July 29 - August 4, 1948

Wisconsin, Labor Day Weekend 1957

Most Schurter cousins can probably relate to fishing trips "up north."

July 29: "Went to farm early this morning. Worked on threshing machine all day, sprayed the hay field this evening, came home about 8:00. Looked like rain this evening. Helen and Charles went to show this evening."

overalls & suspenders   2.25

July 30: "Went to farm early this morning. Worked on fence till noon. Then set threshing machine and threshed 2 loads of bundles after dinner. Will try and finish the wheat tomorrow."

telephone  2.57

lights    5.33

water bill  3.16

gro.   5.54

July 31: "Went to farm early this morning. Worked around home. Getting ready to thresh. Started early noon. Didn't get quite done. Wheat turned out pretty good. Dad is leaving on a fishing trip tomorrow."

August 1: "Got up early this morning went to farm to milk as Dad left for Minnesota fishing. Unloaded load of wheat before noon. Stayed home all afternoon as Helen and kids are moving down to stay (on the farm) for 10 days."

August 2: "Got up early this morning. Worked on electric fence most of morning. Helped Schmidt's turn their wheat from 10 o'clock till noon. Threshed their wheat after dinner. Had three loads of wheat to thresh here this evening."

August 3: "Got up early this morning. Done chores then went to oats field to turn oats shocks. Dan and Vic were here to help me. Started threshing after dinner wast too wet, and had to quit. Threshed about 150 bushels of oats. Unloaded the oats yet this evening."

August 4: "Had a shower of rain last night. Couldn't thresh today. Worked around home all day. Went to timber to check fence and see if cows were all up there. Hauled big load of hay to ditch."

gro.  1.05

lawn mower  1.50

Note and link from Rich:  If you have never seen "threshing" this link will take you to a YouTube video that demonstrates what was going on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ekJFOxUhy4

Helen Adcox, 8th Grade Class, 1936-37

Helen Adcox, 8th grade class, 1936-1937

Left Column                                                              Right Column

Verla Schmidt                                                       Harold Weeks

Bernadette Cooney                                               Earl Weeks

Wylma Carius                                                       Richard Weeks

Evelyn McMurry                                                  Duane Litwiller

Audry Humfrey                                                    Herbert Morgenthaler

Dorothy Helleman                                                Wallace Gauger

Dorothy Bertsch                                                    Ernest Morris

Louise Bodie                                                         William Cooper

June VanBuren                                                       Leo Giffhorn

                                                                               Ryan Hild

                                                                               Eldon Maxwell

                                                                               Lee Schlosser

Principal was Delmar Studyvin
Virginia Unsicker taught grades 7 and 8
Imo Stegner  taught grades 4, 5, and 6
Verna Getz taught grade 3
Emma L. Moser taught grades K, 1 and 2

Note to those not familiar with country schools. These were the names of the "townies." This group attended school in town, there would be additional students in Helen's class who entered high school but had attended grade school in the rural buildings. My assumption on the above names may be wrong but I think Helen was in school with this group.

Inflation

Ran across a couple of utility bills from 1970. Both of these are from my Grandma Adcox who lived alone. She had no central air but I was still amazed at how close the gas/electric bill was to the water bill. Postcard to mail the water bill cost a nickel and all you needed after Alta Adcox was "city." Nothing quite like a small town where everyone knew everyone.

July 22 - 28, 1948

Charles, December 1942

July 22: "Went to farm late this morning. Fixed electric fence then picked blackberries. Cut weeds down along road most of afternoon. Took mower off of tractor this evening. Came home late."

July 23: "Went to farm early this morning. Cut weeds all morning. Went to Schmidts to get rake. Then raked hay till eight o'clock this evening. Carol was sick today. Helen had Doctor up. Temperature 103, sore throat."

ice cream & shoe strings  .64

July 24: "Went to farm early this morning. Went to timber to finish raking hay. Also took binder up so we could cut a little patch of oats. Started baling hay about 3:30. Bill Schmidt got 100 bales. Didn't get home till 9 o'clock."

cleaners   .50

July 25: "Went to timber early this morning to pick blackberries. Picked 3 gallons and was home at 10:30. Went to Schurter reunion after noon. Had it at gym because it rained all afternoon. Had about 3" of rain."

July 26: "Went to farm late this morning. Worked around home this morning. On threshing machine after dinner. Went to timber to get wheel from hay rake this evening. Came home early. Jack Ertmoed delivered coal, had to unload it with wheel barrow."

July 27: "Went to farm late this morning. Unloaded bales in barn, then went to timber and got the rest. Cut oats after dinner, and shocked them up. Took Dad to Delevan to get car. This evening Adcox's were here last night and McLean's and Yeat (all family of Helen)."

gro.  1.21

coal  6.70

July 28: "Went to farm around noon. Helped Sucherts straighten wheel for rake, then went to Largents to get pieces for threshing machine. Took rake back to Connells, then worked on threshing machine rest of day."

