Harvesting the Land

With the heat of July in the Dakota Prairies, it won’t be long before we hear the combines harvesting the wheat fields.  Today’s farming still follows the seasons, but the technology and equipment would seem otherworldly to our ancestors.

​Those who settled the prairies in the late 1800s and early 1900s quickly learned that they needed to rely on each other.  Neighbors helped neighbors harvest their crops, make hay and manage livestock.  Many tasks that were too much for one individual to do alone.  Let’s look at ways we can incorporate an activity like harvesting the land into our family history.

After the hard and difficult task of preparing the soil and planting the seed, when it was time to harvest it was critical that farmers gathered their crop in a timely manner.  Not doing so, exposed it to the weather and critters, impacting the quality and quantity of crop.  Many were only one crop away from losing their farm in those early years…they didn’t have the luxury of a steady paycheck like many of us do.
In the very early years, crops were cut and gathered by hand.  Later with the invention of the threshing machine, it wasn’t uncommon to have “harvesters” come to each farm in the neighborhood.  Neighbors helped each other and paid the owner of the threshing machine in work or pay.  It was too expensive to own your own threshing machine for most and this model helped all those involved.
The harvest went on for quite some time as they worked on each other’s fields. Often in addition to neighbors, transient field hands were hired.  These men traveled the railroads looking for work where they could find it.  They would often stay right on the farmer’s property in the barn’s hay mound (Can you imagine how hot that must have been?) People were more trusting in those days, having a total stranger stay in your yard.  There were no phones and the nearest neighbor was a mile away by horseback. Thankfully most had no problems with these workers but old newspapers do have stories about when things didn’t go well.
Was your ancestor the field hand who traveled for work?  Or perhaps he was the farmer who hired workers?  If your ancestor had a store or worked in town, how did the harvest impact his life?  Did he see a boost in business after the harvest?  Or perhaps farmers purchased on credit in anticipation of the harvest?
As you think about ways to include information about harvesting, don’t forget the women.  All those daily farm chores had to be done whether the harvest was going on or not.  Perhaps the wife and children were milking the cows, feeding the hogs or tending the garden while the husband was away helping the neighbors.  They may have been thinking of the farmer’s wife when they said, ‘a women’s work is never done’.  All those harvesters had to be fed and that meant breakfast, midmorning lunch, lunch, afternoon lunch and supper—in addition to all the other daily tasks.  It was a busy time for all.
Here are some ideas regarding ways to find out more harvesting through the years as well as records that might help you with your own family history.

• Look at old farm records.  My Great-grandfather kept detailed notes about the hours people worked and what was due them from as early as 1912.  Comparing names with the census records and plat maps, I can get a better understanding of the neighborhood when compared with the harvest records. In later years, I have copies of the receipts from the grain elevators.  This information can help your reader understand the price of grain in that year or the amount of labor that went into harvesting 160 acres of grain. Include a copy of an original record…there is nothing like seeing an ancestor’s handwriting to make a story come to life.
• Include pictures.  You may have pictures in your collection that provide snippets about daily life on the farm, including the harvest.  Including these snapshots brings the story to life for the reader.
• Look at local histories.  Often county histories include stories about those early years of farming.  They may even have the step by step process. Or give you more context on what early harvesting was like. If you use these sources remember to cite them.
• Listen to the older generation.  There are still people who experienced the early farming methods before the tractor.  Ask them about it.  Or ask what it was like when they purchased their first tractor or combine.  Write down those snippets and remember to note who told you and when for your records.
• Read specialty books.  There are many books that talk about those early farming methods.  While there might be some regional differences, chances are that most harvest methods were the same across the plains.  As we get further away from that time, this information is not familiar to our readers.  Include some interesting notes about what farmers did in the early 1900s.

Here are some links to help you—as always please credit their work if you use information for your story.
 Threshing in Minnesota
As the Story is Told: Threshing
Feeding a Threshing Crew
Threshing Machines: Farmers Working Together (YouTube video from Iowa Public Television)

If you have a farming heritage share that information in your family history.  Help your reader understand what it took to harvest a crop.  In today’s world we merely pop over to the local grocery store to buy our loaf of bread, never thinking about what it took to get there.  Enjoy looking at the old records and figuring out way to help your reader understand their ancestor’s time.
                        “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil
                           and you’re a thousand miles away from a cornfield.”
                                                    --Dwight D Eisenhower