Esther Frenzel
1983
Farm women have been in the background for many years though they were a vital part of the farm operation. Today more and more of them are being seen and heard as they take their place in community affairs and affairs of the nation.
One women who has contributed to the farm operation, raised a large family and still held her own in the kitchen is Esther Frenzel.
"We came here (from New York Mills in 1940) because land was cheap. We had three children at the time, two boys and one girl who was a month old. My husband, Roy had come up earlier and built a 20x20 house and a barn, as there were no buildings at all on the place, nothing but brush. We bought 80 acres to start with and added until we now have 200 acres."
The Frenzels have lived on the same place for 43 years and have raised 15 children, eight boys and seven girls.
"We started out like Abe Lincoln with the old time loft and the ladder to get up to it," She revealed. "At one time we had wall to wall beds when the family was growing up. The house wasn't too warm to begin with because it wasn't all finished, so we had to fire night and day with both cook stove and heater to keep warm. The wood wasn't very good either."
"When we moved here we brought 10 cows and two horses and some chickens, all moved here by truck," she continued. "It took 15 trips to get everything moved and the roads were terrible. The men had to unload one load at the Corner Store and walk the animals the three miles to the farm. That was the 14th of May. The mosquitoes were so bad, we had to build a smudge in the kitchen stove to get through the night. The next day Felix Jaracz, who was selling Raleigh Products, stopped by to get acquainted and asked if there was anything we needed. He happened to mention mosquito dope. We sure bought that in a hurry!"
"There was no well on the place so they just dug a hole about 15 feet deep and got water," she said. "They just laid boards over it, so the second time I got water there was a mouse in the pail. That was the end of that well. I refused to use it, so they had to dig another one and enclose it. We had to lug water from the creek bottom for the cows."
The main operation on the farm was dairy and, of course, putting up hay. "We had to clear all the land - we sure picked a lot of rocks and all the kids had to help too." Frenzel said. "All 300 acres is now open ground."
In speaking of her job as farm wife, Esther said, "Farm life is a lot of hard work, but it's a good place to raise a family. We always had a big garden and I canned thousands of jars of garden produce as well as lots of jams and jellies. We picked whatever berries were in season. I remember canning 100 quarts of peas one year. It was sure a lot of work, but the kids helped shell them."
"I helped milk 16 cows morning and night by hand until some of the boys got big enough to help. Then later we got a milking machine," she said.
A lot of bread was consumed by a family of 17, so Esther baked all their own bread, pastries, etc - usually about 15 loaves twice a week.
"We washed clothes on the board in the early days then we got a gas powered washing machine," she said. "I've gone through four washing machines and I was the first one in the neighborhood to have a clothes dryer. We washed so often there were clothes drying all over the house and outside too. I guess the dryer was a god send."
"It took a lot of clothes for our family and I sewed everything the kids wore including their overalls," Frenzel announced. "When each of the children was married they received a sewing machine as a wedding present."
"We've had a good life here," Esther said. "We've raised a family of good kids on this land. Nothing really bad has happened to us except one daughter who was killed in a car accident in 1977. She was taken in the prime of her life. She was all set to take a trip to Germany the next day."
Esther pointed with pride to the mother's ring she wears containing 15 stones and also to the picture gallery on their living room wall of 15 good looking kids and 35 grandchildren.
This woman is proud to have raised her family and spent her days as a farm woman.
One women who has contributed to the farm operation, raised a large family and still held her own in the kitchen is Esther Frenzel.
"We came here (from New York Mills in 1940) because land was cheap. We had three children at the time, two boys and one girl who was a month old. My husband, Roy had come up earlier and built a 20x20 house and a barn, as there were no buildings at all on the place, nothing but brush. We bought 80 acres to start with and added until we now have 200 acres."
The Frenzels have lived on the same place for 43 years and have raised 15 children, eight boys and seven girls.
"We started out like Abe Lincoln with the old time loft and the ladder to get up to it," She revealed. "At one time we had wall to wall beds when the family was growing up. The house wasn't too warm to begin with because it wasn't all finished, so we had to fire night and day with both cook stove and heater to keep warm. The wood wasn't very good either."
"When we moved here we brought 10 cows and two horses and some chickens, all moved here by truck," she continued. "It took 15 trips to get everything moved and the roads were terrible. The men had to unload one load at the Corner Store and walk the animals the three miles to the farm. That was the 14th of May. The mosquitoes were so bad, we had to build a smudge in the kitchen stove to get through the night. The next day Felix Jaracz, who was selling Raleigh Products, stopped by to get acquainted and asked if there was anything we needed. He happened to mention mosquito dope. We sure bought that in a hurry!"
"There was no well on the place so they just dug a hole about 15 feet deep and got water," she said. "They just laid boards over it, so the second time I got water there was a mouse in the pail. That was the end of that well. I refused to use it, so they had to dig another one and enclose it. We had to lug water from the creek bottom for the cows."
The main operation on the farm was dairy and, of course, putting up hay. "We had to clear all the land - we sure picked a lot of rocks and all the kids had to help too." Frenzel said. "All 300 acres is now open ground."
In speaking of her job as farm wife, Esther said, "Farm life is a lot of hard work, but it's a good place to raise a family. We always had a big garden and I canned thousands of jars of garden produce as well as lots of jams and jellies. We picked whatever berries were in season. I remember canning 100 quarts of peas one year. It was sure a lot of work, but the kids helped shell them."
"I helped milk 16 cows morning and night by hand until some of the boys got big enough to help. Then later we got a milking machine," she said.
A lot of bread was consumed by a family of 17, so Esther baked all their own bread, pastries, etc - usually about 15 loaves twice a week.
"We washed clothes on the board in the early days then we got a gas powered washing machine," she said. "I've gone through four washing machines and I was the first one in the neighborhood to have a clothes dryer. We washed so often there were clothes drying all over the house and outside too. I guess the dryer was a god send."
"It took a lot of clothes for our family and I sewed everything the kids wore including their overalls," Frenzel announced. "When each of the children was married they received a sewing machine as a wedding present."
"We've had a good life here," Esther said. "We've raised a family of good kids on this land. Nothing really bad has happened to us except one daughter who was killed in a car accident in 1977. She was taken in the prime of her life. She was all set to take a trip to Germany the next day."
Esther pointed with pride to the mother's ring she wears containing 15 stones and also to the picture gallery on their living room wall of 15 good looking kids and 35 grandchildren.
This woman is proud to have raised her family and spent her days as a farm woman.
