SULLIVAN, Harold (1958)
SULLIVAN, SCHWEIGER, MARR
Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 5/17/2011 at 22:58:49
ITEM #1:
SULLIVAN FAMILY OPERATES FOUR FARMS
Conservation
Is Important
to SuccessOSAGE, IOWA — Most North Iowa farmers have finally become aware of the importance of soil and water conservation. The father of the Globe-Gazette's September "Farm Family of the Month" was one of the first of these farmers to come to this realization.
When the Mitchell County Soil Conservation District was formed in 1950, Harold Sullivan, a farmer six miles east of Osage, was one of the original co-operators and has been an active member ever since.
Sullivan first became interested in conservation work when he realized he had a rather large plough on his 160 acre farm that was no longer good for even pasture. With the help of the SCS office and the work unit conservationist Sullivan was able to drain the slough and make it, once again, profitable crop land.
The participation of Sullivan in conservation practices reached its highest degree last Thursday when his farm was the site of the fourth annual North Iowa Soil Conservation Field Day.
More than 2,000 persons were present at the field day to see some of the modern conservation practices tried on the Sullivan farm, included in these were contour plowing, terracing and tiling.
Farm Operators have changed a great deal since Sullivan and his brother Frank came to this same farm 35 years ago They had taken the farm over after the death of their father who was a retired railroad man living in Osage,
In 1927 Harold Sullivan got married and since that time he and his wife have reared four boys and two girls. All of the boys are active in farming and the older ones have farms of their own near the home place.
Gerald, the oldest child who is now 39 years old, farms his own 140 acre farm 3/4 mile southeast of the Sullivan farm. A bachelor, Gerald is interested in purebred cattle and at the present time has about 25 head of Angus.
The 2nd son, Keith, 28, has his own 220 acre farm 1½ miles south of the home place. He is married and the father of five children, Linda, 8; Jimmy, 6; Kathy, 4; Joe, 3, and Billy, 1.
The other two sons Mark, 24, and John, 21, are both single and live at home although Mark does farm one of the Sullivan farms 1¾ miles north of the home farm. John helps his father with the operation of the home place.
One of the daughters, Dorothy, 26, lives on a 160 acre farm ¾ of a mile south of her brother Gerald and has three children, Patty, 6; Marie, 5; and Joan, 3. The other daughter Mary, 17, is a senior at St. Mary's High School at New Haven and lives at home.
As could be expected, the home place is the center of family life for the Sullivans and to Mrs. Sullivan goes the job of bookkeeper for the entire family.
"Sometimes I think they would like to fire me," Mrs. Sullivan explains, "and sometimes I wish they would."
Mrs. Sullivan was born and reared two miles southeast of the home place but never knew her husband until he and his brother started farming the place.
She says that farm life has changed so much since she was a girl that at times its hard to recognize it as such. She remembers that when they built their present house in 1935 there were no modern conveniences such as the telephone or for that matter even electricity, until 1941.
Mrs. Sullivan used to keep some chickens but says, "the boys made such a fuss about them that I had to get rid of them." There is no need for her to look for something to do because cooking three meals a day for four and sometimes five grown men can be a full time job.
Mary helps with the cooking when she is home and also with the canning of beans, corn, tomatoes, peaches, plums and strawberries that her mother does every year. Mary, like her brother John is active in 4-H work. John is currently president of the Mitchell County Boy's 4-H Clubs.
The farming of as many acres as the Sullivan family does is a tremendous job and requires cooperation and co-ordination. To cut down expenses the machinery is used jointly and each helps the other when something unforeseen comes up.
On the home place the main farming operation is the feeding of cattle. Each year Sullivan raises about 300 feeder cattle. Each member of the family raises some pigs and this year there are 700 on the four farms. Mark has purebred Duroes while the others all have crossbreeds.
[Mason City Globe Gazette, Tuesday, September 9, 1958]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ITEM #2:
Social Security Death Index:
SULLIVAN, HAROLD V.
born: 25 Apr 1906
Died: 18 Dec 1994
age: 88
residence: 50461 (Osage, Mitchell, IA)
SSN: Iowa 484-36-5970-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ITEM #3:
Harold Sullivan
Harold Sullivan was born in 1906. Marie Schweiger was born in 1908. After their marriage they farmed in Burr Oak Township. They had six children. Jerald is farming the home place. Keith is a farmer in Burr Oak Township. Dorothy Owen lives at St. Ansgar. Mark farms in West Lincoln Township. John is farming in Douglas Township. Their other daughter is Mary Clausen. Harold and Marie retired to Osage.
Harold's parents are Dan and kate (Donovan) Sullivan. Dan was born in Massachusetts, Kate in Denver, Colorado. Their other children included John, Josephine Buick, Frank, Ralph, and Bernard. The older three were vorn in Denver, Harold, Ralph and Bernard were born in Mitchell County. All except Harold are deceased.
Marie's parents were Englebert (1852-1915) and Mary (Marr) (1864-1938) Schweiger. They are buried at St. Peter's Cemetery in New Haven. Marie was the youngest of thirteen children, the others were: Rose Baker, Canada; Allie McCarthy of New Haven; Isabelle Jarrvirn of Sidney, Montana; Barbara Steppler who moved west; May Buckley of Bowman, North Dakota; Clara Mease Schweiger who farmed southeast of Osage; Matilda Schweiger; William Schweiger who farmed north of Osage; Englebert Schweiger died very young; Laura (Sister M. Ignatius); Monica Miller who lives in Bowman, North Dakota; and Marie. All except Monica and Marie have died.
Mease Schweiger, Marie's brother, was born in 1894. He married Dora Meirick who was born in 1902. They had four children: Paul (1928), Norbert (Bro. Bonaventure) (1930), Miles (1932), all born in Mitchell County, and Doris Helton, born in Decorah in 1934. Mease died in 1968, Dora died in 1934.
[By Gertrude Marr Meirick, Mitchell County History, 1989]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Item #4:
The photo of Harold Sullivan is from a 1924 Osage High School annual, archived at the Mitchell county Historical Society in the CRC at Osage.
Click on "Group Photo" to see photo of his family.
Group Photo
Mitchell Biographies maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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