Vernon John Latta and his grandmother, Lucy Ellen (Herlan) Schaub

East Sparta, Ohio, ca 1924

This picture is from the collection of Lucy's great-granddaughter, Sandra Jane (Paulus) Franklin.

From me--Betty Latta Kitchen, 2014:

As a little girl I played with this wagon. At that time the Schaubs had passed on and the wagon was at my grandparents' house (David and Effie Schaub Latta's) on Broad Avenue in Canton, Ohio. They had a little (very little) incline up to the garage, and my cousin Don Latta and I would start there and fly down (in those days it was considered flying) and hope to make the turn to stay on the driveway. He currently has possession of the wagon. Below are memories of my father, Vernon Latta, regarding his time at the farm.

The following stories were shared by Vern as we reminisced in the days following his wife (my mother, Mary Elizabeth Miller Latta's) death on October l8, 1998.

When Vern was little he spent much of each summer on the farm of his Grandma and Grandpa Schaub in East Sparta. He remembers that Grandma Schaub used to put long stockings on her hands and arms when she went berry (raspberry, blackberry, dewberry) picking. She'd fill up a big syrup bucket. Vern remembers putting a mess of frog eggs in a jar, then taking them in the house to hatch and grow. Vern often got the job of filling up the trough for the animals, lots of pumping to fill that old trough a couple times a day. On real hot days, after pumping in the morning that ice cold water would warm up, and all the boys would jump in the trough, without clothes of course.

Frequently Vern got the job of taking water out to Grandpa in the field. They had lots of maple syrup buckets, and Vern would have to lug it out to Grandpa. Grandpa drank his fill then gave the rest to the horse. The kids had to be about 7 to go into the barn. Vern remembers how big Old Jimbo (the horse) looked and was sure he would get squished.

The most fun at Grandpa Schaub's might have been when they brought in the hay. They'd pile it on the wagon and jump on it, then put more on and ride it up to the barn (feeling like they'd all slide overboard all the way.) To get it on the wagon the horse would pull a huge hay rake that would stand up the hay in a wind row. Then the kids would use a 3-pronged hay pitch fork to sling it on the wagon. In the barn there was a track or tube all around that hay hooks were attached to. A carriage ran through the track, was attached to a horse, and about one third of the wagon load was pulled up into the hay lofts. The kids up there had to scatter it and stomp it down so more could go up.

Vern did a lot of rabbit hunting. In the fall he used to fill up a peck basket with apples then go along and throw them in the briar patches. Then during rabbit season the rabbits would be at the apples and the dogs could find them. He had a 20 gauge shot gun. They always cleaned them good and hung them over the clothes line to freeze to get some of that wildness out of them, then Grandma Schaub would cook them. (Grandpa Schaub could see the rabbit breath coming out of the ground on cold days, but Vern never could.)

Last modified March 5, 2017 by Betty Latta Kitchen.

Provided by Betty Latta Kitchen

Click here for the Short-Cut Table of Contents