Great Depression was conducted by UNO student LuAnn M. McNary on December 11, 1976. Dobney shared her experiences raising her children as a single parent during the 1930s. She discussed the odd jobs she worked and the living conditions they were afforded during this difficult time. Her resiliency in her experiences shone through as she and her family made the best of hard times.

Scope and Contents The oral history interview of Betty Robertson conducted by UNO student Janet Hopkins on August 17, 1977 covers her experiences during the Great Depression. Robertson described what it was like for her to grow up in Central City, a small town in Nebraska, during the Great Depression. She discussed the time period from the stock market crash in 1929 to World War II. She explained several different aspects of the Great Depression such as the scarcity of jobs and how programs through the New...

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An oral history interview with Carl Harvey. This interview was conducted by Jylurry Hollon on March 23, 1977. In this interview, Harvey talked about his life during the Great Depression, specifically dealing with bank closures and work programs implemented by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. Harvey also discussed his time working for the United States government during the World War II on the Manhattan Project in Hanford, Washington.

Scope and Contents The oral history interview of Daniel R. Gruenig was conducted by UNO student Barbara Gruenig on December 5, 1976. Gruenig was an Omaha, Nebraska resident all of his life. He talked about the city of Omaha during the Great Depression. He shared the story of how his parents came to meet in Omaha when the city was young and rapidly expanding. He also talked about his memories of the layout of the city of Omaha including the growth and changing technology for transportation in the city. He also...

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The oral history interview of Don Gehr, Sr. about the Great Depression era was conducted by the interviewee's son, Don Gehr, Jr. on December 5, 1976. Don Gehr, Sr. was a farmer in Humphrey, Nebraska during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. In this interview he described what he remembered of radio shows, baseball, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Scope and Contents An oral history interview with Doris (nee Richardson) Findley. In her interview, Findley discussed her life before and during the Great Depression including Prohibition, Women's Suffrage, and the 1929 Stock Market Crash. She was born in 1903 in Brown County, Indiana. Findley talked about farming, memories of U.S. Presidents, Prohibition, women getting the right to vote, the World Wars, and other topic. She also shared her memories of the fear she felt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor during...

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The oral history interview of Doris Tucker about life in Florence and Omaha, Nebraska in the 1920s-1930s was conducted by UNO student Meg Green on October 1, 1978. Tucker shared information about the development of Omaha and her personal experiences growing up during the Great Depression in Nebraska.

Scope and Contents The oral history interview of Dr. Mitchel Cegielski was conducted by Andrew S. Fidler on April 4, 1977. Dr. Cegielski was a Polish physician who emigrated to the United States from Poland with his family in the 1950s and eventually settled in Omaha, Nebraska. In the interview Dr. Cegielski talked about his life and experiences while living in Poland during World War II. In particular, Cegielski compared German and Russian-occupied Poland. Dr. Cegielski also discussed his experiences after...

Scope and Contents The oral history interview of Edward Sweeney was conducted by UNO student Ronald Bartlett on May 6, 1977. Sweeney was born in Beebeetown, Iowa and spent the majority of his youth in hard labor after his father and some of his younger siblings died. Sweeney joined the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I and spent the war fighting in France. Once he returned to the U.S. after WWI, he worked in a variety of different jobs including for the Miami police force on eliminating gangs. Sweeney held...

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The oral history interview with Ethel Bennett was conducted by her grandson, Dave Bennett, on April 26, 1977. Bennett shared her experience being a teacher during the Great Depression in rural Nebraska and talked about the differences between life in the 1920s and 1930s.

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The oral history interview with Francis A. Merrell concerning his life growing up in Western Nebraska during the Great Depression was conducted by UNO student Kathy Moore on April 16, 1977. Merrell spoke about his jobs, his daily life in Gibbon, Nebraska, what he did for entertainment, farming, and his opinions on the politics of the time.

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An oral history interview with Fred and Mary Schurke concerning the Great Depression, their life during this era, and the hardships they experienced. This interview was conducted by an unknown interviewer on an unknown date in the 1970s.

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The oral history interview of G. Ruth Harpster covered business and family life in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The interview was conducted by Craig Vinopal on May 5, 1977. In the interview, Harpster discussed her family's business and how it was affected economically. She also highlighted how she and her neighbors approached aspects of family life during the Great Depression.

