Growing Up on the Farm

Stories the Way I Remember Them - The Stories of Noah Helmuth

Hello. My name is Paul Helmuth, and this podcast is a special series for me, because it’s a podcast where my grandfather tells the stories of his life, the way he remembers it.

Noah Helmuth grew up in central Illinois in the Amish community near Arthur. Born on April 12, 1924.

My grandpa died on January 12, 2021, just 3 months shy of his 97th birthday.

I've had the privilege of recording my grandfather on several occasions where either he or my grandma, who died a couple years ago, were able to tell the stories of their lives growing up and together.

In this episode grandpa tells us where he was born and the size of his family. He'll talk about his homemade toys and of course punishments that they would receive when they misbehave. He also talks about the battle with bumble bees, two barns fires and two horses named Perry.

One of the things that I learned about during this interview was that they used "rods" as a unit of measure for fields. So I asked my grandpa how long a rod was. Since then, me being the nerd that I am, I had to look up what a rod measurement actually was. A rod is a unit of length, equal to 11 cubits or 16.5 feet. A perfect acre is a 40 x 4 rod area. In old English units, a furlong is a strip that runs 40 rods, which is 660 feet. And a mile is 8 furlongs or 5,280 feet. Now you know.

Join me as we explore the stories of Noah B Helmuth.

Thank you for joining me in listening to Noah tell us the stories, the way he remembers them. We'll continue with more in the next episode. Have a great day.

Music by IB Audio https://www.iba

Composer - Ian Blumfield

Company (distributor) - IB Audio