Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Stepping into the Past

Genealogy has gotten me off the beaten path with blogging.  That has lead to more in depth research on ways our fore-bearers lived, ate, slept, drank, cooked, dressed, doctored themselves, and relied on each other instead of government overstep.

So, while I believe writing about thrifty living and gardening still fits into my new area of research, I hope to find other interesting topics of which to write.
Paternal great grandparents' home, children, domestic help, circa 1903
The above photo is of my great grandparents, taken at their farm prior to the birth of my grandfather ... before electricity had come to their area; prior to an automobile and any of our power hungry 'modern' appliances were invented   You will notice that grandma had the help of a stable boy and domestic servant; both listed in the 1900 Census as part of my grandparent's household.  One wonders if the advent of the modern age put many a person out on the streets, unemployed after being replaced by a machine?    This idea of humans being replaced by machines, and cheap labor has helped contribute to our generation's lack of skills, desire to work for daily bread, and reliance on poor quality everything!


6 comments:

Trish said...

We were born in the wrong era...so love that house.

Kim said...

What a wonderful picture! Wow, do you know whether their house still stands? We have done quite a bit of genealogy as well. Isn't it fascinating to learn tidbits about our ancestors' lives and to imagine what they were like?

Mrs. Mac said...

Hi Kim,

I'm not sure if the old farm house is still standing. I've other photos showing the barns, a buggy with fringed canopy, horses, etc. My great grandmother eventually moved to town and had a 'modern' electric stove.

Anonymous said...

lovely to see you back Mrs Mac, and the new look on your main page is great!.

Blessings
Helen UK

Homestead Mercantile said...

Which o
ne is your grandmother?

Mrs. Mac said...

My great grandmother is the dark haired women standing in the photo towards the left. Thanks for stopping by :)