The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-01-01
"A successful Woman Farmer,

bliss LlBBIE SCHooNMAKER, whose carcc
rs farmer, s:ock-raiser and school teache
has made her notorious In New York State
ls woman about thirty. eight years of age
and affords striking example of what ,
woman with a will of her own can do to
ward getting along in the world. Four
teen years ago, at tho death Of her father
Johannes Schoonmakcr, she inherited ,
large estate, consisting principally O
farming property, heavily cncumherct
with debt. 1t was the old homestead. ant
Miss Schoonmakcr could not bear the idc,
OF seeing 1t pass into the hands of strang
ers, ar determined that it should not
Althot only twenty years old
ana WI q practical knowledge o
lie IMAM mary country lass, she as
sumcd sole charge of the estate, determined
to clear it of debt. Having all old mother
siXty-two years of age, half sister, also
helpless from old age, the two orphan
children of deceased brother, and 9
brother IN the last stages of consumption tc
provide for, this made her task doubly hard.
A little experience taught Miss Schoon-
maker that IL was impossible to support hcI
large family and keep up the interest aris
Ing from the heavy Indebtedness of the es.
tate from the resources of the farm. She
accordinginly began to devise some method
or increasing her income, and decided upon
school teaching. She was engaged to teach
IN her own ncighborhood at the modest
sum OF eight dollars per month. In this.
US Ill everything else, she showed rcma1 ks-
bio tact, and her salary in a short time was
raised TO forty dollars per month. She
has continued teaching ever since, over
seeing and directing the work of her farm,
night and morning, and during the sum
mer vacations going into the harvest field
with the farm hands to pitch Oh hay, rake,
bind, etc. She has earned from teaching
school over SO, 600, paid of the debt of the
Oh homestead, and besides greatly inl-
proved the property. Besides teaching
ana raising corn and grain, she has been
an extensive stock raiser. AS farmer
She has no superior in this section. Her
wheat crop averaged this year forty two
bushel to the acre, the largest yield in the
county.
In personal appearance Miss Schoonmak-
er Is TALL with a robust but comely form
and pleasing, intelligent. countenancc.
She is exceedingly kind-hcartcd and gen
erous, and will spend her lust cent for the
benefit of d needy friend or acquaintance.
a short time ago she learned that a bro, her
in-law living in Pcnnsy lvanla was in des-
tltule circumstances. She went 10 him
and fould him helpless from all incura3le
disease, with family depending upon
hlm. ''Bcn," she said, "what can / do
for youY' "Nolhing, Libbie," was the
reply. You have your hands full already.
We will have TO 80 to the County house,
suppose" "Never, Ben, as long as | live.
Come and enjoy the comforts Of the old
homestead with Inc. l will keep you and
your family as long as you Nve.' NJ iss
ochoonmaker has lad many sullors for her
hand, but, although naturally inclined to
--'-i .r.rnU el,n otu,.l;,. nnf,,"m- .. .-..
on the ground that her husband might in
time object to being burdened with the
: upport OF the old people aud her helpless
brothcr-ili-aw and his family, which might
cause domestic troubles. Besides she says
she has enough to do now without having
to support husband, too, which she might
have to do if she were to marry.