At about the age of 75, Charles M. Daily retired from farming, and with his wife Maggie, they moved into a house in east Watertown. Their son Robert Daily said in an interview, “… it was downtown.  It was about somewhere around six, seven, eight hundred block.”¹ Later they rented a house in southwest Watertown at 620 2^nd Street SW.  One of the things that Charles did following his retirement was to make a trip to Omaha to sell the two houses that they owned there.²

Charles and Maggie’s family continued to grow as their daughters Gladys Bevers, Iona Zick and Elizabeth Bevers and their daughter-in-law Ruby Daily gave them more grandchildren.  As of August 1934, they had 22 living grandchildren.  Tragically, the birth of Gladys’ eighth child left her weak and unable to recover.  In an interview about fifty years later, her brother Robert recounted some details of Gladys’ illness and subsequent death.

Interviewer:  Um, Aunt Gladys, um, she died in October of ‘34? [1934]

Uncle Bob:   Yeah, it’s in ’34, all right, I know.  I don’t know what the date is on there.  [He was referring to a paper they were looking at.]

Interviewer:  On this here.

Uncle Bob:  She, she was born in ’92.  She was, uh, eight and 34 made it 42, didn’t it?  Yeah. She was 42 years-old when she passed away.

Interviewer:  Um hmm.  But it was, it was more or less complications after [the baby] was born?  She never really regained her strength after [the baby] was born.

Uncle Bob:  Yeah, she, she was, when –

Interviewer:  [The baby] was born in August.

Uncle Bob:  When [the baby’s older sibling] was born in 19–, August 7.

Interviewer:  In ’29.

Uncle Bob:  Yeah, why, Dr. Hammond told them they shouldn’t have any more children because it would be either the mother or the child, see.

Interviewer:  I see, uh huh.

Uncle Bob:  And five years to the day was when [the baby] was born.  It was enlargement of the liver.  The liver had enlarged so much she couldn’t get her breath, see. 

Interviewer:  Ohhh.

Uncle Bob:  That’s the reason –

Interviewer:  So, it was what they call liver disease now?  Or?

Uncle Bob:  Well, I don’t know.  But I would have thought that — what could ha’ been the cause of it?  But Doc Hammond knew too well.  He said –

Interviewer:  Hm.

Uncle Bob:  See, she got through with, uh, [the baby’s older sibling] –

Interviewer:  Um hmm.

Uncle Bob:  — he said they shouldn’t have any more family anymore because it’d be either the mother or the child.

Interviewer:  Well, she did – [the baby] was born, it was two months later but –  

Uncle Bob:  Well, yeah.

Interviewer:  — she was jus’ too weak then.

Uncle Bob:  Yeah, she never – I know she told mother, Gladys told mother that she – I guess she kinda realized in that way.  An’ she said, “If it happens to me, I want you to take care of [the baby].”  That’s the reason [the baby], Mother took care of, from that time on until, until Elsie and Arthur took her.

Interviewer:  Um huh.

Uncle Bob:  Took her from there.   Mother … at her age, at that time ….  Oh, at that time she was in her –.  Well, ah, see, thirty, uh – 

Interviewer:  33 and 34, she was already 60.  Close to 70.

Uncle Bob:  Yeah, she didn’t want the job of raising her up and keeping her.  She, she didn’t feel able to do that.³

Maggie was nearly 67 years-old when Gladys passed away and she began caring for her infant granddaughter.  Her son-in-law Arthur Bevers, having seven children ranging in age from 14 to 4 (excluding the infant), secured the help of an 18 year-old young lady named Elsie Ludtke.  The Ludtke family had been living in Rauville Township when the Daily family moved to Rauville in 1915⁴ and the Ludtkes lived there until after 1920,⁵ so it is possible that the two families knew each other.  By 1925, the Ludtkes had moved to Kampeska Township, Codington County,⁶ and by 1930 Arthur and his family were also living in Kampeska Township.⁷ Kampeska Township is approximately 13 miles southwest of Watertown.

Undoubtedly, the news of Maggie taking on the care of her granddaughter reached her relations who were in California.  One of Maggie’s grandsons has stated that Maggie was an avid letter writer and that she wrote to her three siblings once a week, and occasionally, Maggie would receive a box from California that held trinkets.⁸ In November 1934, Maggie received a postcard and a letter from her brothers Sidney and Harman Finley Bonewitz, interestingly, both postmarked on the 11^th of the month in Long Beach, California.  In Finley’s letter, he expressed his hopes that the baby was “getting along fine.”

