“Necessity is the mother of invention”,
meaning, when the need for something becomes imperative. That quote, author unknown, has guided men and
women throughout history mostly for good, but sometimes for the bad.
Our Ancestors occupation depended upon where they lived, the
era in which they were born and the services that the community they lived in
needed. Some communities like Potosi, Wisconsin was a lead mining town and that
ended when the gold rush began in California and men everywhere, including
Potosi, left to seek their fortune.
To say the least, convenient grocery stores weren’t available;
so people depended on the many who were cattle farmers who raised beef and produced
milk, and the vegetable farmers for their food. Some immigrants from countries
who suffered and starved during the potato famine became just that, potato
farmers, for this was their main staple.
The only transportation at one time was the horse or horse
and buggy. So you had the blacksmith shops.
Not only did they shoe horses, they forged tools, made agricultural implements, complex weapons and armor to simple
things like nails.
Life hasn’t been
easy over the generations. Always you
have the good and the bad affecting individuals. All it took was severe
weather such as a drought, or hurricane and the farmer lost everything. That in
turn affected the citizens.
In building new communities it was a necessity to hold more
than one job, such as my own great grandfather.
His occupations included, citrus farming, Mayor, Postmaster, Volunteer
fireman, owner of a newspaper, and the Tiger fence Company. (There was no Social Security)
World wars took our men away and women had to step in to
fill the gap doing so called man’s work. As we became more advanced we became
less self-sufficient. Political and
financial factions affected our lives.
Just as the fall of Wall Street put thousands out of work and the era of
depression began. The government started the WPA, Works Progress Administration
to provide employment, working on our roads and highways, and we saw soup lines
to feed the hungry. In 1935 the Economic Security Act was proposed
and then before being enacted, Congress changed the name to the Social Security.
So as you go through history you can draw a parallel line of
opposites, one for the bad, and one for the good that came out of changes
throughout time, but sometimes, what was meant to be good such as nuclear power
can also be bad because it can be used as a weapon. Now mark the events in history where Necessity became the mother of invention”,
in your family tree.
