Log Skidding, Barn building, Hog Beating, Square Dancing, Live Farm Auctions in Preston County W.V.

I was hiding in the barn, when I heard a car driving into the yard, I looked out the barn window and saw three women, two men, and four kids get out of the car, they were relatives of fathers from Fairchance, PA they had two big dogs with them, as soon as the dogs were out of the car they took after the chickens, they caught and killed it, the kids which were two boys and two girls, laughed at the dogs. Mother and Father came out in the yard to greet their relatives, I couldn’t hear what was being said; but they didn’t tie the dogs up. I stayed in the barn until Dora came hollering for me, she wanted me to go with her after the cows, which were in the pasture field, we opened the gate and herded the cows down the road just as they reached a bend in the road, there were our relatives big dogs snarling and growling at the cows, the two boys stood laughing, the cows were frightened and didn’t know what to do. ( As it was milking time, the cows sacks were full of milk and running a cow at this time would bruise the sack) Dora yelled at the boys to call the dogs back to get them away from the cows, but the boys only laughed and said in a loud voice, “SEEK EM,” the dogs went for the cows, biting their heels, the cows took off through the wood, the dogs after them, Dora and I ran to head them off; Dora couldn’t run as fast as I could. As I came along side of the dogs, I picked up a dead tree limb and with all my might I brought the limb down across the dogs back, he let out a yelp and turned toward me as I brought the limb down again on his back, the other dog sensing this was no game, turned toward me, as Dora hit him with a club, he too let out a yelp and ran toward the boys. I picked up a rock and threw it at the boys, the second one hit its target, the boys ran crying saying “I’m going to tell my mother on you,” Dora rounded up the cows, and headed them down the road, they were still frightened and weary from running, one cow had a big scratch on her sack and it was bleeding, the rest had no sign of injury. I went ahead to the barn and got ready for milking, putting an extra dipper of grain in each cow’s feed box. Dora and I took a long time milking the cows, delaying going to the house. Finally we carried the milk pails to the house and sat them on the table.

I looked at mother, she winked at me and I knew the boys had told their story. The men folks were talking of hunting and bragging about what great hunters the dogs were, the woman folk were not saying things which was unusual for them, the boys were standing by a cake, that mother had just iced and when no one was looking they would stick a finger in the icing, I looked at one, and he stucked his tongue out at me, as if daring me to tell on him, but I’m sure mother knew what he was doing and didn’t say anything. 

The men and boys slept in the barn that night, and the girls and Dora and I slept on the floor. During the night I got real hot and I had a hard time breathing, Dora took me to the outhouse and then got me a drink of water and washed my face with cold water, but I was still hot. I couldn’t sleep, but I layed still and tried not to awaken anyone. Morning came and I was burning up with fever, mother put me in her bed and told me to stay there, she explained that the vaccination would make me sick for a little while. When Dora came to see how I was, I asked her about the vaccination, she explained smallpox, the dreaded disease that killed a lot of people, because they were not vaccinated, I felt a lot better after she left. Knowing I was now protected from getting that awful disease.

Father’s relatives stayed three days, I noticed that the dogs were tied up in the barn. The boys were still on a rampage, breaking the handle out of Motherś favorite hoe, letting the gate open, the sheep got out. The boys went into the grainery and played in the grain, throwing buckets of buckwheat into the wheat, then letting the door open, the chickens got into the grainery and ate so much, they were walking around with their necks stretched out and mouths open. They finally left, Mother was exhausted and took to her bed. I was back at school, but I could sense something was wrong at home, then one day as we were eating mush and milk for supper, Father announced he had sold the farm to Uncle Harry, and that we would move as soon as he could build a house on the other farm. They started cutting timber on the other farm, and a saw mill was moved in, to saw the logs into lumber for the house and barn.

On Saturdays, Dora and I would take the horses, and drag the big logs to the mill. Dora would fasten the chain around the log, then riding the horse I would take the log to the mill, the men at the mill would unhook the chain from the log, and I would go back after another log.

By the time spring came, Father had enough lumber to start building. I’ll never forget the day we moved into the new house, we were up at daylight, and told to start carrying everything out into the yard. Dora and I carried everything we could lift into the yard, we milked the cows and gave the milk to the hogs. By lunch time, Father had hauled two wagon loads over to the new house, Dora and I sat on a pile of blankets, waiting for his return, finally he came, Uncle Ray and Uncle Troy were with him, they each had their wagons, soon everything was loaded and they started on the way. Mother, Ethel, Dora, and I let the cows out and started them up the road, then we let the sheep out ( you can’t drive sheep, they are followers) they fell into line behind the cows, the bell sheep going first, then came the three pigs, it was a different story with them, they didn’t want to go anywhere. After a lot of pushing and shoving we got them to follow the sheep. It was two miles to the farm, the animals went along just fine for awhile, then they started to stop every now and then to eat, soon they didn’t want to go at all, we got sticks and had to beat them along, finally we came to the creek that boarded the farm, the pasture field wasn’t far away, so Father cut the fence, and we drove the animals into the field, the pigs were different, we had to take them to the house, they didn’t want to go, so we beat them along, they were getting tired, one layed down in the ditch and wouldn’t get up, so we left him there, and took the other two home. 

Father had built a granary, a chicken house and pig pen, the house wasn’t finished but we could live in it, it was a two story, two bedrooms upstairs, kitchen and living room on the first floor, it wasn’t as big as the house we had just left, we had to go up the road to a well for water. The whole place was a come down from the other, everything was unhandy, I couldn’t understand why Father sold the other farm and kept this one when there was no buildings on it, the only reason I could think of was that it was twice as large.

That summer was hectic, Father was building the barn, everyone was helping, Dora and I drilled holes and chiseled them out making them square. After the barn raising, we went on top the roof, Father fastened a pulley to a beam, then put a long rope around a board and Dora would pull it up, then I would carry it over to Father, to be nailed into place. I wasn’t afraid of heights and I was sure footed, I climbed everywhere on that barn, I think I carried every board that was put on.

The neighbors had a housewarming party for us, and as Father loved parties, there was square dancing until wee hours in the morning. I didn’t take part in the dancing altho I watched every move that was made. 

Dora and I still went to Guthrie School, we didn’t like walking the two miles every morning, as we still had to help with the milking, we were always late getting to school, altho we ran all the way. Father let us ride the horse, if he didn’t need the horse for something else, he always said, if he could plow, we could walk. Father didn’t have a car, so our only way of transportation was the horse and buggy.

One Saturday in the fall of the year, Father and Mother went to a farm auction sale, they said Dora and I could go long as they were taking the hay wagon, Father needed a new harrow, he hoped he might get one cheap at the auction.

I remember it was cold, Dora and I were shivering, as our coats weren’t warm enough. We got to the auction, and went to look at the animals, they were a scraggy bunch, we assumed that since we had had a dry summer there wasn’t enough grass. There were around thirty head of cattle and two big Belgium horses, then we saw “HIM”, a big white riding horse.

Clara Bell “Carie” Maust Guthrie 1889-1965 ,James Guthrie 1879-1965 , Dora Guthrie McNair 1916-1982,  Harry Guthrie ,  Ray Guthrie 1895-1976, Troy Guthrie 1891-1966, Ethel Guthrie Ritchey 1914-2008