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THE WINTER OF A HILL FARM by Barbara Thomson
A small house and barn are tucked away in the wooded hills on a crook in the old road and it makes one wonder what kind of farming coud have existed in these rocky folds years ago. An 1853 map of Dutchess County does not show the house at the distinctive crook, but it does appear on the 1858 map under the name of Griffen Story. In 1844 Griffen Story bought 2912/ acres from Rowland and Mary Story. In 1862 he sold that lot and two other adjoining parcels, the whole totaling 12712/ acres, to James Henry Siglar, for $3000. The 1865 Federal Census includes agricultural data for individual farms. Here we find the Siglar family, values of land, stock and tools, crops raised and yields. According to the Census, "The harvest of 1864 was seriously affected by drought except potatoes of which there was a full crop. Average of all crops was more than half". Rye and apples yielded 12/ crop, corn 2/3, buckwheat 1/ 3 and flax of which very little was sown was almost an entire failure. James Siglar, his wife Sarah, four young children and Joseph Muneau, age 15, a servant, born in New York County, all lived at the farm. Siglar had 107 improved acres and 20 unimproved at a cash value of $3000. Compare this figure with that for Catherine and Elizabeth Fulton ( George Zitz's farm on Shookville Road). (They had 110 improved acres, 20 unimproved at a cash value of $6500, more than double for the hill farm. Comparison of the 1865 figures for crop production with the figures for yield in this area today retell the story of continuing improvement in agriculture (our "return to the good earth people" take note) . 143
