Yolo County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter XII. 1904 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Peggy Perazzo pbperazzo@comcast.net January 4, 2006, 2:52 pm Book Title: Recollections Of A Busy Life Freman and Family Arrive. Yes, I know those horses as far as I can see them - Doll and Selim - and here comes the whole family. They have been to Paw Paw to visit Aravesta’s folks and are on their way home and will stop with us to-night. They have two little ones and we but one. But each was made to stand or sit as if on exhibition. And you ought to have heard the comments of those mothers as they would turn them over and around. But here is some red hair, don’t you see? No, no, that isn’t red, that is only auburn. But with a good sleep and a good bye, away they go to the farm and mill. A few weeks before Willie Lincoln was born we bought at Dowagiac a large clock, which is still our family clock. Decatur was going to be a large place and having much of the trade clear to Lake Michigan. Long strings of teams were passing our house every day, and speculators were buying up lots fast, and some of my friends said, “Why don’t you sell your farm and invest in Decatur and make a living easier?” That sounded well and tickled my pride, and most Ruggles have plenty of that, so we talked that idea at home and soon had a buyer. We received the forty-five acres in Hamilton, since known as the Almond A. Olds farm, and two thousand dollars. We bought eight lots in Decatur just east and north of the Union School-house on the corner; rented a house, cleared the lots of brush, logs and oak grubs, built a square house, moved in and here Myrtie was born. Went into the woods three miles north, cut and drew logs to a mill there, got lumber home, began building another house on the corner. Lewis wanted the forty-five acres to put a hop garden on, for fortunes were being made in hops. His brothers-in-law were getting rich at it. It was contracted to him and I helped financially to build the hop house, etc. The hops matured as nice a crop as one could possible expect to see. The crop was gathered and beginning to dry, when the price began to lower, then worth 45 cents per pound. Our anticipations were high. Lewis could pay for the farm that year and money left in bank. I could go ahead and build more houses. Next day price of hops lower, and so on day after day, lower, lower, lower, lower. So Lewis held the crop till afraid it might mold sold the crop at 7 cents per pound. Lewis lost all he had and I lost what I invested. The large house on the corner in Decatur was then mostly inclosed. We had joined the Methodist Episcopal Church when we first moved into Decatur, and it was not long before I was chorister, then later superintendent of the Sunday School. I was superintendent for nine years of the fourteen that I lived there. The Sunday School grew from eighty or ninety members to one hundred and eighty or one hundred and ninety. At that time of building the large house and at the time of the hop failure, Viola was taken very sick with typhoid fever. I did not leave the house, but stopped the carpenters working. My dish was getting wrong side up fast - yes, very fast. The carpenters demanded their pay, and I said just as soon as I can leave the sick I will get it for you. They knew of the hop failure, and next morning a constable came and levied on all lumber to be seen. Soon as I could leave the house I paid the carpenters. I did not know that my head was being so terribly wracked till in combing my hair or run fingers through it, comb or fingers were covered with loose hair. J. W. Young came to me to trade a mortgage he had on a saw and grist mill on White River for the forty-five acres. I went and saw the mills and the man that owned them. He wanted then to let me have four span of horses, wagons and harness, all complete, and offered them at a very reasonable price. Said that he had lumber on the way to market to pay the mortgage. So I exchanged with Young. Then there was a farm for sale across the swamp. There was then a mortgage on the farm. I could get possession by paying or trading in this mortgage on White River. If land goes up, then I can sell and make. If it goes down, I lose. I put the mortgage in there and tried hard for two years to sell it and save something, but land went down and in that farm I sank the last remains of the forty-five acres. Doing much of the work myself, the house in Decatur was finally completed, so that I moved in. How to live became a serious question. Sold sewing machines, organs, sold one piano, sold farming implements, reapers and mowers, threshing machines, clover hullers; sold one year nineteen reapers and mowers. No I have a good thing and I’ll just stick right to it. But could I keep it? No, my dish was wrong side up and would not right. I was generally notified when the agent would come to arrange for the next year. First I knew the state agent had been in Decatur and had contracted with Lyman Rawson. I learned later that Rawson had written the Champion Company for the agency, stating that he would pay cash down for all machines sold instead of their taking the farmers’ notes. Rawson owned the grain and warehouse, bought and sold wheat, and everybody knew him. They knocked me right between the eyes, and what to do I didn’t know. An agent came, wanting me to take and sell the Russell machine. I took it and traveled and traveled and finally sold just one machine at cost. Rawson sold just the one machine he had. The Buckeye gained greatly by my loss. My whole year’s work