SAD PAPAW’S HERITAGE by Kenny Harmon is a small gem of Americana. Based on a family history stretching back to 1705, the 144-page book displays the hard lives of farmers in 19th-century America. From how to make soap to what games children played to what to pack for a journey on a covered wagon, the book is chockful of fascinating minutiae about the past. This is not least because Harmon drew from the family archives to create this historical portrait. The second chapter, for instance, is taken from an unpublished manuscript by Emory L. Hamilton titled “Indian atrocities along the Clinch, Powell, and Holston Rivers,” and is as gripping as any Louis L’Amour novel of the Old West. Ironically, this book might never have been put together were it not for modern technology—specifically Twitter (now X). Harmon had invited his six grandchildren to his home for a barbecue, but only one granddaughter showed up. She posted a tweet of them eating hamburgers, which went viral. And the rest was history—literally.
Reading about the lives of the Harmon family (originally from the German “Harmann”) will arouse admiration for the challenges the frontier settlers in America had to endure, to say nothing of a renewed appreciation for modern life. When Mary Harmon, wife of the family patriarch Peter, was pregnant, she worked in her garden until the very day she had to give birth. She had to because the garden provided food throughout the year, especially winter. “She knew which vegetables to plant first,” writes Harmon, “as well as how many of each vegetable to include. Mary also considered how well the food preserved once it was jarred and frozen.” She also had to take care of the home. Among the many tasks was ironing the clothes, which was done by hanging several slices of metal in the fireside and, when they were red-hot, sliding them into a compartment in the flat iron. (And, yes, burnt fingertips were a standard hazard.)
Peter worked even harder, his day starting before sunup and ending after sundown. During that time, he took an occasional water break, “only to stop from passing out from heat stroke.” He had one meal while out on the fields. Though he still found time to father 14 children, the many years of backbreaking work took their toll and he died the very day he turned 56.
Although the book drags somewhat in the final third, when the family enters the 20th century, American history buffs will still find this an invaluable addition to their library.
A fascinating history of a German-descended American family, from their 19th-century arrival in the United States to the present, Kenny Harmon’s SAD PAPAW’S HERITAGE provides deep insight into the lives of Americans in rural 19th-century America through the minutiae of their daily routines.
~Kevin Baldeosingh for IndieReader