As written by his son William Homer Barnhart:
Jacob grew according to the normal life for a boy in the country at that time and place. When the Civil War began, in 1861, his older brother left the home farm for service in the Union Army. This left only his father and Jacob to run the farm. Much of the farm work had to be done by hand labor. Jacob was eleven years old when he took his place in the field as a harvest hand.
Wheat was cut with a scythe with an attached frame to keep it from falling. This was called a cradle. An experienced worker could cut the wheat and place it with the cradle in a swath with the butts of the straw even on one side and the heads of grain on the other. This was then raked by hand into bundles. These were then tied by making a band of the wheat straws. These bundles were stacked upright using about a dozen bundles to a stack. Two bundles would be laid across the top at right angles to each other to turn water when it rained. These stacks would be left to cure several days to make threshing easier. This was done by using a kind of flexible club called a fleish, which was used to beat the bundles when placed on a floor. The grain and straw were separated by using a pitch fork to remove the straw and the wind or a fan mill to separate the chaff and grain.
Hay was cut by using a scythe, raked by hand and placed in small stacks or shocks to cure before being hauled to the barn or placed in a large stack in the open if barn room was not available.
Jacob well remembered when his father later bought a machine that would cut wheat, but would not till the bundles. This machine was also used to cut hay.
When Jacob was about eighteen years old, he bought a horse powered threshing machine. Some ten horses would be used to furnish power to run this machine. He only ran this a few seasons until he bought a used ten horse power steam engine to furnish power to run the separator. The engine and separator were pulled from farm to farm by horses as the tractor or self propelled engine had not been developed for regular use.
The bands on the bundles of wheat were cut by a man standing on either side of a man who fed the bundles into the machine. The straw was carried from the separator by a conveyor to the straw stack. The wind stacker had not yet been invented.
Jacob married early in life and built a two room log house (pictured) on the west forty of the farm where he lived except during the threshing season when he would be away from home during the week.
This marriage resulted in four children. They were Katy, Sadie, Henry, and Samuel.
After the death of his first wife, he married Mrs. Hannah C Whittington (in 1895). She was a widow with five children. They were Elizabeth, Mary, Benjamin, Henry, and Leonard. The two room log house was remodeled to better accommodate this increase in family. This consisted of making a small bedroom in the attic which was lighted by a small window in the east gable.
To this marriage there were three children, William (the author of this account), Florence and Verna.
Jacob grew according to the normal life for a boy in the country at that time and place. When the Civil War began, in 1861, his older brother left the home farm for service in the Union Army. This left only his father and Jacob to run the farm. Much of the farm work had to be done by hand labor. Jacob was eleven years old when he took his place in the field as a harvest hand.
Wheat was cut with a scythe with an attached frame to keep it from falling. This was called a cradle. An experienced worker could cut the wheat and place it with the cradle in a swath with the butts of the straw even on one side and the heads of grain on the other. This was then raked by hand into bundles. These were then tied by making a band of the wheat straws. These bundles were stacked upright using about a dozen bundles to a stack. Two bundles would be laid across the top at right angles to each other to turn water when it rained. These stacks would be left to cure several days to make threshing easier. This was done by using a kind of flexible club called a fleish, which was used to beat the bundles when placed on a floor. The grain and straw were separated by using a pitch fork to remove the straw and the wind or a fan mill to separate the chaff and grain.
Hay was cut by using a scythe, raked by hand and placed in small stacks or shocks to cure before being hauled to the barn or placed in a large stack in the open if barn room was not available.
Jacob well remembered when his father later bought a machine that would cut wheat, but would not till the bundles. This machine was also used to cut hay.
When Jacob was about eighteen years old, he bought a horse powered threshing machine. Some ten horses would be used to furnish power to run this machine. He only ran this a few seasons until he bought a used ten horse power steam engine to furnish power to run the separator. The engine and separator were pulled from farm to farm by horses as the tractor or self propelled engine had not been developed for regular use.
The bands on the bundles of wheat were cut by a man standing on either side of a man who fed the bundles into the machine. The straw was carried from the separator by a conveyor to the straw stack. The wind stacker had not yet been invented.
Jacob married early in life and built a two room log house (pictured) on the west forty of the farm where he lived except during the threshing season when he would be away from home during the week.
This marriage resulted in four children. They were Katy, Sadie, Henry, and Samuel.
After the death of his first wife, he married Mrs. Hannah C Whittington (in 1895). She was a widow with five children. They were Elizabeth, Mary, Benjamin, Henry, and Leonard. The two room log house was remodeled to better accommodate this increase in family. This consisted of making a small bedroom in the attic which was lighted by a small window in the east gable.
To this marriage there were three children, William (the author of this account), Florence and Verna.
