One of the questions asked previously had to do with our economic and social status in the community. First of all, let me say that West Bay, when I was growing up there, did not have the "disaster area" look that it has today. Most of the people who wished and could afford to, especially the white, left during and after the Depression and World War II. Where we lived, and along the beachfront, there were many homes that have disappeared. Where there were more than 2 dozen boys that I played with, there are very few today. Young men that did not go to America went to Britain, some to join respective armed services and some to find employment .West Bay then had its own shopping centers and the largest was right at what today is the 4-way STOP sign as you come from Georgetown. When you come to the stop, my dad's store would have been on your left. There were 7 stores around the center and Aunt Sally's home right in the middle.. When you come to the stop sign Aunt Sally's home would be directly in front of you - behind the biggest breadfruit tree in West Bay. Aunt Sally was an old woman and it was very convenient for her to go to the store keepers whenever she needed anything. I remember the first time she came to our store and I was there (dad had gone somewhere and left me in charge). She was a wrinkled old woman but had the most beautiful blue eyes and she asked me if she could have some coffee. I remember vividly when I handed her a pound of coffee she looked at me with those beautiful eyes and said "The Lord will bless you for this my son". I know this is getting away from what I had in mind when I began this letter but it is an appropriate time to tell you about the economy in general when I was growing up.

The Depression had also hit Cayman very hard, though not as hard as a lot of families in America felt it, because we were never in danger of starvation. People back then had plenty of fruit trees in their yards and could grow vegetables all year long, but everyone was short on cash. There were many days that if our store sales were as much as 25 cents, we reckoned it as a good day. Of course, then a penny could buy a pound of sugar and 5 cents a pound of flour.

Dad had apparently done very well in his early years. His first store was somewhere around where the old Hennings family cemetery is now. The first sailing ship he owned was before my time but I vaguely remember the second, Veta Louise, in which I believe Edison also had a proprietary interest and possibly Tom. Both ships were engaged in trade between Cayman and USA and he lost both, the first in a hurricane, and the latter was cut down by a United Fruit Company ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Dad never recovered financially from the loss of the Veta Louise. This tragedy happened somewhere around 1927 or 28. There was no loss of life. My oldest sister, Grace, her husband and three children, and also my brother Bill and brother-in-law Cromwell, were all on board when the ship went down. [note: Jim Ebanks has submitted the accounting of the sinking of Veta Louise by his father, Bill Ebanks, which can be read by clicking HERE]

As a very young man, dad got the government contract to build the road from West Bay to Georgetown as well as the one at Crewe Road. He also had accumulated quite a bit of land and a very small herd of cattle from which we always had milk. He would sell or butcher the natural increase in the herd. So there you have it. Dad did extremely well his first 30 years or so of business, but somewhere towards the end of the 20's business dried up and did not reappear until after his death in 1946. But while I'm on the subject, let me tall you about the store. It was a general merchandise store. Clothing material came in bolts and people bought by the yard. There were men's shoes and hats, patent medicines of all kinds, leather we sold by the pound, wire for fishpots, sheets of planed glass that we cut to size, cheese, candy, cigarettes, spices, packaged food such as raisins, dry cereals, Crisco, baking powder and flour, sugar, salt, cornmeal, coffee in 100 to 300lb. bags and barrels of corned beef and salted fish. There were many other things but you get a fairly good idea what the store was like. What I miss most is the fantastic aroma you got then compared to the stores nowadays. And in the winter time when we got a supply of apples, (in barrels) the scent was just delicious.

E N D

Got to go now. See you next time
12/25/2003
7:28pm
End of Installment Four