Life on the farm

[bunyip]

I've had it happen in a couple Jeeps. Only way out is to slam on the brakes and almost come to a stop. Very dangerous. A couple years ago a man from our town was killed on the Interstate when his motorcycle went into death wobble and threw him off.

I have had it happen on a pushbike, horrible feeling knowing you are about to sacrifice an amount of skin to the big black road god, also used to happen on an old ford I had in my youth, I have witnessed it on motorbikes but never, thankfully, happened to me.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My Great Great Great grandfather born 1807 came from N Ireland around 1831.

His son, my GG grandfather born 1846, married Sarah Adams b. 1853 of Sedalia Mo in 1874.
I estimate this pic of them taken around 1875.

The Adams had moved to MO from this area around 1870.

Sara’s mother passed away in 1875 when she was 22. Her next youngest sister Ruth married a Stevens in MO at age 18, 6 months after her mom’s death.

This picture is labeled Archie & the 4 Stevens.
Archie is son of Sarah, and the Stevens are probably her sister Ruth’s kids from MO.

The thing is, there were 7 Steven kids, so not sure which 4. I believe Archie is on the right, and I’m guessing this picture taken around 1900.

Archie died in 1906 at age 18.

This is my GG grandparents family, taken around 1893 (if Archie is 5-6, and my G Grandmother on right around 18)

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Buckeye's pics of his family, taken several decades ago intrigue me. I find myself looking at the clothing worn. But mostly I'm looking in the background at any manmade object. People lived hard back then "on the farm".

Here's a picture I cherish. This was taken in Germany. My Great Grandparents sold this farm in Germany and immigrated to the U.S. Ending up in Northern Iowa. I don't know the date accurately. Would have been mid 1800s.

View attachment 677210

Richard, nice picture!!

 

[bunyip]

The good old days, high infant mortality rates, TB, not making it to your 25th birthday, typhoid, typhus, polio, no cures only quackery, think I like it where I am now.

 

[two_bit_score]

The good old days, high infant mortality rates, TB, not making it to your 25th birthday, typhoid, typhus, polio, no cures only quackery, think I like it where I am now.

Yet despite all the advances I am frequently made aware of people who come down with severe ailments that linger for years and are examined by multiple doctors and none of the best doctors can accurately treat them or even diagnose their disease.

Is it that we are experiencing the creation of new diseases or is our medical community really not as advanced as we think it is?

 

[lman]

The good old days, high infant mortality rates, TB, not making it to your 25th birthday, typhoid, typhus, polio, no cures only quackery, think I like it where I am now.

I thought things were better in the old days because there was no COVID.

 

[Gem99ultra]

A few shots while driving around the farm today.
View attachment 676119
The back side of barn is loosing its siding.
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View attachment 676121

To a county tax inspector - that looks like a plum to his eyes. Sorry bunch of people for the most part. You can't spend enough money to rebuild your treasure to meet their desires - no matter how much you spend.

I also was privileged to receive a visit from those guys once while trying to build myself a workshop. They cost me a big chunk of change to rip out work, including half of the concrete slab, to meet their desires. That was before a tornado totally took the shop out two years later, after adding in all of the inspectors non-sense changes. In short, they're a bunch of people that you don't want to visit with.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

We haven’t had any issues with tax people on the farm.

 

[ovrszd]

To a county tax inspector - that looks like a plum to his eyes. Sorry bunch of people for the most part. You can't spend enough money to rebuild your treasure to meet their desires - no matter how much you spend.

I also was privileged to receive a visit from those guys once while trying to build myself a workshop. They cost me a big chunk of change to rip out work, including half of the concrete slab, to meet their desires. That was before a tornado totally took the shop out two years later, after adding in all of the inspectors non-sense changes. In short, they're a bunch of people that you don't want to visit with.

I'm not sure I know what a "tax inspector" is?

A Permit Inspector, yes.

A Country Tax Assessor, yes.

We don't require Permits here so I've not experienced those.

The Country Assessor visits my property once a year.

 

[ultrarunner]

Buckeye's pics of his family, taken several decades ago intrigue me. I find myself looking at the clothing worn. But mostly I'm looking in the background at any manmade object. People lived hard back then "on the farm".

