Both of my parents were very hard-working people. Life during the depression era wasn’t easy for them, but they never complained and seemed to enjoy life. However, when their children were big enough we all had our chores to do and it eased the burden on them.
They were very honest. They taught us to respect other people and most of all our elders. We were not allowed to call people by their first name. We said Uncle or Aunt or Mr. or Mrs. We were taught to never take anything that wasn’t ours and to make sure you paid for anything you were buying and we were taught to tell the truth.
My parents were very hospitable. They never turned a bum away from our door without feeding him. It wasn’t much sometimes, but my mother always gave them something.
Living on a farm in those days was a lot of work, but with parents like mine who never complained and were always doing their best, what child could ask for more? We never had a lot of material things, but we were given the rich heritage of being industrious, loving, kind, hospitable and honest.
Frances Duff Carter
Marquette Heights, Illinois
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.