As written by his son William Homer Barnhart:
Jacob grew according to the normal life for a boy in the country at that time and place. When the Civil War began, in 1861, his older brother left the home farm for service in the Union Army. This left only his father and Jacob to run the farm. Much of the farm work had to be done by hand labor. Jacob was eleven years old when he took his place in the field as a harvest hand.
Wheat was cut with a scythe with an attached frame to keep it from falling. This was called a cradle. An experienced worker could cut the wheat and place it with the cradle in a swath with the butts of the straw even on one side and the heads of grain on the other. This was then raked by hand into bundles. These were then tied by making a band of the wheat straws. These bundles were stacked upright using about a dozen bundles to a stack. Two bundles would be laid across the top at right angles to each other to turn water when it rained. These stacks would be left to cure several days to make threshing easier. This was done by using a kind of flexible club called a fleish, which was used to beat the bundles when placed on a floor. The grain and straw were separated by using a pitch fork to remove the straw and the wind or a fan mill to separate the chaff and grain.
Hay was cut by using a scythe, raked by hand and placed in small stacks or shocks to cure before being hauled to the barn or placed in a large stack in the open if barn room was not available.
Jacob well remembered when his father later bought a machine that would cut wheat, but would not till the bundles. This machine was also used to cut hay.
When Jacob was about eighteen years old, he bought a horse powered threshing machine. Some ten horses would be used to furnish power to run this machine. He only ran this a few seasons until he bought a used ten horse power steam engine to furnish power to run the separator. The engine and separator were pulled from farm to farm by horses as the tractor or self propelled engine had not been developed for regular use.
The bands on the bundles of wheat were cut by a man standing on either side of a man who fed the bundles into the machine. The straw was carried from the separator by a conveyor to the straw stack. The wind stacker had not yet been invented.
Jacob married early in life and built a two room log house (pictured) on the west forty of the farm where he lived except during the threshing season when he would be away from home during the week.
This marriage resulted in four children. They were Katy, Sadie, Henry, and Samuel.
After the death of his first wife, he married Mrs. Hannah C Whittington (in 1895). She was a widow with five children. They were Elizabeth, Mary, Benjamin, Henry, and Leonard. The two room log house was remodeled to better accommodate this increase in family. This consisted of making a small bedroom in the attic which was lighted by a small window in the east gable.
To this marriage there were three children, William (the author of this account), Florence and Verna.
Jacob grew according to the normal life for a boy in the country at that time and place. When the Civil War began, in 1861, his older brother left the home farm for service in the Union Army. This left only his father and Jacob to run the farm. Much of the farm work had to be done by hand labor. Jacob was eleven years old when he took his place in the field as a harvest hand.
Wheat was cut with a scythe with an attached frame to keep it from falling. This was called a cradle. An experienced worker could cut the wheat and place it with the cradle in a swath with the butts of the straw even on one side and the heads of grain on the other. This was then raked by hand into bundles. These were then tied by making a band of the wheat straws. These bundles were stacked upright using about a dozen bundles to a stack. Two bundles would be laid across the top at right angles to each other to turn water when it rained. These stacks would be left to cure several days to make threshing easier. This was done by using a kind of flexible club called a fleish, which was used to beat the bundles when placed on a floor. The grain and straw were separated by using a pitch fork to remove the straw and the wind or a fan mill to separate the chaff and grain.
Hay was cut by using a scythe, raked by hand and placed in small stacks or shocks to cure before being hauled to the barn or placed in a large stack in the open if barn room was not available.
Jacob well remembered when his father later bought a machine that would cut wheat, but would not till the bundles. This machine was also used to cut hay.
When Jacob was about eighteen years old, he bought a horse powered threshing machine. Some ten horses would be used to furnish power to run this machine. He only ran this a few seasons until he bought a used ten horse power steam engine to furnish power to run the separator. The engine and separator were pulled from farm to farm by horses as the tractor or self propelled engine had not been developed for regular use.
The bands on the bundles of wheat were cut by a man standing on either side of a man who fed the bundles into the machine. The straw was carried from the separator by a conveyor to the straw stack. The wind stacker had not yet been invented.
Jacob married early in life and built a two room log house (pictured) on the west forty of the farm where he lived except during the threshing season when he would be away from home during the week.
This marriage resulted in four children. They were Katy, Sadie, Henry, and Samuel.
After the death of his first wife, he married Mrs. Hannah C Whittington (in 1895). She was a widow with five children. They were Elizabeth, Mary, Benjamin, Henry, and Leonard. The two room log house was remodeled to better accommodate this increase in family. This consisted of making a small bedroom in the attic which was lighted by a small window in the east gable.
To this marriage there were three children, William (the author of this account), Florence and Verna.
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