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So now we are at the start of the great depression of the '30s. And Freda and Frederick are still being taken out of or being placed once again in the Wichita Children's Home - lets once again tune in to the notes of the "Visitor."
August 25, 1930
Visitor(Children's Home Investigator), called at Coleman's to see Mrs. Hadley. Was told Mrs. Hadley was home ill.
August 27, 1930
Visitor called at the home, 1335 S. Waco. Mrs. Hadley was at work and had been there all week. Visitor talked with the mother who is able to care for the children. They have a confortable, better-than-ordinary home. Visitor gathered that the grandmother wanted them in the Children's Home because they worried her; because they would have displine here(Children's Home); so that their mother would not whip Frederick when Freda told stories on him. Visitor gathered that the grandmother thought the mother was partial to Freda and that she was a naughty child. Visitor tried to discourage any idea of bringing them here. When told that the mother would pay $5 for both she told the grandmother that we were paid $3.50 per week for the children placed by the court and that any arrangement for pay must be made with Mrs. Kendell. Visitor told her that in her opinion children should stay with their own people; relief from the responsibility of her children is not good for a young mother and is not to be encouraged.
Recommendation; That the children not be received. The mother has steady work at $19 a week which can be made to care for the 4 in this family. Visitor is convinced that with times as they are, many more needy cases will have to be cared for this winter.
September 2, 1930
Visitor called at the Coleman Lamp Company. Saw Mrs. Hadley. Visitor is sure that Mrs. Hadley is in a physical condition that appears near a nervous breakdown. She is very thin. Her chin has a twisted look as if she has had paralysis. She cannot talk about the commonest things without crying. When she talks about her family situation she cries so that conversation is impossible. She says that they do not get along at home. There is quarreling among the family and that when she tries to displine the boy the grandmother interferes; that the two children do not get along and that the grandmother says the little girl tells fibs on the boy.
Visitor tried to show her that most boys of 8 tease their sisters and many little girls of 6, especially if they have a big imaginations, tell stories. It seems to the visitor that this is just phases of childhood the mother would have to live through. Mrs. Hadley impressed the visitor as being a woman of more than the usual character if she had a chance. Also the visitor was so impressed by this fact that she stopped and talked with the nurse at Coleman's. The nurse is very much interested in this family and has been for four years. She says that she does not see how Lucy lives through it. The grandmother has nothing. The brother-in-law with whom they are living,dislikes all children and Lucy's in particular. She says last winter Lucy had an illness and she marvelled that the girl managed to get well. Her dependency was thrown up to her so often. She says Mrs. Hadley is devoted to her children and she feels that if they were taken away she would not become irresponsibile. At one time when the children were in the Home before, conditions were so discourageing that Lucy got a room outside and paid not only for her children but her part of the care of the mother who has heart trouble and cannot work.
The nurse thinks that if Lucy is not relieved of this home situation she will be unable to work. That if we can take the children they will work out a plan for Lucy to have a seperate room away from the family and the mother to stay with the sister as she did before. Visitor ask the nurse if we found it possible to take the children for three or four months if the nurse felt it would be possible to have the family back in the middle of winter when our burden would be heaviest. Nurse said she thought it would be possible to have the relatives resume the care of the children at any time it was absolutely necessary. Even if the brother-in-law would object she thought the sister of Lucy would see that the children did not suffer; that we take the children until Christmas so that Mrs. Hadley may have a chance to recover her nervous poise. If we take the children we must insist that Mrs. Hadley live out in a room where she can rest.
September 4, 1930
Visitor called at the Coleman Lamp Company. Asked Mrs. Hadley if she had been given the message telephoned to Coleman's nurse on Wednesday. This message said we would take both the children. Mrs. Hadley said she had received the message but had changed her plans. She expects to remain with her sister, wants to keep Frederick with her and send Freda to us. She gave her reason for change of plan the fact she can live more cheaply this way. She has a debt of $90 to pay which she contracted while out of work last summer. She has to help care for her sick mother who cannot get along with her sister Margaret. Mrs. Hadley was very nervous and cried. Visitor told her to make up her mind what she wanted and let us know tomorrow.
