The reminiscence's narrator took his first lessons raking and binding wheat in Caleb Blodgett's wheat field near Beloit during the harvest of 1838.

The evidence

• “Beloit was my first stopping place. The harvest of 1838 coming on, I went into a wheat field near Beloit, owned by Caleb Blodget, the largest I have ever seen, embracing, I should think, from 80 to 160 acres. Hero I took my first lessons in raking and binding wheat: J.”

  1856-history-of-rock-county/04-correspondence-pioneer-letters.md, PDF p. 51 / book p. 33

  Guernsey, Orrin, and Josiah F. Willard, editors. History of Rock County, and Transactions of the Rock County Agricultural Society and Mechanics' Institute. Janesville, Wis.: William M. Doty & Brother, 1856. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871593.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources