The Three Sons

The rule of three relates to the satisifaction derived from things in groups of three.  I am not sure if it a rule as much as convention.   There were groups of three for: Amigos, Musketeers, Billy Goats Gruff, Little Pigs, Bears, and of course the old television series "My Three Sons."  At the turn of the 19th to 20th century in north central Iowa there were the three Hovel boys.  A prior post on Martin and Amelia Hovel's marriage one hundred forty years ago, was followed by additional information on the early years of their marriage, which can be found here.  The "Three Cents" post made mention of the three sons of Martin and Amelia.  The three  sons would would all go on to farm, some longer than others. Separated by a span of nine years, the three brothers would farm, for about 10 years, within a few miles of each other.  This blog post will provide a glimpse into the lives of the three sons of Martin and Amelia as they aged during the early part of the 20th century.  It was a time of great turbulence, the industrialization of the nation (which began in 1870) was the lead cause of a rural to urban migration, the Great War would yield to the farm depression of the 1920's, and later the better known  Great Depression would arrive. Internationally, starting in 1939, the world would be amazed at the speed of the German blitzkrieg, and scared of Germany's desire for domination.  United States entry into World War II would forever change the map of the world.  For all the political upheaval, there was also tension caused by greater mechanization of farming and life in general.  This post will be an attempt to provide background to this turbulent time by looking at the lives of the three Hovel boys.

The Three Hovel Brothers

The three sons of Martin and Amelia were Joseph James, often referred to as J.J., born on the fresh broken sod of the Iowa plains in 1878 and who would pass away in 1953; Edward Harry, the middle child, was born, on this date (February 27) in 1881 (Happy Birthday Ed!) and would die 94 years later in 1975; the baby of the family, my grandfather, Rudolph James, was born in July 1887 and would die less than two months shy of his 93rd birthday.  Between the three, with their respective spouse, they would produce ten children among them, with nine of the ten growing into adulthood.  With differences in age, each son would begin their own farm operation in a different year.  Records vary, but it would seem that Rudy and Joe report having a tenth grade education, while Edward reports having completed eighth grade. Yet, lack of completed high school education did not scar the men.  Each were able to manage a farm, and Joe a business.  According to draft registration records for  World War I, Joseph was a tall 40 year old farmer with a medium build.  He was noted as partly bald, with some brown hair.  His eyes were grey.  Edward, 37 at the time of his registration, was both of medium height and build with black hair and hazel eyes.  Rudolph, was 29 when registered and had height, build and hair color as Edward, although he was noted as having brown eyes.  None of the three would be called to serve in WWI. While the war registration records provide a physical description of each man, what is lacking is the detailed agricultural census information available in earlier efforts.  The 1890 national census records were lost do to fire, and, by act of Congress, the 1900 and 1910 agricultural schedules were destroyed.   Nonetheless, information can be gleaned from other records.

From 1913 plat book

We know, from the 1900 census, that all three are living with their parents on the home farm just southeast of Manly, in the town of Lincoln, Worth, County, Iowa, with ages ranging from 21 to 12.  However, by 1905 Joseph has established his own farm operation, and this probably coincided with his marriage in early 1904 to Mary Hortense O'Connor, since a granddaughter says that Joe bought the land from his father-in-law, C.P. O'Connor.  The 1905 Iowa census would list Joseph as having a farm value of $10,000 and an encumbrance of the same amount.  Apparently, no down payment was required, with a purchase from his father-in-law, Charles P O'Connor providing the explanation.  The 1913 plat map of the town of Lincoln shows land near J. J. Hovel owned by CP O'Connor.  Joe farmed north of Manly, also in the town of Lincoln, but his mailing address was Kensett, IA.  Based on plat maps, his total land holding was probably about 80 acres in Lincoln and another 61 acres of adjoining in the town of Union.  Nationally, historians say it required $3,000 to start an farm in 1900, and by 1930 that amount had risen to $8,000.  However, by 1920 the average size of a new loan in Iowa was more than $11,000, which was probably a result of high commodity prices during the Great War, and land speculation.  However, given his outlay and related debt, J.J. Hovell's (see note at the bottom of the post) farm was likely at the high end of the average.

Joseph James Hovel

Historian John L. Shover, in his work First Majority-Last Minority, an agricultural history over time in the United States, comments that farms of this era, particularly in the Midwest, were "diversified units producing a little bit of most everything to meet the family's subsistence requirements, with a little surplus left over for cash marketing."  Given the agricultural schedules reviewed in 1870 and 1880, and that farm life in the era of the early 20th century was more like that thirty years earlier, then thirty years later, I suspect each of the Hovel boys' farms would follow that diversification practice.  A practice today that is highly thought of and which form pleasant nostalgic stories if not  memories.  I believe, the diversification was necessary, as large profits were not the norm. Diversification would not be putting all your eggs in one basket, and would be a hedge against disease or weather. In fact if one looks at the writings of Agricultural Economist, Curtis Stadtfeld, who was a generation younger than my father, but wrote about his parents livelihood on the Michigan farm on which  he was raised, one gets a different take of the melancholic view often described today for that era of farming.  Just one example of Stadtfield, who grew up on a farm in the Midwest can suffice:

In fact, the barn was never painted at all.  The good potato crop never came. It always rained too little to make good beans, or too much to harvest them.  We never had so many heifer calves that the herd grew large and made us wealthy.  We were always just getting by.  And then came the war [reference to WWII], and so many things were pulled apart that were never put back together again.  The fabric of that life tore, and we looked back from the other side of the rent and wondered how it ever worked in the first place how it ever held together.

