Mom's Story - Installment #6

Here's Mom and Dad's wedding picture - October 2, 1937. I never remember seeing Daddy with that dark hair - he really had a head full.


And now, another episode in the continuing saga of Helen Adler Howard.

I was 19 when Les and I got married in the parsonage at the First Baptist Church in Campbellsport. It was October 2, 1937. My sister Jane was my matron of honor and Les’s brother, Don, was the best man. We wore deep blue velvet dresses. Later, I made little dresses for the girls from my dress.

We lived with his folks on the Howard farm on Hwy. 67 until 1940. We helped raise sugar beets. They were planted in rows like potatoes in spring. When they were big enough to thin them out, we had to hoe out some and leave two or three plants in a clump. When they big enough for thinning again, had to get on knees and leave one plant to grow big.

In early fall, we had to dig ‘em loose and lift ‘em out so we could top them and put them in the wagon. We had to go between the rows and throw them in a pile – so many in each pile. Then they were topped. You picked them up with left hand, and had a big knife to chop off the tops.

The horses would pull the wagon across the field till there was a load. Then they were taken to town to the train to go to the sugar beet factory. I think it was in Green Bay. Before loading in the train boxcar, the load was weighed. After the beets had been put in the box car the empty wagon was weighed again. Got paid by the weight.

Les also raised peas for the factory in Eden. Around June or July the peas had to be harvested. Pea cutters would come in and peas were hauled to the pea viner on Hwy. 67. We had to have men help with that. When they came we had to cook a meal for them. Three or four would help each other, like thrashing oats.

During thrashing, we would have 10 to 12 neighbors to help. Neighbor ladies would help cook in the house. It went like that for many years.

Farmers had grain binders that put the grain stalks in bundles and dropped them on the ground. Men would have to shock the bundles, heads up, until it was dry enough for thrashing.

Then the thrashing machine would come. The oats would go in bags and the straw would blow out a pipe on a stack. One man would shape the stack and 5 or so would carry full bags to the granary and dump ‘em in the grain bin. It was hard, dusty work. Some years the grain would be rusty, and then it was very dry and dusty work. All ten would come in for dinner and supper.

I was never so happy than when combines were made to do the grain.

Well, I think that's about all for this time. Hope you're enjoying the story.

JB