Stories from the heart...
...of an Iowa Farm Boy.
...of an Iowa Farm Boy.
...of an Iowa Farm Boy.
Welcome to my Iowa winter home. Many times winter in Iowa can be beautiful as well as severe. I grew up in this house and live there still. It is the third home built on the Bancks Farm. The first being a log cabin with a small addition on the rear. Next a two story five room home with white clap board siding and a green roof. Two generations called this one home until 1949 when the house pictured was built.
The Bancks family have lived and farmed on the same ground since 1868. Great Grandfather Hans came from Germany in 1866. After 2 years, he bought the original 80 from the first owner. He moved his family to a log cabin. In subsequence years, they accumulated more land until now it encompasses 680 acres .I am the fourth generation to farm the land.
When I retired I started writing stories about my rural life. Soon some of the short stories became novels. They were the reflection of the times and trials of rural people. In rural areas, the neighbors and friends are always important. My father, Carl, always claimed a farmer could not live without his neighbors. He also taught me to treat everyone as an equal. I have tried to follow his advice.
I hope you will find my stories amusing, or heartbreaking or comforting.
They all come from the heart of an Iowa Farm Boy.