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The oral history interview of Gordon Glad was conducted by his son, Mark Glad, on December 6, 1976. In this interview, Gordon Glad shared about his life on a farm during the Great Depression. He talked in detail about farming equipment, plants, and Christmas celebrations with his grandparents.

Scope and Contents The oral history interview of Harold Becker regarding his experiences and knowledge of the history of Omaha, Nebraska from the 1890s to the 1970s was conducted by UNO student Mary Lyons on October 6, 1978. Becker highlighted prominent figures in Omaha's history, important events, local politics, and community division and diversity. Becker wrote an Omaha history column for the Omaha Sun newspaper, so his interview includes a mix of his personal recollections along with recounting episodes...

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The oral history interview with Harold Buscher was conducted by Carla Neilson on May 3, 1977. In the interview Buscher talked about his experience working in a packing company during the Great Depression, daily life, and his thoughts on U.S. presidents.

Scope and Contents The oral history interview of Hazel Livingston was conducted by UNO student Dennis Stone on November 15, 1976. Livingston was born and raised in a low income family in Omaha, Nebraska. In her interview, Livingston talked about her life during the Great Depression. Because her family was already in poverty, Livingston related that she did not feel a significant change during those hard times. However, Livingston did recall the worry she felt from her parents and friends during this time. Even...

Scope and Contents An oral history interview with Helen Beal who recounted her experiences during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Beal was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1899 where she lived her entire life. Beal married in 1919 and had two children. During the 1930's, Beal remembered the "night spots" and dance clubs and felt that the Great Depression had little effect on her life. The interview is approximately six minutes in length. The interview was conducted by an unknown interviewer on an unknown date in...

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An oral history interview with Herman August Eggert. This interview was conducted by a UNO student, Elsie Ann Coltott, on December 5, 1975. Eggert was born in Lyons, Nebraska and his parents were German immigrants. Eggert was raised in a religious household. He felt that his religion strengthened him throughout his life. After high school Eggert became a professional baseball player and was later a missionary and a farmer during the Great Depression.

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The oral history interview of James Welsh was conducted by UNO student Dennis Stone on November 20, 1976. Welsh lived in Ottumwa, Iowa, and was a teenager when the Great Depression began. He talked about surviving the Great Depression and how every family member worked to contribute to the family's survival during this difficult era. He remembered the joys of spending time with his family and, especially, listening to the radio at his brother's house.

Scope and Contents The oral history interview with Leonard L. Lancaster concerning his youth during the Great Depression was conducted by his granddaughter and UNO student Barbara Gruenig on April 15, 1977. Lancaster mostly spoke about how the Depression affected his employment and way of life and his eventual move from rural Kansas to Omaha, Nebraska. He also talked about entertainment and his opinions on the then current (1977) economic state of the United States, and what it would be like if the country had...

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The oral history interview with Madeline Haury was conducted by Robert K. Haury on April 20, 1977. Haury lived on a farm during the Great Depression. In the interview, Madeline Haury shared details of the Great Depression and some of her opinions on U.S. Presidents and federal aid programs created during the Great Depression. Haury felt that there were positives and negative side effects of federal programs, especially concerning welfare or social safety net programs.

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The oral history interview with Margery Rosenthal was conducted by her son and UNO student Thomas Rosenthal on May 5, 1977. Rosenthal predominantly discussed conditions while living in rural Iowa during the Great Depression. Rosenthal spoke about life during the Great Depression in particular living and working on a farm, her thoughts on the politics of the time, life during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the end of the war and Great Depression.

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An oral history interview with Mary Douchey. This interview was conducted by John Douchey in 1977. Mary Douchey was born in Hungary. Douchey, her mother, and siblings emigrated to the United States and settled in Omaha, Nebraska. In this interview Douchey talked about her life as an immigrant during the Roaring Twenties and Great Depression.

Scope and Contents The oral history interview of Mildred M. Grey was conducted by UNO student Janet Pistille on May 2, 1977. Grey grew up on a farm near Maryville, Missouri. Grey was a young woman during the Great Depression era. Grey talked about how her family produced almost all of their own household goods as there was no money to be had at the time. As an example of this, she described the steps for making a variety of soaps. Grey also talked about how the changing technology, such as washing machines and...