The Peasants
Our business was almost entirely dependent upon the trade with the peasants who worked the huge parcels of land around our village that were owned by the nobility. In general, the peasants were simple-minded people, not hard to get along with. But when prompted and incited by the Russian authorities -- and given the opportunity -- they could become very vicious and resort to jubilant plunder, destruction of property, and doing great bodily harm in any Jewish village or city.
Local Trades
Ours was not the only family to conduct a business venture from our living room. To do so was an accepted necessity for almost all the villagers. It was economical [and] convenient, and the wives and children, if any, were always available to assist.
In addition to the tailors, shoemakers, a general store, and a variety of other small tradesmen who used their all-purpose living rooms to conduct their trades, there was an outstanding and most likely a prosperous man called the Tucker (in Yiddish, a wood worker). His home faced the main street, and through two windows on the front side of the house could be seen a row of foot-powered woodworking machines that splashed wood shavings in all directions, to the delight of the youthful onlookers. The products that the Tucker turned out were in demand by the well-to-do, who lived in larger cities. The items consisted of stair rails, ornate table and chair legs, chairs, as well as small pieces of furniture. His creations were an unnecessary luxury and would scarcely harmonize with the natives' long tables, benches, and stools made with heavy-plank wooden boards...
