Farming in Madison County Before 1900: Introduction

A Mississippian Hoe

A new civilization took root in the Mississippi River Valley in approximately 1050 A.D. This Mississippian culture eventually spread north, south, and east. It lasted until approximately 1600 A.D. The remains of an ancient city endure at the 2,200-acre Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.

The mound city in Cahokia centers on a large pyramidal earthen structure with four terraces, called Monks Mound, and an adjacent 46-acre Grand Plaza. The remains of about 120 smaller pyramids form a city grid surrounding Monks Mound. Each pyramid had its own adjacent plaza and satellite of neighborhoods. The cluster of houses in a neighborhood shared a small plaza and granary. At its peak, the city population reached approximately 15,000.

Indian artifact collector John Sutter purchased this chipped lithic hoe blade from the Ramey family. The family lived on a farm on top of Monks Mound until 1925, when the state of Illinois acquired 144 acres of the Cahokia mound city in order to preserve it as a state park.

A skilled knapper made this biface hoe. Knapping involved chipping flakes from a piece of chert with stone hammers and tools made of wood or antlers to achieve the desired tool shape. This example is a flared-bit hoe; lithic hoes can also be ovoid or notched. Heat treatment of the Burlington chert created its pink color.

Pre-Columbian people centralized production of these hoes near Burlington quarries in the Ozarks. They exported them via canoe to Mississippian communities like Cahokia. The purchaser would have attached this hoe blade to a short wooden handle, pretty much like a modern hoe.

Sources

• Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Accessed August 22, 2018. cahokiamounds.org
• Iseminger, William R. Identifying and Understanding Artifacts of Illinois and Neighboring States. Journal of the Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology 6 (2014). Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• "Kahokia Mound in Good State of Preservation." Chicago Daily Tribune, October 16, 1925.
• Pauketat, Timothy R. Ancient Cahokia and the Mississippians. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Titterington, P.F. The Cahokia Mound Group and Its Village Site Materials. 1938. Reprint, East St. Louis: Cahokia Mounds Museum Society, 1977. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.

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A Corn Jabber

Early American settlers learned to plant corn in checkrows from indigenous peoples. The process began by breaking up the soil with a hoe. Then a pair of farmers would commence with the planting. The first dug a hole with a dibble. The second dropped four seeds into the hole and then covered them with a little hill of soil. The team spaced the little hills about a yard apart in two perpendicular directions. This created a checkerboard pattern called a checkrow.

It took about a day to plant an acre of corn with the original method. A tool like the one shown above — known as a bill pick or corn jabber — could cut the time in half. A tube connects the seed can to the pointed end. To plant your corn, you first jab the point into the soil. Then you push forward, using the wooden handle at the top. The brace in the front hits the ground surface and the spring opens the birdlike "bill" at the point, releasing the seed.

Sources

• Butterworth, Benjamin, arr. The Growth of Industrial Art. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1892. Accessed July 26, 2018. archive.org
• Moore, Sam. "A History of Corn: Hand-held Corn Planters and Checkrows." Farm Collector, December 2003. Accessed August 22, 2018. farmcollector.com

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A Seed Fiddle

The hand-operated broadcast seeder shown above also went by the names "fiddle bow seed sower" or "seed fiddle." It gets these nicknames because operating it is like playing a fiddle. A catalog from 1891 describes it like this:

"This is a very light machine, weighing but three pounds, is carried over the shoulder by a strap; the sack will hold a half-bushel; there is a slide that works over an opening in the bottom of [the] hopper, which is continually aggitated [sic] by the destributor [sic]. … [T]he destributor is operated by a bow, one full stroke at every step; it is a regular motion and comes perfectly natural with the easy swing of the arm."
(1891 Annual Catalogue of Reliable Seeds, page 53)

The sower could adjust the rate of seed flow onto the distributor to match the length of his stride. A person could sow two acres an hour using a seed fiddle.

The markings on the seeder pictured above identify it as made by S.B. Rittenhouse in Indiana. Silas Rittenhouse patented his hand seeder in 1888. The Madison County Historical Society received this example from Ida Krauskopf (née Noonan) and her daughter Dorothy (Krauskopf) LeVora. Ida and her husband Henry had a farm in Nameoki. Her father and father-in-law were both farmers in Chouteau.

