random question for the knowledgeable amongst you

[mickeym]

Expect me to be spammy with the questions. I'm writing, man. *headdesk*

1930's/1940's, sleeping arrangements for same-sex siblings: probably shared a room, yes? If they did, would they have had twin/single beds, or shared a double? Also, did houses back then (assume the house was built right around the turn of the century, since this would be an older farm house) have closets? I'm thinking no, that wardrobes were used.

Anyone?

Comments

[girlguidejones.livejournal.com]

My grandparents home on my dad's side was built in the late 1920's. It was a farm-house.

Basement: Dirt floor with planks and such to walk on.

Ground floor: Kitchen/breakfast room off the kitchen. What we would call the family room (they called living room). There was a formal room (which my grandma made everyone call the parlor, and it was fancy). The dining room was where we ate most meals. Big, long table that sat 14 if the leaves were all in. There were two "utility" type rooms. One was a very large pantry with an extra deep freeze, dry goods, and all the canned (home canned) goods. The other was basically an enclosed porch; you'd call it a mudroom these days.

Upstairs: The only bathroom (clawfoot tub, no shower). It was quite large. Had a couple of spare wardrobes/dressers in it where the towels and linens were kept, because: no closets. Also had a screen in one corner, presumably behind which one kid could be getting dressed while the next bathed or whatever.

There were six bedrooms, although I know for a fact that originally there were four, and two were later divided into smaller rooms when the older (of four) kids got to be teens so they could have their own. My great-grandmother and great-grandfather had the largest room, my grandparents the next largest.

When the oldest of the kids moved out, their room was made into a guest room.

There were no built in closets until after my grandparents died, and my dad, aunts, and uncle went together and remodeled the house some. All the beds except one (that was the room that was very, very small) were doubles. Windows were not large, and always drafty. The one v. small bedroom did not even have one, and, ironically, eventually became a walk-in closet for that very reason.

I should say that while my dad's parents weren't the Hiltons, they owned their small farm, which provided almost all of the food they needed, and also a great deal of property, on which there was a lot of lumber and oil-drilling. I'm certain they were better off in the 1930's-60's than most people.

Hope this helps!

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Oh, awesome--that helps a lot! (Where was the farm located, if you don't mind my asking?) I'm trying to fit Bobby's house into the era of the 1930's(and onward). Sam and Dean go to live with Uncle Bobby, and I can't decide if they would have their own rooms/beds, or if they would share one room and/or a double bed. I know I can make an argument either way, but I want to be sure I'm not working on a "ooh, this way they could have all the sex and night cuddles they want" wavelength, y'know?

Hmm. Maybe it's two bedrooms and a third very small room -- like you said, really too small to be much of a bedroom. Maybe...Bobby and his wife bought the house and he made a smaller room off the master bedroom, to be a baby's nursery and then his wife died in childbirth... all of which is backstory that I'm just doing in my head to fit all the pieces together.

The Bobby in my story is our Bobby, except he was Mary's brother. And he ends up with the boys. Living on his farm. In South Dakota. Oh, my god, I'm never going to get this finished! *panics again*

[girlguidejones.livejournal.com]

Rural Ohio.

I think you could make a case for either scenario. From what we've seen of Bobby's house, it's pretty big. No canon reason they can't have their own rooms, space-wise. On the other hand, a wise man wouldn't forcibly separate two kids who've lost everything but each other. And Bobby's nothing if not smart.