Work on the farm. Bringing in the mules.

Paul Alben Paulson brings in the mules. Olivia Colony, Texas. Late 1890s.

The next set of pictures show a family working on the farm. I think these pictures are of Paul Paulson, Elina Anderson Paulson, and two of their sons, John Paulson and Paul Albin Paulson.  If so, the Paulsons must have been back in Olivia in the late 1890s and/or the early 1900s for at least short periods of time.  This would not be surprising as Elina’s parents, Anders and Bengta Swenson continued farming in Olivia Colony at least through 1900. City directory records for Davenport Iowa, show the Paulsons living in Davenport after 1895, but they moved addresses every several years. (More about that much later.)  That could be an indication that they were going back and forth between Iowa and Texas.  It is all speculation.

In this picture, young Paul Paulson (1889 to 1967) is bringing in the mules. This picture is the start of a little story.

Note that the house is board and batten (vertical boards with a narrower bat over the crack). This is typical of most of the houses that you will see in the pictures of Olivia Colony on this site.

Finally check out those mules! The only pictures of oxen – are in the pictures, one of which is identified as “during pioneer days” by the 1918 book in which it was pubished. There are a few cattle in the pictures to come, but the work is being done by mules and  transportation by horse.

More information on the Paulsons can be found in an earlier post: Paulson family information 

Identifier: negative 352