Farm Women

Both men and women worked hard on the farm. Women cooked, canned, washed and tended animals.

I worked hard. I had sometimes two and three hired men and I cooked for them, and when we had threshing time I cooked for 24 men. And I baked all the bread and the pies and I baked bread everyday. Washed on a board in a big tub. And I raised lots of chickens and sheep and I fed lots of little calves. And I milked cows and helped take care of hogs. I always had a big garden. I canned 300 or 400 quarts of fruit. From the time I was 12 years old I baked bread and pies and cakes and cooked. I knew how to do everything when I got married. And I just learnt from a little girl because I helped do everything. That’s all we ever had was old woodstoves; we used to burn cobs and things on the farm.