Prosperity Far Distant: The Journal of an American Farmer, 1933–1934

by Charles M. Wiltse, Michael J. Birkner (Editor), Gene Logsdon (Foreword)

Fresh from receiving a doctorate from Cornell University in 1933, but unable to find work, Charles M. Wiltse joined his parents on the small farm they had recently purchased in southern Ohio. There, the Wiltses scratched out a living selling eggs, corn, and other farm goods at prices that were barely enough to keep the farm intact. In wry and often affecting prose, Wiltse recorded a year in the life of this quintessentially American place during the Great Depression. He describes the family’s daily routine, occasional light moments, and their ongoing frustrations, small and large—from a neighbor’s hog that continually broke into the cornfields to the ongoing struggle with their finances. Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal had little to offer small farmers, and despite repeated requests, the family could not secure loans from local banks to help them through the hard economic times. Wiltse spoke the bitter truth when he told his diary, “We are not a lucky family.” In this he represented millions of others caught in the maw of a national disaster. The diary is introduced and edited by Michael J. Birkner, Wiltse’s former colleague at the Papers of Daniel Webster Project at Dartmouth College, and coeditor, with Wiltse, of the final volume of Webster’s correspondence.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Charles Maurice Wiltse was a professor of history emeritus at Dartmouth College, where he taught from 1966 to 1972. He was a graduate of West Virginia University and received a doctorate from Cornell University.

Reviews

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The self reliance, hard work and perseverance of Charles Wiltse and his parents weren’t enough to save their depression era chicken farm in Ohio. It’s hard to imagine their country life - a life where they didn’t have running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, a telephone, a car or even a radio. In one of the coldest winters on record, they were running out of coal; and, with the price of eggs down, they could’t afford to replace it. After caring for their animals, Charles and his father spend the rest of the day chopping wood for their stoves. But three people working 14 hours a day could not overcome the trials of the small farmer during the depression. Wiltse had just completed a PhD at Cornell, but could not find a job. He went to Ohio to help his parents, and he writes with passion about the frustrations of dealing with banks and with the government.

[Sam Allard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!