There is no doubt that this family suffered for the needs of life. John H. Bobbitt did not have good health, and his farm barely produced enough to keep his family alive. His interests and his profession was the Christian ministry and it paid very little in cash.

Catharine wrote in 1895, "Our land was not profitable. We never raised anything to sell. We usually had to buy wheat and corn for our own use. Harrison helped on the farm and sometimes he would work by the day for the neighbors. Everything he earned came into the family for our use. John who was then about 22 years of age was at home but he was always weakly. I did not know what was the matter with him. He had a bad cough ever since he was three years old and he was weak minded. He has been admitted to the insane asylum twice the  past few years.  John, my husband began to preach four or five years after we married. He never got as much as $ 5 five dollars for preaching. John H. was preaching here at Valeene but he got no fixed salary. All he got for preaching was what the members chose to give him. They would pay him mostly in clothing and provisions and feed for his stock."