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thursday, June 26th, 2014

Century of Farming

Appel farm has been in family for 156 years By Vinde Wells Editor

Love of the land and his family inspired Jason Appel, 29, to research the history of the farm In Mt. Morris Township that his predecessors have owned and lived on for 156 years. “It was a way for me to honor my ancestors,” said Jason, who lives in Bettendorf, Iowa, and works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As a result of his efforts, the property has been designated a Sesquicentennial Farm by the Illinois Department of Agriculture for remaining in the same family for at least 150 years. Jason said he learned a lot about both the 160-acre farm and his ancestors while doing his research.

“To stand where my ancestors stood and see what they saw — it intrigues me,” he said. “I’m very proud of my farm heritage. I wanted to do something to honor my father and the farm.” His father Keith, 66, who still lives on the farm at the corner of Apple and Pear Roads, agreed. “It’s neat to be able to say we’ve had it in the family for 156 years now,” he said. “I’m glad to be able to keep it in the family all this time.” Keith remembered watching his father and grandfather working on the forge, which he still has. His great-grandfather Henry Appel was born in Sellenrod, Germany, in 1831 and emigrated to the United

“To stand where my ancestors stood and see what they saw — it intrigues me. I’m very proud of my farm heritage. I wanted to do something to honor my father and the farm.” — Jason Appel States in 1853. He purchased the first 20 acres of the farm on Jan. 11, 1858 for $15 per acre. Two years later he became a U.S. citizen. Jason’s research turned up his naturalization certificate. Keith chuckled as he related that his greatgrandfather once lived in a corncrib owned by a neighbor Ernest Floto, who also lived there along with another young man. One of Henry’s earliest jobs was helping to build

the Illinois Central Railroad that once ran through nearby Haldane. Keith said that legend has it that a stage coach stop called Mt. Hope was once located on the family farm. Remnants of the stage trail are still visible, he said. Henry raised crops and livestock on the farm, and eventually owned a considerable amount of property around the area. He built a large barn on Keith and Jason Appel hold the sign that designates their family property in Mt. Morris Township as a

Turn to page 3 Sesquicentennial Farm. Photo by Vinde Wells

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Century of Farming

Hay from 1880s still stored in Appels’old barn

From page 2

the property in 1882 and the farmhouse in 1883. Both are still in use. Keith said a stack of loose hay was pitched into the barn before it was completed, and some of it has remained there ever since. “We still have some of that old hay in the barn,” he said. Henry and his wife Mary had eight children, one of whom was Keith’s grandfather George. Henry’s obituary on the front page of the Feb. 4, 1915 Mt. Morris Index calls him “a greatly respected citizen and prosperous farmer.” George, who was born in 1875, took over the farm in 1910. “He lived on the farm all his life,” Keith said. “He lived with us until his death in 1960. I always remember him in bib overalls. I remember him reading me stories.” George continued the farming operation started by his father. “He was a religious man,” Keith said. “He read the Bible every day. You never heard a swear word come out of his mouth.” George’s son Leonard,

Henry Appel

who was Keith’s father, took over the farming operation in 1957. Keith said his father raised and showed registered milking shorthorn cattle. “He showed them extensively, at the fairs in Stephenson, Ogle, and This aerial photo shows Keith Appel’s farm on Aple Road northwest of Mt. Morris Winnebago Counties, and other places. In the 1950s he was on television showing his cattle at an exhibition hall in Chicago. Due to their fine breeding, some of his bulls were purchased by farmers in South America, Keith said. Besides dairy cattle,

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Century of Farming

Appel hopes farm legacy continues for generations From page 3

A corncrib built in 1953 was made from oak trees. Leonard raised chickens, “It’s still standing. It was hogs, and feeder cattle. massively built,” Keith said. “Dad was the ownerThe cribbing boards operator of a sawmill in our alternate oak, walnut, and timber,” Keith said. “This cherry, he said, because those was quite a large sawmill.” trees were plentiful. The timber and fence rows Keith remembered his on the farm supplied oak, father and grandfather hickory, and cherry wood. driving cattle for market on foot down the road to the stockyards at the railroad at Maryland Station, about three miles away. From there, the cattle were taken by train to the Chicago Stockyards for slaughter. After high school, Keith was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam during the war there. When he returned, he farmed with his father and took over the operation when Leonard Appel poses with his 15-30 McCormick Deering Leonard died in 1980. tractor. Note the steel wheels. Keith stopped farming in

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Some of the lumber also came from the surrounding area. Keith recalled that when a severe storm blew down most of the trees in a nearby timber, his father and a neighbor purchased them and hauled them to the sawmill. Wood from the timber was also used for farm buildings.

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Leonard Appel shows off one of his milking shothorn bulls in this 1950s photo.

the 1980s and since then has leased the land. Corn and soybeans are raised there now. After getting out of active farming, Keith did trucking and worked at a farm store, and a machine shop.

