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Early Wisconsin Farmers
Most of these images come from the era of the Great Depression. The biographical pieces are of various times. All photos and text from the Library of Congress "American Memories" page.
Shawano County. Wisconsin farm. Vachon, John, 1914-1975, photographer.
1941 Aug. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF35-1326]Personal history: Mrs. Whitelaw's mother and father came to America from Switzerland in the early 40's and 50's. Her grandfather John A. Sutter was a Swiss Cabinet maker. When he came to Wisconsin he settled on a farm near Sauk because he could not find enough work in his own line to make a living. He founded the first glee club in Sauk and used to walk five miles twice a week to conduct rehearsals. He also made excellent zithers which his wife gave lessons on.
Wisconsin farmer, FSA (Farm Security Administration) rehabilitation borrower. Door County, Wisconsin. Vachon, John, 1914-1975, photographer. 1940 July. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF35-1326]
Jane Olson--Jan. 9, 1936--John Proud was born in [Gramond, Midlothian?], Scotland in 1809. He migrated to America from Glasgow in 1849 and settled on a farm at Verona, Dane County, Wisconsin. He became a citizen of the United States in 1850. A very unique arrangement took place at the time of Mr. Proud's farm purchase. Seven other Scotchmen were members of the party that came over with Mr. Proud. In New York, these eight men gave bags of gold to a Mr. Marshall who came West ahead of this group and purchased adjoining farms for all eight men. They came west when all arrangements were completed on the purchase of the land. After a while these same men formed a company and purchased supplies and took care of thier business as a single unit, through the managing officers' advice. (These records are in the possession of Miss Grace Meyers, granddaughter of John Proud.)
Wisconsin farmer, FSA (Farm Security Administration) rehabilitation borrower. Door County, Wisconsin. Vachon, John, 1914-1975, photographer. 1940 July. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF35-1326]
DATE Sept. 26, 1938 SUBJECT Peter P. Luther-- NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFORMANT Peter P. Luther, 430 So. 17
In 1879 my father came to Walton and bought the farm at Walton for $6 per acre. There was a cornfield where the State Capitol Bldg. is now and I guess we could have bought that ground almost as cheap. Lincoln itself was only four blocks square at that time. I worked at home herding hogs and cattle. We had 60 head of cattle and 200 hogs. We drove them thru the native grass which was two feet high. Had no horses. The grass had never been cut and was thick and wonderful feed -- but it'll never come back no more. Sometimes I'd hear a noise and then a big bull snake would raise up above the grass and look at me. In between working times I went to school. In them days the only way we marked grades was 1st reader, 2nd reader 3d reader 4th reader and history. When you had history that was as high as you could get. With all of it we had geography and arithmetic. Our teacher had 77 pupils. I was a catholic altar boy. We drove to Lincoln with a team and buggy, father and mother and 5 children-left home at 8 in the morning and got back by 3 p.m. or 3:20. We sang gospel hymns in school. We went-barefooted up until Christmas -- weather was never very cold. No snow until after we had been here 8 or 9 years when climate began to change. Lots of fish in creeks. No trees except along creeks. There were stone quarries at Bennet and Cheney. Everybody built their own house out of the stone. We didn't wear heavy clothes, didn't need nothing but summer clothes.
Abandoned farm and snow fences, Wisconsin. Vachon, John, 1914-1975, photographer.1939 Sept.Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF35-1326]
NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFORMANT Sebastian E. Marty, 1915 11th St. Columbus, Nebr.
My parents were born in Glarus, Switzerland in 1808, and emigrated to America in 1854, and for four years lived in Chicago, Illinois. They then moved to New Glarus, Wisconsin, where there were many swiss colonies, and bought a small farm. I was born there on March 28, 1862, and there grew to manhood. I attended the primary and parochial schools only about three months out of a year, and after three years quit school when about fourteen years old. My first job was working for the railroad a while, and one day while standing around the depot watching the agent telegraphing, I told him I would like to learn that too, and then about a year later when I had forgotten all about it, he asked me if I still wanted to learn telegraphy and that is how I got started in that business. I was just a small boy when I lived on the farm with my Mother and brothers; I remember there were so many wild pigeons there; they are almost as large as our tame pigeons here and of a grayish color. One day, when we were sowing some wheat we didn' get it all harrowed in before noon, when we came back after dinner every kernel of it was gone; there were millions of them; they would go north in the spring and come back in August. There are none left there now.
Making a purchase at farmer's roadside stand, Eau Clair County, Wisconsin. Vachon, John, 1914-1975, photographer.1939 Sept. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF35-1326]
