Personal Narrative: My Grandfather Of The 1920's

My grandmother's biological father, my great grandfather, was born in the United States. His parents, Elida and Kristian Jorstad, were immigrants from Norway to America. This was not uncommon, being that from 1825 to 1925, more than 750,000 Norwegians settled into homes in Canada and the United States (lonelyplanet.com). They established a home in Iowa. Because of that, the transition was a major one. They were a poor family, so finding a job was urgent. His mother became a housekeeper for a family named the Radcliffe's (Self). During all of this, three kids were born. Milford is my great grandfather, Elmore was his brother and Helena, his sister. Even with the jobs being withheld, money was still hard to come by. When Milford was three years old, his mother died. Consequently, his father couldn't bear to stay with the kids so he disappeared (Self). The Radcliffe's kindly adopted the three children. Even though the Radcliffe's could afford a housekeeper, finances were still an issue. The 1920's brought hardships for the people of Iowa, especially the farmers. It was found to be difficult for the farmers to make payment for debts from the war. As the economy worsened, due to the Great Depression, hardships doubled for the Iowans. Prices were dropping drastically for farmer's goods. Only when Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal …show more content…
Although their parents had immigrated, Oberly and her husband stayed in Norway. They would often write letters back and forth between Norway and Iowa. She must have gotten a hint of some sorts as to how cold it was during Iowa's winters and took it upon herself to send them coats. "I see by you letter that the coats fit; they wear them. I imagine, in winter when it is cold. I meant them for use only on week-days" (Oberly). It's interesting that she only intended for them to be worn on weekdays. It was most likely for the purpose of staying warm at