THROUGH THICK AND THIN

The Coming of Age of Floyd and Christine Martin in Southern Mississippi 1922-1952

In 1922, Floyd Martin and Christine Mosley are young children, growing up in the quiet surroundings of Southern Mississippi. In 1929, the Great Depression begins and life gets a bit tougher. In 1936, Floyd and Christine meet, and, a few months later, are married. He is 22 and she is 16, and the challenges of life for them begins immediately. Their love and commitment to one another is tested from the outset. He works as a mechanic for 10 to 12 dollars a week. The monthly rent for the two-room shanty in which they live is eight dollars a week. Yet neither of them complain. They have each other. Over the next sixteen years they struggle through the Depression, World War II and the Post-War years. Floyd takes on jobs ranging from gas station attendant to insurance salesman to bus driver, during which time Christine gives birth to six children. There are moments in their lives of happiness and sadness - of laughter and weeping. But the one thing that holds them together is the love they have for one another. They made a vow, and intend to keep it until death do they part.