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for generations to come. The chances are good, he said with a smile — his daughter Brianne and her husband have a new daughter, Jason and his wife are expecting a baby in the next few months.

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Century of Farming

Above is threshing day at the Appel farm. George Appel stands at right. At right is Leonard Appel with a 1916 Buick Touring Car. Photos supplied

What is a Centennial Farm? The Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Centennial Farms and Sesquicentennial Farms programs honor generations of farmers who have worked to maintain family farms in the state. To qualify for Centennial Farm status, an agricultural property must have been owned by the same family of lineal or collateral descendants for at least 100 years. A lineal descendant is a person in the direct line of descent, such as a child or a grandchild. A collateral descendent is not a direct descendent, but is otherwise closely related, such as a brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece or cousin. Applicants who complete a form and meet all requirements of the Centennial Farms program

receive an official Centennial Farm sign suitable for outdoor display and a certificate bearing signatures of the Governor of Illinois and the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. A $50 application fee is charged to offset the cost of the sign. More than 9,200 Illinois farms have been named Centennial Farms since the program was created in 1972. Every county in the state has at least one Centennial Farm. Ogle County has 150

on its list. The Sesquicentennial Farms Program recognizes farms that have been held by descendants of the same family for 150 years or more. To qualify for Sesquicentennial Farm status, an agricultural property must have been owned by the same family of lineal or collateral descendants for at least 150 years. Applicants who complete a form and meet all requirements of the Sesquicentennial Farms program receive an official Sesquicentennial Farm sign and certificate. A $50 application fee is charged. More than 600 Illinois farms have been named Sesquicentennial Farms since the program was created, and 19 of those are in Ogle County.

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Century of Farming

Large barn led to purchase of farm a century ago By Vinde Wells Editor Agnes Heller is glad she grew up on her family’s farm southwest of Oregon. “It was busy and hard work but I don’t think there’s a better life,� said the 85-yearold Oregon resident. Heller, who is one of eight children, was born on the farm shortly after her parents moved there in 1928. The farm, on Ridge Road in Pine Creek Township, had already been in her family for several years by then. Her grandfather Andrew Schier, born in Germany in 1860, bought the 100-plus acre farm more than a century ago in 1910 from D.R. Price. The deed was recorded in 1911. “Granddad was impressed by the big barn and wanted to buy it,� Heller said. “It was one of the biggest barns in Ogle County at the time.� The large red structure, which is still standing, was built in 1885 and designed with a drive-up ramp at one end for getting hay and grain into the haymow. The mow has grain bins along the side with chutes to the dairy barn and horse stalls below for convenient feeding. “I drove horses on the hay wagon,� Heller remembered.

“Granddad was impressed by the big barn and wanted to buy it. It was one of the biggest barns in Ogle County at the time.� — Agnes Heller Her grandfather raised corn, beans, oats, wheat, and cattle on the farm, and also had horses for field work. After Heller’s grandfather died, her father John Schier purchased the farm. “He did a lot of work to pay it off,� Heller said. Besides farming, he ran a threshing ring, doing custom work for other farmers around the area. He was also known for his skill at the forge and could make and repair iron parts for machinery. Heller remembered the day he father paid off the farm. “He called all us kids together and told us he making the last payment on the farm, but he wouldn’t have any money left,� she said. “It had to have been in July because he said if we had any pennies or change he would buy us some fireworks

Above, the three-story barn on the Schier farm on Ridge Road was built in 1885 by Amish carpenters and measures 100 by 65 feet. At far left, painted on the front of the barn are its list of owners. At left, wooden pegs hold the massive oak beams that support the barn. Photos by Vinde Wells

Turn to page 7

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Century of Farming

Family celebrated paying off farm with fireworks From page 6 to celebrate,” Heller reminisced. “I remember he went down the lane and shot the fireworks off.” Her father raised grain, hogs, sheep, and beef cattle. “And chickens, of course,” Heller said with a grin. After her brother Gene left for the Marines, her father found himself short on help, especially since he had taken over Gene’s custom hay baling business. “He came in one morning and said ‘Aggie, do you think you could plow corn?’” Heller said. “I plowed corn that summer with a Farmall M tractor.” After her father’s death, her brother Gene purchased the farm in 1992 and moved there. His widow Millie still lives there, and the farming operation is overseen by their son Dave Schier. Dave grew up on a farm just down the road where his father had a dairy operation. He went to work for a chemical company and lived in Minnesota and Arkansas before coming back to help his father farm in the 1990s. Currently the land is rented to Dan Head who raises corn and beans. Besides the crops, Dave said the farm offers pastureland with a creek running through it, ideal for the cow-calf herd owned by Head and himself. “We have our own spring so our cattle drink spring water,” Dave said. Obviously proud of the family farm heritage, Dave pointed out the craftsmanship of the old barn. “It was built by an Amish crew,” he said. The huge oak beams are put together with large wooden pegs. Turn to page 9

At left, Aggie Heller stands beside an old wagon in the haymow of the Schier’s barn. Behind her are bins for grain. Above, Dave Schier stands at the forge used by his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Below left is John Schier’s mule team Jack and Bill and the family dog Fanny in front of the Schier home in 1938. Below right, Margaret Lindsey Adams, Rita Weller Blumeyer, and Agnes Schier Heller sit in a threshing machine.