Finley had left Omaha following the death of his wife Cornelia who died in 1920, and when he married again in 1922, he was in California.  In Finley’s letter, which was posted with a three-cent stamp, he notes that he was awaiting a letter from Maggie that week and he mentions the difficult times they were in, as well as news about himself and others in California:

Sister Maggie and All

Here is a foggy dismal day  the kind of weather I don’t like a little bit.  and then I have no letter from you this week.  I hope it will be on hand tomorrow, and that ever body back there are all O.K., hope [the baby] is getting along fine.  how I would like to see her, and in fact all the rest of the relation up there.  if these times continue I am a fraid we will never be able to go see each other.  well we will live in hopes of better times.  how I wish that pension would be a thing of benefit while I live altho others could enjoy if I did not get a chance.  I see I have over 83 dollars tax to meet.  for the privalage of living here.  don’t like it but will have to be thankful that they will let me live at all.  Stella was up to see May this week  she is on the mend but cant walk on it yet.  she sent back her wheelchair  could not afford it any longer  she can hobble around in the house on a chair.  I have not been up to see her yet.  now for a bit of newes, I must not forget.  Sidney and LaVerne are moving a gain.  but I will not try to tell about for he will explain it himself.  he sure seems sick of moving so often.  I hope he has found a stopping place for awhile and will make good.  Hill is watching them close for fear they might want to move in with her again.  and she has the place is cluttered up most as bad as it was before.  now she is draging in some little shrubs ever night to make a little hedge in our front yard.  she is the limit  I wish you could meet her.  you would not need to talk.  she could do it all.  and have a new story ever time.  for she knows all about ever thing.  or knows of some body who does know.  this paper I got this week is bum  I don’t like pad any way.  and it has no body to it.  well Stella says the eats are ready so I will saw of till after dinner –

well dinner is over.  and Ben was here a little while and went on to his cousin’s, so if Sidneys dont get around we will be by own lone selves.  well as I having no other newes I might as well saw off for this time.  hoping [the baby] and all the rest are all right so I will close for this time with love to all

Finley

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Finley shared that Stella had gone to visit May.  Stella would be his wife and May could be his sister Carrie Mae Belle White.  Carrie and her husband Charles White and their possibly widowed daughter Mabel Day were living in Tujunga, a town 40 miles north of Long Beach.

Sidney had probably moved to California about 1927.  According to the message on his one-cent postcard, he and his wife La Verne were going to be moving to a ranch in a rural area 55 miles west of Long Beach.  In addition, the message briefly told about the moves that he had made during that week and he gave Maggie his new address:

Dear Sister & all

Sunday evening & just got a few minutes so will drop you a line on a card  we are moving to Route 1 Box 64  Arlington Calif

expect to get moved in some time Wed or Thur  I have been on the jump for a week packing & repacking, moving & removing from our apt to HF shed & from the shed to the ranch  I sure know how to move now  Ive done so much of it this last year

Well I guess close with love to all your bro S L

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The year 1934 was in the midst of the Great Depression.  In his letter, Finley alluded to the difficult times the nation was experiencing.  When Finley expressed, “How I wish that pension would be a thing of benefit while I live,” he may have been referring to one of several insurance programs that were being proposed by various individuals and organizations (including the United States President).  A survey of 12,076 newspaper and farm journal editors, revealed that 64% of the editors believed “… that public opinion favors a compulsory governmental system of old age pensions ….”⁹

Mrs. [Eleanor] Roosevelt devoted one of her widely-syndicated columns to a discussion of old age pensions. “Old age pensions,” she wrote, “have been brought very much to the fore again in the Congressional campaigns on the coast this year, and there is no doubt that some type of this form of relief will be a part of the social program proposed to the next Congress ….

“There is no question in my mind but that old people who have given of their strength and youth to the bringing up of a family and have been unable to save should not in their old age have to live off their children’s bounty or on charity. Older civilizations have long conceded this right and I feel that taking this group out of industry a little earlier would be a great help to another group which is now very much menaced–these men and women between 45 and 60 who are finding it harder and harder to get jobs. Every citizen, it seems to me, should study this question and give his support to discussions of it in Congress in the hope that some really workable plan may be found and established in every state in the Union.”¹⁰

On June 8, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a message to the Congress, announced his intention to provide a program for Social Security.  Subsequently, the President created by Executive Order the Committee on Economic Security, which was composed of five top cabinet-level officials. The committee was instructed to study the entire problem of economic insecurity and to make recommendations that would serve as the basis for legislative consideration by the Congress.¹¹

This Committee was established … to develop a comprehensive social insurance system covering all major personal economic hazards with a special emphasis on unemployment and old age insurance.  The Committee’s legislative recommendations were presented to the President in January 1935, and introduced to Congress for consideration shortly thereafter.  A compromise Social Security Bill was signed by the President on August 14, 1935.¹²

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Finley made a comment to Maggie in his letter that “the times” could prevent them from seeing each other again.  His letter gave no outright indication of him being in poor health, although perhaps that could be inferred from his statement that he might not experience the benefit of the pension.  In actuality, Finley did not see his relations in South Dakota again.  Three weeks after writing the November 11^th letter, at 75 years of age, Finley passed away on December 1, 1934.

