A Few Good Acres
The Odyssey of Thomas Beaty and His Descendants in America
by
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Tom waded through the deep snow , going farther afield every day hunting for game. But all the deer yards were empty except for a few skeletons. He'd stumble home every night, cold, exhausted and wet to the hips, to tell Margaret there was no new food for the family. He knew they'd starve to death, or have to kill their milk cow or sheep for meat if he couldn't find some wild game soon. Finally, on a late March afternoon he shot a bear that had just come out of hibernation. It was too heavy for him to drag alone, so he waded home through the snow as fast as he could. "John, Junior, get your boot and coats on, and help me drag home the b'ar I shot before the wolves get to it. I already hear 'em howling way up on the ridge." The brothers put on their outdoor clothes and followed their father through the snow. He was almost running in his haste. They arrived, sweating and panting, where the bear's carcass lay, just as six wolves appeared on the ridge above them. Tom fired his musket and wounded the closest wolf. But the other five circled the man and boys as they stood by the bear. John and Junior shivered as the watched the five pairs of yellow eyes that surrounded them come closer and closer. Tom tied a rope around the bear's neck; then he and his sons started to drag the dead bruin down the hill toward the cabin. It was brutal work. The bear's carcass sank deep in the melting snow, and the wolves became bolder with each passing minute. The Beatys tugged the carcass a few yards, then had to stop for breath. Tom reloaded and shot one of the wolves dead. The others retreated a few yards. Tom and his sons dragged the dead bear forward another twenty yards. The four wolves closed in again. The trio picked up the rope and strained to slide their food supply further down the hill. As they pulled, the wolves came even closer. "Get out of here you dirty thieves! Hyah, get away! " Tom shouted as he pulled. The wolves stopped a moment and then closed in again. Tom reloaded and shot the largest wolf dead. "That's my last shot. We got to get this bear to a tree real quick and pull him up." They dragged the bear toward an oak with a strong horizontal branch about 15 feet up. Tom managed to throw the rope over it, then he and his sons tried to pull the bear up, but it outweighed them. "Junior, run and get your mother to help us. John and I'll try to hold 'em off while you're gone." Junior rushed toward the cabin. Tom and John stood guard waiting for the wolves to close in. All they had for protection now as their courage and some limbs they'd pulled out of the snow. John's heart pounded as he watched the trio of canines circle closer and closer.
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About the Book
A poor but determined young Scots-Irish immigrant, Thomas Beaty, worked his way across colonial Pennsylvania contending with Indians, blizzards and uncertain land titles until he and his hardy wife were able to buy a steep farm on the frontier. There, they raised their twelve children. As successive generations follow the frontier westward battling tornados, alcoholism, locusts, prairie fires, betrayal, drought, and disease, they prosper amid the booms and busts of the changing rural economy.
Through hard work and determination some of them manage to hang on to a few good acres of rich farm land. A Few Good Acres tells the story of the Beaty family from the very beginning when Tom and his brother, Will, take the boat to America from Ireland to find a place to call home. Tom Beaty and the generations to follow will explore the frontier to find good land on which to farm and raise their families.
About the Author
Marvin T. Beatty has been studying soils and land since he was about eight years old. He attended Montana State College and did his graduate study in soil science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he taught until his retirement. He lives with his wife, Ellouise, in Madison, Wisconsin.