Jake Archives - Life in Fountain Prairie

Hard Work and Helping Neighbors

Lazy or not, my teenage work days were fourteen hours a day on a tractor, plowing or cultivating. As if that were not enough, Pa sent me to plow for the neighbors, such the Hoeks or De Boers when they had family tragedies. During harvest time, I had a team and a hay wagon and…

Jake was Henry (Pa) and Katie’s fourth child. Brother Jake was sent to Hull, Iowa Christian Academy for fifth grade when he was age fourteen. He worked on Piet Van Driel’s farm for his room and board. He did satisfactory work at the school but he did not want to go away from home again the…