Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2022/Spring/105i/section007/Papa

Overview

Known to most as Papa, Nathan Wild was a Polish-American grocer interviewed by Freda Ginsberg for the Federal Writers Project on January 16, 1939 in Savannah, Georgia.

Biography

"Papa" aka Nathan Wild
Occupation	Watchman (formerly: blacksmith, factory worker, peddler, store owner, grocer)
Spouse(s)	"Mama"
Children	Daughter and Son
Relatives	Five brothers, one sister

Early Life in Poland

Born in Yvey, Poland, Wild grew up the oldest of five brothers and one sister. His family had a small house, a barn where they kept a cow and chickens, and a garden where they grew most of their food, primarily Irish potatoes. His father rarely brought in income so his mother worked hard to provide for the family of 9. At 10 Wild began apprenticing to become a blacksmith making 1 rubble a week, roughly fifty cents in America, and gave all of his earnings to his mother to help support the family. Wild would go to school after work everyday and hoped to become a Rabbi, however they didn't have much money so he studied the Bible and the Talmud on his own. At the time Yvey was still under Russian rule, so at twenty one Wild was required by law to serve four years in the Russian Army. He traveled 1,000 miles from his hometown to Warsaw, Russia, where he enjoyed his time in service; there was plenty of downtime for studying the Talmud and learning Russian.

Adult Life in America

Ellis Island, the first stop for many immigrants arriving from Eastern Europe.

Amid rumors of war between Japan and Russia, Wild bought himself a third-class ticket to America for $100. The 10 day journey ended at Ellis Island on July 4, 1904. From Ellis Island, he took a ferry to New York where his cousins met him at the dock. Wild explains how anyone with money could immigrate to America in the days before the quota. After several weeks in America Wild found a job making "knee pants” with pay starting at $3.00 a week, but he worked hard and eventually earned up to $10.00 a week. English classes were over by the time Wild finished his work so he studied English at night. He was soon able to apply for his first citizenship papers, which he received in New York City later that year. Money was slow and Wild had to start looking elsewhere for income so he moved to Glenn Falls, New York, where he took up a job at a cement factory. When the factory closed after six months, Wild decided to stay in Glenn Falls and purchase a small stock of suspenders, socks, and ties which he peddled around the countryside. Unable to make a living he decided to head back to the city. Wild was still sending money home to his mother during this time for his three brothers to travel to America. Once Wild returned to the city, he received a letter from his brothers insisting he move to Savannah, Georgia, where the three brothers had settled and managed to find work. Wild did, and spent six months building a dry goods business so that he could send for his "sweetheart" back in New York and get married. Business was good for the two of them in 1913, before WWI, and in 1914 they had their first daughter. Their business fared well throughout the war and their family survived the flu epidemic of 1918. Wild then passed the citizenship test In Savannah, Georgia receiving his new and final papers.

Later Life during the Great Depression

Business plummeted in 1931 with the rise of chain stores like Schultz-United and Wild was unable to compete with the competitors' cheap prices. As their income slowed Wild was forced to halt his daughter's music lessons, she then had a nervous breakdown and was taken to the hospital. Wild used all of his savings to pay off the doctor and hospital fees, and his wife began washing and pressing clothes. Ultimately Wild had to sell his business of eighteen years for a meager $100. At the guidance of his brothers, Wild decided to borrow some money and open a small grocery store in a predominantly black neighborhood on the eastern side of Savannah. There he ran into more business trouble through the demand for credit. He claimed that either he refused credit and the customer wouldn't return, or he agreed and they never came back to pay off the credit; either way he lost. At first Wild employed a full-time delivery boy and a butcher, but after the implementation of a minimum wage under the NRA industry codes Wild could no longer afford to pay appropriate wages. He had to let his butcher go, and employ the delivery boy half-time. Wild was a fan of President Roosevelt, but he claimed that the NRA did not “work out well with small businesses” like his own. Due to competition, long hours, and two attempted robberies, the Wild's decided to sell their store. Wild took a small job from a friend as a watchman at a junk shop and sold his store for $300. His family moved into an apartment and managed to get by on Wild's $15 a week and some help from his children. Wild had an optimistic disposition, saying "Things not so bad they can't be worse," and "what's the use to worry?" acknowledging that his new job left him with plenty of time to read. He explained that he preferred to read the Jewish paper, Aristotle and Plato, and about astronomy, and that he still loved gardening just like he did back in Yvey when he was younger.

