Hayen family remembers move
In the early years of the 20th century, farmers in this area often rented land from an absentee owner. March 1 was moving day. One family moved in as another moved out. Of course, they always hoped to obtain a more productive farm.
On March 1, 1930, the Walter Hayen family made that type of a move to the farm where his parents, Edward and Henrietta Hayen and their son Charles had lived since 1906.
The U.S. Government had dug irrigation ditches in unproductive land in northern Nebraska and southern Wyoming. They were offering 80 acres of this land to veterans of World War I. Charles had served in that war, so he decided to move to Wyoming. His parents went with him.
Walter and Charles both had large trucks and belongings were loaded in these vehicles. Their parents went in the car with Willard Conyers doing the driving. Their new address would be Lyman, Nebraska, even though they lived in Wyoming, just across the state line.
They spent the first night in Ellsworth with Frank Conyers and his family. The next day they arrived at their destination of about 600 miles. The family thinks it would be interesting to know about road conditions and the speed they traveled. They are sure the roads were not the greatest. They are sure the day they left was nice and they did not experience any bad weather. Wyoming could have terrible blizzards, but not in 1930.
Without any of the current up-to-date communications, Dorothy and her two young children, Leon and Virginia, waited a week for Walter and Willard to return. Dorothy had several relatives and neighbors who helped her with the work.
Two years later, Walter, Dorothy, Leon, Virginia, and Marilyn made the trip again — in the same truck — to deliver some more things Charles needed. They brought back potatoes and beans for family and friends at home. Leon remembers that he and Virginia rode in the back of the truck on the potoates for much of the way home.
On Friday, March 1, 2002, Dorothy Hayen wanted her family to come celebrate that move made 72 years ago to their present farmstead. Attending the special observance were family members Leon and Catherine Hayen of Topeka, Virginia Downing, Marilyn Geis, John Hayen, and Max and Donna Hayen of Marion, and Carmen Parrack of Plano, Texas. Also attending were nieces and nephews Bill and Ruth Weidensaul of Augusta, Jan Hayen of Parsons, and Harold and Vivian Conyers and Bess Bass of Marion.
