A Girl's Life On the Farm, 1930s

by Jenna Saunders (12)

A farm girls life centered around the farm, the family, and the animals. Most girls had a pony or a horse that they could ride. There were also, chickens, cows, pigs, and sheep.

The day would start before sunrise, when I would arise with my father and help him to go milk the cows. We would walk into the barn, my dad carrying the big milk can and I would carry the stool and the milk pail. We only had two cows, and so it didn't take that long to milk them. Every morning at 5:30, every day, every year, we milked the cows at 5:30 in the morning.

After we milked the cows and had the milk in the milk can, we would go into the house where my mom was making breakfast. Always a breakfast of milk, eggs, sometimes toast if we had the money. Mom would give dad his coffee and my two brothers and I would eat breakfast and listen to mom and dad talk.

My brothers would have to do most of the hard work around the farm. Cleaning out the barn, splitting the wood for the fireplace and to cook with.

I had to help mom wash the clothes and then hang them out on the line to dry. I also would use a carpet beater and would beat the rugs at least once a week.

Mom would make me dust, and wash the dishes, while she helped dad with some of the chores around the farm.

After all our chores were done, we could go out and play. That usually meant going to the creek in the summer and swimming. We had an old tree right next to the creek and my brother tied a heavy rope to it and we would swing from the rope and land in the creek. It was lots of fun..LOTS of fun.

In the winter we would play out in the snow, or go to the barn to play. It snows a lot where I live, and there was always lots of snow around during the winter.

The barn was always fun to play in. The hayloft was fun, but we always had to watch where we stepped because of the wood wasn't so great, and we could fall through.

We had neighbors who lived down the road, but they were a long ways away, so I usually just played with my brothers.

We did fight a lot, but we also stuck up for each other.

When we went to school, it was a one room schoolhouse, and we had to walk there. It must have been a mile or so. We were all in different grades, but we had the same teacher in the same classroom, just different books to read.

During the school year we would have morning chores to do and then after school chores. I usually had to help with the milking in the morning, and then getting the eggs. My brothers had to do the harder stuff.

My mom and dad were strict, and dad used to beat us with a razor strop that he had. He really hit hard. Mom used a butter paddle to spank us with. She also hid way to hard.

Some of the neighbors had cars, but dad had old Thunder. He was a Belgian Horse and he was so big. He would pull the plow during the spring, and would also be hitched to the wagon to take us into town. He was a great horse, and I used to take him apples from our apple tree. I had to be careful, because I'm small and if I got my hand to close to his mouth when he wanted that apple, he would bite me. But he usually didn't.

Dad would sometimes let me ride him bareback, which was fun. I could hardly get my legs on each side of him.

Thunder didn't like my older brother, and sometimes if Sean was riding him into the creek, Thunder would just stop in the middle and lay down, getting Sean all wet.

Unfortunately the crops that dad grew didn't do so well, and we had to move off of the farm and into the city. I cried when Thunder was sold. I also cried when the cows and the chickens were also sold.

It was great fun being on the farm. It was lots of hard work, but I also had fun. The best part was being with the animals and of course being with my two brothers.

I sure don't miss dad beating me with the razor strop, or mom with that butter paddle, but I guess its kinda better then here.