The Story of my Hoe

Every year when we start working in the garden, Chuck says I need a new handle for my hoe. It might be a little wobbly, but it's not happening. 

 You see, it belonged to my grandfather.  Pop grew up in a make-do generation. 

Every time I see the electrical tape and the bent nails it reminds me of him. Pop grew up on a farm during the Great Depression. He was a newly married man, farming his own piece of land during World War II. 

He and my grandmother never talked about living a frugal life. It was ingrained in the way they had always lived. Growing up I never realized how much I was learning from Mom and Pop. It's a great reminder that it's not about what we say, it's about what we do that makes the biggest impact.

I imagine Chuck will still comment on my hoe each year and I will smile, and keep using my hoe as is as I cherish my memories of Pop. 

Wendi 

Original Homestead

My mom was born and raised in northern Virginia. She moved to Indiana in the early '70's when she was married. I spent summers there on my grandparents farm. We still have family there and our roots run deep.  

Growing up I had heard my mom mention a family cemetery.  It was rumored to be on the property across the street from where she grew up.  She had never seen it.  For one she was a kid and by the 1950's the property was no longer in the family.  

Fast forward and the land is now in the hands of a developer.  The cemetery was discovered but no one knew who was buried there.  A public meeting was held and I guess it became a little heated.  Some digging was done after the meeting and one day my mom received a call asking if she was familiar with this cemetery.  

After tons of research and phone calls it was determined that it was in fact the Donohoe family cemetery.  On our way back from the beach the developer meet us at the property and we were able to explore.

When we pulled up we saw this house.  Here is the history of original property owner.  His name was Cornelius Donohoe and he immigrated from Ireland in 1745.  He is my 9th great grandfather.  He ended up in what is now Virginia and purchased 61 acres from Lord Fairfax in 1757.  He live here with his wife, Maggie, and their children. 

The original part of the house was built of stone and was added on to in the 1800's.  Considering the age of house and the fact that no one has lived here since the 1960's the house in remarkable shape.  We were able to go inside.  The view below is a peek into the original house.   

After peeking inside we walked around to the back and that is where we saw the original stone house. The first floor was dug down several feet and then there was a second story.  The wood section above the stone is not part of the original house. 

I was fascinated by this window and door way.  I can imagine my grandparents going in and out of the door and looking out the window to view the falling rain or snow. It's surreal to walk the same ground as my first ancestors in America and touch the door way that I know they used. 

The views were incredible.  Can you imagine looking out the window and seeing this every morning?  Beautiful! 

Not far from the door way was the spring house.  The sight of this thrilled me!

I am an avid reader of historical fiction.  One thing mentioned in almost every book is the spring house. Not only did I get to see a spring house, but the one Maggie would have used to store things from her family. Wow!!

Several barns were still on property.  Chuck was able to salvage some wood to bring home. 

After we explored the homestead we headed over to the cemetery.  I'm super grateful that it was discovered.  It would be easy for it to be missed.  Especially if the developer had come through with large equipment to clear the land.  

An archaeology firm has been out and confirmed there are nine graves.  The one below is the headstone of my 9th great grandfather, Cornelius Donohoe. 

We drove in late morning and were back on the road by late afternoon.  On the way out of town we made a stop to visit my grandparents. 

Right next to them is my great grandparents and great aunt.  

I can't even put into words how incredible it was to be able to walk the land of my family and see where they were buried.  To know exactly where your family settled and be able to walk on that land is something most people will never get to experience.  I love family history and being able to make this trip and see where it all began is life changing.  I'm grateful I was able to do this.  

As a family we have decided to ask for the cemetery to be moved.  I know that this is something that makes people uncomfortable.  It is something that hasn't been taken lightly.  At first we all said it should stay.  We have thought about it, prayed about it and talked and talked about this decision.  We knew that big changes were coming to the land and my thought was that we didn't want this area to be the only green space in a concrete jungle.  We all have seen those.  People zoom by and pay no respect and many times they are only the green space in an area and it becomes the area to hang out and smoke.  That is not respectful to my late family.  

