Putting the barn before the house women and family farming in early twentieth century new york by grey osterud by grey osterud review january 2013 american studies 523121 122. In this fascinating book grey osterud delves into the lives of two dozen women from the nanticoke valley in new york to explore womens role in farming and com we use cookies to enhance your experience on our websiteby continuing to use our website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Download citation putting the barn before the house women and family farming in early twentieth century new york by grey osterud review building on her 1991 book bonds of community the . Putting the barn before the house succeeds on several levels it successfully uses oral history interviews as evidence for a historical argument and it argues. In putting the barn before the house which osterud describes as the sequel to bonds of community she carries the story of nanticoke valley farmers into the twentieth century using the same exhaustive research and careful analysis osterud demonstrates that in nanticoke valley farm families maintained flexible gender roles and strong mutual aid networks as well as a culture of mutuality well into the twentieth century men and women agreed that putting the barn before the house was