I was born on a farm about five miles west of Monon in White County, Indiana. This was such a great occasion that when I passed by there recently, there is no monument or buildings. Just a corn field. While still very young, I don't even remember it. 

We moved to McCoysburg, Indiana, which is about half way between Monon and Rensselaer. I do not remember living there either. While still very young we moved to Lee, Indiana. This is six or seven miles west of Monon. I remember in September 1924 my sister and I were sent to our Grandmothers. We were picked up later and got home to find a new baby sister. All of this time my father was a section hand on the Monon Railroad. 

We then moved to another house in Lee. This house was by the railroad. I remember going out with the coal bucket and picking up coal along the track. My folks then rented an eighty acre farm and started farming in addition to the railroad work. I remember going back to the pasture and getting the horses. We had a big bay and if I could get her close to a stump, I would climb on and ride her back to the house. This is where my father shot the neighbors goat. That is another story. 

I started to school there in a six grade school house in Lee. I walked about one half mile to school. Of course it was up hill both ways. The owner of the farm was a man by the name of Joe Pike. I remember when he was sick, I went with my father  to see him. I was about five or six years old and Mr. Pike had a radio. He let me put the ear phones on and listen to the radio. This was a great experience. 

In1928, Mr D.L. Brookie from Frankfort hired my father to farm 320 acres that he owned in Pulaski County. We had several cows to milk and I had my cow to milk every morning and evening. I remember filling fertilizer and corn buckets during corn planting. I remember using my fathers knife to open the sacks. One time I saw a bird and threw the knife at it. Of course I lost the knife. I learned a good lesson then. 

In 1930 Mr. Brookie sold the farm to the state and formed the Jasper-Pulaski game preserve. We then moved to a farm south east of Francesville for a year. Mr. Brookie then bought 540 acres just west of Monon and we moved there. At this time we only had two milk cows and I had to milk them. I still remember having the cat sit there with his mouth open and I would squirt milk in it. In 1933 at 12 years of age I started working steady for 50 cents per day. $3.00 per week. I howed thistles, I helped plant corn, I cultivated corn, I shocked wheat at harvest time and pitched bundles when threshing the grain. I helped pick corn and many other jobs. We were feeding about 60 steers and a hundred hogs at that time and I helped with that. 

In 1934 Mr. Brookie cut Dad's wages again and Dad said he could not raise seven kids on that and quit. He and Mon bought a poultry, cream and egg station in Monon. Dad also bought a truck and started hauling farm products. Mom and I ran the store. We had moved to town and I went to work helping out different farmers. One man had a straw bailer and I spent a summer helping him. During this time I went to several schools. I started at Lee and then to Center school just north of Medaryville. I finished up a year at a school near Francesville and the next year that school was closed and I had to go to another school through the fourth grade and into the fifth grade. We then moved to Monon and I finished school there. My teacher at Monon in the fifth grade was Mrs. Fern Morris. Mrs. Morris had taught both my mother and father. The only trouble was Mrs. Morris was sick and I had a substitute teacher for the rest of the year.

 I would not trade my experience on the farm for anything.