Later visitor talked with the nurse. The nurse was as much surprised at the changed plans as was the visitor. She felt that the Home had done all that it could to help with this problem and that we would be quite justified in refusing to take either of the children. Visitor asked her to talk with Mrs. Hadley and see if she could arrive at any definate plan for this family. Visitor is to return at one P. M. on Friday.
September 5, 1930
Visitor saw Mrs. Hadley at Coleman Lamp Company. Mrs. Hadley says her sister is livimg at 1709 S. Wichita in a seperate house. She and her mother will continue to live at 1335 S. Waco. Her landlord is Mr. Leroy Stribben. She pays $20 per month rent. Mrs. Hadley has the care of her mother. The sister comes over at times and helps with the work. The mother is so ill with heart trouble she can do little. Visitor ask if the sister aided in the care of her mother. She was told the brother-in-law makes but $20 per week, that they have bills and a car to keep up. Visitor said that she did not see that a car relieved the sister of her responsibility to her nother; That Mrs. Hadley is caring for four on less than $20 a week, and is now planning to pay $2.50 for the care of Freda. Visitor said that if Freda came to us as Mrs. Hadley wishes, she will see the sister and ask her to assume some of the care of her mother. Mrs. Hadley thought this would do no good since they were too poor. Visitor told her that we were taking her child to relieve her of some of her responsibility so that she might get well and that if the sister could not afford to pay but 2 cents per week that she would ask her to assume that 2 cents. Visitor felt that this was due Mrs. Hadley and the sister herself as well as the Home.
Mrs. Hadley told the visitor that last winter the father contributed to the care of the children sending the money from Los Angeles to the district clerk. In December she had $10, from January to April $20 per month. In May $10. Then he disappeared and the money ceased. She does not know where he is.
Disposition: Told Mrs. Hadley we would accept Freda. She is to pay $2.50 a week. She is to bring her tomorrow afternoon. If anything interferes with this plan, Mrs. Hadley is to be called in the morning at Coleman's.
September 6, 1930
Freda re-entered the home today. Mrs. Hadley continues to work at the Coleman Lamp Company and will pay $2.50 per week for her care.
September 28, 1930
Mrs Hadley calls regularly to see Freda. Once when she was leaving she started to cry and said that she feels that she can no longer afford to keep Freda here. She is to be laid off the next week, so she was asked to come out on Monday between 3:00 and 3:30 to talk over her difficulties.
November 11, 1930
Visitor called at Coleman's to see the nurse. Talked over the situation; told her in this particular case we wanted to be governed by what Coleman's felt best for Mrs. Hadley; that visitor thought it was foolish to plan for Mrs. Hadley to take Freda home as she is wishing to do. Nurse agreed very heartily that it was a foolish thing to do. She said that Mrs. Hadley is carrying more burden now than she can stand up under, and only their knowledge of her extreme need makes them lenient with her at times. She would not be surprised at anything desperate that Mrs. Hadley might do. Her people are unsympathetic, un-coperative and leave her the family burden to carry. Then, too, work is slowing up to such an extent that Mrs Hadley will probably be laid off this week.
Later Mrs. Hadley came to the home. Visitor talked with her concerning the unstable situation in which she finds herself, urging on her the fact that she is likely to be out of work often this winter. In which case if she has freda with her it is very probable that she will be unable to take her back. She may have to bring the boy here before the winter is over, and if she has both of the children she will have no way out of her delimma. Visitor assured her as far as she can tell Freda is very happy here during the week, and there is no reason why she should take her out. She agreed and said that she had wanted to take her because she felt in this way she might be able to save some money to pay some pressing debts. Visitor showed her that if she did not have steady work, and that it seems that she may not, she will be worse off financially than if Freda were here. She told her that she would be very lenient about the matter of payments at least when she was not working. She decided to leave Freda. She would like to take Freda some Saturday afternoon and take her up-town. Told her she might do so.
December 14, 1930
Mrs. Hadley called to see Freda and brought Frederick with her. She gave her change of address as 333 N. Waco.
December 21, 1930
Mrs. Hadley continues to live on N. Waco where she has two small furnished rooms for which she pays $5 per week, if visitor remembers rightly. Frederick stays with her. He is very near school and they get along nicely. Mrs. Hadley is having but four days per week work, will be off two weeks. Her mother is with her sister, since Mrs. Hadley could no longer pay the bills. Visitor told Mrs. Hadley that she was glad for her to have a little easing of her responsibilities. Mrs. Hadley is looking better.
