Finding the Family Farmall: One Nephew’s Search for his Uncle’s Tractor

By Sam Sayeed
Published on March 1, 2010
1 / 3
The late Gennadiy S. Dudin with his 1944 Farmall Model H tractor.
The late Gennadiy S. Dudin with his 1944 Farmall Model H tractor.
2 / 3
Sam Sayeed back at the wheel of his uncle's Farmall H.
Sam Sayeed back at the wheel of his uncle's Farmall H.
3 / 3
The Dudin Farmall, home again after more than 10 years.
The Dudin Farmall, home again after more than 10 years.

My uncle, Gennadiy S. Dudin, used a 1944 Farmall Model H on 40 acres of land he homesteaded.

His farm was in the quaint and beautiful northern border town of Littlefork near International Falls, Minn. He tried to grow anything he could in the harsh northern Minnesota environment and his Farmall H was an invaluable partner. He also used it to plow fields in the summer and snow in the winter, put it to work during hay season and ran a log splitter with it. The H became an essential part of his survival in the border country.

I grew up on Long Island, N.Y., but paid annual visits to my aunt and uncle. At their home, I learned about farming, enjoyed the beauty of northern Minnesota and adopted Littlefork as my second home. One of my fondest childhood memories is of my uncle’s Farmall H. I had never been on a tractor in my life, but during a visit when I was 8, my uncle put me on his lap and put my hands on the tractor’s steering wheel. “Now you are going to learn how to drive a tractor and be a farmer,” he said.

It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. Within a few days, my uncle let me drive the tractor on my own. He taught me how to plow with it, pull discs and split wood. At the end of each day, we’d ride the tractor together through meadows and over wooded trails looking for wildlife and enjoying the sunset. I loved driving the Farmall so much that I hated to leave Minnesota at the end of my vacation.

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388