It’s been a while since I posted one of these, so you might want to read some of the previous installments of Uncle Vernon’s Story to get back up to speed. –Lloyd Jr.
Relius Beck got or had some kind of political job in Jefferson City and when he lost it, he came back to his farm so we moved to Schubert, Missouri. We moved on March 15, 1933. I remember that day very well. Hink Beck, Pete Sommerer and Daddy each took a truck load of stuff.
The Schubert house was like living in a high-rent district. We were on a road for the first time in our life; had electricity; lived near a store, church and school. We had electricity in the barn, a 2-car garage with electricity, a windmill, etc. The contract on the first five years was that of a share cropper. The owner got one third of all crops. After that we paid $120 per year cash for rent for the 9-room house, barn, garage, smoke house, chicken house, outhouse, and windmill.
We rented two apartments out, one for $4.00 per month and one for $5.00, I think. One of our tenants later became the bus driver for our school. Later his father rented the same room. After that, he moved into one of Charlie Wiflort’s chicken houses.
I finished second grade at St. John’s Schubert school, then the third grade. The pastor, K.F. Schrader, was such a poor teacher that they sent us to Forest Hill School, and I was started in the third grade over again. Here are some of the things we did then to make a living: pick and sell gooseberries, blackberries, mulberries, walnuts and hickory nuts. We’d dig and sell sassafras roots in the spring (February and March). We raised and sold potatoes, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, radishes, turnips, cabbage, lima beans (shelled), tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and rhubarb. Mom would make cottage cheese, cooked cheese, butter, butter milk and cream. We raised 1100 chickens that we sold door to door in Jefferson City. They had to be dressed on Friday night to take to Jefferson City on Saturday in the morning. We also sold eggs. Mom would bake bread, cookies and coffee cake. One time we purchased one-half ton of flour (10 100lb sacks) for the bread-making. We purchased skimmed or separated milk from three or four neighbors to make cooked cheese out of it.
When the new dormitories were built at Algoa farm, Daddy worked on the project, WPA. Bud and Felix were paper boys on Sunday at Schubert. They sold the St. Louis Post, the Globe Democrat and the Jefferson City News Tribune newspapers.
Naomi Vetter says
Siblings…you who lived there during that time…tell us more. 1100 chickens…wow!
Christina says
Wow! our family were entrepreneurs! But after driving by the Propst chicken farm an the way to church every Sunday as a child, I don’t envy them the smell!
Cleo says
Our family moved to Schubert Missouri exactly 2 years before I was born March 15 1935. Mahlon was around 3 months old at that time. Vernon was 1 and 1/2 years younger then Margie who was 10. Bea was 3 years younger then Vernon. I bet Elizabeth, Sis, Bud and Felix work their buns off.I enjoy these memories so much. I hope there are more coming. Tomorrow is Birthday of Alma and Naomi. Alma is the oldest member of our family She will be 98 Happy Birthday
Christina Rowland says
Uncle Ted isn’t older than Aunt Alma? I thought Aunt Lillian was older than Uncle Bud, so assumed she would marry someone as old or older than her……was Aunt Alma older than Uncle Bud when they married? Inquiring minds want to know!
Cleo says
Yes ,Aunt Alma was born in 1913 and Uncle Ted was born in 1918. Alma was older then uncle Bud. Lillian and Ted were born in the same year 1918. I had a tree blown down Sunday night during the wind storm. It locked my car into my back driveway. It has been cleaned up and now I have use of my car again. I am free again. Free at last.
Aunt Lolly says
I love your stories Vernon. Happy birthday Alma and Naomi. We wish you many many more. Blessings to you both.
cleo says
– – This is Beatrice’s response to Vernon’s story – –
There is a little tiny pen that we used to ship cattle at Schuberts. It was close to a little garden where we raised peas in the spring. There was a shed next to it. You could open the window, which was made of wood, and Mahlon and I used to play store. When the radishes were ripe and the peas were ripe, we got some of mom’s cottage cheese and ate that together..raw peas….raw radished and cottage cheese. I don’t know what Vernon was doing at that time..maybe plowing the acerage up by the highway. From our front porch we could see the Highway 50 (old Hwy 50). After we got the work done we would wait on the front steps for our daddy to come home from peddleing in Jeff (maybe Vernon was with him. Margie used to go with him too.