The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-11-09
ON one FARM 65 YEAR
Public Sale Recalls Important Dates
to ]. q. Without.

]. H. without and son Harley who
have been in partnership on the old
farm in Adams township nine miles
from Oskaloosa had public sale on
/ Tuesday, October "a, a dissolution.
sale. The old gentleman has been in
business upon this farm for sixty-five
years, straight, without a break. He is
seventy-two years of age and feels
that he has earned recompense in re.
tirement from further interest or re.
sponsibility on the place. Tuesday was
a bad day, rainy, cold, and bad gener-
ally, but goOdly crowd of people at
tended the clearance sale for they
wanted what the Willhoits had to Of
fer At the opening of the sale occur
red something out of the ordinary.
Mr. Without made a talk. Not that
the old pioneer is not able to talk
when he sees fit, but what he said
held the crowd standing in the down
ipour OF rain, listening to every word,
for what he said was worth hearing.
"Sixty-fve years ago this day and
INIIS, luCSudyJ OGIODGI 81, 1901, /
came to this farm with my father,
and | have lived and labored here
continuously since that time" In
making the date for his sale, Mr.,
Without and son consulted only their
convenience Something familiar about
the ring of day and date struck Mr..
Willhoit Sr., and he then recollected
hot Jot1 - III
the place almost threefourths of a
century before. Timing his departure
from the old farm upon coincident
week day, and month date, with his
arrival moved Mr. Willhoit to address
old time nighbors and friends together
with those gathered for the sale.
J. Fl. was lad of seven years when
with his father and mother, James NJ.
and Harriet Without, and his three
brothers he landed at the place. The
father purchased forty acres known
as the old Ben Ruby farm and entered
and claimed an adjoining forty acres
of original government land. At this
time there was not another house be-
tween the Without home and the
South Skunk river. The without fam
lily had migrated from Kentucky, max
ing the trip in prairie schooner"
They started on the journey in the
early spring, spent the summer near
Bloomington, Illinois, and came on to
Iowa in the fall. The grandfather,
Henry without had come on before,
and secured place near old Mauch
Chunk known as the Holloway farm,
six miles north of Rose Hill This
place is now the property of T. w.
Denney. Here the schooner stopper
for a time bemore coming on to the
place selected by J. H. These were
no easy days for the family and things
did not look the brightest The whole
family was i'll for I'VE weeks with ma
laria or ague, and J. H., eldest of the
children had to jump out and work
like a man. six of us arrived in that
schooner and there are six of US here
today at this sale, myself and wife,
and our four sons"
After the old folks had lived on the
farm awhile, little sister arrived,
now Mrs. Byron Parr of Monroe town
shin. OF the six sons who came to this
place only two are living, J. H. and
w. ]. without. Three generations of
the family were represented at the
sale
Four years after coming to the new
home the father passed to the great
beyond and j. H., then eleven years
old. stood at the head of affairs and
the old farm has been under his per-
sonal management and direction ever
since.
1t was December IL 1871 when
Mr.. Without took upon himself wife
Cynthia A. Green, daughter of Will
liam and Esther Ann Green. They
were married in Oskaloosa in the Of
flee of old Squire Cunningham who
was located on the second floor in the
building where now stands the Oska-
loosa National bank This was forty
five years ago and the Willhoits will
soon be celebrating their golden we'd
ding anniversary. Six children have
blessed this union. Harley; ]. M; Wal
ter and Fred; two children dying
some years ago.
Few, very few, are in Mahaska
County today who were with Mr.. Will
holt as boys and girls. Here upon
this old home place I became man
and twice a boy" said the old pioneer,
with considerable feeling and not one
who heard his talk who was not touch
ed by the relation of the history Of
events.
Mr.. Willhoit possibly enjoys a dis
tinction that can be boosted by no
other family in the county, sixty-five
years on the old home place. If there
are others we would like to hear from
them.
Corn Stored 20 Years.