Jennie Plumb Taylor’s Life Story

LANE, MOFFIT, PIERCE, PLUMB, TAYLOR

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 11/14/2015 at 17:59:39

My Life’s Story by Jennie Taylor
I was born Jennie Plumb to William and Laura Plumb on June 3, 1896 in Jasper County. There were three girls and three boys in our family. One brother, Billy, has passed away. My sister Clara and brother Van live in Newton. Another brother, Harry, lives in Des Moines, and Elsie lives in the state of Washington.
As children we walked ¼ mile to Clyde for school. Most of the time we had women teachers, but they didn’t seem able to handle the boys. So they hired a man. His name was Horace Moffit. He was very strict and could manage the boys.
I milked cows at home and helped in the fields. I did everything a man did. I don’t think work ever hurt anyone.
We made our own fun in those days. We made horses out of corn cobs, made hollyhock dolls, and braided white clover. Sometimes we swam in the creek, but I never did any more than wade. I didn’t like the deep water.
We went to church in Clyde. We had a horse and buggy, but we usually walked the mile and a half.
When I was sixteen, all we kids had the measles. Mother put medicine on a plate and we had to hold it and inhale.
After I finished the eighth grade, I helped my married sister after she had her baby. She wasn’t allowed out of bed until the tenth day after the baby was born.
At the age of 19, I was married to Joe Taylor. We went to the fair in Des Moines one day and stopped on the way home in Newton where we were married by the justice of the peace. Of the seven children we had, all are living except Albert, who died in 1942.
My daughters, Aline (Pierce) and Florence (Lane) live in Ira, while Eva (Pierce) lives in Washington. Howard also lives in Ira, Russell in Colfax, and Vern in Missouri.
When we first were married we farmed between Baxter and Collins. Then we rented a farm on the other side of Ira. From there we moved to a farm between Collins and Rhodes which we bought. My husband worked that land until he passed away in 1954.
Russell stayed with me for a year and farmed the land. Howard then farmed for awhile. After that Florence and her husband farmed for another year. I then sold the farm.
After staying with Howard for awhile, I bought my home in Baxter. I lived there until I became ill and came to stay here at Colonial Manor. (A photo of Jennie accompanied the news article.)
Source: Colfax newspaper; September 1976