was of little avail, save the garden and some slight repairs on sewing machines. I was thoroughly discouraged. Soon after selling the farm and just before moving to Decatur Viola, self and baby Will went on a visit to her people in Pennsylvania and New York State. When we were nearly ready to come home Willie was attacked by indigestion and came near dying. When he was better I cam home, leaving Viola to come later. Father and Mother Transferred to J. W. Young and Wife. I should have stated that previous to my last writings that Westley’s wife’s health failed and father and mother went to live with Sister Lucretia, then living near White River, near the saw and grist mill that were later wrecked by water. I took father and mother with horses and sleigh to White River. On my way home I experienced the hardest storm of my life. The wind blew a hurricane - snow flying everywhere and covered the fences part of the way; and some of the time no road at all. I had to stop till the storm subsided. Mother Goes to A Better Country. Within a year after they came to Decatur mother was taken sick. We often called to see her and bring something she might like. One Sabbath day, instead of going to church, we went to see mother. I was greatly surprised to see how much she had failed, and she was near her time to depart. We all sat in silence as she rolled her head from one side to the other and was unconscious. The motions grew fainter and fainter, till life went out. Father had asked questions about her, but now all was still. Father came to the bed, put his hand on her brow, then her hands, then again her face, forehead and eyes. “She’s gone; she’s gone!” and then cried aloud, as only a strong man can, who seldom cries, and then realized that he was left alone. J. W. Young and family moved to Farwell, Michigan, with father some time later than the death of mother. Six years after the going home of mother I received a telegram saying, “Father is dying.” I took the next train to Kalamazoo, then changed to G. R. & I., passed Big Rapids, then changed east to Farwell. Found father a little better. He said: “I want to go home with you, Eli, and die where mother died.” And I said, “You shall go, father, to my house.” I was then living again in the large new house. We made a cot for him to lie on on the road, and left with father the next morning. I sat or stood by his cot in the baggage car all the way and made the jolts as easy for him as possible. Had water and a stimulant to help keep him alive. Arrived home at 4 p.m. and that evening I told him of his being in my house and the room that he was in, and it seemed he understood by the joy that is in expression but not told. The children were playing around and he would turn to listen to them. I slept while others watched that night, and at early light of day was called. Yes, too true, father was going from us. His sightless balls look up as though sight were given them; then raising both arms as though clasping some loved form, then a smile crept in, even in the presence of death, then his arms fell at his sides - and father was at rest. Myrtie and Harry were born in the square brown house and Lena and Iva in the large house. I have stated that we moved to Decatur to speculate and make money easier. We didn’t do it, but lost all we had. Soon after going to Decatur the C. & W. M. L. S. R. R. was built through Hartford. That stopped all the travel from towards the lake. Then the air line from Niles to Jackson - that stopped the business from the south. Then one from Lawton to Paw Paw and Lawrence. Decatur was then left with but little territory to support it. Property went down almost equal to the drop in hops. Houses and lots could be bought for a song. After losing the reaper and mower trade and running in vain for one year after that, I then bought a set of tools to move buildings and used those for two or three years. This was hard work, but it paid expenses. Very unexpectedly here comes John Young, that I have not seen for years - not since I went after father at Farwell. But he moves around quick and seemed a little excited, and soon told me in a business way of how I could make some money. And he had come from away up north to tell me all about it. At Houghton Lake was a farm of 200 acres on a state road in a pine lumber region; a very large double log house; all the boarders that we could take care of at good prices, and all I could raise was wanted at big prices; and I was just the man with my family for that place; and we would have to go soon, so as to go on sleighs, as the snow would soon be going up north. Like the old maid praying at the foot of the tree for a husband, and the owl hoots in the treetop - hoo, hoo - and she answers, anybody, Lord, I’m not particular,” so we, in our dissatisfied condition, said, “Praise the Lord for any deliverance.” So I talked to everybody and tried every way to sell our home. Finally I sold it for enough to pay debts and move us to Houghton Lake. Mr. Edee wanted me to take him and family with me. I should need both his help and also his very amiable wife. So it was arranged for them to go with us. Additional Comments: "Recollections of A Busy Life," By Eli Fayette Ruggles, H. L. Ruggles & Co., Publishers, (published circa 1904) Transcribed by Peggy Barriskill Perazzo, December 2005 Transcription submitted to California Archives by Kellie Crnkovich with approval from Peggy Perazzo on 12/27/2005 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yolo/history/1904/recollec/chapterx272ms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 11.6 Kb