The court will make the final decision and if granted we are asking the developer to move our family to same cemetery where my grandparents, great grandparents and many other Donohoe family members are buried.  A final resting place that we know will not be sold for development and there will never again be the question what to do with their final resting place.  

After visiting the site and seeing how the area is growing I feel peace with this decision.  Thanks for sharing this incredible journey with me. 

May your day be filled with joy in the journey!

Family Farm Journal: January 1958

This picture is of Mom and Pop (my grandparents) and their five children. The youngest child is my mom. This picture was taken in the early 1950's.  I am guessing '53 or '54.

 

Both of my grandparents were raised on depression era farms and then later raised their children on a farm.   Mom keep record books of their income and expenses and I am fortunate to have one of the journals. 
 

 

January Income 1958                                                                 

 

 

1-04-58  48 dozen eggs @ .55      26.40                               

1-04-58  Cream 27.0                      12.96                   

1-11-58  51 dozen eggs @ .55      28.05                   

1-18-58  59 dozen eggs @ .55      32.45                   

1-18-58  12 dozen eggs @ .48        5.26                   

1-25-58  48 dozen eggs @ .48      12.44                 

1-25-58  54 dozen eggs @ .55      29.70     
1-25-58    6 dozen eggs @ .50        3.00            

January Expenses 1958

1-04-58 200# Laying Mash                 8.80

1-07-58 200# Dairy Feed                    8.00

1-07-58 1 box Terramycin for Hens    3.75

1-09-58 200# Laying Mash                 8.80

1-09-58 Bishops Service Station      19.90

1-14-58 200# Laying Mash                 8.80

1-18-58 200# Laying Mash                 8.80

1-21-58 200# Laying Mash                 8.80
             Terramycin for Hens                6.90
             80# Oyster Shell                      1.50
1-22-58 200# Dairy Feed                    8.00
1-27-58 500# Egg Mash                    22.00
              Salt                                          1.50

Telephone                                             4.13

R.E.A. Electric                                    14.61

                                                                                    

278 dozen eggs  137.10 + Cream 12.96 = 150.06 - Expenses 94.15 = 55.91 - Utilities $18.74 = 37.17 - Car Service 19.90 = 17.27 - Salt 1.50 = 15.77 profit 

 

 

You might think I am crazy, but I find things like this very interesting.   That is a lot of eggs that were sold.  I wonder how big the flock was.  Can you imagine being able to get a large portion of your income from selling eggs?  I am not sure you could do that in this day and age.  So many regulations to sell things and the mega farms tend to make it hard for a mom and pop operation to make it.   You can tell how times have really changed by the simplicity of the expenses. 

 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Lucketts Virginia

One of the places I wanted to go while in Virginia was Lucketts. Lucketts is where my grandmother was raised. I woke up the first day I was in Virginia and it hit me that Miss Mustard Seed had a booth in a shop there. I knew that I had make a stop there.

On Saturday we made a stop at The Old Lucketts Store. 

Oh my! What a great place.   I could have spent hours and hours there, but it was hot.  Super hot.  I made a beeline for Miss Mustard Seeds area.

Because space was limited, especially with our treasures from the farm, I had to restrain myself.  I purchased these keys to go with the lock we salvaged at the farm.

I also purchased this watering can vase from another vendor.

If you are in the area you won't be disappointed if you stop by.  If so you need take a peek at the restored school building across the street.  This is the building where my grandmother went to school.

They are in the process of finishing the restoration of this building.  I am so pleased with all the small details that have been maintained.  After checking out the school we ended driving out into the country.

We went on a search for Granny's place.  The home was built by my maternal great grandparents. 

I have a picture of this home from the 1950's.  It really hadn't changed much.  I was amazed to see that the same fence is there.  I don't know of many fences built today that will still be standing in 50 years.  They sure don't make things the way they use to.

This home is still in the family.  My aunt by marriage, Ada, still lives here.  She moved in as a young bride with my great grandparents and raised four children here.  When we would go visit the men were usually in the fields and Ada and Granny together in the home.  It always makes me think of Olivia and Grandma on the Waltons.  My hope is that this land and home will stay in the family for generations to come. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment.

