Summer on the Farm: Remembering How Our Ancestors Lived

As the lazy, hazy, hot days of summer wind toward autumn, I've been thinking about my ancestors and how they spent their summers. By and large, the vast majority of my ancestors were farmers from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s. We still have a few farmers in the family today, but times have changed dramatically. Farming isn't an easy life, and not many of my family follow in the footsteps of those who came before. A child's life on the farm was very different from life today. It wasn't a time for roaming around freely enjoying summer sun. Summer was a time for all the family members to work.

Many of the families of the past were large. Quite frankly, farmers needed bodies to do the work, and kids were a free source of labor. Summer was a time of grueling work, ensuring the farm was both productive financially and the remaining bounty could sustain the family until the next planting season. For the men and boys, fields of crops needed tending, fences needed mending, trees needed chopping, animals needed caring for. For the women and girls, laundry needed washing, mending/sewing needed to be done, eggs needed gathering, gardens needed weeding and food needed picking to put on the dinner table. Canning the harvest for use throughout the year was something most girls learned to do, but it's virtually a lost art form today. 

I fondly remember my mother working late into the night, aided only by the small light over the kitchen sink, preparing fresh produce and fruit to can or freeze. It was a skill she learned as a girl, and it served her well. It was not a skill I learned though. Sometimes, I wish I had. I still have one mason jar of tomatoes my mother canned. She gave them to me when I moved into my first apartment (almost 35 years ago). They moved with me to my house, and have lived in my cabinet ever since. Although long past being edible (I'd be terrified to even open the jar!), they still remind me of my mom. She may not have pursued employment outside of the home, but her efforts as a homemaker kept everything running smoothly. Our home was her "work".

Today, children might go to camp, play video games, chat online, hang out with friends...but only a few play outside. Food on the table comes largely by shopping at the local grocery, rarely by harvesting crops or livestock. Some families do embrace having a garden if they have space (or participating in a community garden). My parents always grew some of our food and I did occasionally help pick a few vegetables or berries, but it was never something I really enjoyed—and I never learned the finer points to carry the tradition on. Compared to generations past, many children now have (probably too much) time to do whatever they feel like doing. Chores are emptying dishwashers, taking out the trash, walking the dog or folding laundry—not chopping down trees, baling hay or milking cows. Far from countless hours of leisure, days on the farm were spent working sunup to sundown, seven days a week. Night wasn't a time for tv or hopping online, but a time to sleep and recharge for the next day.

No doubt, while there might have been a few hours for fun, most farm kids learned early the value and necessity of hard work. They learned early how to entertain themselves. They came from a different generation—indeed a different time. I recall my dad saying when he was in boot camp, you could easily tell the farm boys from the city boys. The farm boys had no trouble with the exercises and obstacle courses (often finishing first) and some even gained weight during the training because they had more food than they did at home. City boys often struggled far more than their "farm-grown" counterparts.

Whether true or not, his observations hit the nail on the head. Farm children grew up with physical activity and hard work. It was the norm for them. The lessons they learned as children, by watching and learning from their parents, helped prepare them for adult life. Whether they remained on the farm, or opted to take different paths in life, they knew the value of hard work. They taught themselves how to find fun and relaxation in the small moments of free time. 

As we head toward the end of another summer, I find myself thinking about the immense efforts my ancestors expended this time of year. I sit in my air-conditioned home with a laptop, internet and cable TV. Technology aside, my ancestors never would have "lounged around" as much as I do. I am definitely thankful for the lessons I learned from my parents. I have a solid work ethic, I'm fairly frugal and I'm loyal to a fault. But sometimes I wish I'd embrace more of the lessons they could have taught me. But I suppose as they watched the world change, they passed on the concepts they thought I'd truly need to know. It's kind of ironic how much I gain from researching my past. I definitely get excited about new discoveries, but I also feel a profound sadness so much of our history was passed down orally and has been lost to time.

Image by The_Northern_Photographer from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist in titling and a search description for this post . All content is my own.