With all of the modern-day social welfare programs that are taken for granted, it is difficult to image how nearly destitute tens of thousands of Wet Virginians were in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, how for them life was a hand-to-mouth existence.  The simplest things like yardstick or tape measure were missing from their homes.

Example of lack was the story reported by William Adler in the Walking tour of Weston.

A house stood in1892 that was built by furniture dealer and undertaker James C. Forinash, (146 Center Ave) He was awaken one morning someone shouting his name from the sidewalk in front of his home. He opened the window and asked the person what he wanted.  The lad was holding what appeared to be a long staff.  Some family member from the rural area had passed away and they needed a coffin made.  The question was asked “How big a coffin?” The boy held up the staff and said “As long as this here tree branch.”  They had laid it out beside the body and broke it off to the right size.  Forinash  told the lad to throw the branch over the fence and he would get it made later and probably have made by evening.  Cost would be $4.00.  The boy came back to pick up the coffin and only had $2.00  and promised to pay the rest later next week.  When he came back to pay the owed amount, Forinash asked Was everything all right with the coffin?  The boy said “No sir it wasn’t.”  It was about a hand short, and we had to bend and tuck and squeeze some to get him in.  Forinash stated he didn’t understand as he had made to size according to staff he had brought.  Later he thought about it and looked where the stick had laid in his yard and found when the stick was thrown into the yard, a piece about six inches long had snapped off and lay further away.