Sources

• Dorrington, P.C. "Broadcast Seed Fiddles." Antique Farm Tools. 1998. Accessed July 12, 2018. antiquefarmtools.info
• Find A Grave. Accessed August 1, 2018. findagrave.com
• Jos. F. Dickmann. Annual Catalogue of Reliable Seeds. St. Louis: Jos. F. Dickmann, 1891. Accessed August 17, 2018. archive.org
• Rittenhouse, S.B. Hand Seeder. US Patent 386,497, filed March 29, 1888, and issued July 24, 1888. Accessed August 1, 2018. patft.uspto.gov
• United States census records.

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The Cradle Scythe or Grain Cradle

Before the invention of the cradle scythe, or grain cradle, people harvested grain with a sickle or a scythe. Using a sickle, the reaper would grasp the stalks with one hand, cut them with the sickle in his other hand, and place the cut stalks into a windrow. If he used a scythe instead, he didn't have to stoop over to mow the grain. But then the cut stalks fell to the ground every which way and he had to go back and gather them into an orderly windrow later.

First patented in 1823, the grain cradle is a scythe with a claw-like cradle attached. The three to six iron fingers of the cradle parallel the length and curve of the scythe blade. A snead attaches the cradle fingers to the blade end of the scythe handle. The cradle catches the grain each time the mower swings the scythe. The mower then tilts the cradle and drops the cut stalks, already oriented in the same direction, into the windrow. An experienced cradler could harvest two acres of wheat per day.

The owner of the grain cradle shown above, John G. Kluge, was born in Germany in 1836. He and his parents immigrated to the United States around 1850 and came to Collinsville in 1852. John was a jack of all trades: miner, farmhand, blacksmith, carpenter. He and his wife Maria (née Kuhlenbeck) raised three sons in Collinsville. Two of his sons opened the Kluge Brothers hardware store in Collinsville in 1893. The grain cradle was donated by grandson Harry A. Kluge, a civil engineer and vice-president at the First National Bank of Collinsville.

Sources

• Butterworth, Benjamin, arr. The Growth of Industrial Art. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1892. Accessed July 26, 2018. archive.org
• Collinsville city directories. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Edwardsville Intelligencer. Madison County centennial edition. 1912. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Find A Grave. Accessed August 1, 2018. findagrave.com
• Israel, Fred L., ed. 1897 Sears Roebuck Catalogue. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1968. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Scythe Supply. "Grain Cradle: History, Use, and How to Make One." The ScytheSupply Blog. Accessed August 2, 2018. scythesupply.com
• Sloane, Eric. A Museum of Early American Tools. New York: Ballatine Books, 1964. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• United States census records.
• Van Vleck, Richard. "American Grain Cradles." American Artifacts. Accessed August 2, 2018. americanartifacts.com

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Ox Yokes

Nineteenth century farmers used pairs of oxen to pull heavy loads. The neck yoke style rests on top of the animals' necks, secured with bent wooden oxbows.

The typical Illinois farmer made his own ox yoke from a large beam of wood. He carved two curved neck seats into the beam. The hickory bows threaded through the yoke. A blacksmith made the hitching assembly, a staple and yoke ring, attached to the bottom of the yoke. This placement causes the yoke to rotate during hauling, distributing the load in part to the bows that press against the animals' shoulders.

Although they are the same basic shape, the two neck yokes shown below differ significantly in size and proportions. A yoke specifically fitted for the oxen using it ensures it will work properly without incurring injury to the animals. The space between the oxen depends on the type of work. Putting the animals close together helps them work as a unit for heavy work like plowing.

Adolphus "Dolf" Phillip Wolf used the larger ox yoke shown above on his father's farm in Edwardsville for about a year in 1861-1862. He was 20 years old and back home after serving a short term of infantry service at the beginning of the Civil War. When it became evident that the war would continue, Dolf helped form Company F of the 117th Illinois Infantry and left the farm to fight again.

Samuel P. Gillham made the iron staple and hitch for the smaller ox yoke in the photograph above (note that the yoke is oriented upside-down in the photograph). Samuel grew up on his grandfather's farm south of Wanda. He purchased his own farm less than a mile away in 1834. Two years later his half-brother Ryderus Clark Gillham was born. Ryderus expanded the family homestead to 600 acres. He made the wooden parts of this ox yoke.

Sources

• Conroy, Drew. "Ox Yokes: Culture, Comfort and Animal Welfare." Workshop, Common Ground: Moving Forward with Animals, World Association for Transport Animal Welfare and Studies, Silsoe Research Institute, April 15, 2004. Accessed August 17, 2018. taws.org
• Edwardsville Intelligencer, March 24, 1910.
• Edwardsville Intelligencer, December 30, 1908.

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A Sesquicentennial Farm

As of February 2015, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has certified seven sesquicentennial farms in Madison County. In order to qualify, a farm must remain in the ownership of the same family for 150 years. James Henry Johnson established one of these farms in Foster Township, northeast of Alton, in 1850.

