INTERVIEWEE: VaNeil M. Taylor

Sevier County Oral History Project

INTERVIEWEE: VaNeil M. Taylor
INTERVIEWER: Shane Greenwood
DATE: December 9, 1997
PLACE: Richfield, Utah
SUBJECT: The Great Depression

Shane Greenwood: This is an interview with VaNeil Taylor. This interview is being conducted on December 9, 1997, in Richfield Utah. My name is Shane Greenwood. The subject is The Great Depression in Sevier County.

Where and when were you born?

VaNeil Taylor: I was born in Moroni, Sanpete County, Utah in the year 1920.

Shane Greenwood: Tell me a little bit about your family circumstances?

VaNeil Taylor: Well, we lived very common and simple lives. We didn't do the big wishing because we didn't have a lot of money. We just lived very humble, simple lives.

Shane Greenwood: What kind of movies do you remember?

VaNeil Taylor: I remember very well the silent movies. I remember going to the good movies that cost twenty-five cents, and those movies really meant a lot to me because I rarely had twenty-five cents.

Shane Greenwood: How old were you during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: Well, I was born in 1920 and the depression was not quite in full whack. It's recorded in the encyclopedia that the Great Depression was not until 1929 to 1932, but it took a little warming up before the depression really set in. I was nine when the Great Depression was recorded in the encyclopedia.

Shane Greenwood: Do you remember anything about the stock market crash?

VaNeil Taylor: No. I was a little too young for that; and we did not have any association with that because we didn't have any big money. I can't recall anything about the stock market.

Shane Greenwood: Did you ever steal anything during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: Yes, I did. I was just like any other kid. Most people back then thought it was a normal thing for a kid to do. I used to go downtown because we didn't have much money, and I was like most other kids. I don't encourage kids to steal, but I remember going down to the five to ten cents store and walking through that store and dreaming of having all the things that I saw. Everyday that I left that store I would walk out with a few little things in my pocket. It makes me ashamed now, but that's what I did.

Shane Greenwood: Did you ever hear of any banks that went under?

VaNeil Taylor: Well, I can't recall any banks that went under when I was young; but I was reading an article about some banks that went under in Salt Lake, and it was just drastic.

Shane Greenwood: How many brothers and sisters did your parents have to take care of?

VaNeil Taylor: Well, there were five of us in the family, and we were all girls. I have never had a brother. But there were five of us girls in the family to provide for.

Shane Greenwood: Did you have enough clothes to wear during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: As I look back on it and think about it, we managed; but no, compared to today's world, the kids today have so much! I am grateful for that experience because it taught me something.

Shane Greenwood: How was the depression bad for you?

VaNeil Taylor: Well, I remember my mother did not have a lot to cook with, but she fixed our meals and she was a good cook. Our main meals consisted of milk, bread, and sometimes beans. We didn't have a garden, so we could not grow any of our own food. We had to buy it. I remember my mother used to make water gravy and it was good.

Shane Greenwood: How was the depression good for you?

VaNeil Taylor: The depression was good for me because it taught me a valuable lesson about making the most of what you have and seeing the good in having the least. As I look back in my history, I can remember writing about how I was glad that I could live through the depression. The way people waste food today makes me mad. So now I am thankful with whatever I have, and each day I count my blessings.

Shane Greenwood: Did you have to sell anything in order to get money?

VaNeil Taylor: I don't recall that at all, but there were pawn shops that would buy things from you if you wanted to sell them.

Shane Greenwood: Did your family ever move during the depression? If so, where?

VaNeil Taylor: Well, I'll tell ya that's all we did was rent houses. We would move into a house and it would average about thirty dollars a month. The houses were not very big; we had to squeeze together in the beds in order to sleep. I think we just about lived every place in Salt Lake. We really moved around a lot.

Shane Greenwood: Who in your family worked during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: My mother always liked people, and she always liked the sick. So she got a job down at the county hospital. She got a job down there as, well I can't quite remember what she was, but she worked down there and she brought home money for us. My older sister she used to go down to the Sweets Candy Company and buy candy for us; and then she got a job there, and she helped to put bread on the table.

Shane Greenwood: Did you ever have to work during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: Yes, I used to baby-sit and work for a lady cleaning her house.

Shane Greenwood: Did anyone ever steal anything from you during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: I don't recall that either. We didn't have really anything to steal and the next door neighbors didn't either.

Shane Greenwood: Did your family ever run out of food during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: Well, that was about the time when we were eating bread and water gravy. We usually managed to survive, but we didn't have the best.

Shane Greenwood: Do you think the depression was good for you or bad for you.

VaNeil Taylor: Well, as I look back now, I am very grateful that I had the chance to live through it. Our church advises to get storage and save food and water because someday there could be another depression.

Shane Greenwood: Did you have any animals during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: We always had animals because we were an animal loving family. We always had a mother cat, and she would have kittens very often.

Shane Greenwood: What was your religion during the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: My parents weren't active in the church, so I really didn't have any religion until I was about twenty-six years old.

Shane Greenwood: What advice would you give young people if they were to face a depression today?

VaNeil Taylor: Well, I think they should listen to what their mom and dad say, save their money, be conservative, and cut down on their spending.

Shane Greenwood: Is there anything else you would like to say about the depression?

VaNeil Taylor: Just that I am glad that I had the chance to live during the depression because it taught me to not waste anything and to be careful about how I spend my money.

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