Frank W. Buckles

Has the tradition of farming been in your family for a long time?

My family has been farming for a few hundred years. 

Why did you choose this farm in West Virginia?

Well, that is a good one. My favorite spot is Jefferson County, West Virginia.  If you go back tothe early days I know that Robert Buckles, my English ancestor was born in Yorkshire England. On May 15, 1702, and as a young man of either 17 or 18 he moved to the United States to Philadelphia.  He married into a Quaker family on the Delaware, and in 1732, Robert Buckles, his wife Anna Brown, and 15 other families came from a settlement on the Delaware into this area, which included Jefferson County. My family has been in this county since 1732.  My daughter Susannah is the last Buckles born here and she has no descendants.  

Susannah Buckles

Tell me some of your memories from your childhood.

I think it is unusual for an older person to talk about their childhood.  In my life I never talked about my childhood because nobody asked me any questions about it.  In the last couple of years interviews have been done about my youth, so I checked back in my computer and can tell you incidents that happened during that time.  People ask what the youngest age that I can remember is.  I can remember that when I was about one or two years old they would put my cradle in the room next to the kitchen.  While there I would be able to hear the noises and cheerful sounds of the people coming in for breakfast.  I can also remember when I was about two years old I heard the expression “Sure as a Man in the Moon.” After I heard that expression, I would sit out on the front porch and say there is no man in that moon. 

In the days that I have been out in the world people had no occasion to ask me about my youth and people didn’t talk much about their youth.  But if you have any questions I’ll do my best to give you the right answers. 

What can you tell me about where you grew up?

I was born on a farm. It was a general farm and a cattle farm   I didn’t have too much to do in the way of chores when I was going to school. Naturally everybody living in the country has certain jobs that they have to do.  When I read articles today about men who are born and raised on a farm and they talk about how tough it was and what a hard time they had, I think that it wasn’t that way with me.

When I was about three years old and my brother was about five, we both had scarlet fever, and he died.  Later the oldest child in the family, my brother, was in high school and he wanted to play in the orchestra.  He and my father had a long discussion about him playing in the orchestra when he should be working on the farm. I can now somewhat see my father's standpoint that you expect your eldest son to be prepared to take over the responsibility. After that talk with my father, my brother went off to Nebraska and later became a rancher. 

I just recalled a story that I’m not sure if I’ve ever told anyone, except for maybe my daughter Susannah.  I was going to high school about 7 ½ miles away from home, and they were having a party one day after school at one of the teacher’s homes.   I had already spoken with a gentleman who was going to be by the party on his way home from town, and he said he would take me to my home, which was on the way to his farm.  It was the busy season on the farm, and I knew my father would have to be in bed by 9 o’clock and be up early in the morning.  So I told him that I had already made arrangements and for him not to come for me.  Well, something happened to the gentleman who was supposed to pick me up and when the time came and the party was over he was not there.  Now what would a boy do today? He would take out his cell phone, call his parents or someone else to get a ride, but not me, it was my responsibility.   I had given my word to my father, and that was it. I walked home. It was a little over 7 miles home, and by that time it was dark.  I didn’t see a light all the way home, as it was the busy season when everyone went to bed early and the lights in the farm houses were out.