Recent research at the Sherburne History Center
disclosed a copy of memoirs, describing the work of early settlement on farmland
in the county. Written by Vernon Bailey, it provides interesting insight in the
multitude of tasks needed to ready a farmstead for occupation.
Between other work during
the winter, Father and Charles cut and hewed the logs and timber for the new
house, hauled them together in the snow.
When spring came, the foundations of the house were laid, the walls were
rapidly built up of great logs, fitted tight together and hewed smooth on the
inner surface. The roof was framed of
dry tamarack rafters, wide roof boards, and good pine shingles. A cellar for vegetables was dug under the
house after the roof was on but later an outside bank cellar was constructed in
the side hill at one corner of the house where milk and meat and vegetables and
fruit could be kept cool in the summer and from freezing in winter.
When the house neared completion,
a clearing was made on
the warm slope nearby and garden vegetables, potatoes, turnips, corn, peas, and
beans were planted in the rich mellow wood soil and before summer was over an abundant
supply of fresh vegetables yielded luxurious fare for the rest of the season
and a substantial store to carry the family through the winter. Our two cows supplied milk and butter and a small
flock of hens not only supplied our eggs but increased so that henceforth we
had eggs to use and some to sell.
In all likelihood, the memories of Vernon Bailey described
the typical task of settlement in Sherburne County. The process of building the cabin, building
the barn, and establishing a vegetable garden remained the priorities for most
settlement farmers. Only after ensuring
the survival of the family, the cash crops and building of the successful farmstead
became a major concern.
 |
Vernon Bailey in his early years of
his career as a naturalist for the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. |
The construction skills of Hiram Bailey, Vernon’s
Father, appeared as a unique feature of the Bailey settlement memoir. In his youth Hiram Bailey developed master
skills as a bricklayer, stonemason, and carpenter. These skills allowed him to command triple
wages for construction work around Sherburne County. Hiram Bailey’s skills
allowed him to earn cash money, a guarantee the family never lacked for
necessities.
Although there remained unique features to the Bailey
family settlement in Sherburne County, the actual construction of the farmstead
illustrates typical behavior of early settlers of the county.
