My Dad left home at 16 years old. He had two older brothers and a younger brother. Dad had enough of farm life! Especially since he was really the only one working, doing the heavy physical work. The oldest was the runt of the litter and the next older brother was just a lazy SOB.When hubbys mother was 11 years old she was sent from her home to the Big..rich house..as a maid.
Her job was to be up at 6am every morning to light the fires before everyone got up...and ironing.
She was one of 18 pregnancies her mother had...14 survived...no birth control then........she was born 1918...1929 she went into Service..
so...less than a century ago..
Can you imagine sending your kids away to work full time when they were 11 years old....?.....
He hitched and walked his way to Dallas. He spent a little time in Dallas as a day worker and lived in a boarding house on the second floor. And that's where he met Mom for the first time, but he didn't know it at the time. He witnessed a little girl hand her handkerchief to this motorcyclist that a crash with the trolley, that's when Dallas had the electric trolleys all over the place. He found this out many years later when Mom was telling the story of her handing her handkerchief to a motorcyclist. Pop even remembered what color dress she was wearing.
I never knew how he made it from Dallas to being an apprentice in the Merchant Marines. All he made was one trip in '36 to Hawaii and back and I think he had enough of the Merchant Marines.
He came back and went to work for North American building planes at the Grand Prairie plant, before, during and slightly after WWII.
Kids just didn't get to be kids very long back then. Parents nowadays can't get them out of the household before they retire!!
..you working... working...?..
