Saturday is Old Farmers Day.ย I stumbled upon this quite by accident as I googledย Angel Food Cake Dayย (which is actually today).ย Recognized each year on October 12, Old Farmers Day is the national day set aside to honor the American farmer. The day hearkens back to the 1800s when farmers celebrated the end of another grueling harvest season with a day of feasting and relaxation.
I’m a farmer’s daughter, a farmer’s grand-daughter, a farmer’s great-grand-daughter, a farmer’s niece, a farmer’s cousin… How had I never heard of Old Farmers Day?ย I can tell you how….There was never a moment the farmers in my family paused to breathe or reflect on their year, much less stopped to enjoy an entire feast. Daddy barely slowed down for Thanksgiving and often enjoyed his turkey and dressing on the turnrow leaning against a cotton picker.
Even so, I love the idea of Old Farmers Day. I imagine the first farm-to-table meal to be a lavish Pilgrim-like spread with corn and roast chicken and fresh baked bread with pear preserves (minus the Indians).
As long as people have poked seeds into the soil, harvest has been a time of celebration, a time to give thanks for their over-flowing bounty of food and fortune, a time to honor the fertile land.
Now a bit of history to honor my farming roots…
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| Reven and Frances Creecy |
Nana and Papa Creecy were married October 8, 1936 (four days before Old Farmers Day), at Brother Smith’s house on Highway 140 in Athelstan (Arkansas). After honeymooning in Blytheville at the Hotel Noble, theyย made their first home in a little house on the corner of the Creecy home place between Crews Lateral and Coleman Lateral.Here’s a list of items from the original N. G. Cartwright & Sons invoice for the items they bought to start their life together.
After paying off his debt, he bought eighty acres up the road in Dell and began clearing land whileย Nana managed the house, cooked and hunted with a 22 pistol strapped to her waist. Papa Creecy said she could shoot a cotton boll off the stalk…
Oh, and one more tidbit about Papa Creecy. Guess what his all-time favorite dessert was?
Yep.
Angel food cake.
talya
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life
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Reminds me of mine and my husbands grandparents. That was just the time!
Such a different time. I hope we never forget.
I have so many fond memories of growing up in the country (Athelstan) until we moved to town (Keiser) when I was in the first grade. I moved back to Athelstan after college for a while. My grandfather and grandmother, Coleman and Marion Crews were both from there. Great place to be a little boy. I’m sure I was in the way most of the time. Great memories.
Thank you Taylor! Yes, great memories and I still love to drive Crews/Coleman lateral:))
preciate the history lesson and the family story too!
Thanks Bryan. I preciate you!
love this kind of history!!!
Thanks Taylor, me too! Even when it isn’t our family, we realize how much we have in common.
I may need to borrow the list of goods–looks like I’m gonna have to fill up a 6-bedroom house (in the sequel) for the homeless Ponder boys and Xann Price and his dad. One house blew away and the other was taken by a flood. On a joist in my basement is a handwritten list of such things as the sale of eggs, etc. That would be sometime in the 30s. Interesting post.
Feel free to borrow the list:)) I’m waiting on the sequel…
Love this post. Your grandparents were a handsome couple. Your grandmother was beautiful and obviously spunky with that 22 pistol. That list is priceless. A dollar went a long way back then.
She was beautiful and an amazing person.
Loved reading this fascinating post about your grandparents! ♥
Thank you Kathy!
I was talking to a much younger friend the other day and mentioned pear preserves…and they had NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING.
I weep for the future.
Pitiful isn’t it?
Hi Talya. thanks for stopping and commenting at the Buck ‘n Run Ranch. Wanted to come over and say hi as well. Love this piece about your history with the farm. It’s funny how life sometimes has a plan for us. And yes, you are too far to take the dogs for a swim in the Pacific. But I’m sure there is a lake or river nearby. Have a great week and hope to see you again soon.
Dear tayla I really enjoy your recipes.my name is Ewing Lawrence.I was born on the Coleman lateral in 1941.my father worked for mr .colemancrews, your grandfather. My father said Mr. Crews sure was a great man to work for.l later went to school at west ridge misco high school near Lepanto Arkansas. I now live near batesville Arkansas.it is a little south of batesville called pleasant plains.my phone number is 870. 307. 3128 please call me sometime. We can talk about Kaiser.
Dear tayla I really enjoy your recipes.my name is Ewing Lawrence.I was born on the Coleman lateral in 1941.my father worked for mr .colemancrews, your grandfather. My father said Mr. Crews sure was a great man to work for.l later went to school at west ridge misco high school near Lepanto Arkansas. I now live near batesville Arkansas.it is a little south of batesville called pleasant plains.my phone number is 870. 307. 3128 please call me sometime. We can talk about Kaiser.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting! Hearing from people like you makes my blog so worthwhile to me. So you worked for my grandfather, Reven Creecy? If you go to my Farm blog section, you will see pictures of Coleman Lateral and our home place.
My father and mother worked for Mr Coleman crews l was born on the Coleman. Lateral. I took my father back down there in1980 and the old house I was born in was still there at that time.. The house had been moved to the other side of the road. Ewing lawrence