Arts & Entertainment

A Century of Jefferson County Farm Families on DVD

Jefferson County Library debuts historical video featuring two families whose farm has been in operation for more than 100 years.

Jefferson County Century Farm Families: Experts in Their Fields is a local history program about farming in Jefferson County since World War II. The DVD features two of the county’s oldest families, the Bonakers of Cedar Hill and the Webers of Dittmer.

The Century Farm designation is bestowed by the University of Missouri Extension Service and recognizes family farms that include the original homestead and have been in continuous operation for at least 100 years, with the descendants still earning their living from farming.   

Three generations of the Stanley Bonaker and Melba Weber families were interviewed; their recollections, observations and hopes for the future are the focus of this 30-minute video program.

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Local historian Carole Goggin conducted the interviews, with additional research provided by Christine Merseal, genealogy and local history associate at the Northwest Branch of Jefferson County Library, and Dean Wilson, University of Missouri Extension --- Hillsboro. Goggin and Merseal also did the editing. Wilson narrated the film. Bonnie Droege and Goggin performed the background music. Tom Struckhoff and Matt Keeney of JCTV - Jefferson County, filmed the interviews and produced the program.

Copies of the DVD are available for purchase. Call or email Chris Merseal at the Northwest Branch Library at 636-677-8186 or cmerseal@jeffcolib.org. The cost is $10 per DVD, payable by cash or check made out to Jefferson County Library with History Video Project on the memo line. You can pick up a copy at the Northwest, Arnold or Windsor branch libraries, or for an added $2.29 postage a copy can be mailed to your home.

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The program can be previewed on the library website at http://jeffersoncountylibrary.org.

The library also has a limited supply of copies of the first History Video program, Reading, ‘Riting & Reorganization, documenting the change from the one-room schools to the modern school districts in Jefferson County. These DVDs are also available for purchase at $10 each. 

Jefferson County Century Farms is the second in a planned series of oral history programs documenting the history and development of Jefferson County after World War II. The program is a collaborative venture of Jefferson County Library, JCTV - Jefferson College, and the University of Missouri Extension Center - Hillsboro, with the assistance of other public libraries and historical societies in Jefferson County.

Major funding was provided by a Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA) grant made available through the federal Institute for Museum & Library Services, and administered by the Missouri State Library.


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