Making Sorghum Molasses the Old Way

I am always grateful for those willing to share memories with me that give a glimpse of the past. The following story takes us back to a time when even something as simple as molasses came by hard work. Thank you, Floyd Ganus, descendant of Robert Lee Ganus and Stella Montgomery for sharing the following memory of your Grandpa and Grandma Ganus and how you learned to make sorghum molasses the old way .

Robert Lee Ganus and Stella Montgomery

"We lived about a mile west of Grandpa (Robert Lee Ganus) and Grandma’s(Stella). Across the road and about an 1/8 mile up the hill lived Uncle Floyd & Aunt Jean. They had two girls Roberta, a year older and Olivia about 3 years older. There for a spell we didn’t have a car, electricity, or a radio so our entertainment was to walk up the hill and visit them. Also, we were dependent on them to take Mother or Dad to the grocery store. I was 3 or 4 and had an older sister, Virginia, 5 years older and a brother Robert D. 2 years older.

Robert Lee Ganus and Stella Montgomery with their six children
Robert Orvil b. 1910, Floyd Otto b. 1912, Andrew Monroe b. 1917, Robert Lee Ganus,
Stella Montgomery, Ida Mae b. 1907, Stella Jane b. 1904, Mary Olivia b. 1902

"This particular place was on a sandy creek bottom and Dad (Robert O.) Decided it would be a good place to grow sweet potatoes and sugar cane. They both did pretty well and my older years I have regained my taste for sweet potatoes. The sugar cane was a big summer treat to us kids. Mother (Edith P.) Would cut a stalk, clean off the leaves, and cut away the outside stalk and give us the sweet core to eat on. The core was mushy with sugar water and thus delicious to us kids. So for that summer we had the equivalent of a candy bar for several times , a real treat since store bought candy was unknown to us.

"When early fall came Dad gathered all of the sugar cane by cutting them off at ground and stripped off the leaves. When he finished with plot, less than an acre, we had a wagon load of sugar cane. Since our transportation was a wagon drawn by a team of horse, we got up early in morning and took the trip about 2 and one-half miles west to the old black mans place to squeeze the canes for the juice. The press was a metal contraption about the size of washing machine with a pole extending from the top to the side 15 or 20 feet. He had a donkey trained to walk the circle around the press giving it power. His was a very slow walk. The old man sat on the ground next to the press and fed the stalks into the press. My brother and I found out why we were invited on this trip. We were the carriers of the sugar cane stalks from the wagon to the old man feeding them in. You had to duck under the pole to hand him the canes. The process of extracting the nectar took about 2 hours or so. Time goes fast when you are having fun- I mean working. When we left the old man kept all of the sugar cane juice and kept it for the final tasks of cooking it down into molasses.

"By the time it was ready, we had moved about a mile or so on the other side of Grandpa and Grandma’s. Also, I guess Dad got good prices for those sweet potatoes since he now owned an old pickup truck. He came in one day with several jugs of dark molasses for us. Dad loved molasses and an evening supper would often be pancakes and molasses. Us kids would beg Mom into making home made the syrup by boiling some sugar in some water and adding maple favoring. This was much better than the strong tasting molasses. With so much molasses and reluctant eaters part of the molasses turned into sugar (looked like dark brown sugar). Thank goodness!"

Times certainly have changed and I for one am grateful that when I need molasses for a recipe, I can grab a bottle from the grocery shelf .Thank you Floyd, for sharing memories from your childhood years and teaching me about the process of making sorghum molasses the old way! 

Copyright © Michelle G. Taggart 2016, All rights reserved

Remembering Robert

How well do you really know your ancestors? Were they quiet or chatty? Did they drink something special before retiring at night? Were they honest? What were their beliefs on the issues of the day? 

Robert Lee Ganus

While so much can be gleaned from governmental records, nothing quite compares to the recollections of those who actually knew them. A journal, letters, or another's remembrances can provide a unique glimpse into an individual's life that no record can provide. 

I recently connected with descendants of Robert Lee Ganus, my great grandfather's youngest brother. What a treat to find living people who knew him and were willing to share what they remember about their grandfather. Thank you Floyd Ganus, Mary Tedder and Dorothy Davis! My next few posts will be memories they have generously shared about their grandfather, Robert. 

"Robert Lee Ganus was born May 29,1870, to parents John Monroe Ganus and Olivia Rainwater in west central Georgia, Polk County. He was the youngest of six sons who lived to adult age. He lived and migrated with his parents to Colorado and then to the Creek Nation capital known as Okmulgee, a place the Creek Native Americans chose as their government resettlement since they believed no tornado would strike this town and it was adjacent to Deep Fork River.

"Robert worked for a period as a laborer, possibly as a farm hand, and saved the earnings to purchase 80 acres of farmland from Cecilia Berryhill, a relative of the Creek Native American Chief in the late 1890's. This farm was to be his livelihood and home for the remainder of his life. Initially the cash crop was cotton, but peanuts were grown later. Almost half was dedicated to a cow pasture and most of the crops were corn and head-feed for the chickens, pigs and cows. The majority of food came from a large garden. Pork was a staple since it could be saved via salt injections. A more detailed description is contained in a later description of the farm.

Robert Lee Ganus and Stella Mae Montgomery

"At the age of 30 he courted Stella Mae Montgomery, age 21. She lived with her parents two miles west and one mile south from his farm. They were married July 8, 1900. They had 8 children, 2 died as infants and 6 who lived to raise their own families. Mary Olivia (Shepperd) b. July 30, 1902: Stella Jane (Mitchel) b. February 27, 1904; Ida Mae (Shaw) b. September 27, 1907; Robert Orvil b. September 12, 1910; Floyd Otto b. April 6, 1913; Andrew Monroe b. April 14, 1917. The first born, a girl Jessie, and fourth born, a girl Lola, died as infants. These six children had 22 grandchildren. All six of these children remained close even after they started their own families. Olivia Shepherd and Ida Mae Shaw continued to return each July 8th for a family reunion after their husbands work had moved them to Texas. The other four continued to live within five miles."

Robert, Stella and their grown children

Return next week for part 2 when Floyd, Dorothy and Mary share more memories about Robert's life.  

Copyright © Michelle G. Taggart 2015, All rights reserved