Tobacco bag stringing: Life and labor in the Depression · North Carolina Collection

woman and three children standing on porch in front of house

(More about the photograph)

MRS. LEACEY ROYAL, aged 27, married and has 4 children. Husband is 29. They reside in Reddies River, N.C.

INCOME: Husband works on P.W.A. sixteen days a month and gets $24. They have no other income.

EXPENSES: They use everything they make for food. Taxes are $2.

HOME CONDITIONS: House has 2 rooms and there are 35 acres of land. He owns a cow and 2 steers. The house is like all the rest in this section. They own a sewing machine and a new stove. She has been stringing bags for about 5 years and makes about $7.50 a month. This work sometimes hurts her eyes but she likes to make this money which she needs very much.