July 15 - 21, 1948

 

















Charles, Jim and Carol
             1950                                                                                                          Jim   1948

July 15: "Went to farm early this morning. Fixed fence most of the morning. Cut oats about 11 o'clock, and shocked up what we cut before it rained. Rained most of afternoon. Came home early. Canned 4 quarts of blackberries and 4 quarts of pickled beets"

July 16: "Went to farm rather late this morning. Took 2 balls of twine for Eichers oats. Loafed most of morning (Rich: first use of word, "loafed"). Cut oats all afternoon. Came to town and got Ebbie and family at noon."

gro.  2.67
paper  .20
ice cream  .92

July 17: "Went to farm early this morning. Went to timber to look at oats, then went to Eichers to get binder, started cutting our oats about 10:30. Got done about 5:00. I shocked most of the time. Went to Dan's and opened up fields. I got home about 7:00. Then picked a gallon of berries. Had to take care of berries till after 10:00. Put 4 quarts in freezer along with 6 quarts of beans."

July 18: "Went to farm this morning. Picked 2 gallons of blackberries, then helped Dan cut oats rest of day. Went to Grandma Schurter's for supper. Came home after supper and took kids to park in Pekin."

paper   .15
gas   1.00
ice cream  .84

July 19: "Went to farm early this morning, finished shocking oats, then loaded binder and cut henry Luicks oats. Got home about 4 o'clock. Then mounted mower on tractor. Came home early."

Charles hair cut   .75

July 20: "Went to farm early this morning. Mowed some weeds around the house till 11 o'clock, then started cutting hay. Finished about 4:30. Then went around the road and cut around home home after supper. Charles stayed at farm all night"

gro.  1.31
ice cream  .84

July 21: "Went to farm late this morning. Fixed fence around chicken house. Took wheel from side delivery rake to Delavan to get straightened. Cut wees after we got home."

haircut  .75

 

July 8 - 14, 1948

A good reminder that cool weather will return.

This picture was simply titled "Butchering Day at Schurter Farm"

taken sometime during the 1930s

No names for anyone.

July 8: " Went to farm early this morning. Worked on threshing machine all morning. Sprayed some weeds after dinner. Came home early. Picked 2 quarts of raspberries. Walked downtown with family. Charles and Carol went to recreation."

gro.  2.97

paper  .20

July 9: "Went to farm early this morning. Got binder ready, painted wagon before dinner. Started cutting oats at noon, shocked  awhile, then went to Eichers to spray clover. Dan used his tractor on binder. The family came down this evening." (note from Rich, I'm not sure what a "binder" is but will post a picture below of what I have found. Comments welcome on this one.)

July 10: "Went to farm late this morning. Had to wait to get some welding done. Shocked oats till ten o'clock then went to Eichers to spray some clover. Dan and Dad were cutting oats. Had a heavy rain towards evening."

gro.  1.19

gro.  1.82

July 11: "Got up late this morning. Was raining, mowed lawn towards noon. Went to farm about 4 o'clock and shocked oats for a couple of hours. Came home early. Wasn't feeling very good. Went to fireworks at park in Pekin."

paper  .15

July 12: "Went to farm late this morning. Had to wait on Helen as she was going to dentist. Chocked oats most of morning. Chickens came today. Started cutting over at Dan's about 4 o'clock, finished about 9:30."

shopping  3.90

gro.  2.67

July 13: "Went to farm early this morning. Started cutting oats about ten-thirty. I shocked till about 3 o'clock then Dan went home. Had a shower of rain about 6 o'clock. Charles and Carol went to park, canned 9 quarts of beans and washed and made pickled beets, 3 and one half quarts, froze 9 pints of bing cherries"

cherries  1.78

July 14: "Went to farm late this morning. Worked on Dan's tractor and binder, thresher machine till noon. Then shocked oats all afternoon. Picked blackberries last night. Helen had canned 50 quarts of vegetables plus 16 pints. In freezer there are 28 quarts and 28 pints of fruit and vegetables."

July 1 - 7, 1948

From left: Carl Schmelfenning, Henry, Ervin Kahler, Bill Hancock, Bill Heubash

after a Minnesota fishing trip. Year unknown

July 1: "Went to farm early this morning, shocked wheat till 10 o'clock. Then hauled out cans and junk. Dan got done plowing corn about 11 o'clock. I started plowing right away. Plowed till 7:30 in timber. Stayed at farm for supper."

July 2: "Went to farm early this morning. Plowed corn most of day. Picked 4 quarts of raspberries. Helen and kids came down with Dad when he came home from town. Worked in farden and helped grandma. Came home about 9 o'clock."

gro.  1.37

July 3: "Went to farm early. Finished plowing corn, before dinner. Went in timber after dinner fixed some fence, and sprayed some weeds and brush. Came home early. Went to Minier for a ride this evening, bought kids some shoes. Canned 5 quarts of beans. 3 quarts of raspberries."

Shoes  7.35

eats  1.15

gro.  .98

July 4: "Got up late this morning. Rained most of time this morning. Went to Ruth's this afternoon. Had a big picnic. Came home about 8:30. Went to bed early."

July 5: "Got up late this morning. Had about 4" of rain till noon. After dinner went to Pekin to get Carol's bed. Got home early."

July 6: "Went to farm early this morning. Worked on threshing machine awhile. Also binder and picked raspberries. Had a heavy shower of rain after dinner. Came home. early."

gas  1.00

gro.  .57

July 7: "Went to farm early this morning. Fixed fence all morning. Worked on binder most of afternoon. Sprayed weeds after supper. Got home about 8:30. Finished mowing the lawn."