Bmeandering

Bmeandering

Monday, July 18, 2011

Barn Charm:Family Farm

On the Sunday drive back in June,
we came upon the farm that had once been
in my husband's mother's family.
The above photo is us coming up on it
and me snapping a pic from the car.


This is the front view.
You can see a hint of silo.

Now more silo and the side shed,
still taken from inside the car
as the upper rt. hand corner shows.

Back view.
We felt more comfortable stopping here
for me to get out of the car.

Close-up of the back.

This is my favorite shot
taken right before I got back in the car.

His mother came from a family of 12 kids.
They lived on a farm outside of Temperanceville, Ohio.
Across from the barn is the home she grew up in,
sharing a bedroom with several sisters.
(I don't have that photo.)

Grandma died in a car crash.
Grandpa remained on the farm.
There was still a son growing up there.

When Grandpa died, Johnny was 18.
Part of the siblings wanted to let Johnny have the farm.
The other part wanted to sell and pocket the money.

The sell group won.
They sold the family farm.
Each of them walked away with their share of the money. 
That was back in the 1960's.
Approximately 215 acres.
Who knows what it's worth today in dollars and cents?

The sell part have admitted they were wrong--
that keeping it in the family
was worth more than any dollar amount.

At some point
the two sides began talking to each other
and the split was eventually healed.
I don't know the details;
I just know that for some years they didn't talk.

Now six of the sons and daughters have died,
including my husband's mother.
There are great-great-great grandkids.
The family reunion every summer
is huge.
Great food and camaraderie are there,
as folks catch up with those who live away.

But someone else owns the family farm.



I'm early, but soon Trish will have her weekly Barn Charm
up and running here









18 comments:

  1. That last photo is a beauty, Beth ... I'm glad that some healing has occurred in your husband's family.

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  2. Love that last shot as well. It's so interesting about the family history.

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  3. Yes I agree that the family made a huge mistake when they sold that farm and acreage. It does look like that someone is taking good care of the barn though... Great pictures, Beth.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  4. I am always somehow sad when a family farm passes out of a family. I have such a love for the land. I think it is such a precious thing to have.
    Love the pictures. It is a lovely place.

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  5. What a great old barn! I love the family history. I enjoyed the shots from all sides.

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  6. So sad that they sold it...but would hate for them to have kept it and then sell it now....but you know it would be worth a fortune...and I can't help but wonder what the taxs would be. Anyway, I have loved this post....

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  7. Sometimes those family decisions can create high and stubbornly built walls. When the hearts soften and reality becomes real, it's good to see healing occur. So happy you had a chance to take a photo of something special to your husband's family.

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  8. nice barn.
    i am glad that the farm is in good hands.

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  9. Hello, again, Beth! I am so much enjoying your Barn visits. This one really reminds of the barns seen around where I come from in York, Pennsylvania. Nice taste of home. We are just back from a long weekend trip, so just now getting to catch with you & everyone in blogland. Happy Week! :o)

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  10. Oh so often we hear stories like that & it's sad, but I'm so glad they were able to mend the feud!

    It's a beautiful farm & I'm sure another family moved in & raised their kids there, too... oh the memories!

    Thanks so much for linking up to Barn Charm, this is a very special post!

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  11. i love that last photo, too. i can relate to the story - my husband's father had to sell the family farm a few years ago (after it had been in the family for over 200 years) due to the financial realities of his wife's alzheimer's disease. it was heartbreaking for the family, and for my husband...

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  12. what a sad story and too often happens. i'm with the group that wanted to keep the farm in the family, no dollar amount is worth losing the old family homestead. a very similar story happened just around the corner from me. a beautiful old home that was built in the early 1800's and the brick that built it was made from the land the house sits on. the grandmother died and her sisters wanted to sell the land and family home. it got subdivided and someone built a mcmansion on the farm land next to it, looks so out of place. the grandson lives right across the street from the family home/farm and has to rent the farmland to use from the new owners...so sad... american greed

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  13. That last shot is my favorite too. The colors are so nice.

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  14. It's obvious that the barn has been well cared for over the years and not allowed to tumble down, so you can be happy about that. It's sad though that the family wasted so many years not speaking to each other. The memories they had together were still there even though they no longer owned the farm.

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  15. So happy you could snap some happy photos of times past. What greed does to split a family is so sad.
    Time does heal wounds expecially when "Please Forgive" is offered.

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  16. Greed is never good. It governs so much of what we do...

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  17. Too bad the farm no longer is in the family but at least someone is still working the farm and that's a very good thing. :)

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  18. Thanks for the comment love your pics of the family barn. Where is Temperanceville, Ohio never heard of it. I've lived in Ohio my whole life.

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