Rural Reality

Prologue

Who could have imagined the telling of this story could last more than sixty years?  Daily diary entries are nearly uninterrupted! This book includes selected, but not edited, excerpts from those diaries.  The story is told of the realities of rural living. Family farms of the latter half of the twentieth century were as dramatically affected by rapid changes as other parts of American society. Editorial text interspersed throughout explains some of the historical perspective as well as specifics of popular practices of the times.

It is not possible to know someone thoroughly.  Without pretending to have captured the whole story, this history is based on real words written in real time, through more than six decades of family life.  This writing represents a portrait of an American family of German ancestry.  The ancestors settled in the Midwest to farm the rich land and raise quality livestock for food.  Like a movie in full color, the drama moves through time and evolving life changes; farm girl and boy, young married farm couple in partnership, parents, grandparents, to wise sages with the perspective of having witnessed reality.

Myrtle’s adventure in keeping a diary began when she received her first five year diary as a young girl for Christmas from her parents, Mildred and Valentine.  After a late night out to celebrate the dawning of the new year—1936—Myrtle Adell Eckermann, age eleven, sat down in her bedroom after milking the cows on their small  family farm to record the events of the day.  This was to be the first of hundreds of days recorded in her beautiful handwriting in the first of more than a dozen of these precious little books.

Anyone who has kept a diary or journal knows how therapeutic the simple act of ‘writing it down’ can be, especially when life becomes a bit confusing.  Myrtle did her best to include the relevant details of each day on the five short lines provided per day per year.  Though primarily stating facts, an occasional feeling crept in.  Roy carried on, with even more difficulty sticking to the allotted 5 lines, while Myrtle was hospitalized following several surgeries. Who would have guessed that he found this regular activity of hers so important and rewarding?

Descendents need a chance to ‘get to know’ these very special people. At this writing, 4 great grandchildren have been born to them (2 who currently live in Germany).  It is for them, their siblings, cousins and all the in-laws and others interested in family farm life who may not know this history that the story of Myrtle and Roy Keppy is shared.

A genealogical search of family census records was not part of the scope of this biography.  It is hoped that a family member may someday wish to obtain detailed information about this family’s ancestry. Pertinent details known are included in this text and available at a glance in a timeline.  As a primary source of historical documentation, Myrtle’s diaries are invaluably saturated with situations of note to a genealogist: births, deaths, marriages. Yet even when noted on the day it happened, the past is so fluid that it is changed immediately, even in the memory of those who experienced it and wrote it down.

Whether written to put things in place or to pass on their traditions to future generations, diaries serve to acquaint family members with those who preceded them.  This family has also contributed to the common good, and it is good to remember this.

“Pork People” who have known Myrtle and her husband Roy through the later half of the century will recall much of this tale.  Active in the politics and promotion of the industry for many years, they left their mark for all to follow.

Supporters of numerous community interests, the Keppys even have a building at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds named in their honor.  Though modestly noting that ‘many others have done more’, their record of involvement includes extensive participation and leadership in a variety of nurturing roles related to agricultural education through experiences offered to young people.  This they sought for themselves when young and found they wanted to ‘give back’ through the years, as demonstrated in the following authorized biography.