If you had grown up in New York State in the 30's, 40's and 50's, you quite likely would have heard of Edward R. Eastman. He was the editor of a paper magazine called the American Agriculturist, to which many farm families subscribed. We did enjoy reading this monthly magazine and especially liked his editorials and comments on rural wit. He called his funny stories, "Eastman's Chestnuts" and published about six volumes or collections of these stories. In addition, he wrote and published many books, mostly in the historical fiction category, but, again, primarily about rural America. When a new book came out, it was eagerly bought and enjoyed by young and old alike, as he appealed to most age groups. Typically, at graduation times, his books were given as awards to an appropriate graduate.
Best of all, he was a cousin, and we felt particularly proud that one of our family members would have such an impact on rural life. His middle initial "R" stood for the family name of Roe. Since that is my middle name as well, I thought it was wonderful thing to share. Mom, of course, is a Roe, too, and one of the other Roe cousins was his housekeeper, since his wife had become an invalid as an adult and needed help around the house. She could do some things, though, and enjoyed making rag rugs to give to family and friends. We had one of these gifts and proudly used it in our kitchen.
One time in the early Forties we had stopped to visit the Eastmans, and there was a conversation about whether had we noticed the men working in the fields as we had driven up to their home. Of course, we had seen the men and wondered how such able-bodied men could be doing field work while World War II was going on, as so many men had been called up for service. It turned out that these were German men, who were prisoners of war, and that they enjoyed being able to get out and work in the fields instead of being imprisoned. We wondered if it was safe to have them about and learned that most did not want to return to Germany, hoping to stay here after the war. I always wondered if any of them gotwere able to stay here or were required to return to Germany.
Edward received many awards during his life, but perhaps the one he which moved him the most was when a new elementary school was built just north of Berkshire, NY, and named the Edward R. Eastman Elementary School. It was quite fun to be present at the dedication of this school, as Dad was the President of the Board of Education and master of ceremonies. Mom taught in the school for several years, too. Do you remember this man, or have you read any of his books? I hope so!
4 comments:
Did you remember that my Ken is Kenneth Roe?
My grandfather leased fields from Eastman in the 40's. He helped Grandpa with the design and plans for a dairy barn and did an article in this magazine in early 50's. They designed the first milking parlor and pen stabling in NY state. Automatic from "cow to can", but it really went thru pipes into a vat and pumped into a tanker. Made the front cover. It was built in conjunction with Cornell University. Mom says she remembers they knew each other quite well and did business for many years. I remember being in a house he owned in Etna NY. I just started his book Walking The Broad Road where he talks about rural NY and farming. It sounds interesting.
Do you know how Ed Eastman was related to George Eastman?
-Some of the American Agriculturalist magazines were around our house in the 1950s, though I don't know if we had a subscription. E.R. Eastman was on my grandfather's U.S. mail delivery route, and Mr. Eastman mentioned him in a short article. My grandfather drove a mule and buggy on the route.
-The Eastman school in Berkshire is no longer used as a school. The building is surrounded by the office and workings of a lumber yard.
-The Richford school, built in 1869 still exists and is used as a community gathering place. My sisters attended that elementary school from 1950 till 1952.
- - - Ed McCullough
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