James Henry Johnson was born in 1810 in Virginia to an enslaved woman and spent his early childhood in slavery. According to family lore, Johnson became a harness maker in Kentucky. He also worked in the lead mines of Missouri. He and his wife Eleanor (née Madden) started Oak Leaf Farm with an initial purchase of eighty acres. By the time of his death in 1863, Johnson had accumulated 200 acres of contiguous land worth $2,500. He had $1,218.20 in personal property, including $354 in livestock, a $2 grindstone, and a table and library valued at $8.

In addition to farming, James founded and pastored Baptist churches in the Alton area. He served as a delegate representing Madison County at the 1856 Illinois State Convention of Colored Citizens. He worked for the State Repeal Association, which sought the repeal of the Illinois Black Laws restricting the rights of African Americans in the state.

Oak Leaf Farm grew and shrank over the years. Four generations of Johnsons grew corn, soybeans, wheat, milo, alfalfa, raspberries, and sugarcane for making molasses. They raised cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks. The current owner, 79-year-old Lloyd E. Johnson, sold most of his farm equipment in 2006. There are no farmers among the next generation of Johnsons.

Sources

• Bassett, Kathie. "Heartland Heritage: Johnson Family's Farm is History in Making." Home Style Magazine, 4, no. 2 (Fall 2010).
• Illinois Historic Farms: Honoring Our Enduring Heritage. Morley: Acclaim Press, 2015. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• James H. Johnson probate documents. Accessed September 5, 2018. ancestry.com (subscription required).
• Johnson, Lloyd. "Lloyd Johnson." Interview by Michael Maniscalco. Audio-Video Barn, Illinois State Museum, April 10, 2008. Accessed August 24, 2018. avbarn.museum.state.il.us
• Parish, Norm. "A Legacy on the Land." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 29, 2003.
• Proceedings of the State Convention of Colored Citizens of the State of Illinois, Held in the City of Alton, Nov. 13th, 14th and 15th, 1856. Chicago: Hays & Thompson, printers, 1856. Accessed September 6, 2018. play.google.com

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The Cattle Business in the 19th Century

William Love was born in 1839 to Irish immigrants. His father, John, died five years later. By that time, John Love had established a 280-acre farm in Hamel Township, with horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs. When William Love grew up, he became a cattle and hog farmer. He was also a stallion keeper.

An archive of receipts shows William Love's cattle purchases and sales through various agencies operating on commission out of the National Stockyards. Located outside East St. Louis, the stockyards opened in 1873. The area became a central hub for cattle raised in the West. Prior to the advent of refrigeration, the animals were either sold to local packinghouses or shipped live via railroad to processing facilities throughout the eastern United States.

The receipt below, dated 1877, shows William's purchase of two sets of eight mature cattle at two different prices. The agency brokered the best price possible for each seller. Each line includes the aggregate weight for each set and the price per hundredweight.

A receipt from 1880 records William selling a total of 24 mature head of cattle. Hull, Steele, & Walker, the brokering agents, deducted their commission and costs for housing and feeding his animals from William's proceeds.

In 1890, William sold five very small calves for a whopping $6 per hundredweight. A year later, he purchased 35 head of young cattle at $2.10 per hundredweight.

The receipt shown below documents William's purchase of a white Shorthorn bull "guaranteed to breed while in his hands" for $60.

Sources

• Cousins, Scott. "Stockyards: Ripe for Redevelopment?" Edwardsville Journal, October 8, 1997.
• Find A Grave. Accessed August 1, 2018. findagrave.com
• Motchan, Roxanna. "110th anniversary for East Side stockyards." St. Louis Globe-Democrat, November 26-27, 1983.
• Naffziger, Chris. "Ghosts of the Stockyards: The Last Traces of National City." St. Louis [magazine], September 24, 2014. Accessed August 1, 2018. stlmag.com
• Petraitis, Thomas. "East St. Louis, Illinois: 'Hog Capital of the Nation.'" Preservation Research Office. May 9, 2005. Accessed August 1, 2018. preservationresearch.com
• Portrait and Biographical Record of Madison County, Illinois. Chicago: Biographical Publishing Company, 1894. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Schumacher, Dave. "National Stockyards Thanks for Memories." Edwardsville Journal, October 8, 1997.
• William Love Papers. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• William Love probate documents. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.

