John P. Cummins Family

John P. Cummins and Florence H. Meek were married in 1888. John P. was the son of John and Caroline Bordner Cummins. Florence was the daughter of Henry H. and Ann Elizabeth Wheeler Meek.

John and Florence Cummins started housekeeping on the Meek farm in Liberty Township and lived on it over eleven years. Four sons were born to them while living there. They were Carl M., born September 20, 1889; Rey M., born March 20, 1892; twins, Lawrence A. and Clarence E., born on September 24, 1894.

John P. Cummins was a farmer and soon got into the threshing business. His first outfit was a ten horse power Nichols and Shepard steam engine, and a hand feeder separator with straw carrier in the rear.

The second outfit was a thirteen horse power Nichols and Shepard steam engine with a hand feeder separator. This separator was the last to use the measuring boxes in taking away the grain by hand.

In January, 1900, John bought the home farm in Flatrock Township from his father, John, and moved his family there along with the threshing equipment.

The third threshing outfit was bought about 1906 and was a sixteen horse power Nichols and Shepard steam engine and a Red River Special Separator with a thirty-two inch cylinder and a fifty-six inch wide separation area.

The last replacement was about 1910. It was a twenty horse power Nichols and Shepard double cylinder steam engine and a Red River Special Separator, thirty-six feet by sixty feet. The last two separators were equipped with self feeders, grain elevators and automatic weighers.

John P. Cummins built the cabs on his engines and kept all equipment in good repair and working condition.

Other equipment for the farm requiring steam power to operate were a Victor cloverseed huller, Birdsell clover huller, Plano corn husker, a buzz saw and a feed grinder.

The charges for threshing grain, around 1910-1915, was two cents a bushel for oats, three cents a bushel for wheat, and ninety cents a bushel for clover seed and alsike seed.

At the turn of the century, there was much wood to be buzzed and was done anytime starting in late fall and into spring, weather permitting. John moved his engine, water wagon and buzz saw to the S.P. Shelly farm that was about two miles south of Holgate one winter on a big sawing job and walked the round trip each day from his home for five dollars a day pay.

Submitted by: Clarence Cummins