What did your Grandparents Do?

[Oaktree]

I would argue that was all about the pressures of society and a lack of (taxpayer) support than accepting responsibility.

I don't really care why, as long as it was done. It was also a lot less common to have a kid out of wedlock, never mind having two, three or more.

"Morality" has always been a moving target with older generations lamenting about "kids these days". An unmarried couple living together was considered scandalous 50 years ago, now it's commonplace...even among our parents' generation who would have had a fit if we'd done it when we were in our 20s. Yet dumping toxic chemicals into a river or swamp raised few eyebrows.

That having been said, I don't agree with the casualness that younger people seem to have towards single parenthood either.

Getting back on topic, my paternal grandfather worked in a textile mill (don't know what he did there), grandmother, like most women of her generation was a housewife. Don't know much about my mother's side...she was raised by her grandmother and rarely if ever spoke of her parents. My siblings and I learned quickly never to ask.

 

[Bird]

Well, we've been talking about our grandparents, so I wonder how many have met or known their great-grandparents. My maternal grandmother's father and mother owned a country general store, everything from groceries to blue jeans in Arkansas. I don't know now much land they had, but they did have some cattle. My parents took me to visit them when I was 6 years old, so only saw them one time. I never knew my paternal great-grandfathers, but they were farmers. And I did know both of my Dad's grandmothers, but I guess they both died before I was 10.

 

[dnw64]

I met my mother's maternal grandmother once. We got a picture of 4 generations of women (my sister, mother, her mother and grandmother).

I believe the rest of my maternal ggs were all passed on before I was born.

I believe all my paternal ggs were also all passed on before I was born. My paternal grandmother was 65 when I was born, and grandfather was older than that though I don't recall just how much at the moment.

You're making me want to dig out my genealogy database and see if I can still get it to run...

 

[dnw64]

OK, I got my database dusted off.

My mother's paternal grandmother didn't die until 4 years after I was born, but I don't believe I ever met her.

All my father's grandparents were gone by 1941 - 23 years before I was born. Three of them passed away in the early '20s.

 

[MossRoad]

From personal experience in observing teen pregnancies back in the 60's, I can assure you that many young men did not step up to the responsibility, and many young women "went to visit their aunt" in California, which was code for going away for an abortion or having the baby and giving it up for adoption.

Another interesting thing was teenage marriage was quite common before I was born. Many people got married right out of high school. That's 17-18-19 year olds, and that contributes to the "teen" marriages, even though many of them were working adults at that age. Today, the average age of marriage is well into the 20's.

And finally, teen marriages were something like 48% ending in divorce within 10 years, while those that get married in their mid 20's is something like 24% ending in divorce.

 

[Jstpssng]

Well, we've been talking about our grandparents, so I wonder how many have met or known their great-grandparents. My maternal grandmother's father and mother owned a country general store, everything from groceries to blue jeans in Arkansas. I don't know now much land they had, but they did have some cattle. My parents took me to visit them when I was 6 years old, so only saw them one time. I never knew my paternal great-grandfathers, but they were farmers. And I did know both of my Dad's grandmothers, but I guess they both died before I was 10.

My great grandparents were shoemakers before they started the greenhouse business; some of the old stands et al are still kicking around in the barn or the cellar of my parent's house.
When my father was alive they started cleaning, and gave a lot of the old stuff to the local Historical Society; including the family still.
Funny thing though, I didn't even know that the family had a still until it was gone.

My great grandfather on the other side was the road commissioner of a nearby town; there are still roads named after him.

One great grandmother- a Canadian native- passed away from cancer the year that I graduated from college; she had lived with my grandparents for about 20 years.

 

[Alan W.]

Knew 3 of my Great Grandparents. One was a barber another a bridge foreman for the railroad and his wife a homemaker.

 

[tallyho8]

All of my great grandfathers and great great grandfathers died long before I was born. What I have found out about them is that one was editor of his newspaper, at least 2 were farmers, and 4 were unlucky military; one died in WWI and 3 died in the Civil War fighting for the Confederacy.

 

[tcreeley]

My family has always been separated - the result of an early divorce. The curious thing has been that my wife and I been moving into the very same areas that on my father's side- the family has lived in. This was always discovered after the fact - from outside of Boston to Maine. I discovered Creeley road in Belmont. named for my great grandfather and his vegetable farm. His father Hugh and mother lived on the farm as well. No buildings remain that I could tell - all suburbs today.
- From Mass. we moved to Maine and discovered a whole new connection. My great great grandfather, from Bordeaux, France in 1840's was a scene painter for the local opera house in Bangor - still in existence. Tetnus took him out - someone sent me a clipping link they had found from back then in the local paper. He was in his 30's. The opera house donate ticket proceeds to the family and young kids. At 13 my great grandfather went to sea as a cabin boy - and did so for many years. The Penobscot River up to Bangor had its share of shipping - from lumber to everything else.
- I think there is more to genes than we understand - that keeps us following the same paths.

 

[showcattle]

My paternal grandfather, raised on a farm, went to work as a clerk in a hardware store. He ended up being co-owner of the store. He was drafted into the Army for WWII, and I'm not sure who ran the hardware store then, but he took it back over after the war. Maternal grandfather worked in the steel mills, was in the Navy during WWII, and returned to the steel mill afterwards. He worked in the mill during the first computerization. He took steady midnight shift because he said there were too many "white hats" there during day shift. He was producing more tonnage on his midnight shift than the daylight shift and the "white hats" couldn't figure out why. So they asked him. He said, "I shut the computers down and make steel the way I always have." After he retired, the mill wanted to hire him back as a consultant because if the computers went down, they couldn't make any steel. He said that when he retired, he was done forever, and never went back.

As far as I know both grandmothers were housewives. Paternal grandmother did help some at the hardware store when needed. Maternal grandmother did a stint as a "Rosie the Riveter" in the steel mills during WWII.