Financial History

Now at my mother's house in Rockford IL.

My mother's family fared very poorly in the Depression. In the 20s, my grandparents and great-grandparents were quite affluent with servants and large homes. My great-grandfather owned the Baumann Rubber Company which may have employed over 200 people.

But 'things happened'. Within a few years my grandparents and great-parents had lost their business and their homes and were thrown into poverty. Neither family ever recovered financially, even my grandfather, a young man at the time.

But how? Were the homes heavily mortgaged? Were other assets in banks that failed with no insurance? My mother is not sure who supported my great grandparents in their last 10 years of life. They lived independently in an apt nearby. But what happened to all of the assets, was the debt so huge? I don't think there of any inheritance from those great grandparents.

With the stock market with another steep drop, this financial history may become more important. My mom remembers some....