Family History

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! I can’t believe October is coming to an end already..time sure does fly!  I’m pretty sad the Cardinals didn’t win the World Series this year, but I am happy for the Red Sox.

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Anyway, on to another topic now that baseball season is over... Last Thursday, my sister & I made a long overdue trip to visit our grandparents on my dad’s side of the family.  While we were visiting, my grandma mentioned that she was writing a “book” about our family farm, so we started discussing our family history a bit.  I knew the farm that my dad now runs was passed down through my grandma’s side of the family, but I didn’t realize how far back the history went.  It was started by my grandma’s great-grandparents when they came here from Germany, and then it was passed down through the generations.  That means my siblings and I are now the sixth generation to work on the farm that our ancestors started so many years ago.  I find that so incredibly interesting!  I can’t imagine how life was on the farm back then..before electricity and indoor plumbing, before diesel or gas-powered vehicles, and before other modern technology that makes farming as efficient as it is today.  My grandpa started telling stories about when he farmed using horses instead of tractors & how it took him so long just to plant 20 acres of crops.  I think it would be so fascinating to be able to go back in time to experience life before all the conveniences we have today.

Another thing I find interesting is how my family has grown over the years.  My grandma was the only girl in her family.  She had 3 older brothers & 2 younger twin brothers, but all of them died at a young age.  Since she was the only surviving child, she inherited the farm as an adult.  When she married my grandpa, they took over the farm and began working it themselves.  They then had 9 children, which later expanded to 20 grandchildren, and now 6 great-grandchildren.

What a difference one person can make in this world!  My grandma sure is an incredible lady, & I can’t wait to read all the stories she has now documented.