Appreciation from Users

From time to time, we receive e-mails from folks who use this web site. Some have pointed out a typo or two, but most have written to compliment our site and let us know how they are using the information. Here are a few of the messages we've received.

From: Josh G…
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 21:56:20 +0000
Subject: Wessels Living History Web Page

A week ago I was given an assignment in my high school class to create a diary of a farmer during World War II, and include information like the conditions they lived in, income, and how the war effected them. Until I found your site on Farming in the 1940's, I thought this was going to be a very difficult assignment, but your site was so detailed it gave me great examples of all the types of information I needed. I just wanted to say thank you for creating such a helpful site and keep up the great work. Thank you for your time and help.

From: Abel H…
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 12:47:54 -0800
Subject: Thanks

We are a brother and sister team from Elsinore Middle School in Lake Elsinore, CA, and we are in 6th and 8th grades. We are making a group Jr. Documentary about the Weedpatch School for our National History Day entry at our school. We are in need of primary sources for our documentary that explain how it was in the dust bowl. Could we have permission to use some minutes of interviews from your site in our documentary? We will give proper credit in our bibliography. The information will be used only for our educational project for this year…
      Signed, Abel and Jennifer H…

We, of course, wrote back granting permission to use our movies. That's what we're here for.

From: Kathy P... Ida, Arkansas
Date: Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:12:33 PM US/Central
Subject: livinghistoryfarm.org

Just wanted to compliment you on a simply wonderful website. I am 38 years old. My husband and I run a small farm in much the manner things were done in the 1920s - full garden, animals, milking twice a day, etc. We farm organically, and produce and preserve for winter much of the food we eat. Reading the information and stories on your website was inspirational and very informative. Incredible living histories as well. I'll be referring your site to many others. Thanks for taking the time to build such an impressive website.

From: Dennis and Laura J...
Date: Wed Nov 16, 2005 6:00:30 PM US/Central
Subject: your site

I just wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed your Living History site. As a National Board Certified Teacher, I am thrilled by the quality of the lesson plans. But I am also using it as a resource as I make a movie out of my grandmother's oral history tape of her life in Indiana in the early 1900s. The information and the pictures have helped me to focus on the aspects of her life that I want to cover. Thanks for such a great resource!

From: Judy K...
Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 14:35:09 -0600
Subject: Webcam

It was fun to tell friends from far away to check out our weather today as sprinkles fell on the webcam. If some of my homeschooling missionary friends from Africa check us out, it would be good for the children to see our [weather and] time…

From: Sarah Jane D... [from England]
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 23:57:53 -0000
Subject: Feed Sack Clothing

I am writing an article about feed sack clothing for the English textile art magazine Selvedge. As you may imagine there are very few images of feed sack fabrics or clothing available in the UK and I was hoping that you may be able to loan us a couple of lovely images? The school picture on your website is lovely! Any images would be properly credited of course. It would be wonderful if you could help!
      Many thanks, Best wishes, Sarah Jane

From: JEANIE W...
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2005 14:44:27 -0800
Subject: Thank you for your site

I am writing a narrative of my grandparents' life in Kansas from about 1917 to 1927 when they migrated to Colorado to break horses for broom corn harvesting and then to Arizona where they tried homesteading and their eventual move to California in 1935.
      In about 1917 my grandpa was in Nebraska, where he saw an exhibition of tractors and harvesters that changed his way of farming forever. He fell in love with machinery. Within 4 years he and his brother had several harvesters that they had bought, built and cobbled together and were renting them along with their crews to other wheat farmers at harvest time. Most of their machines were still horse drawn, but they did get 2 motorized tractors.
      One of the things that impressed me most about my grandparents experience was that within a very short time they had to adjust to extreme changes in lifestyle, from an agrarian system that had more in common with medieval times than with modern times, to a completely mechanized and fast moving urban life. That they managed to do that while keeping a large family intact and retaining their faith and hope seems incredible to me. Not only did they adjust, but they thrived and raised five healthy children and had a long happy life together.
      I wonder if the world will ever see a generation to equal theirs in integrity, tenacity and inventiveness again, but I sincerely hope that their lives will be an inspiration to the next generations that anything is possible.
      I have enjoyed your website and will use the information there as reference material for my book. I know that you probably have copyrights and I will be careful not to infringe upon them. Is it alright if I include your website in my bibliography as a reference?
      Is it possible to buy a written version of the material on your website?
      Thank you, Jeanie