Squires Corn to Whiskey
Squires East Place
Butler County, Iowa
As with many families, family histories and stories pass through the generations by oral tradition. Our best documented history begins in Watertown, New York of Jefferson County with Asher Squires. Asher was a farmer of Irish and English descent. He was married to an Irish girl named, Polly Priest, and they had twelve children. Around 1853 the entire Asher Squires family moved by covered wagon pulled by oxen to the Aurora, Illinois area where they farmed. After the death of Asher, some members moved to Wisconsin, while others moved west. A grandson named George “Bert” Squires moved to Iowa where he purchased the Squires family farm in 1896. The farm was purchased for $32.50 per acre and is located 2 miles west of Greene, Iowa in Butler County, Coldwater Township. It has been passed through five generations of the Squires family for 127 years.
In 1908 the Squires farm was sold to Bert’s father, Lewis Wirt Squires Sr. He also arrived in Iowa via covered wagon and team of oxen. Lewis W was married to Julia (McCarthy). It is there that they lived, farmed and raised six children.
In 1910 the Squires farm was sold to a son, Lewis Michael Squires, Jr. He had been born and raised on the farm. Lewis M married Mary Ellen “Mae” (Burke). Together they lived, farmed and raised two children, a son, Everett Francis Squires and a daughter, Ruth Squires.
In 1963 the Squires farm was bought by son, Everett Squires and wife, Florence (Smith). Everett and Florence had four children, Nancy, MaryLou, Michael and Joseph. Although they grew up on another farm location, the children were very familiar in working on this farm and spent much time there with their grandparents. The original Squires family farm was now referred to as “The East Place”.
Everett farmed with the help of Mike and Joe for many years until it was sold in 1989 to the “Squires Brothers” who continued to grow corn and beans on the 100 acre field.
In 2016 the Squires farm was transferred to Michael and Claudia (Nielsen). Since Mike’s retirement the Squires “East Place” has been leased to friends and neighbors, Todd and Barb Brinkman until the present. Mike and Claudia raised four daughters, Jennifer, Marianne, Karen and Rebecca. We grew up on another nearby farm, but we have fond memories of riding in tractors and combines with our Dad (Mike), Uncle Joe and Grandpa Everett. In the 1970s and 1980s, as youngsters we took many naps as the rumbling of the tractor engine lulled us to sleep through the acres of the field or we enjoyed eating Dad’s stash of snacks, primarily peanuts and M&Ms. As we grew older, it was a pleasant chore to bring a fresh thermos of coffee or a hot meal to the field. Jenny can remember being carried on Dad’s back through the old farmhouse before it had been torn down. We all remember the windmill standing alone in the field and being warned not to fall in the well! There were the bright orange tiger lilies that bloomed around the windmill, in the field and ditch near the driveway. No doubt they had been tended by great and great-great grandparents years ago. Over the years we have each dug up and transplanted those lilies to homes of our own. These are dear memories to us since the recent passing of both of our parents, the passing of another generation.
The idea of bringing 50 bushels of corn in the fall of 2020 (with the help of the Brinkmans) to Century Farms Distillery was to be a fun and unusual surprise for our parents. Unfortunately, they did not get a chance to enjoy this bourbon made from the rich Squires farm, but we are certain that they would have had fun sharing it with family and friends. Enjoying time spent with those we love is, after all, a most precious gift. Our father, Mike, appreciated the family history and swapping of old stories. This bourbon is sure to enhance all of the good memories of our family with a grateful nod to all of the ancestors who were stewards of the farm. How fun to imagine them sampling this family reserve bourbon from the “angel’s share” up above! The farmland has now been transferred to us sisters under the Farmer’s Daughters Century Farms LLC. We proudly named our bourbon, Farmer’s Daughters, out of love and respect to our family. Please enjoy and raise a toast to the love and success of this family farm and other farms across the beautiful state of Iowa.
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