PAT AND TILLIE LAVERTY (part 2)

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     My mother, May Smith Laverty Korte, remembers riding horseback  down to Aunt Tillie's and Uncle Pat's to have sugar cookies. This was when May was a young girl and lived with her family in Laurel. To repeat, as a young boy we would go over for a visit and the first thing I wanted was those addictive cookies.

     It is hard for us today in the 21st century to imagine how a household of people existed without the likes of computers,  TV, and at some point telephone, and possibly radio. But, at the same time, we can't imagine fully getting up extremely early, working and continuing to work well into the evening.

     Most leisure time was with conversation, reading, sewing, napping, and making sugar cookies.   It is believed that they did not travel often. My mother had told the story that Pat had gone once to Nebraska to "get or borrow" some money from Pat and Tillie's mother's family-the Buick's. Pat and Tillie's brother, John, also lived in Nebraska. I had heard the story that Uncle Pat had visited South Dakota, didn't like it, and never went back. Traveling was looked upon as a luxury for some and they never ventured outside their local area.

     I've also thought it would be easy to be critical of them working and not enjoying the fruits of their labor. But, if it made them happy and in part that was the mind set
for the time in that social setting, who is to judge.

     Both Tillie and Pat, including, brother Thomas A. ( my Grandpa), all owned their own farms. They never owned any farms jointly with one another-other words no partnerships. My mother always told the story of driving Aunt Tillie to her farms to collect rent and other farm business because Tillie did not drive. She would pay Mom $1.00 or so for her services. At one time Pat, Tillie, and T.A. owned at least 2,000 acres of farm land, which was sizable for the early to mid-20th century standards.

      Uncle Pat was on the board of directors at the Commercial Bank in Marshalltown, Iowa at one time and was a Mason. My memories as a young boy of Uncle Pat were one of mostly awe. When we would go to visit, he was always dressed neatly in wool suit, long sleeved cotton shirt, with tie sometimes and if not his shirt was buttoned to the top-even in the summer. And, he had that "mustache." That stoic look always made me feel I was in the presence of a Godfather. In a way I was!