This shows that sustenance of the family came first, and hence diversification was necessary to provide the meat, dairy, eggs, and other products common to living.  A garden would have also raised vegetables with food preserved through canning, or in root cellars.  Specialization would have meant dependence on one or two crops or animals, and with no diversity a failure in one could have been catastrophic to family well being. The move to dairy in Wisconsin occurred, in part, due the cinch bug having become problematic for the wheat crop.

Edward Hovel

 Life on the farm it seems was never easy. Tilling at a time of pre-tractor would have been not only time consuming, but hard work behind a horse drawn plow.  Of all the work, tilling of the land for corn and other related row crops was, as reported by Shover, the most difficult chore.  My earlier post commented on what some called the mundane nature of the work.  Shover, however, referred to the work as: "a stern regime of daily tasks and unyielding seasonal requirements" which determined the pace of activity.  All hands, but the youngest of children were involved with daily tasks.  The many hands make light work adage perhaps developed from farm work.  For some work, you need more than two hands.  Children provided free labor, which allowed the family to obtain and earn more than otherwise. By 1910, Joseph and his wife, Hortense, had three children with them on the farm.  Maurice, Margaret, and Joseph James, Jr.  Edward was married in 1907, and by 1910, he and his wife and toddler (Edward Martin), had set up a farm of 128 acres in Cerro Gordo County, just south of Worth County, yet within the Manly, IA mailing address.  Rudy, at age 22, was on the home farm.  The 1913 plat map shows Rudy owning 77 acres in Lincoln, with a house.  I believe this to be the home farmstead, created out of the Iowa prairie by Martin and Amelia.  However, this land holding is kitty-corner to another 43 acres (without a house) owned by Martin.  The 1910 census reports that both J.J. and Ed had mortgages on their respective farms.  We do know that Martin farmed the fresh soil of the prairie, Joe is said to have obtained his from his father-in-law, Ed bought his farm from perhaps Ed Murray, who had owned that site of land in 1895.  In 1905 Martin, who started farming the prairie of Iowa in the late 1870's had a debt of $1,100 on a farm value of $10,000--so a value comparable to his son Joseph's farm.  By 1910, Martin's farm was debt free.  Given the price Joseph paid, so much above the average, I hope the home and outbuildings were pleasant and strong.

Rudy and Ida Hovel

Outbuildings were important to the farm operation.  They housed the animals, provided cover for tools and machinery, and of course housed the equipment necessary for processing of food--think a smoke house.  Providing for the family required not only for sustainability, but represented a wise use of resources--whether land or buildings.  The arrangement of the farm buildings at any traditional farm was anything but haphazard.  Shover notes that the placement was the result of trial and error through generations, and developed into "an integrated and efficient craft unit."  Buildings may have had one purpose, or have multiple purposes, but in each case, was efficient and put to the use capable and intended.  The Hovel boys would have had to learn the ways of farming in the United States, and in seem to have done so quite well.  Just as in Field of Dreams where Ray Kinsella depended upon advice-and criticism-of  fellow farmers at the feed store, so too likely did the Hovel boys and their father.

JJ Hovel farm in northeast corner of Lincoln

JJ Hovel land in northwest corner of Union

It was not uncommon at the time for a state to do a half decennial census.  Lucky for a history buff, Iowa did one in 1915.  By 1915 we can see that Joseph's farm is now valued at $20,125, and his debt has been cut in half to $5,000, not bad for a ten year time frame when you consider his farm earnings in 1914 was only $745.  Edward would report a farm income of $1,200, and debt of $3,500 on a farm valued at $18,000.  The youngest, Rudy, who was married in 1913, and only a few years out on his own, reported a farm value of $15,000 with a debt of only $4,500. If Rudy farmed his and the 43 acres of his father, it would place his tended farmland at 120 acres.  As an aside, Martin, and Amelia in 1915 have retired from farming and are now living in Manly. The 1915 census reports the two as still dabbling in farm practices.  They raised fowl and harvested 100 dozen eggs with a reported value of $15.00.  They raised and sold one bushel each of potatoes and vegetables for what appears to be $5.00 each.  For purposes of comparison, $5,000 in 1915 would generally be valued at about $120,000 today.

