Loads of Work

p.9

Road Work          1924

Sept. 2     1/2 day                              $2.50
  "      8         1 day, 19 loads gravel
  "      9     1/2 day
  "    16        1 day  16 loads, Hands pit
  "    17        1 day  16     "          "       "
                                Jay's poll tax worked
  "    22        1 day
  "    25        1 day  18 loads
  "    29        1 day
Oct    1        1 day  14 loads Stevens
                                Stevens
   "      2        1 day  24 loads
                                Goodmans
   "      3        1 day  8 loads Jones pit
   "      7        1 day   "

13 da.
$65

[The word "Paid" is written over the above entries, and a line has been drawn beneath the above entries.]

June 13th, -1927-
3 horses in Dan's pasture
$15.00

[The word "Paid" is written over above the entry, and a line has been drawn underneath the entry.]

2 horses in Meyers pasture May 20, 1928
$12.00

[The word "Paid" is written above the entry.]

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My Thoughts
A part of Interstate 45 here in Texas has been under some type of construction since the 1960's, or thereabouts.  It can be frustrating at times, and other times, annoying.  I think the only good thing about it is that I don't have to do the work.  I pay taxes for someone else to do all the work.

This was not so in Pearl's time.  It seems they worked on the roads just as much as they worked in the fields.  Though Pearl does not tell us the details of their road work, it still sounds like a lot of hard work.  Could you imagine after it rained? Yikes!

In these entries, she does indicate names.  I'm guessing here, but with a quick look at the 1919 Collins Township, Story County, IA map that I found on historicmapworks.com yesterday, these names are Harve's & Pearl's neighbors that share a road with the Pointer farm.  And the "loads" that she refers to are probably loads of dirt.  She also refers to loads of gravel and 2 pits that belonged to Hand and Jones (both nearby neighbors).

Below is a photo of the Pointer farm with the road in front of it.  It was probably taken in the 40s or 50s, and, of course, it's from Great-Uncle Donald.

The Pointer Farm showing the road in front.  Courtesy of Great-Uncle Donald.

 ~Caroline

Odds & Ends

p.8

(Eggs - 1922)

Feb. 3     10 doz.  4        .30 cts     $3.10

[Lots of blank space in the middle of the page. Then a line was drawn.]

Sim   1/2  da, took load home

Mon. & Tues
Put in fence.

July 18     1 da, (both) 
  "    20     1  "       "


My Notes
This appears to be where Pearl started to notate the eggs produced on the farm in 1922.  There will be more egg notations later for different years.  Therefore, we'll have to see if this egg accounting for 1922 is continued elsewhere.


Also, the notations on the bottom of the page look to be the continuation of the hay accounting from the previous page as well as a notation of putting in a fence. It looks like Uncle Sim helped with both tasks in approximately 1916 or 1917.

So, just odds & ends.  Nothing "earth shattering".  However, we are approximately 7 pages away from the actual day-to-day listing of expenses on the Pointer farm beginning with 1918.  This is where, in my opinion, you really get a sense of what life was like on the farm.   Since there wasn't much writing today, I thought I'd add to the story with some of Great-Uncle Donald's family photos of the farm as well as images of the Pointer family farm mortgage from 1912.  [I told you Great-Uncle Donald is awesome.]

 

The old Pointer home taken from the east.

Pointer barn & corn crib from house.

1912 Mortgage for Pointer farm. (outside)

1912 Mortgage for Pointer farm. Paid in full in 1915. (inside)

~Caroline