Tobacco Farmers

While trying to decide what to write for this challenge, I was searching on the web and found the inspiration photo. The website had more information about the subjects: "Photograph is of a candid moment between Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Lyman who were Polish tobacco farmers near Windsor Locks, Conn. in September 1940." I decided to use that information as my starting point, found some more vintage photos and went from there.

Journaling: After Grammy died, I inherited her old farmhouse in Connecticut. While going thru her rolltop desk to clean it out prior to the auction, I discovered these old, torn photos in the back of one of the drawers. Unfortunately, there was nothing written on the back of any of them, but, from stories Grammy used to tell about her childhood, I think these are her parents. They had both passed before I was even born, but I remember Grammy telling me they used to grow tobacco on the farm. She told me her parents had immigrated to the United States from Poland in the early 1900’s. Her fondest memories of growing up in the farmhouse were the family meals around the old plank table that still is in the kitchen. She told me her parents were always laughing and joking with each other. Her Dad’s favorite joke was to pull on his pants and complain that his wife couldn’t cook and he was wasting away to nothing! That used to send her Mom into peals of laughter because she was a great cook and had won many baking championships during the annual Octoberfest celebrations. She was noted for her “kolachkes”. She would top them with jam she made from fruit trees on the farm. I wish Grammy was still around so I could learn more about her parents and their life on the tobacco farm. But, no time to “woolgather”; I need to get back to my sorting if this auction is going to happen next weekend!



Credits: Additional photos from the web; “Somebody Like You”, “Room 19 – One”, “Lady Adorned” – Sissy Sparrows; “Mint to Be”, Tangie Baxter, (TAD)