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Faye Bertholf McCoy: CHILDHOOD IN SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IN THE 1920s. Memories The memories of my childhood are a collage of pleasant experiences. I was born in our farm home, which had just been completed. I have often wondered, in later years, if my advent was somewhat of a surprise, and perhaps even a small disaster, in that very busy year. The large two-story house, of cement- block construction, had just been built by my father and his brother and close neighbors. I really doubt that they ‘had time’ to stop and take care of a baby girl! My brother was nearly 14, my sister nearly 8. If I was a bother, a distraction, or a burden, it was never felt by me, for I was blessed with a loving and wonderful family. It was interesting to me to learn, many years later, that neither my brother nor sister was aware of the fact that there even was to be a new baby. This was the era when pregnancy was a very private secret, not shared with all the family—one of the many changes in our culture in the latter part of this century! Farm life in the 1920s was the choice of many fine people. A comfortable living could be made on 400 acres, more or less, and life was geared to the needs and desires of family. At that time, most of the farming was done with horses. Crops were varied according to the lay of the land, the market, and the particular needs and desires of the owner. Cattle were raised for a cash crop as well as for milk and meat. Hogs, sometimes sheep, augmented the income and food. Chickens were raised for eggs and meat, and with the garden and orchard, took care of much of the daily diet.
Bertholf farm home built in 1913 (left); A typical barn of the era (right)
Copyright
© 1997 Faye Bertholf McCoy. "I,
Witness to History" and logo are trademarks of Wesley
Retirement Communities, Inc., d/b/a Larksfield Place. All rights reserved.
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