Re: farming 100 years ago

Posted by Mark Robke on February 16, 2021 at 13:20:58 from (69.40.118.203):

In Reply to: farming 100 years ago posted by swindave on February 15, 2021 at 15:35:18:

Well, my Dad's Dad bought the small dairy farm I grew up on in 1921. It was around 45 acres, that eventually got whittled down to 33 1/3 acres due to eminent domain: the roads kept moving into our property. Grandpa had to fence it all in- he would set fence post after milking after supper. They sold milk at the milk house next to the barn. During the depression they buried their money next to a fence post. He wanted to buy another farm, but Grandma wouldn't let him, saying he'd work himself to death. He died at the beginning of WWII, and my Dad had to take over by himself as my Uncle had been drafted. After the WAR they farmed together until my Uncle quit farming and left my Dad. So then at age 8 I had to help. My Mom ran the dairy store, and they raised 6 of us- we milked cows, had the small store and did custom tractor work, like plowing gardens, mowing and baling hay, bushhoging, finish work on yards of new homes, and selling firewood. We were the only farm around and had the only tractors. Of course this was before skid steers got popular.
My wife's family was more rural and there is a story of one of her ancestors taking his tobacco crop down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans by flatboat, and then walking back overland to get home. All of her grandparents farmed. Her Grandpa farmed and expanded as time went by. Before WWII, his brother saw there was not enough income for both of them and went to work as a salesman- his life long passion. Then during WWII he was a bomber pilot who flew on D-Day. His life story is pretty incredible, and he wrote about it, but that's for another time.
Neither my nor my wife's family had electric or indoor plumbing, until later in life. In fact the first house my wife grew up in had an outhouse only for several years. Her grandma raised chickens and sold eggs to have grocery money. These people just did what needed to be done, which was mainly hard work and became successful. But it was work or starve! Mark.

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