Everything the family had was made by hand. We made candles and soap. We ever made some of our furniture. The women would have quilting bees. Game and fish were plentiful. The folk of all the neighborhood would gather together at the river and seine for fish. The fish were dragged in by the bushel. They were divided and salted. Sharing with others was the spirit of the frontier. The men would get together for turkey shoots.
My son Robert, and his family also took up farming and raised sheep. Robert would travel from farm to farm shearing sheep sometimes as many as 40 a day and he would be paid 10 cents a head. Great flocks of sheep would be taken to the river to be washed at shearing time.
Despite the hardships, life was good for us. I am so proud of my sons and what they have done. They are fine, hard working men. The life of a farmer is not an easy one, but I truly believe that if you work for "Mother Nature" ye get paid by "Father Time."
NOTES BY BARB NORBIE.
I thought this was an interesting story my gggreatgrandmother wrote. She died September 23, 1866 She was 90 years old. She is buried in Dundee, Il. Her son Robert, married Agnes McLaren (also from Scotland), they had a large family. One of their daughters, Alison Binnie (born in Airdire, Scotland) married John McLean (John was born in Lanark,Scotland). They had 14 children. One of their daughters, Alison McLean (born in Elkadar, Iowa) married Ephrim McBroom. They had 11 children. One of their sons Guy, married Vivian Shoop, one of their sons was my father. I hope others will find this interesting. If any one is related to any of these people, I would love to hear from you.
If you would like Barb Norbie's email address, please contact the History Club.
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