John Ulmer

     John Ulmer was born on 25 November 1847 at Möhringen, Oberamt Stuttgart, Neckarkreis, Württemberg.¹ He was the son of Jakob Ulmer and Elisabeth Ulmer.¹ John Ulmer married Christina Foltz, daughter of Frederick Foltz and Rosanna Goodecuntz, in 1870. John Ulmer died on 1 February 1921 at age 73 years, 2 months and 7 days. He was buried in the State Road United Methodist Church Cemetery, located in Lycoming Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
     John Ulmer was also known as Johannes.¹ He was confirmed on 21 April 1861.¹ He immigrated in 1867 to America from Möhringen.² John was naturalized as a US citizen on September 25, 1876. John had purchased the original Ulmer farm, composed of 100 acres, 19 perches, on January 17, 1873, from Joshua Minsker and Thomas Harris. An additional 16 acres and 90 square rods were purchased on April 19, 1883 from the same parties.

Some of the land on the farm had to be cleared of trees and stumps before it could be used for crops. Nearly always the first crop was buckwheat. This grain was used to kill weeds and condition the soil. It was also a necessity in raising a large family, where buckwheat cakes was the standard breakfast. John was a rather short, heavy man. Because he was the owner and operator of a stump machine, he was nick named 'Stumpy John.' He not only did his own work, but was often hired by other farmers as far a way as four miles from his home to operate his stump machine. In the operation of this stump machine required a team of sturdy horses, a driver and a hook up man. Aside from this work, John and Christiana's principal income was from general farming. They sold commodities such as hay, grain, potatoes, apples, butter, eggs and other farm goods.

In those days travel was by horse and buggy or a team and a wagon. The families who lived in the area of a day's travel of Williamsport had an advantage in marketing their produce. They operated a curb market, or delivered their produce to a wholesaler or retailer who took the produce to outside markets by canal boat and later by railroad. Williamsport was known as the lumber capitol of the entire country and its population was possibly as large as it is now.

A large family in those days was a definite advantage. There was always plenty of hand labor and chores to do. John and Christiana raised a family of seven children to maturity, while three died as small children. They cleared land north of the existing Rt. 973, as it was near the mountain it was quite stony. The stones were not hauled off the fields, but were put in piles and the farming had to be done around them, as many pictures have shown. In 1931 or 1932, the youngest son, Maurice Clyde Ulmer was the owner and operator of the farm. Soon after this Rt. 973 was built and Clyde became job foreman for the project. Since he had charge of loading the trucks, the stone piles in his fields were also removed, making the farm much easier to farm and more productive. All of the stones were loaded by hand and broken on the road with heavy sledge hammers.

John and Christiana apparently built two barns on their farm. The first one was destroyed by fire. The building date of the present barn is unknown, but it was remodeled by Clyde in 1923. At this time stables were concrete, stanchions were installed and the milk house was built. Clyde gave up the butter and egg route and sold their milk in ten gallon cans by pick up service at the barn. In 1933 Clyde purchased a sprayer, powered by a gasoline engine and transported by a team of horses. He used this at home and for custom work for about twelve years. In 1934, in addition to selling milk and apples, more chickens were added to the farming operation. This required the addition of a brooder house, which was built in 1936. Then in 1838 the old Greenwood schoolhouse was purchased, torn down and transported to the farm and erected into a two story poultry house. The eggs that were produced started to be marketed as both wholesale and retail in 1939. And at a later date turkeys were added to the operation. In the years to follow several pieces of equipment were purchased and various building erected; Case tractor 1943, concrete silo 10' x 40' 1946, an Allis Chalmers rotary baler 1951, by 1952 the horses had been sold and the farming was done with two tractors. In 1960 a Ford combine was purchased, a bulk milk tank was installed thereby eliminating the milk cans. In 1964 a 30' x 45' machine shed was built and in 1966 a 48' x 56' loafing shed was built to house approximately 40 head of cattle. Then in 1968 a trench silo was added to care for additional cattle.

In the past 100 years there have been a large number of changes in the methods of farming and marketing of these products. A great period of modernization of machinery and methods of farming has taken place. In the early days, it was necessary to locate a house and barn near a good water supply. This supply was often a natural spring but sometimes when there was none available, a well was dug by hand and then walled up in a circular fashion with stone.

The Ulmer's were fortunate to have near the house a very good spring that is still in use today. The house was built on a higher elevation than the spring, so the water had to be hand carried. This was usually the chore of the children. At an early date, John installed a device that saved many steps and became a joy to watch. With a large wheel as a windlass, he would lower the metal bucket to the spring and then wind it back up to be emptied as it caught a trip bar into a bucket kept on the back porch on a wooden bench. In 1924, Clyde installed a hydraulic ram to pump the water to the barn. It operated continually for about three years and was then discontinued.

In 1927, a more permanent water system was installed that operated with a greater degree of success. A piston pump powered by a one cylinder gasoline engine was installed in the basement of the house. The process involved pumping water from the spring to the pump and then sending it by pressure to a concrete reservoir above the road. It then flowed by gravity back down to the house and barn. This proved satisfactory for a number of years. In 1938 rural electricity became available and at this time an electric motor was installed in the water system.

It is thought that the original house that was built by John and Christiana was much smaller than the existing one. A number of additions and remodelings have taken place to provide room for two families and additional space for modern living. The last major remodeling was done in 1944. Clyde and Alice built a new house across the road and moved in the summer of 1949. When this new house was built at a higher elevation than the water reservoir, a pressure tank was added to the water system, now supporting two homes and the barns. Their son Robert with his wife Lois and two children, John and Carole, then moved into the original homestead.

It has been our purpose to record the growth and advancement of the Ulmer family over the last 100 or so years. It is with our deep regret that we do not have as many facts as the previous generation, but we hope that this brief history will be an inspiration to any who read it, for we realize that a farm family working in and with the soil are very close to the Creator and Preserver of this world.