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A Feed Chopper

A feed chopper cuts straw, hay, or oats into small pieces for mixing with other forage to feed horses and cattle. This helps the animals digest their food. An experienced operator on the original treadle version of this machine produced forty bushels of chaff per day. But the invention of the hand-crank feed cutter in the 1840s made the task easier. The crank turned two rollers. The soft metal upper roller provided a cutting surface for the straight, evenly spaced blades attached to the lower roller. The operator fed the fodder between the rollers. A heavy flywheel enhanced the crank action. Operators still had to feed the first rotary cutters manually, but improved versions came equipped with automated feed systems. Heavy-duty cutters powered by horses or steam engines had a capacity of 500 bushels per hour.

Markings on the hand-crank feed chopper shown above indicate that the St. Louis manufacturer Whitman Agricultural Company patented the design in 1868. The Zajicek family used this cutter on their farm in Collinsville Township. Joseph and his seven siblings helped their father, a Bohemian immigrant, raise hogs and run a sawmill business. The chopper cut oat stalks to feed to horses and mules. Anderson Hospital now stands on a portion of the former Zajicek farm.

Sources

• Butterworth, Benjamin, arr. The Growth of Industrial Art. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1892. Accessed July 26, 2018. archive.org
• Dickman, Frances. "The Joseph Zajicek Farm: Site of Oliver C. Anderson Hospital." Manuscript, September 10, 1972. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Dorrington, P.C. "The 'Chaff Box' or 'Chaff Cutter.'" Antique Farm Tools. 2004. Accessed July 12, 2018. antiquefarmtools.info
• Israel, Fred L., ed. 1897 Sears Roebuck Catalogue. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1968. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Killinger, Gib. "Area Hospital Site Abounds in Historical Adventures." Collinsville Herald, January 27, 1982.
• Moore, Sam. "Origins of the Feed Cutter: Inventors on Both Sides of the Atlantic Develop Devices." Farm Collector, March 2010. Accessed July 12, 2018. farmcollector.com
• United States. Census Office. Report on the Productions of Agriculture as returned at the Tenth Census (June 1, 1880), embracing General Statistics and Monographs. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1883. Accessed July 26, 2018. census.gov
• United States census records.

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Cooper's Tools

A shaving horse served as a combination workbench and pedal-operated vise for woodworking. The foot lever moves the clamp block to secure a pieces of wood for shaping with a drawknife. The owner of this bench, Clemens DeTalleur, probably used it to make shingles for outbuildings on his farm in Marine. Coopers also used shaving benches to shape the staves for a barrel. After riving the staves from a plank with a froe, the cooper sat at the shaving horse and used his drawknife to shape the staves.

Next he jointed the staves on a cooper's jointer, a long wooden plane set on legs, to ensure a tight fit along the edges. The shaped staves were set on end in an adjustable truss hoop. The cooper bent the free ends of the staves together using a windlass. After achieving the barrel shape, he secured the staves by placing hoops over the top and hammering them into place with a mallet.

The cooper trimmed the free ends of the staves with a hand adz and then smoothed and beveled them using his sun plane and howel.

Next the cooper cut grooves for receiving the barrel heads were cut with a kerfing saw and croze. He cut and fit the barrel heads. Finally, he drilled and reamed a bunghole in the top and a spyhole in the side with a T-handle auger and made tapered plugs for the holes.

People used barrels to store flour, corn meal, molasses, cider, and beer. Coopers also made buckets, washtubs, pails, churns, and gunpowder kegs. The tools featured above belonged to William Sido. He learned the cooper trade from his father, Franz.

Franz Sido immigrated to the United States in 1825 and settled in Belleville. He moved his family to Edwardsville in 1853. There Franz worked at the newly established Ritter Distillery on Cahokia Creek. William Sido and his brother Frederick both became coopers like their father. William and his wife Margaretha (née Holdenritter) raised ten children in Edwardsville.

Sources

• Butterworth, Benjamin, arr. The Growth of Industrial Art. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1892. Accessed July 26, 2018. archive.org
• Edwardsville Intelligencer. Madison County centennial edition. 1912. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Find A Grave. Accessed August 1, 2018. findagrave.com
• Kalman, Bobbie. Colonial Crafts. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1992. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Madden, Betty I. Art, Crafts, and Architecture in Early Illinois. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1974. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Sloane, Eric. A Museum of Early American Tools. New York: Ballatine Books, 1964. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• Tunis, Edwin. Colonial Craftsmen and the Beginnings of American Industry. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1965. Available at the Madison County Archival Library.
• United States census records.
• Weber, Austin. "Roll Out the Barrels." Assembly, May 1, 2004. Accessed August 1, 2018. assemblymag.com

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