The American Dream 100 Years Ago- My Paternal Grandparents

 

This is a picture of my paternal grandfather, French Lawrence Copeland and his bride,Blanche Vivian Noon Copeland in the mid 1920s. They loved and lived in Posey County, Indiana at a time when the improvements of the 20th Century had not expanded to their rural community. Yes, one can tell by the photograph that this was a couple in love ready to take on the world.

Yet, as life often does, life interfered. My grandmother died just after childbirth at the age of 28 leaving a grieving husband and 3/confused young children, including my 4 year old father.

There was no ‘safety net’ of state or federal dollars to supplement it n come or pay for supplemental nutrition assistance. But, my family did not starve or claim they deserved to be supported by the state or federal government. Instead, family and community came  together.

During the dust bowl, relatives from Canada and across the USA descended on my grandfather’s farm to seek refuge. 

Despite his grief, his efforts to maintain the farm, his family and tach school, he welcomed the extended family. They lived in the smoke house, the chicken house, the wash house and the barn. And guess what? They never demanded that the federal government owed them anything. They understood the concept of  self reliance and support of family. 

That was the best of America.