Frank in 1940, from the Great Depression to War

In the spring of 1940, the world beyond America’s borders was shifting. Europe was already at war, and the future felt uncertain. At home, the scars of the Great Depression were still fresh. But in the town of Ypsilanti, Michigan, life for seventeen-year-old Frank Vince moved at a quieter pace.

Who was Frank Vince?

Frank was my grandfather. Born January 8, 1923, in Columbus, Ohio, he was the son of Hungarian immigrants trying to carve out a better life in a country they barely knew. By 1940, his family had made their home in a modest house at 523 Oak Street in Ypsilanti. They paid $15 a month in rent, which was a stretch even then, but it was home. The Great Depression was easing its grip, and war was looming overseas. For Frank, life was about hard work, family, and the uncertain promise of the American Dream.

Immigrants to America

His parents, John and Anna Vince, immigrants from Transylvania, a region that at the time was part of Hungary but later became part of Romania. John was from a town called Dombo, and Anna from Soros. Both learned English after arriving in the United States, but Anna spoke it more clearly than John. My mother remembers that her grandfather often seemed to mumble through his thick mustache, which made it hard for her to understand him. But Frank could. He always understood. At home, John and Anna spoke to the children in Hungarian, and the children answered in English. They spoke the language they brought with them, while their children were already growing up American.

Life in America

Anna had no formal education, but she ran the household with quiet strength and steady hands. John worked long days at the Stove Works, doing what he could to provide. That year, he earned a total of $280, the result of just 17 weeks of work in all of 1939. Still, he showed up week after week, doing the kind of labor that helped towns like Ypsilanti grow and thrive.

When the census taker knocked on their door on April 9, 1940, he recorded details that might seem dry on paper—names, ages, school years completed—but they tell a deeper story. Frank had finished two years of high school by then. His younger siblings, Betty and Robert, were still in school themselves.

How One Family Survived During the Great Depression

Before settling in Ypsilanti, the Vince family had moved often. John had worked as a coal miner before he married Anna, and during the years that followed, they went wherever they could find work. Frank was born in Columbus. Margaret came along in Alliance. Erma was also born in Columbus, and Betty most likely in Franklin County. Their youngest, Robert, was born in Adrian, Michigan. The Great Depression made everything harder. Like many families at the time, they took whatever work they could get. They rented farms wherever they could, often working in sugar beets. The family moved nearly every year, always trying to better their circumstances. It wasn’t an easy life, but they kept going.

You won’t find Frank’s name in history books or documentaries. But to me, his story is the very definition of what it meant to be American in the 20th century: the child of immigrants, raised with little, expected to work hard and say thank you. And he did.

WWII Military Service

Three years later, just one day before his 20th birthday, Frank enlisted in the military. He served in France as an airplane mechanic during World War II. He didn’t talk about it much, but I know he was proud of his service. We’re proud of him, too.

Looking back at that snapshot from 1940, what I see isn’t just a name on a census. I see a young man with calloused hands and kind eyes. I see parents who gave everything they had so their children might have more. I see a story that deserves to be remembered, not because it’s flashy or dramatic, but because it’s true.

Stories like this remind us that the past isn’t so far away after all.

More about the Great Depression:

Library of Congress – Great Depression Primary Sources:
https://www.loc.gov/collections/fsa-owi-black-and-white-negatives/about-this-collection

Library of Congress – Great Depression Primary Sources
https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/social-history/great-depression.html

If you enjoyed this story, you might also like reading about my 3rd great-grandfather, Christian Fausel, who served as a Union soldier at the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War.
Read more about Christian’s experience at Shiloh