When the South Dakota census was taken in the spring of 1935, Elsie Ludtke was recorded with Arthur Bevers’ family and her occupation was listed as housekeeper.¹³ Two census records were completed for Arthur’s 9 month-old infant in Codington County: one at the home of her father in Kampeska Township¹⁴ and the other at 620 2^nd Street SW, Watertown which was Charles and Maggie’s home.¹⁵ In addition to the infant, Charles and Maggie’s daughter Oranna Mills and her three children, aged 9, 12 & 17, were also living with them.¹⁶ Later that year, a year after losing his wife, Arthur married Elsie.  In his interview, Uncle Bob reported that the infant then went to live with Arthur and Elsie.¹⁷

In the summer of 1935, the Daily family experienced a sudden loss.  Uncle Bob related that Charles and Maggie’s 12-year-old granddaughter Florence, who was living with them, “went out to Van’s” (most likely Florence’s uncle Van Mills’ farm in Germantown, Codington County)¹⁸ and “she had a severe headache.  … When she come in, she, they tried aspirin and things like that, in order to try to relieve her that way.”¹⁹ Sadly, by the end of the day, July 15, Florence had departed this life.  Uncle Bob stated that the illness was caused in some way by her brain.  He and his interviewer speculated that it could have been caused by sun stroke, cerebral hemorrhage or a tumor.

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Charles and Maggie made a third move in Watertown in 1935.  They purchased a duplex at 219 5^th Avenue SW.  Uncle Bob explained the purchase and also how they supported themselves during their retirement years:

Uncle Bob:  ‘Course, they got a chance to buy the duplex in ‘35.

Interviewer:  Yeah, that’s the only place I remember.

Uncle Bob:  An‘ o’course they lived there til ’47.  That’s twelve years.

Interviewer:  Um hm, um hm.  Yeah, right.

Uncle Bob:  Yep, then o’course, oh, I took it over.  Why, course Dad’d bought it for a thousand fifty dollars, the duplex in ‘35.

Interviewer:  In ’35, i’n’t that somethin’.

Uncle Bob:  Yeah.  Herman Michael wanted to sell it.  An’ he was land poor, property poor, see.  An’ he wanted to sell it.  ‘Course, taxes wasn’t bad.  But rent at that time was only $10 a month, see.

Interviewer:  It sounds unreal, isn’t it?  What –

Uncle Bob:  And they bought the duplex and that way they got $10 from the other side.

Interviewer:  Umm hmm.

Uncle Bob:  And o‘course, folks had, had old-age, got old-age assistance that way. 

Interviewer:  Uh-huh.

Uncle Bob:  An’ I, it always hurt me to think, how they, they had to know ever-, ev’rythin’, all expenditures.  Uh, an’ account for ‘em.  Dad shingled the duplex.  Aw, painted it and he had to do that on his, either on his own money or off that $10 that he got from the other side.  (chuckling)  An’ yet, when they passed on, it was against the property, see.  All the –

Interviewer:  Was it?  Ohhh.

Uncle Bob:  All the, their old-age assistance was, was all against the property, see.

Interviewer:  Hmmm.

Uncle Bob:  If, if you didn’t own anything, the old-age assistance paid your rent.

Interviewer:  But they owned –

Uncle Bob:  But now why, cuz they had a home –

Interviewer:  Huh.

Uncle Bob:  — why, why did they have to be so tight.  And it, whatever they got, all the money they got they – see, when Dad – they were getting old-age assistance, an’ Dad went down, that was in ’35 or ’34, Dad went back down to Omaha an’ sold his property.  Well, then he paid back the old-age assistance.

Interviewer:  Um hmm.

Uncle Bob:  An’ what he had got up to that time.

Interviewer:  Um hm.

Uncle Bob:  An’ they told ‘im that he could keep, uh, when they got – they were allowed to keep $250 a piece for burial expenses, see.  When they got down to close to that, then they could re–

Interviewer:  Re-apply.

Uncle Bob:  — re-apply, see.  Well then, o’course from that time on they had got, but they had to ‘count for everythin’.  The other side had to be accounted for, see.

Interviewer:  Ohhh, yeah.

Uncle Bob:  Well, they got over sixteen hundred dollars, see.  Course that was against the property.  I had to pay that off.²⁰

One of Charles and Maggie’s grandchildren described their house as follows:

The duplex had three rooms downstairs and two bedrooms and hallway upstairs with an open stairway.  Grandma and Grandpa’s bedroom was the front room.  The middle room was the dining room with a large table, cupboard and the oil stove.  In one corner was Grandpa’s wicker rocker where he always sat with the paper or leaned close to the small radio to hear the progress of the war.  When we had Sunday dinner there with some of the cousins, we (the cousins) filled our plates and sat on the stairs to eat.

