I have thought about this a lot as of late. My grand parents lived on the farm that I now own. They never had central heat or air, and did not even have propane. They had about 20 acres of post oak and cut wood for heat and to cook with. They did not have electricity until about 1950 and did not have indoor plumbing until 1963.Grandpa did not even own a tractor until after I was born. Then he traded his team and all of his mule drawn farm equipment for a 1941 Model “L” John Deer. With plows and a cycle bar mower.
Now before you start thinking that this was a long time ago I’m only 48 and my grandmother passed away two years ago at age 96. Grandpa died in 1978.
I’m most likely one of the few people my age that know how to regulate the heat in a wood cook stove, at least in the DFW area.
I got a look into a way of life that was long gone before I was born. For that I will always be grateful.

 

Well we had plumbing, but I grew up stoking the coal furnace every night and firing up the water heater on Thursday.

My ex-wife's Grandmother died a few years ago. Things were pretty rough in Europe when she was a child. Her parents got together enough money to send her to America. She arrived at New York harbor at 12 years old, all alone, with 12 dollars in her pocket. She was then on her own, knew no one here. Her and her husband celebrated their 75th wedding anniversy before they passed on. She had some stories.

As the thread says, things change. Can you imagone a 12 year old girl arriving at New York harbor to day?

I was brought up by my grandparents. My grandfather settled in Binghamton New York after carrying loads of melons from Long Island, on a Model T. That was in the late teens. When I was a teen it was a hard trip with good two lane highways, I can imagone a T over dirt roads, close to 200 miles.

My sister and I have been working on geneology of the family. Amazing, we have it back to Long Island where Keturah an Indian was a relative. We can't get back past about 1740. Think we have it but can't prove it. Along the way we read and learn the real history of early northeast. It is amazing and the schools do not teach the real stuff.