1913 Plat Map of Edward Hovel farm, Lime Creek

Iowa being Iowa, they not only counted people, but also counted farm animals in the 1915 census.  For the Hovel boys, this can help provide an insight into their daily life.  What is common is that horse power is still important, and each own five or more horses with at least one young colt (less than one year of age).  Joseph is more diversified having lambs and sheep.  All three, however, have milk cows, and swine.  A cholera epidemic was decimating pig herds, and Joseph lost 50 swine to the epidemic in 1914, with a lost value of $250.  Edward lost 8, but did not report a value.  Rudy, reported not having lost any, but only had 4 swine. Raising of chickens and other fowl was important, although the reported product value is not high.  Joseph had 250 fowl and earned $200, while Ed had 100 fowl, with a note stating they were chickens, from which he earned $50. Rudy earned $64 from 160 fowl.   In 1913, the Worth County Index reported that Joseph lost turkeys valued at $14 to dogs, but his claim was denied due to it being filed too late.   Shover notes that farm accounting was not precise, and that is likely true, particularly with reports to government agencies.  Stadtfield, notes that in his review of his father's 1935 farm ledger that the egg earnings nearly equaled that brought in by the dairy herd.  This report is twenty years later than this 1915 data, but may still be relevant to the situation two decades earlier.  The epidemic to hit the pig herd certainly provides evidence as to the above quote from Stadtfield, and shows the need for diversification in a time before common inoculation.  While we lack crop detail, they likely practiced the traditional method of a cultivating a variety of crops, most likely wheat, corn, potatoes, oats and perhaps barley and/or rye.  Each crop followed a strict method of rotation to assist soil health.  Sustainable practices were essential to family well being.

1913 Plat Map of Rudy Hovel Farm, and land owned by Martin
Lincoln twp, Worth Co, IA

In the 1920 census, the two oldest brothers would report having a mortgage on their farm, but Rudy would report no mortgage.  Rudy would move out of Iowa to Wisconsin in a few years time, and whether or not preparation for such a move was on his mind at the time, I do not know.  By 1925 Joseph is preparing for business as a machinist, and to sell implements.  A business in which his youngest son Joe, Jr would assist.  Edward is reported as owning his farm free of encumbrance.  By 1925 Rudy is in Wisconsin and that state did not have a 1925 census.  If we move to 1930, Joseph is established in his business as a machinist, which, according to his obituary he began in 1928, having gotten out of farming that year.  Joseph's oldest son, Maurice, would take over the farm, but it remained owned by Joseph and his wife until sometime after Joseph died in 1953.  Showing the changing times and advancement of technology, the 1930 census asks a question if the household owns a radio; only Edward would report owning that device.  Edward and Rudy both report owning their farms free of debt.  In 1940 we get an idea of the work effort expended as the census in that year asks for information on hours worked in the week prior to the census.  Rudy reported working 80 hours that week, Ed, was slightly less at 72.  Joseph, in his machine and implement business reported working 60 hours.  Rudy and Ed said they had income from a source other than the farm.  All three said they worked in every of the 52 weeks in 1939.  So much for a vacation.

Hovel farmstead

The spring would see cultivation of the fields, perhaps some new born animals.  Cropped fields and the chores of summer would give way to harvest and slaughter as the daylight hours began its slow and gradual decline.  The Hovel boys would hope to have a sufficient harvest, which likely would not offset their labor, but bring a extra cash for their family.  After harvest, the work did not end.  Buildings and fences would require repair, wood cut for heat and cooking, and the shorter and cooler weather probably added difficulty to daily chores.  As the winter came to an end on the Iowa prairie, the greening of the pasture and grass would be a reminder not only of the coming spring, but of why they farmed.  For as Stadtfield also said, there was always hope, "a genuine belief that things would be better."

Part of Hovel Farmstead as it appears today

 Farming is what they knew.  There was a marked change from the way their father had farmed in the old country, and it would change again.  The Hovel boys were seeing a marked transition in the ways of the world.  If the Civil War brought about one agricultural revolution in the nation, so too would war against the Axis powers.  This war, which would be fought in both the west and east hemispheres, would change the Geo-political map of the world,   It would change how the United States was viewed on the world stage. The country from which their father emigrated would be under the iron curtain.  The changes they saw were both dramatic and subtle. The three men would continue to farm, bucking the rural to urban national trend.  During the early part of the last century, the Hovel boys would reap the benefits of an improved commodity market due to the Great War, but see the agricultural depression, and if that was not enough, the Great Depression. Living through this turbulence would indicate some level of satisfaction and success.  Joseph's move off the farm was more likely one of succession, as his son Maurice would take on the farm tasks.  One hundred years ago, the three Hovel boys were in the midst of an industrializing nation, and were at the forefront of a second agricultural revolution..  It was a time of long hours, but is today looked upon with some fondness.  It is a paradox, but really a lesson, of life that what is most difficult to undertake or achieve is looked upon with the highest satisfaction.  And, as well it should.   It was a cycle perhaps never anticipated by their grandfather Josef, or their father when they decided to leave for land and opportunity. The three sons of Martin and Amelia would find the land to their liking.

JJ Hovel Faram Animals, 1915 Iowa Census

Note:  Joseph Hovell's wife asked, and had the extra "L" added to their last name.

Author Transcription of certain items within 1910 and 1915 Census