Code,518039
Speaker,Ronnie and Willis Meyers
Date,5/4/11
Interviewer,Carolyn Conklin
Abstract,"Willis Meyers' family has farmed in the Cuyahoga Valley since the middle to late nineteenth century. Willis grew up in Northampton, and has many memories of family, farm, and community life, businesses, technology, and transportation from the Great Depression era forward. Ronnie, Willis' son, currently owns the farm on Steels Corners Road, where he has had a successful horse farming business. Willis, 95 years old, has many memories of the history of the valley, and shared detailed stories about what it was like to grow up and raise a family on a farm, manage multiple jobs, and adapt to changes in technology and the community."
Tags,"Cuyahoga Valley, Northampton Township, Great Depression, dairy cattle, meat cattle, Northampton homecoming, Blossom Music Center"
Special Notes,"Willis had some trouble hearing and needed some questions repeated; occassional beeping from the office door opening and closing outside the conference room; Ronnie wanted Willis to tell his story, we might need a second interview with Ronnie to get his stories. The most detailed and interesting of Willis' stories were his memories of the Northampton Township homecoming, working with the milk-hauler, party phone lines, transportation between the valley and Cleveland, and adventures as a boy growing up on a farm."
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0,"introductions, Ronnie is Willis' son, Willis born 1915, Ronnie born 1935"
1,family history coming to the valley; Willis' grandparents purchased land in late 1800s
2,"current property was purchased by Willis in 1942; Willis' father had 126 acres, farmer, slaughterhouse, feed business, cider mill"
3,Willis growing up on a farm
4,"Willis' father's businesses, bought up and doctored livestock from the township"
5,"childhood chores and responsibilities, milking cows before and after school"
6,"driving horses, no tractors"
7,"Willis' father died young, children and mother left to take care of and sell farm; layout of farm"
8,"Willis' schooling, walking to school"
9,one-room school; school teachers rented rooms from farmers
10,"Willis worked as janitor of school; Willis' siblings (one brother, one sister); skating and sledding"
11,
12,"Homecoming celebration, prizes for different games, visiting neighbors with horse and buggy"
13,"pie and cake socials at school, men tried to ""buy"" the teachers"
14,Willis won watermelon eating contest at homecoming; three-legged races
15,mother sold the farm during the Depression around 1942
16,
17,10 acres of farm distributed to Willis and his brother before sold
18,"moving house to current location, skidding structure on rollers"
19,"dairy cows, Ronnie milking and feeding cows"
20,Willis balancing multiple jobs
21,Ronnie driving tractor when young
22,selling milk to Akron
23,milk-hauler carrying the milk
24,transactions with milk hauler
25,
26,number and types of cows on the farm
27,what it takes to have a dairy cow business
28,"challenges, getting water to cows in winter"
29,carrying water to chickens and dogs; only cistern and pond
30,home batteries for electricity; telephone party lines shared with neighbors
31,more details about telephone lines
32,few secrets in community with party line
33,family garden; Willis' father's slaughterhouse
34,freezer room to store meat
35,Willis' brother
36,
37,"dairy cattle until 1952, meat cattle afterwards"
38,sold meat to Cleveland stock yards
39,"selling meat, transportation difficult"
40,
41,"starting the Belgian horse farm, Ronnie's interest in horses, showing horses at fairs"
42,preparations for horse shows
43,"Ronnie used to sell horses, kept the best horses for himself, won a lot of fair competitions, winning horse features"
44,Ronnie still owns some horses
45,Ronnie used to sell some lower quality horses to Amish farmers; Blossom music center
46,"disturbances from Blossom for local residents, dissappointed that Blossom is not used for Cleveland Orchestra"
47,
48,
49,Willis' parents born in Northampton; good life in the valley despite challenges; lunches and visiting with family
50,"education and ability to work from growing up on a farm; Willis' father was ""pillar of community"""
51,changes over time
52,Willis' wife taking care of children
53,little entertainment except dances and card parties
54,
55,Willis' dad called to butcher livestock without pay
56,Willis' father cutting down the Christmas tree
57,Christmas bells on the horse cart
58,candles on the Christmas tree
59,"Ronnie's memory of cutting down Christmas tree, carried on tradition"
60,"Willis' father's cider mill, neighbors brought fruit and vinegar"
61,"transportation, Steels Corners Road paved by WPA workers"
62,
63,challenges with travelling long distances in Model-T Ford
64,"more details about older cars, refilling and draining radiators"
65,
66,story about sledding and neighborhood girl falling
67,Willis getting in trouble for smoking cigar from grocery store
68,
69,Ronnie's mother and other farm wives great cooks
70,Willis' memory of running into a black cow at night
71,"Willis' father almost falling over cliff, stopped by white horses"
72,
73,
74,Northampton starting to develop after World War II
75,"Willis went trapping as a boy, caught a skunk and was sprayed, went to school smelling of skunk"
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78,
79,
80,