Title Page & Abstract
An Interview with Raymond J. Ackerman
Part of the Illinois State Museum’s and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Oral History of Illinois Agriculture
Interview # AIS-V-L-2008-049
Ray Ackerman, a highway engineer born on a farm in Morton, Illinois, was interviewed on the date listed below History of Illinois Agriculture project of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and the Illinois State Museum
Interview dates & location:
Date: January 19, 2007 Location: Morton, Tazewell County, Illinois
Interview Format: Digital video
Interviewer: Robert Warren, Illinois State Museum
Technical Support: Doug Carr, recording engineer
Transcription by: TapeTranscriptionCenter, Boston, MA
Edited by: Michael Maniscalco and Amy Moore, Illinois State Museum
Video Indexed by: James Oliver
Total Pages: 29 Total Time: 1 hr. + 51 minutes / 1.85
Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Archives on 11/20/2009.
Interviews are archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
© 2009 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Abstract
Raymond Ackerman, Oral History of Illinois Agriculture
#AIS-V-L-2008-049
Biographical Information / Overview of Interview: Ray Ackerman was born on January 7, 1918, on the Ackerman family farm near Morton, Illinois. He was the third of four children and lived on the farm until he went off to college in 1939. Ray attended grade school at a one-room country schoolhouse located 0.8 mile east of the farm. The road to school was paved in 1924, and Ray generally made the trip on roller skates, a scooter, a bike, or a horse. At home, Ray and his older brother Clyde helped with the chores. Ray’s jobs included milking cows by hand, gathering and tabulating chicken eggs, and, at age 12, working as a water boy for neighborhood farm crews threshing wheat, oats, and barley. The Ackerman’s used horses for planting, cultivating, and harvesting until about 1930, when they purchased a Case tractor. Ray’s father had to refinance the farm during the Great Depression (1929-1940). The family never went hungry. They adapted to the crisis by increasing the size of the dairy herd and by raising beef cattle, hogs, and chickens to supplement their cash income. Brother Clyde took over the farm when their father retired, and turned it over to his son, John, in 1983. Ray took a different path. He obtained a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Illinois, served as a Merchant Marine in World War II, and then worked as a highway engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Subject Headings/Key Words: Ackerman Farms; Centennial Farm; drainage tile; alfalfa, clover, corn, wheat, oats, barley; thresher; crop rotation; milk cows, beef cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, sheep; manure; one-room schoolhouse; Great Depression; Apostolic Church; chinch bugs; Case tractor; Ford Model T; trapping; University of Illinois; World War II; Merchant Marines; gender roles; environmental impact; family farm; 4-H.
Note to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, interviewee and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.
COPYRIGHT
The following material can be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. “Fair use” criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials are not to be deposited in other repositories, nor used for resale or commercial purposes without the authorization from the Audio-Visual Curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, 112 N. 6th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701. Telephone (217) 785-7955