Our family was much like most of the families we knew. It included a mother and father, married to each other, and their 7 children. They were a hard working couple, with meager earnings from their farm work. They loved God, each other and their children. In those years there was not much in the way of worldly goods, but never a lack of food and clothing.
The family farm house provided good protection from the elements, which could be quite formidable during the harsh northern Minnesota winters. Our parents lived in this house from 1939 to 1963.
From 1954 to 1959 there were nine people living under one roof. Two parents and seven children; six sons and one daughter. Before those five years, the number of children was still increasing. And after those five years each child, in turn, grew to adulthood and left home.
While the children were growing up, most meals were eaten together, with everyone sitting around the kitchen table. That table was not large. And with nine people around it, elbows were often bumped and drinking glasses routinely tipped over. There was plenty of conversation during meals, between mouthfuls, even mid-mouthful if there was an important statement needing urgent saying.
The small family farm was located in rural Beaver Township in Roseau County. A branch of the Roseau River ran adjacent to a portion of the property. The nearest post office at that time was at Pencer, Minnesota – that post office was closed many years ago. The land had been homesteaded by a relative a few decades earlier and had been purchased by our paternal grandfather. The soil there was quite sandy, great for growing pine trees but not so great for cash crops. In addition to the crops, income was derived from the milk of several cows, and eggs from several chickens. From time to time the farm also included a few sheep and pigs. These were raised for food or sold for income.
With just the two youngest children remaining at home, the parents’ employment situations had changed. Farm living for the family ended in 1963. Read more about that HERE.