Several Generations Ago

Several Generations Ago

It is amazing how life is completely different when comparing it to several generations ago. Looking back to the 1920s, when farming was a way of life, Jack Smith was born to a family with eight girls in 1926. Not only was Mr. Smith the youngest, however, he was also the only boy. Since he was the only boy, there were a lot of responsibilities such as working on the farm, because the farm was how the family made their living. Every morning before school he would complete his morning chores, such as milking the cow, feeding the horses, and cleaning the stable. After completing his morning chores, he would get ready to go to school. He, along with his eight sisters would walk to school. When Mr. Smith and his sisters grew up, Internet was not heard of. The technology that people have today did not exist in the 30s and 40s. However; the Dueitt family knew no different and thought they had it better than generations before them. The house his family lived in was one of several that was not fortunate enough to have electricity until the late 30s, and indoor plumbing was just a dream; things that we do not appreciate in today's generation. Back in during the 1930s, television was the way of the future. Very few houses had a television set, but they did have a radio. When it came to our freedom, they would put their lives on the line to keep us free.

When Mr. Smith turned five he started school in a little community not far from Shubuta, called Matherville. The school had only one room, and one teacher, where evey student, no matter the grade, would sit together and do their daily work. Back then the most important thing they would learn was their alphabet and how to read. The school did not have a cafeteria but there was a lady who would have lunch ready for them to eat during lunchtime. At the end of school it was back home to continue work on the farm. Since they make their living off the land, everyone had a garden or two that had a fence around to keep deer and other animals out. The cattle roamed wherever they wanted to, so seeing cattle in the middle of the road or anywhere else, was very common.

The generations of today have more amenities than generations beforehand. Power is one of the biggest, along with indoor plumbing, telephones, computers, televisions, and even a better way to travel. In our grandparents generation they got around by horse and buggies. Very few were well-off enough to have a vehicle. Children did not know what video games were; they lived for sunny days so they could play outside. During bad days they would stay inside and find something to pass the time, during the weekend the family would listen to the radio, which was something they did not do regularly because it cost money for batteries. There were no such thing as guest, neighbors would drop by at any given time or day.

Television was something that very few had in there