It’s funny how you can remember things. Especially things that occurred when you were a child. For me, the barn is what I remember most. Bold and red and imposing. And a bee sting. And the hills. And it seemed like we drove forever to get where we were going. Once we got to Beardstown and then the Schroeder family farm, there was so much. So many people, where the only ones I knew were my parents, brothers, aunts, and uncles. Yet I was told we are all family. And the hills. I was not used to them, especially to farm on. My father’s family farm was in the flat plains of Illinois. This area is not flat. And as Tiny gave us a tour, I thought to myself, “How do they farm here?”

It’s not impossible to farm in the Bluff Springs area where Tiny’s farm sits, but it is harder. Soil quality is good and well-drained. However, the slope is moderate to steep in places, with the erosion risk being moderate to high. This leaves the only options for the steepest areas used for timber or pasture. Farming in moderately sloped areas is usually done by terracing to create the desired farmland.

On this day in June of 1980 there were many Jorden’s gathered on the Schroeder farm. But why was it called Schroeder and not Jorden? Emma Jorden, sister of our Bill Jorden Sr., had married William Schroeder and they lived on the farm in the Bluff Springs area. They had 4 children, all sons. Edwin, born in 1921, Herbert, born in 1922, Lloyd, also known as “Tiny,” born in 1923, and Alfred, born in 1924. Our Bill Jorden Jr, stayed with Emma and Uncle Billy at times when his father was working for the railroad. 

All the way to the left, I believe, is Ed Schnepper, then we have our Bill, Ruth, David, Rita, Betty Schnepper, and Margaret Triss gathered. I love how Bill is wearing his ball cap jauntily. In the garage, you can see open on the right where tables of food are. It takes a lot of food to feed a lot of Jordens.

Here we have Tiny and his daughter Carol, with Aunt Gretchen seated to the right. When I would hear Bill talk about Tiny, the farm was always discussed, too. What I didn’t know, perhaps because we are talking about humble individuals who were not boastful about their accomplishments, is that Tiny served in World War II. He enlisted and served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater, where he participated in seven major campaigns. He initially landed in Africa and moved north to join the D-Day forces in Berlin, and was one of five American soldiers to enter Hitler’s Chancellery prior to the Russian Occupation. His military occupation was laying communication cable, which he carried out for Patton’s Third Army and for the Potsdam Conference. I just remember him being a lot of fun as he told us a lot about the farm and the land during our tour.

So while I was first drawn to this photo because of the barn I remembered, it turned into a whole lot more for me, and I hope it will for you too.