October 30, 1929 Dear Diary, My name is Evie and I live on a farm with my four brothers, my Ma and Pa, and soon I will be a big sister to a boy or girl. Pa just got back from town and he got a newspaper. “WALL ST. IN PANIC AS STOCKS CRASH” it reads. Pa says that this is bad. He says the stock market is linked to banks and that something bad could happen to them. Pa says they are locked up and that we can’t get our money out ever. Ma is hysterical, she won’t stop ranting about different things that don’t make a lick of sense. Well that’s all I have for today, I will try and write tomorrow but I don’t know if I will. January 4 1930 Dear Diary, Ma has just given birth to a little girl. Her name is Honey. Ma put me in charge of her because everyone else has to work, and since I can’t do much I have to take care of Honey. I don’t think I will be able to write for a while, because you know I have to take care of a little baby. March 15 1930 Dear Diary, Sorry I haven’t written in a while, I have been busy with my new little sister, Honey. So, President Hoover has made an announcement, he says ‘The worst is over’ and it will only get better from here. ‘It’ being the aftermath of the stock markets crashing. My family and I have made it to California, but we can’t find many jobs. On the way to California, Pa and my brothers found a few jobs on the road. They earned about $12, but that is gone already. Got to go pa is calling. April 14 1931 Dear Diary, We had to move to a new camp a week or two back. We just found a place to settle down. Ma doesn’t know if we should stay, there has been a lot of riots in this area and she doesn’t know if it’s safe to stay. I have to go and keep an eye on Honey, she is getting more and more curious and adventurous. Write soon. April 25 1931 Dear Diary, A riot has broken out in camp we have to pack up and get out of here quick. Ma has given me charge of Honey. I will write soon, hopefully. September 16 1931 Dear Diary, Pa was injured in the riot, he has been healing since then. He can’t do heavy lifting work, but at least he can do something. I have been taking care of him under Ma’s orders. I’m alone all day taking care of an infant, Honey, and Pa, but Pa helps with Honey. I will try and write soon, but can’t promise anything. March 20 1933 Dear Diary, Well it has been a while. Honey is now three and walking. We found a nice camp a few weeks back. It has really helped us. Its only 5 cents to stay there and now that my brothers and Pa have gotten a decent paying job we can live there no problem. President Roosevelt has come out with ‘New Deal’ that he says will help stabilize the unemployment in America, at least he is doing something unlike Hoover. Ma and Pa says that what President Roosevelt is a great thing, and that it can only help. May 26 1933 Dear Diary, Congress has created FERA. It gives out grants to states to help with unemployment. Pa says a camp was made from that nearby, and all he is hearing is good news about it. All you must do is register and you can stay. For free. We are moving out for that camp tomorrow. May 28 1933 Dear Diary, We made to the camp a few hours after my last entry. It’s awesome, there are so many people here. The good news is the last jobs that my family had, you know the good paying one, it’s only a few hours away so they didn’t need to quit. The just have to get up really early. Well I’m going to go explore, I will write soon. October 27 1996 Dear Diary, Wow I haven’t written is quite some time. Well update on the family, Honey is now six, all four of my brothers have found a gal, but only two have married. Ma and Pa are a little too old to be working anymore, but that isn’t a problem because my brother’s gals are with us now. We have found a camp that we have been in for about two years now. The work is good around here. We are doing good for this big of a family. Well I don’t know if I will write again, but until then goodbye.