The Gumpertz Family

Nathalie and Julius Gumpertz came separately from Prussia in the 1850s, meeting and marrying in America. With their four children, the couple lived in a 325-square-foot apartment at 97 Orchard Street when the Panic of 1873 exploded, bringing with it an acute financial crisis. One day Julius left for work and never returned home, leaving Nathalie as sole provider for her family. The Hard Times tour relates how Nathalie, an immigrant woman living in the late 19th century, summoned her own creativity and skill, and the help of neighbors, charitable organizations, and her community, to survive and thrive in America.

The Baldizzi Family

Economic turmoil returned again in the 20^th century. The stock market crash of 1929 led America into the Great Depression, a severe economic downturn that lasted until 1939. Adolfo and Rosaria Baldizzi, immigrants from Sicily, Italy, lived at 97 Orchard Street between 1928 and 1935 with their two American-born children, Josephine and Johnny. Adolfo, a man with big dreams, struggled to find steady work in America. Through a combination of odd jobs, governmental assistance, and charitable aid, he and his family endured these difficult times.

Together, the Gumpertz and Baldizzi family stories explore the role large-scale national and international forces play in the lives of individual families, and considers the range of solutions that have helped immigrants — and others facing hardship — as they cope with economic depressions.