After all five sons had left to serve their country in World War II, Clabe Wilson could no longer handle the farm at Minburn, even with a man the landlord had hired to help him.
They found an acreage a mile south of Perry to buy the summer of 1944 and made the move there that October–the same month that Donald Wilson was back in combat in the Pacific, and Danny Wilson was arriving in Italy for combat aboard a Liberty Ship.
Out buildings on the Perry acreage, with a garage for their 1942 Plymouth.
Clabe and Leora began to straighten fences and paint buildings right away. When Danny arrived in Italy and learned about his folks’ new place, he was thrilled that they finally had a home of their own. He wrote, “The new place looks like it can be fixed up to look very modern with a white picket fence and all. Just a little paint, a few chickens, a couple of four o’clocks in the front yard, and a rusty pump, cow, and corn patch in the back.”
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Looks like a big property! What’s a “four o’ clock” in the front yard?
They kept chickens, a couple of cows, and a large garden–after running a farm, so just smaller, for the two of them. Four o’clocks are an old fashioned easy-to-grow bush that has the most clean scented blossoms, which open later in the afternoon (thus their name!). Here in Iowa they’ll even reseed themselves if they’re thick enough, but you can also gather the seeds to plant the next spring. https://www.google.com/search?q=four+o%27clocks&sxsrf=ACYBGNTMT5HS39a-wLz9R3Hyh3Utur0n2w:1574427030831&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=3s_6g-Wi7U4toM%253A%252CsdMxkWkXjqFm9M%252C%252Fm%252F02t_1l&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTP-rQ6IkHQCowVsNbskUY5d3j_hw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwja0pbf7f3lAhUCMawKHS77DA0Q_B0wGnoECAMQAw#imgrc=3s_6g-Wi7U4toM:
In reading the directions to get to the place I’m pretty sure my grandparents farm was East of Perry going on Willis except go north instead of south when reaching 16th st. and not to far up the road after the turn. The house burnt down a long time ago but Mom took me out there one time back in the late 80s. It was called the Cloverleaf.
We’d go north of the highway on 16th to get to the cemetery. Have to curve around a little to the west when we got far enough north. Cloverleaf, huh?
Such promise for a new life after the war–heartbreaking, knowing what was to come.
So interesting! In reading and looking at the map, I believe my parents (June and Herman Ulrich) owned this same property for a while. They purchased it from Lois Tingwald in the mid-1970’s. My mother sold it to the Lage family shortly after my father passed away in 1988.
Thanks for this little history! Have you seen it recently? The last time, it was in shambles and should be condemned. Too bad. Mom and I lived there with her parents while Dad was preparing for combat as a B-29 pilot–had orders for September 1945. Most of the terrible telegrams arrived there, to the only place Clabe and Leora Wilson actually owned.