By the late 30s, Chleo and her family had settled into a comfortable lifestyle. Chleo had a few social circles, like bridge club and church circle. She still socialized with a few families of Ralph’s co-workers.
Family in Larned
Chleo kept in close contact with her extended family in Larned. Her sisters Mae Webb Sooby and Laura Webb Baxter lived there. There were frequent trips to Larned, and visitors to Salina.
The boys
They had grown to young teenagers. Here are photos of them on Mother’s Day and July 4, 1937. Chleo was age 37, Anna Webb was age 70. Mel was age 16, Don was 14.
The boys still had their horses. They rode frequently.
In 1937, Mel Jarvis started high school at Washington High School in Salina. Don followed three years later.
A peek ahead
Chleo and Anna and Jim would continue to live a modest lifestyle on the farm.
The boys will graduate from Washington High School, Mel in 1939 and Don in 1942. Mel will attend Kansas State Agricultural College for a while.
In 1941, everyone’s lives will be interrupted by the outbreak of war. Mel and Don will come of age during the war years and then participate in the post-war boom.
They will marry and start their own families. We will meet the families of their spouses, the Cheneys, Maningers, and Gibsons. And we’ll meet the next generation of Jarvises. Including yours truly.
Stay tuned.
Nibbles Extra Credit – The Great Depression – 1937-1938
The debt from the New Deal programs was staggering (unless you compare it to today). Roosevelt cut back spending on programs to manage the debt. But that caused the economy to turn downward, causing a recession in 1938. Roosevelt reluctantly reinstated spending, and the economy turned back to positive territory.
Unemployment
While most economic indicators were positive, unemployment was still high. It had declined steadily for the last few years and was down to 14% by 1937. But the recession of 1938 kicked the jobless number back up to 19%. 1 of 5 workers didn’t have a job. Very discouraging.
The beginning of the end
There is much debate about the end of the Great Depression. Some say it didn’t end until the end of World War II. Many say the depression ended in 1939 or 1940 with the beginning of the war production.
It could be said that the beginning of the end of the Great Depression was 1938. By then, all economic indicators except unemployment matched pre-Depression levels.
Timeline 1937-1938
Sources
- Photos of Jarvis family – Jarvis Family Documents – Chleo Webb Jarvis collection
- Graph – Great Depression GDP – Wikipedia – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GDP_depression.svg
Family Nibbles 
