Roger Farnum came of age in Lewiston and Turner during the 1940s. After marrying, he began working in the shoe industry in Lewiston. He discusses his role buying materials from suppliers to sell to shoe companies, unions strikes, and explains how he was impacted when,...
Jerry Roussaeu was born in Auburn in 1930 to a French Canadian family. After receiving his Social Security card when he was thirteen, he began working in the brickyard to contribute to his family. He discusses what daily life was like growing up in the 1930s and 40s...
Laurent Rivard was born in Lewiston in 1920, and grew up in what was called “Little Canada”. He began working at the Androscoggin Mill at 18 after finishing school, and with the exception of two years spent in the army, Rivard would continue to work in various mills...
Helen Little, a lifelong Lewiston resident born in 1920, describes her family’s French-Canadian background and her diverse work experiences. Helen worked briefly in the Androscoggin Mill as a teenager but chose to finish high school and pursue secretarial work...
When she was eleven years old, Emma Pelletier’s family left their home in St. Ludger, Canada for Lewiston. She began working in Bates Mill as a battery hand as soon as she was big enough to work, eventually becoming a room girl. Pelletier describes her roles at the...