The back room was the kitchen with stove (and kerosine stove for summer cooking), cupboard, washing machine and large single sink.  A cistern pump was over the sink for getting water for washing dishes and clothes.  There was also a small pantry and the back porch.  The basement stairway led off of the kitchen under the stairs to the upstairs.  I was never down the basement more than once or twice.  I recall it was dark and damp down there.  I was told there was a sand point well there but can’t tell more than that.

The east half of the duplex was identical but in reverse.  And oh yes, the bathroom was out the back door and down the walk to the two identical small buildings at the alley called the “outhouses.”

Grandpa always had a large beautiful garden that filled all of their half of the back yard.  The fresh peas were always so tempting but we better not let Grandpa see us pick any and pop them into our mouths. My Aunt Oranna and children, Guy and George, also lived with Grandma and Grandpa. … Aunt Oranna was epileptic and unable to live alone so spent some time living with each of her sisters and then with Grandma and Grandpa.²¹

Charles and Maggie lived out their final years in this duplex in Watertown. Some of the events of those years will be shared in the next blogpost.

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1. M. R. Wilson, transcription of Robert Lee Daily Interview by R. Thiele, recording (ca. 1984): 27.
2. L. A. Bevers, personal correspondence with M. R. Wilson, November 24, 2010.
3. Wilson, Robert Lee Daily Interview: 22-23.
4. “South Dakota State Census, 1915,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LCJ-1L?cc=1476041&wc=MJQK-N38%3A1041734401 : 21 May 2014), 004245360 > image 3042 of 3102; State Historical Society, Pierre, South Dakota.
5. “United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRVM-DZJ?cc=1488411&wc=QZJB-434%3A1036874501%2C1039011801%2C1039036701%2C1589332505 : 13 September 2019), South Dakota > Codington > Rauville > ED 94 > image 4 of 7; citing NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
6. South Dakota State Census, 1925,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DZ2S-88Z?cc=1476077&wc=MJ7S-T38%3A1041768301 : 21 May 2014), 004246371 > image 1862 of 3407; State Historical Society, Pierre, South Dakota.
7. “United States Census, 1930,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRCF-HB3?cc=1810731&wc=QZF7-6VX%3A648803701%2C649380801%2C649388101%2C1589282323 : 8 December 2015), South Dakota > Codington > Kampeska > ED 10 > image 1 of 8; citing NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002).
8. L. A. Bevers, interview with M. R. Wilson, August 2, 2010.
9. M. B. Schnapper, “Trend of Interest in Economic Security,” https://www.ssa.gov/history/reports/ces/cesvol9trend.html.
10. Schnapper, “Economic Security,” https://www.ssa.gov/history/reports/ces/cesvol9trend.html.
11. Social Security Administration, Historical Background and Development of Social Security, “The Committee on Economic Security (CES),” https://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html.
12. Congressional Panel on Social Security Organization, Organizational History of SSA, “Committee on Economic Security (1934),” https://www.ssa.gov/history/orghist.html.
13. “South Dakota State Census, 1935,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3G9-DVBD-6?cc=1614831&wc=MJ4G-PTL%3A1041689201 : 21 May 2014), 004447442 > image 481 of 3547; State Historical Society, Pierre, South Dakota.
14. “South Dakota State Census, 1935,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3G3-DKPS-FM?cc=1614831&wc=MJ4R-N38%3A1041633301 : 21 May 2014), 004443899 > image 2284 of 3338; State Historical Society, Pierre, South Dakota.
15. “South Dakota State Census, 1935,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3G3-DKPS-F9?cc=1614831&wc=MJ4R-N38%3A1041633301 : 21 May 2014), 004443899 > image 2285 of 3338; State Historical Society, Pierre, South Dakota.
16. “South Dakota State Census, 1935,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DW5Q-MN3?cc=1614831&wc=MJ4L-DP8%3A1041680801 : 21 May 2014), 004447088 > image 653 of 3506; State Historical Society, Pierre, South Dakota.
17. Wilson, Robert Lee Daily Interview: 22.
18. “South Dakota State Census, 1935,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DW53-YLN?cc=1614831&wc=MJ4L-DP8%3A1041680801 : 21 May 2014), 004447088 > image 693 of 3506; State Historical Society, Pierre, South Dakota.
19. Wilson, Robert Lee Daily Interview: 10.
20. Wilson, Robert Lee Daily Interview: 29.
21. ___ Zick, “Daily,” (n. d.).