Social Context

Polish Emigration to the U.S.

Immigrants waiting to be processed inside Ellis Island, 1904.

There was a large movement of Polish emigrants to the United States during the late 1800's to early 1900's. Polish emigration spiked during this time due to Russian occupation, "chronic unemployment, and land shortages,"and about 84% of those emigrating from Poland settled in the United States. Large groups of immigrants settled in American cities like Chicago, Cleveland and New York, where they took up jobs in factories, mills, and foundries. While it is difficult to find exact figures as immigration was vastly underreported, roughly "two million Polish immigrants came to the United States by 1920." With the end of World War 1 and Poland's subsequent independence, emigration decreased. Throughout this time the U.S. had enacted several laws restricting the immigration process (like introducing a physical exam, literacy test and increasing fees) and during the 1920's the immigration quotas limited the number of immigrants permitted entry. The immigration figures from Poland to the U.S. after the quota's implementation clearly reflect the effect on the scale of immigration.

National Recovery Administration member badge, "We Do Our Part."

Small Businesses during the Great Depression

During the Great Depression small businesses had to navigate competition with the rapidly expanding chain stores and the Industry codes implemented by the National Recovery Administration (NRA). In the 1920's-1930's small businesses struggled as chain stores tried to snuff out local competitors with unbeatable prices,“for small retailers, worried about the survival of their businesses, the rapid growth was frightening.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented the NRA in 1933 as part of the New Deal act, which aimed to protect laborers and maintain fair practices in the workforce. However, for small business owners during the great depression the new codes made it even harder to run a business. While the codes were implemented to crack down on exploitation of workers and markets, small business owners claimed that the codes favored big business and created limitations that made it harder for local businesses to operate. Small business owners from a wide range of areas–from cinemas to auto dealers to barbers to druggists, all accused the NRA of increasing their business’s burden rather than offering support.

References

DAFT, LYNN MILLER. 1969. "COMPETITION IN THE GROCERY RETAILING INDUSTRY." Order No. 6920839, Michigan State University. http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/competition-grocery-retailing-industry/docview/302455583/se-2?accountid=14244.

Lestschinsky, Jacob. 1943. “National Groups in Polish Emigration.” Jewish Social Studies 5, no. 2: 99–114. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4464495.

“The Nation of Polonia” The Library of Congress. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/polish-russian/the-nation-of-polonia/.

"Papa” Interview by Ginsberg, Freda, January 19, 1939, Folder 161, Federal Writers' Project papers #3709, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/03709/id/923

Sparks, Cory Lewis. 2000. "Locally Owned and Operated: Opposition to Chain Stores, 1925–1940." Order No. 9998709, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/locally-owned-operated-opposition-chain-stores/docview/304627956/se-2?accountid=14244.

Underwood & Underwood. 1904. Immigrants just arrived from Foreign Countries--Immigrant Building, Ellis Island, New York Harbor. photographic print on stereo card : stereograph. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97501095/

Unidentified Photographer. 1896. First Ellis Island Immigration Station in New York Harbor. Public Domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ellis_Island_First_Bldg_Burnt_15-June-1897.jpg

US Govt. Agency. NRA (National Recovery Administration) member: We Do Our Part. https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/File:NewDealNRA.jpg

Willoughby, Raymond. 1934. "Small Business and the NRA." Nation's Business (Pre-1986), 05, 1934, 31. http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/small-business-nra/docview/231667956/se-2?accountid=14244.