December 22, 1930
Visitor talked with nurse at Coleman's. She did not know that Mrs. Hadley had moved. She said that Mrs. Hadley may be out of work for a month. She is very glad that part of her burdens had been lifted.
January 18, 1931
Mrs. Hadley and Freddie called to see Freda. She is back at work. The nurse at Coleman's told the visitor that Mrs. Hadley would have part time work for awhile.
January 30, 1931
Freda returned to her mother. Mrs. Hadley has started working and she feels that she can take care of Freda, together with Freddie, placing them in the day nursery when they are not in school. For several weeks Mrs. Hadley has had very little work and we kept her little girl gratis during this time in order that she can re-establish her home.
Visitor talked with Mrs Hadley when she came for Freda. Mrs. Hadley felt that since she had to keep a home for Frederick she might as well have both children with her. She has steady work now at Coleman's and thinks she can handle the financial side of it. Mrs Hadley looks much better than she did when Freda came to us. She seems much happier. Visitor told her she was glad she could have Freda and felt that she could care for her since her health was better. Visitor urged her not to go back to the old arrangement of having a house and caring for her mother. Visitor doubts that Mrs, Hadley can keep the children during the summer, but she thinks she can work out a plan. Mrs. Hadley is glad now she did not take Freda when she wanted to since she has had a long period of no work or irregular work.
February 2, 1931
Visitor saw Coleman's nurse who told her that Mrs. Hadley averages four days of work a week.
September 12, 1931
Visitor saw Mrs. Hadley on the street. She and the children are now living at 521 N. Emporia. She said they are getting along nicely. Later visitor saw Miss Nickerson, Coleman's nurse. She too, reports that the family are getting along all right.
January 23, 1933
Visitor saw Mrs. Hadley on the street. She and the children are now living at 521 N. Emporia. She said they are getting along nicely. Later visitor saw Miss Nickerson, Coleman's nurse. She too, reports that the family are getting along all right.
December 8, 1934
Visitor saw Mrs. Hadley at the CAB. She has not been on relief because she has had work at Coleman's until recently. She is now at the end of her resources and is applying to Mr. Crose for a mother's pension. the children are with her. They are growing nicely and while shabby, looked well nourished.
So this is the end of the information from the records from The Wichita Children's Home obtained from them as a result of a "Homecoming" hosted by them, May 3, 1996.
Reed's Home Bakery, run by my uncle, Milton Reed, played a important role in my young life in the '30s. Not having a father, Milton Reed partically filled that slot by inviting me help out at his small bakery at the tender age of 15; iceing rolls, making cookies, waiting on customers, etc:. The speciality was "Three Loaves of Hot Home Made Bread for 10c." This was 1937 and 10c went a long ways. After all it was the depression and millions were out of work and on relief and President Franklin D. Roosevelt was trying to pull the country out of this economic morass.
It was great in the '30s even though we were in a depression and mother on welfare, we didn't know we were that poor until years later when relatives told us so! Besides working at the bakery I worked for The Wichita Beacon carrying "complaints." When a carrier missed a customer I rode my bike, or drove my little red car to take them a replacement paper.
Other Reed's Home Bakery "characters" - Harold Hiner joined the CCCs in '39 and then was killed in Germany in December of '44 at the "Battle of the Bulge" - Blanche Williams worked mostly "up front" in the bakery - "Rosie," a sometime helper, most times a "go - for" always rag-tag but always a big smile. Spent summers at the Municipal swimming pool. Met Barbara Stettheimer there. She also went to East High School. She lived on "College Hill" in a big house near Douglas and Hillside. I was somewhat intimidated by her since I felt she was a "high class" girl, probably out of my class.
June 1939, 16 years old, 5'1", 105 pounds, blue eyes, lived at 712 E. Boston, Wichita Kansas. Father, Edgar, worked at junk yard separating metal. Mother, Maude, housewife, made do with coal-oil lamps for lighting and a wood burning stove for heat. Fell in love with Alberta in her porch swing and five years later would marry her and she would gave me a son, Fred Hadley Jr.
To go to the 1940s, go to:
http://lifeandtimesoffredhadley1940s.blogspot.com
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