january 1912, Dad bough the Pat Loffey (can't make it out) farm near Spragville. Moved on to Preston farm spring of 1918. There was no running water. You had to run after that yourself. We'd have a cistern pump in kitchen for washing and cleaning, but you had to heat water on cook stove for washing. The reservoir in back of cook stove was hot water for dishes and cleaning. In the evening, Dad would carry 2 big cooler cans of water for the next day for cooking. No electricity. Kerosene lamps were used. Did get a gasoline engine to run washing machine. Maybe in 1918 or 1919, got carbide lights and that made a very good light. Round Oak wood burning heating stove was used.
In the spring before hot weather, 4 hogs were butchered and mother would stand and fry meat in 5-6 gallon crocks and cover with lard to fry out gallons and gallons of lard for days. When she was frying meat, it was a treat to dip our bread in the hot lard when we came home from school. And they salted down some hams and smoked them with hickory chips or wood. In winter, dress out a beef and fry one quarter - that was when they found out about cold pack canning.
Oat shocking was done by hand. 12 bundles to a shock and (O is hot) to cure when ready to thresh a big steamer and threshing machine came into a neighborhood. Neighbor ladies would help each other. There would 20 to 25 men to feed. There was no refrigerator, had to buy meat at butcher shop same day or day before you needed it. Always lots of cows to milk and seperate the milk, that was fed to calves and hogs. Separator had to be washed and set together at nite. Cream was delivered to creamery and 5 (illegible) of butter was brought back when needed at home.
Corn was picked by hand from one side of wagon with high bang boards on one side and pulled by 2 horses. They would follow the row, on right hand. You had a husking peg to open up the husk and then break off ear and throw in wagon. When load was full, hauled to crib, scoop off corn. There was a high shoveling board in back of wagon in order to start to shovel. It was lowered down and with a shovel scooped into corn crib.
First years to grind ear corn, a sweep was used, that was a grinder in center and 2 horses would go in a circle 20 ft diameter. Carry ear corn into grinder and shovel out ground corn.
In winter, hardly any eggs so had to save in the fall. No egg mash was ever used.
In winter bob sleds were used to haul cream or go to church and we had feather ticks (this refers to pillow making material) to sleep on and sometimes a lite one over top. Had corn husks or straw on beds as mattresses. Straw ones had to be changed every spring as the straw wore out or got too fine and dusty. The corn husks would last a long time.
In the early spring, the cook stove fire wood was split and ranked up in the wood shed to dry. Wood was cut in the winter and sawed into 16 or 14 in. blocks.
If you was too far away from the heating stove, you got gold and too close, you burn.
When summer came, heating stove was put away, stove pipes taken down and stored in a dry place.
Mother did pick a lot of wild black raspberries in the ditches in the field. 10–12 quart packs full in a day, and raised a lot of strawberries.
By Lizzie Berg Schoolman
A Sad Story But True
The Lord saved my little girl.
In the fall, I was cleaning house, had the bed spring raised and set on edge of iron bed. A bed slat was holding it up. had a gasoline engine pumping water into supply tank and it stopped so I went out to start it again. When I came back, the tots ha pulled the slat down from holding that extra heavy bed spring and pinned Alma's neck and (the) slat fell between (the) spring and iron bed frame. I picked up the lifeless body, run to the phone, and called the Chris Schoolman place as I know Grandpa and Grandma Schoolman where (sic) there at that time. Elmer was not home, he was hauling hogs to market in Charlotte with a team and wagon.
I run to the road by the mail box hollering and calling for the Lord to save my little daughter. Dad and Mother picked ups up and took us to Preston to the doctor. Don't remember more of the accident.
The twins were 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 years old then.
By Ma
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Iowa State Census Collection (Card): 1836-1925 (M5)