Buried Treasure

When I was a little girl my grandparents still lived on the old home place. Across from my grandparents home sat another home. As a child I didn't think much about the house. It was just an abandoned old place that looked like it was about to fall down.

As I grew older I began to appreciate my family history and started to ask questions. This house belonged to my grandfathers parents. They had a daughter that never married and after they passed Aunt Cora lived there alone. She lived there until she was no longer able to live alone and then she moved in with her sister (my great-grandmother). Not long after Aunt Cora passed away (in 1960) so did her brother-in-law (my great- grand dad). For reasons no one knows my great-grandmother never did anything with the house. I asked why my grandparents did nothing and mom said that it wasn't their place.

Mom told me that as a child she and her siblings use to play in the house. The cellar was full of canned goods, there were old records that they use to play with and then break (gasp!) and even some furniture.

On a recent trip back to Virgina my parents went to visit the old home place. Aunt Cora's house has been bulldozed and this is all that is left.

They did a little digging in the area where the root cellar was located and my parents brought me back this buried treasure.

Saying I was giddy when I saw these is an understatement! If these jars could talk imagine all of tales they could tell. I will certainly treasure these jars.

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the simple moments!

A Change

I have been working on a new header. All of the pictures except for the center one I have taken. The center picture is a special to me picture. It was taken some time in the 1950's and is a picture of my Granny's home. She is my great grandmother who lived in Lucketts, VA. I have great memories of visiting Granny's. From the wood stove in the kitchen, collecting eggs, seeing my first runt piglet, sitting on front porch, playing with a favorite cousin, Georgie and so many more! The farm and house are still in my family. George's mom is still living there.

So... what do you think?

August 1957 Farm Record

I am sharing another entry from my grandparents farm record book. I thought it would be nice to see the people behind the book. This is a picture of my mom's family. By looking at my mom I would guess that this picture was taken sometime around 1953 or 1954. At the time of the journal entry mom would have been seven.

From left to right: My grandparents, Pop and Mom, Bobby, Billy, Jack, Dianne and my mom, Vicki.

I am sorry that the August Income page is upside down. Blogger must be playing a trick on us all. I even tried to save the picture upside down hoping that it would flip it right side up, but no luck.



August Income 1957

8/03/57 12 dozen eggs .40 4.80
8/09/57 cream 37.8 .45 17.01
8/08/57 13 lamb 805# .16 128.80
8/08/57 4 lamb 290# .20 58.00
8/10/57 15 dozen eggs .40 6.00
8/14/57 cream 43.3 .45 19.48
8/16/57 16 dozen eggs .45 7.20
8/24/57 16 dozen eggs .45 7.20
8/31/57 18 dozen eggs .45 8.10
8/27/57 cream .45 19.98
5 heiffers @ $200 1000.00

5 heiffers $1000
17 lambs 186.80
77 dozen eggs 32.30
cream 56.47
$1275.57 total
44.95
$1230.62

$2539.95 - total income so far

August Expenses 1957 (please click to enlarge)



I just love being able to have a glimpse into the past. Can you imagine buying a bedroom suite for $259.75, paying $3.58 for phone service or buying school clothes for five children for $130! Boy, times have changed.
You can check out my July 1957 Farm Record post here.

July 1957 Farm Record

My parents had this record book at their house.

It is my grandparents farm journal from January 1957 - October 1963. I could have done a little happy dance when I was told I could take this home! I hear that my parents have another record book but I haven't seen it yet.

I thought it would be neat to share an entry with you each month. I thought I would start with the July 1957 entry. My mom was 7 years old that year.



I find it very interesting to see the price of things from years past.

The handwriting in most of the book belongs to my grandmother, Mom. When I see her handwriting it brings back so many memories of her. Later in the book there is sometimes handwriting that I don't recognize. It looks to be the writing of a child. My guess is that Mom was teaching her children bookkeeping.

There are also receipts, bills and even a W-2. I love family history and the ability to have a peek at what life was like in days gone by.