from Roe Family Tree, ancestry.com
Added by starbourne5312 on 10 Dec 2006
Tom was a big husky man who could do the work of two ordinary men. After Tom & Priscilla were married and agreement was reached that Tom would farm Samuel Schlagel's 100 acres and his own 40 acres. Samuel would get 1/3 of the produce, Tom 2/3 of the produce for his labor and the use of Samuel's machinery with repairs and maintenance costs by Samuel. It was thought that Samuel's share would retire the $10,000 debt on the farm but it didn't work out that way. Tom worked off the farm to earn more money. He worked in the oil fields, dug basements for new homes, plowed gardens and developed a stone quarry on his own 40 acres to provide foundation stones for houses. He donated the stones & labor for building the old Meridian UP Church. His farming efforts also paid off with a fine dairy herd, horses, crops and milk route where he delivered not only milk but produce from the farm to his customers. He paid off the debt on the farm by 1900 and prospered by his hard work. He was a generous man and helped out many people and enjoyed wide popularity particularly with his violin playing at community functions.