Here's a picture I cherish. This was taken in Germany. My Great Grandparents sold this farm in Germany and immigrated to the U.S. Ending up in Northern Iowa. I don't know the date accurately. Would have been mid 1800s.

View attachment 677210

My guess would be northern Germany because the combination of brick and thatch...

 

[ovrszd]

My guess would be northern Germany because the combination of brick and thatch...

I remember my Mom telling me once, but alas, it didn't get written on the back of the picture.

 

[ultrarunner]

I remember my Mom telling me once, but alas, it didn't get written on the back of the picture.

Ship passenger list are often a great source and immigration records...

I did a little sleuthing a few years back and connected with the other side of the family with common ancestor being two bothers born in the 1700's one my side of the family tree and the other his side.

I showed up on his door step and said hello cousin, greetings from America... we pulled out drivers licences and went from there... it was a fun afternoon...

A big regret of mine was being too young when my Grandfather took a trip back to his childhood home...

Everyone said next time but there was never to be a next time.... back then I was a sponge for family history and being in California thousands of miles removed...

 

[ovrszd]

Ship passenger list are often a great source and immigration records...

I have their ship documents but I don't recall the date. I'll dig that out and check.

 

[ovrszd]

Here's a receipt from Hamburg Lines for 2 adults and 3 children. I think it's for my Great Grandfather and his family, but can't be positive. If so, I was off on the date. This document is 1898. Note the cost.....

 

[bunyip]

I'm not sure I know what a "tax inspector" is.

We get customs and excise inspectors checking that you are not using farm diesel in your cars, farmers get a cheaper rate but for machinery only, I am not a farmer so no inspections, they check usage and hours on machines.

 

[ovrszd]

We get customs and excise inspectors checking that you are not using farm diesel in your cars, farmers get a cheaper rate but for machinery only, I am not a farmer so no inspections, they check usage and hours on machines.

Yeah, we have those, State employed. I've never saw one. I've heard of a few locals having their trucks checked for dyed fuel. Not sure how your diesel is handled to separate it? Ours is dyed red for farm use. Clear for on road use.

I have a 55 gallon transfer tank in the back of my pickup truck. It's used to transport and transfer red fuel for my tractors. No road tax is charged on red fuel. Saves about 30 cents per gallon.

 

[grsthegreat]

Here in idaho, as of last wednesday when i refilled my 55 gal diesel tank. Undyed diesel was $2.33 per gal, dyed red was $1.89. Its the same fuel. Winter blend. Has dye added at pump.

 

[Big Barn]

I just sold my farm tank but obviously the fuel truck carried UNmarked (clear) diesel and the driver’s job was to “add” the red dye when he filled the tank. Hee hee.

Unfortunately ALL vehicles and machinery were legal with marked fuel. I should have bought a diesel powered car.

 

[bunyip]

They check usage versus balance, or used to, had a friend who was an inspector many years ago, don't know if they dye the fuel.
He told me that the farmers could become extremely aggressive but he had a theory, he wore glasses and would sit down looking at the books and not make eye contact, he maintained it took a brave man to hit someone in this position, one day he met a very brave man.......

 

[ultrarunner]

Here's a receipt from Hamburg Lines for 2 adults and 3 children. I think it's for my Great Grandfather and his family, but can't be positive. If so, I was off on the date. This document is 1898. Note the cost.....



View attachment 677327

Hamburg was the port for much of Europe to America and passage was costly even at the lowest rate and it was one way.

Farmers from Germany often found success here... and the timing of your ancestors was good as two wars would soon devaste Europe...

The US was almost a German speaking country at the time language decided...

It would be interesting to visit the old homestead 120+ years later and catch up...

On one visit to Austria there was a small mountain farm... think Heidi on the mountain here.

They once had a young visitor from New York at the doorstep... she did not speak a word of German and they no English... she had left some papers which I read...

The farm had belonged to her Grandmother who was left a orphan at age 4... she went to live in Germany with next of kin.... Austrian law dictated the property be held in trust until she was an adult... having no real connection she sold the property to the family I knew..

The visit was the Grand Daughter tracing her roots to where her Grandmother had been born.