Clarence Strand's Education and Vocation

I turn now to a consideration of what I know about the life that my father lived. In comparison to what I know about the life in my mother’s parents household and farm (in part because of the account my mother wrote of my grandmother Peterson’s life history) but also because of the contacts I had with my grandmother and my aunts and uncles on the Peterson side of my family, who related occasional bits and pieces about what transpired in the early times on the Peterson farm, I know very little about my father’s life up to the time of his marriage. I have the vague impression that my grandmother tended to be somewhat protective and possessive of her two children and this may have restricted my father’s breaking away from the family household — although apparently he ventured further afield than did his brother Reuben.

In the 1910 census record he is listed as a schoolteacher (Reuben was listed as a farm hand) and this may have been the period when he taught in the country schoolhouse in the vicinity of my grandfather’s farm. The vague impression I have is that this schoolhouse was located to the south and west of the farm. It may have been called the Bliss school district. I also have the vague feeling that when my father attended the country school he went to for eight years that there was a teacher who inspired him to continue his schooling.

At any rate he decided to attend Tobin College in Fort Dodge — what the character of this school was I don’t know precisely but it probably included what would be considered high school at that time but might also have included college level instruction.


Tobin College

It must have been at Tobin College that he learned the art of bookkeeping — I don’t know where else he would have learned bookkeeping. He also may have received instruction in teaching practices since in addition to teaching in country school he was apparently the superintendent of schools in the little town of Otho in Webster Country (located south and east of Fort Dodge in the vicinity of the Des Moines River) at one time. I suppose that there might be some possibility of finding out when he did his teaching from records in Fort Dodge but I have not pursued this possibility.

Some time in his early years he was bookkeeper, and perhaps he had other duties, at the Farmers Elevator Co. in Gowrie. I don’t know when he made this change but it may have been lose to the time of his marriage. The rationale for the change is not clear since my impression us that he earned $175 per month at the elevator whereas the pay at the bank was $125 per month. My brother Vincent says that my father left the elevator because his disliked the favoritism shown at the elevator to some of the supervisory personnel.