A recent post from A Hundred Years Ago featured harvesting potatoes as the subject in her Grandmother’s one hundred year old diary entry. This brought to mind an old photograph of a similar theme that was sent to me by a relative.
Kit Graber on a Dray Wagon filled with Potatoes
The photo features my step-great grandfather’s father standing upon a dray wagon that had just been loaded with potatoes. My step-great grandfather, Willard Pershing Graber (1918-1988), the second husband of my paternal great grandmother, Alice Lucretia Wellin (1916-1985), was the son of Kit Carson Graber (1875-1962) and Iva Mae McKeehan (1879-1950). Much of Kit’s working life before 1936 was spent as a sharecropper in Iowa and North Dakota.
It is not entirely clear when and where the photo was taken, as there is no indication on the photo itself. Although I am uncertain if Kit grew potatoes (in addition grains) in Iowa, I do know (from later records) that he did in North Dakota. Additionally, from the look of Kit and the children in the photo it was probably sometime between 1910 and 1920, and thus in North Dakota, which is where the family was living during this time period.
Thanks William, for including this photo of KC Graber on your site! I have added it to my Graber notebook.
You’re welcome.