Many Washtenaw County families are cutting back on food, travel, and luxuries--even some necessities--during this difficult economic time.

During WWII, the cutbacks were mandated, and regulated by ration books.

Ypsilantian Eileen Harrison was a 40-year-old single woman, living at 413 Washtenaw and working as an editor for the Ypsilanti Daily Press in 1942. The contents of her ration book purse, pictured here, offer a glimpse into the privations of the day.

The leather purse containing her ration books bears a gold-stamped seal. The Winged Victory, torch, scroll, winged staff, and sailing ship comprise the emblem of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs. It is likely the club made these special purses available to members.

A 1927 Time magazine article says of the club, not without a whiff of condescension, "There are more than 8,500,000 women workers in the U. S. today. In the natural order of events, the commercial careers of most of them are bounded on the one side by a graduation exercise and on the other by a wedding ring, or possibly a baby carriage. But those women workers whose activities are concerned with higher things than chocolate-dipping, bargain counters and the touch system, refer to their careers rather than to their jobs and are deeply concerned over any " discrimination" shown against the woman worker on account of her sex."

Named to honor her maternal Irish grandparents, Eileen was the daughter of carpenter Arthur and housewife Hannah. Hannah emigrated from her birthplace of England to America in 1884, but never became an American citizen. She retained her English identity, perhaps out of stubborn pride. It may be that Eileen's mother's sense of self-identity, combined with the family legacy of what is popularly regarded as a fiery Irish national character, helped Eileen achieve success and support herself independently in a professional field, despite her humble background.

In the spring of 1942, half a year before the documents pictured here, the federal Office of Price Administration (OPA) set price ceilings for many goods and issued ration books to every person in households (including babies, who qualified for canned milk). A month later, gasoline was rationed. As you can see above, Eileen had an "A" rating for gasoline, which allowed 3 or 4 gallons a week. This was the lowest rating, and meant that the use of her car was "nonessential." "A" was a common rating for average-Joe drivers who did not use their cars for direct support of the war effort. "A"-rated cars were not to be driven for pleasure.

"B" ratings, granting up to 8 gallons a week, were given to drivers deemed essential to the war effort. A "C" rating indicated the driver was very essential, such as a doctor, railroad worker, safety inspector, or mailman. "T" was for buses and truckers, and "X," allowing unlimited use of gasoline, was issued to civil defense workers, police, and firemen.

The back of the gas ration card gives strict instructions about the time periods in which each stamp may be redeemed. The book with stamps intact was given to the gas station attendant, who tore out the required stamps. Loose stamps were not officially allowed to be redeemed. . . but one wonders if there was a station or two in town known to take loose stamps under the table.

These are the actual gas stamps torn out at the gas station that Eileen used to fill up her 7-year-old Ford coupe.

Due to the war need for rubber, which generated city-wide scrap rubber drives in Ypsilanti, tires were also rationed. This is the first page of a three-page document Eileen had to fill out to register for a "tire or tube rationing certificate."

This is the front of a ration book for "blue" ration stamps which were used to buy processed or canned foods. Stamps also were required for such items as shoes--yes, shoes were rationed. In addition to paying cash for an item, ration stamps also had to be "paid" at the time of purchase.

According to one site, "The kind and amount of rationed commodities were not specified on most of the stamps and were not defined until later when local newspapers published, for example, that beginning on a specified date, one airplane stamp was required (in addition to cash) to buy one pair of shoes and one stamp number 30 from ration book four was required to buy five pounds of sugar. The commodity amounts changed from time to time depending on availability. Red stamps were used to ration meat and butter, and blue stamps were used to ration processed foods."

This is the back of the "blue" stamp book. again giving strict instructions on how and when to use this book. "Rationing is a vital part of your country's war effort. Any attempt to violate the rules is an effort to deny someone his share and will create hardship and help the enemy."

This is the inside of the "blue" stamp book, showing the stamps Eileen used to buy canned goods. There were also "red" stamps, not included in Eileen's ration book purse, used to ration meat. One can only imagine the frustration of juggling all these different ration books in order just to get by--here is a wonderfully wry account of the travails of dealing with ration books.

Ypsilantians planned meals, calculated strategic purchases, and meted out gasoline according to the strictures of the OPA. In a difficult time, everyone pushed down individual needs, in order to pull together.

Thanks to Ypsilanti Archives intern Derek Spinei for research help.

Laura Bien is the author of "Stud Bunnies and the Underwear Club: Tales from the Ypsilanti Archives," to be published this winter. She also writes the historical blog "Dusty Diary," and may be contacted at ypsidixit@gmail.com.

"Cold Off the Presses" is published every Wednesday on AnnArbor.com.