SEGMENT: FAMILY FARM, LIVESTOCK, & GARDEN

Geneva Sweet>ISM Interviews M-Z>ISM Interviews M-Z, Segment 13

SEGMENT: FAMILY FARM, LIVESTOCK, & GARDEN,

duration 11:08
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BACKGROUND
In the 1930s, moved to Franklin; IN. In 1945, she and her husband began farming when they could afford to buy equipment. Went back to husband's family farm.
FARMHOUSE
Their house is the same as it was when they moved in. Four bedrooms upstairs, separate backstairs is a big room over the kitchen. No electricity until REA, 1930s. One farmer would not put light poles on his land, but relented when he realized he could not have renters with no electricity.
FAMILY FARM
Farm was her mother-in-law's inherited from her parents, who came from Scott County. Jacob H. Peak, civil war veteran owned it. Geneva saw it first while courting Leroy. Not many changes. Had a scale house to measure livestock before taking it to St. Louis. Put in a bathroom downstairs and half bath upstairs. Back bedroom is a storeroom. Raised two boys and had a hired man who lived out. She liked to feed the hogs, cooked, killed and dressed chickens, canning, gardening.
CHICKENS
In 4-H, you could buy 100 chicks. They grew, some & sold some. She dressed the rest and they ate them all winter.
LIVESTOCK
They butchered hogs; families did that together. Had tubs of sausage. Fry it, put it in a jar. Filled with grease, store in cellar.
GARDEN
Grew lettuce onions, beans, beets, peas, corn in garden. Cold-packed beans. Boiled them for three hours and canned them. All helped her father in the garden. Shot rabbits, pheasants, and quail to eat.