My name is Edna Opal Ullom Chapman. I am presently 94 years old and was born on January 4, 1893 near Vinton, Iowa. My parents were James Buchannon Ullom and Melissa Rhoda Lockwood Ullom. Their parents had traveled across country as pioneers in covered wagons from West Virgina. They were of Scotch, Irish and English ancestry.
My father, James Ullom, was a farmer. We had a diversified farm. Not only did we have corn, oats, barley and soy beans, but we also raised cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens, turkey and geese. The farmers would farm quarter sections and half sections, equivalent to 160 acres and 320 acres of land.
The machinery was drawn by horses which was used to plow, seed, drag fro smoothing the ground, disc for making the ground into smaller pieces and a harvester for raking up the grain field.
I remember separating our own milk. We would pour the milk that has just been milked from the cows into a large bowl on the separator. We turned a hand crank and the milk went down through a spout, as it separated, out of one spout came cream and the other spout milk. The skim milk was fed to the calves and hogs. We would use the cream to churn into butter. I remember making the extra butter into fancy rolls and selling them to the store.
A few years went by and we moved to South Dakota, where my father bought a farm, which was a quarter section. He improved the land by building his own house, barn, hog house, corn crib and a grainery.
There was a privy located a short distance from the house, because we did not have indoor plumbing, so we did not have a bathroom. A privy was a toilet or an outhouse. Inside the privy was a piece of board with two holes, and a smaller hole at the end for a younger person. Since toilet paper was not yet invented, we would use the paper from a Sears or Montgomery ward catalog.
When I was a little girl going to School I had to walk. It was bitter cold sometimes during the winter when the snow was on the ground. One time I froze my fingers before I arrived at school. When I went into the school room I fainted and when I came to, My teacher had my fingers in a basin of water and ice thawing them out. I can still remember all of the children standing around looking at me as I opened my eyes.
We lacked for many conveniences that we have today. We did not have electricity but had to use kerosene lanterns for light when it became dark and needed them to see and read by. we did not have running water but had to carry drinking water into the house in pails. When we took our baths we heated water in a big boiler on top of a big cooking stove and poured it into a big metal wash tub. we also used the tub to wash clothes using a scrub board that we washed the clothes with by hand. washing machines were not invented until years later. The telephone was invented but it was different than nowadays. when you wanted to telephone someone you used the crank on the side of the telephone and rang one long ring, When the operator came on the line and asked the number you wanted. When you started your conversation you could hear click, click, click. People listened in, for you were all on the same line. they were in the country and wanted to hear the latest news.
After graduating from high school, I furthered my education to become a school teacher. I taught in a small country school that was one large room with grades from one through eight. When it was time for class, I would go outside with a hand bell and ring it so the children would know it was school time.
Eventually our school needed a new bell. We had a social gathering to raise money for the new bell, and everyone was invited. all of the young ladies brought a box that was decorated on the outside. On the inside we had fried chicken and many good things to eat. The purpose of the box was so that the young men would pay for the box and then they would eat with the girl that fixed it. My future husband knew which one was mine so he outbid all the other men so we could eat together and become better acquainted. as time progressed, we fell in love and he asked to marry me.
In 1913 I was married in my father and mother's house, to a handsome young Englishman by the name of Ruben Chapman, After I was married, I lived on a half-section farm with Ruben. We had a lovely field of corn north of the house which had fully grown but not ripe enough to pick. My husband said to me that the corn was going to bring a lot of money. All of a sudden we saw a huge black cloud coming, and in it was a down pour of rain and hail. The hail was enormous. It stripped the cornfield completely. Only the stems were remaining. Since the wind and rain were so fierce, we were afraid it would break the north windows, so we put pillows up against the windows in hope that it would protect the windows from breaking. Fortunately it did so.
Three years after we were married, a little girl was born to us. We named her Marjorie.
For fun we would go see my parents. Many of my brothers and sisters with their husbands and wives would be there too. We had fun making homemade Ice Cream. We would have great feasts of meat, potato salad, cakes pies and all the good things that went with it.
One day my husband and I were traveling in a horse and buggy, when all of a sudden, an automobile appeared coming over a little hill. It scared the horses half to death because they had never seen an automobile before. The horses began to rear up and down. My husband jumped out of the buggy and grabbed the reins and bridle and led them quickly over into a grove of trees. The horses finally stopped because they were no longer able to go further. That was the first time that my husband and I had ever seen an automobile.
In 1922 we decided to quit farming and move to California to join my sisters who had previously moved. We came out by train to San Francisco and finally came to San Jose. We settled in Campbell, California to live. After a few months we were blessed with another daughter we named Ardis. Many years later she became Michele's grandmother.
Campbell was a different place to live. there were no blizzards in the winter, only sunshine and rain. I did miss the change of seasons though, for in the spring all the wildflowers bloomed in profusion. The summers were nice and in the fall you see all the leaves on the trees changing color.
After a few years the depression started. It was hard to make a living for there was little money to be earned. It was a difficult time for many people. We then moved back to Flandreau, South Dakota.
My husband went into business in a gas station. At that time we had gas pump trucks that drove out into the surrounding country side to the various farms. Many years had gone by and at this time they had machinery on their farms that used gasoline in their engines. Tractors and equipment were now being used to farm.
After a few years we bought another farm and my husband went back to farming. We bought a farm just a mile out of town. It was 160 acres and the Big Sioux River flowed down the pasture as wide as a street. There were many good fish to be caught out of it.
In 1941 we moved back to California after renting our farm to my brother. We arrived just five days before Pearl Harbor was bombed. When that happened I was so frightened I thought San Jose on the coast might be bombed, everyone was excited and confused. It was a time of blackouts and uneasiness as young men went to war.
A few months after we came to California my husband died and I was widowed. My first daughter, Marjorie had died when she was twelve so now I had only my daughter Ardis.
Many years have gone by since that time. I am now almost 95 and live with my daughter and her husband.
I look forward to the holidays and various occasions when I can be with my daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren and family to celebrate.
My life has had ups and downs but God has been good to me and I have many things to be thankful for.
Edna Opal Ullom
January 4, 1893 ~ January 15, 1989
