The following is provided by:
Judith Baldwin Hurley
E-mail Ms. Hurley
Remove the " _ " that is in the second position of the e-mail address.
The Baldwin Boys
The Mount Olivet Orphanage, Inc.
A Home For Homeless Boys and Girls
1930 - A Moment in Time
Brief Headlines of the 1930
The early 1930's was the dawning of the Great Depression. This economic era played
havoc on all. The farmers alone in the Maryland and Washington, DC area lost 40 million dollars
in damage. This was 1930 dollars.
The average salary was 1,368 dollars per year and this would have been high for those in
of family. Milk was 14 cents a quart and bread was 9 cents a loaf. lf anyone could afford it,
steak was 42 cents a pound.
Herbert Hoover was president of the United States in 1930 and PLUTO, a new planet
beyond Neptune, had just been discovered. The population of the United States was 123,076,741.
The economy showed the following: Federal spending 3.32 billion, Consumer Price Index 16.7,
Unemployment 8.9%, and a first class stamp was 2 cents.
The 1930 Census was the first to ask if a family owned a radio. This became an item that
most all families had by 1940. Listening to radio was a family favorite. Movies were hot, but you
had to have the money and access to a theater. Board games were very popular and most families
had them, even if very worn out from play.
The average life expectancy was 58 years for men and 61 years for women. Most of our
past men and women did not live the long. Being raised by a step parent was not unusual and
those were the lucky ones. Orphanages were part of the depression years and most of them were
not up to par. Even if they were, an orphan, has a very sad ring to it. My parents, Joseph K.
Baldwin and Mary E. Prebble were both orphaned along with siblings. The story can be unfolded
in the pages of this booklet. I enjoyed my childhood and it is all owed to the love and security
given to me, Sissy, JoAnn and Joey by our hard working and compassionate parents. The effort
of the Baldwin and Prebble siblings and the relationship between these families will have an
everlasting impact on my life. I have watched their lives and respected their efforts. I would like
to honor my parents, Joe Baldwin and Mary Prebble and my Uncle and Aunt, Edward Baldwin
and Emmy Prebble for their steadfast life style as a guide stone for those to came. The family was
made stronger, because of two Baldwin brothers and two Prebble sisters married and settled in the
same town, Bryans Road, Charles County, Maryland.
New family settings would be described for 2003 and difficult problems still exist for our
family members, but the will to enjoy beautiful moments and to-be strong when moments become
fearful still exist. I still see the old time ''will'' to go on in the offspring of the old timers. That
means you, me and our children and grandchildren. God Bless.
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