My Mother, A Farm Wife

I was born the ninth child. My mother had all nine of us at home with the help of a Mid-Wife. I'm told that my older brothers and sisters were sent to my dad's mother's house when it was time for my birth. My dad took them in a wagon as he went for the Mid-wife in late November. My two oldest sisters were twenty and eighteen. They had jobs in town and no longer lived at home. In those days the mothr stayed in bed for a week after the birth of a baby. I'm sure mom directed the care of the house from her bed. She said I was a good baby because she would feed me and change me and put me in the play pen while she did her chores.

Every Monday was wash day. She had the boys and dad carry water to the outside fireplace and put in a kettle to boil. She mixed the boiling water with the cold water and suds and scrubbed the clothes on a wash board and then rinsed them and hung them on the clothes line. This was a big chore as she washed sheets every week as well as all the work clothes and school clothes.

Tuesday was the day to iron. She even ironed sheets and pillow cases as well as starching shirts, aprons, and dresses for ironing. In addition to the washing and ironing she managed to cook a meal at noon. Often we had workhands on the farm, which required feeding. In the summer she tended the garden after it was plowed. Everyone helped to seed and plant the vegetables. She did most of the other work with some help from the boys to plow and weed.

The summer was time for canning or drying fruits and vegetables. Mom always canned and preserved plenty for the winter. In the winter she would make quilts. Not just one or two but many. There was a big quilting stand which she sat up in the family room. Every night and some afternoons she would quilt. I loved to sit under the quilt and play with my dolls or paper dolls.

Mom was a wonderful seamstress. I would look in a catalog and find a dress I liked and she would cut a pattern out of paper and sew the dress. The dresses always looked professional. She made clothes for some of the less fortunate people in our area. She loved to embroidery and made beautiful pillow cases and dresser or chest scarves. In addition, she had a dry sense of humor, which we came to adore.

My mother was a loving, hard working, talented woman. I admired her very much. She loved her children and husband to the utmost.