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Century of Farming

Little Farm owned by same family for 177 years By Vinde Wells Editor

Gig Bellows is the fifth generation of her family to own 119-acre farm bought from the U.S. government by her great-great-grandfather. Nestled in Pine Creek Township, approximately seven miles from Oregon on Ridge Road, the farm was purchased in 1837 by Kiles Paul, the first settler to live there. The Illinois Department of Agriculture designated the farm as a Centennial Farm in 1978 and as a Sesquicentennial Farm. Gig, 63, said she places high value on having kept the farm in the family for 177 years and hopes it will stay that way. “It’s very important,” she said. She plans to pass the farm on to her son Tyler.

“It has to stay in the family,” she said. “We hope everyone gets the importance of that.” Gig and her husband Tex live just up the road a couple of miles from the family homestead that she grew up on. Tex farms the property, raising corn and soybeans, and the farmhouse is rented. Tyler and Gig’s father Richard Little help with the fall harvest. Paul and his wife Eunice faced some rigorous times in their new home in the largely unsettled country with its open prairies interspersed with heavy timber. They had eight children. Their daughter Helen married Isaac Fish, who had come to Ogle County at the age of 9 in a covered wagon with his family. He farmed and also worked

“It has to stay in the family. We hope everyone gets the importance of that.” — Gig Bellows as a stone mason. The couple had four children, Kate, George, Rena, and Anice. When Helen died, Isaac married her sister Jeanette and they raised their family on the farm. Isaac served in the Civil War and returned home to resume farming. He lived to be 97 years old. His daughter Kate inherited the farm and raised her family there. Her son Ralph Little bought out the other heirs in 1930 and lived on the farm until his death in 1950. He and his wife Grace had two children, Richard and Martha. For many years, dairying

was the main operation on the farm. Gig inherited the property, now known as the Little Farm, from her father and mother Dee in 2004. Richard had purchased three other farms over the years so that each of their four children, Gig, Dave, Sue, and Andee would have property of their own. The Sesquicentennial Farm sign that graces the front yard of the Little Farm was a family project. Gig said her niece did the art work, she and Tex painted it, her brother-in-law, a blacksmith, did the ironwork, Tex and Gig Bellows live just down the road from the Little and then she, Tex, and Tyler Farm which has been in the family for five generations. Photo by Vinde wells put it all together.

Above, the Sesquicentennial Farm sign in the front yard of the Little Farm was a family project. Below, Gig Bellows’ aunt Martha England and her husband Albert pose with the Centennial Farm sign in 1978. Photos supplied

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Century of Farming

Schier hopes to create displays in old barn From page 7 The barn is used partly for storage of machinery of various eras, all owned by Dave, his father, and grandfather. A forge used by his predecessors still works and remains in a shed built as blacksmithing shop. In fact, last winter free blacksmith classes were held weekly in the shed and more are planned for this coming winter. Dave said local blacksmiths Rick Trahan and Lloyd Bellows taught the classes.

He hopes to share his legacy by turning a portion of barn into an area to display the antique machinery, as well as show off the features of the barn itself. “I’d like to have school children come here to see how things used to be done,� Dave said. A fire pit in the behind the century-old farmhouse offers a view of the Schier property and the rolling hills, fields, and woods beyond. “I like to sit out here in the evening,� Dave said. “I This family photo includes John E. and Carrie (Canode) Schier and their children. Pictured left to right in the front wouldn’t trade this for the row are: John, Agnes Heller, and Carrie. Back row: Anna May Fisher, Marian Barry, Francis, Gene (Dave’s father), world.� Lillian Guernsey, and Vera Milliman.

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Century of Farming

Threshing Day

George Appel stands with his hands on his hips as the threshing machine and crew work to separate the oats from the straw at his farm.

Above, John Schier stands on a threshing machine to better view the operation. Below, the threshing crew at Schiers lines up for a photo in the 1930s.

Century of Farming

Above, four generations of Schiers pose beside a Farmall M. Left to right are: Gene Schier, his grandson John D. Schier, his son John Schier, and his father John E. Schier. At left, Dave Schier pumps water from a hand pump still in Angus cows and their calves are raised on the Schier farm on Ridge Road. The farm operation just outside the has ample pastureland with a spring-fed creek for the cattle. The farm was purchased by the Schier family more than 100 years ago. Photo by Vinde Wells back door of the house.

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