USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Middleborough > History of the town of Middleboro, Massachusetts > Part 18
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In the inventory of " Peter Oliver, Esq. late of Middleborough who is fled to our enemies " we find, among other things, " one gold mourning ring, picktor of Charlotte, Two umbrillos, green Camblet Skirt, White firstin Skirt, 12 pr Linnen Stockens, Ironin Blanket, Two Cracket Bowls, Medison Case, Small Chease press, Puter Basons, One Shays Wheel," etc.
In another old inventory a " Brass Platter, a Brass Kettle," "for the use of my daughter," and " Brass Candle sticks, one bell-metal Skillet, two pairs of strong Iron Dogs, a Brass Mortar, a brass basting Ladle, a brass Chafing Dish, a true Looking Glass, a dozen Cane Chairs, Curtains and Vallurs for Bed, Tester and Camlet and Chintz Quilt," etc.
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were so cold in winter time that the huge feather-beds were very necessary, and the heating of the sheets by a warming- pan made them more comfortable.
The problem of lighting was solved in the earliest days by the use of pine knots. To avoid smoke in the room, these knots were usually burned on a flat stone in a recess made in the side of the fireplace. Ministers all over New England wrote their sermons by this light, and every family laid in a supply of "light wood " for the winter evenings. Candles at four pence apiece were considered costly luxuries, and the making of them was part of the work of every household. Bay- berry was used for the nicer ones ; for the others, grease or fat from meat was carefully stored away to be tried out into tallow. The wicks were of loosely spun hemp, tow, or cotton, sometimes of milkweed, the silk down of which was “ spun grossly into candle wicke." Two large kettles two feet in diameter, called seventy kettles, were hung over the fire on the hearth, half filled with boiling water and melted tallow, which had two scaldings and two skimmings. The candle-rods with six or eight wicks attached were dipped into the pot of melted tallow, then allowed to cool gradually, then dipped again and again until they were of the required size. Candles were after- wards made by turning the melted tallow into moulds, which were groups of metal cylinders with the wicks in the inside fastened by small wooden rods at the top and small pegs at the bottom. Later, itinerant candle-makers went from house to house, taking charge of the work, each autumn. Wax candles were made by hand by pressing pieces of heated wax about the wicks. Bees were kept for the wax as much as for the honey. Candlesticks, at first rough, grew to elegant metal standards, and later sconces, called candle arms, were an ornamental part of the house furnishings.
For many years the method of striking a light was very primitive. If the fire went out, a small boy of the family was sent to a neighbor's (it might be at some distance) for coals to relight it. The tinder-box, a necessary part of the house furnishings, was usually a small, circular box containing flint,
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steel, and a tinder of some vegetable matter ; scorched linen or cambric was the usual tinder to catch the spark. Another method of starting the fire was by flashing powder in the pan of a gun. It was not until 1827 that friction matches were made in England, and they cost twenty-five cents for eighty- four, a contrast to our time, when seventeen million can be made in a day, and the expense is trifling.
Aside from the making of candles, there was the preparing of apples for winter use. Days were spent in drying apples and peaches, making apple sauce, which was stored away in barrels, and apple butter, which was made from apples boiled down with cider.
An uninteresting, but necessary piece of work was the mak- ing of soft soap. All the refuse grease was stored through the winter as well as wood ashes from the fireplaces. Lye was first made from ashes and water in huge barrels (these barrels were frequently made from birch-trees) ; then the grease and lye were boiled together in a huge seventy kettle over the fire. It took twenty-four pounds of grease and six bushels of ashes to make one barrel of soap. A hard soap was made from bay- berry for the toilet, but the soft soap was used for the great monthly washings. For over a century, all the New England housewives allowed the family washing to accumulate for a month, and there was no weekly wash-day till a short time before the Revolution.
We treasure the spinning-wheel as an ornament and an heirloom ; it was no ornament two hundred years ago, but a practical necessity. Every spring, as soon as the ground was prepared, flax and hemp were planted as regularly as the corn and beans. In June or July they were carefully dried. To accomplish this, " pulling or spreading," or turning the flax in the sun for several days, was done by the men and boys in the Middleboro fields. Then a heavy wooden or iron comb, called a ripple comb, was fastened on a plank. With this, the flax was "rippled ; " it was drawn through the comb, thus pulling off the seeds, which were kept for the next year. The flax was tied up at the seed end in " bates" and stacked, -
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the base of the stalks spread out tent-shaped, - and then was well watered, to soften the fibres, for four or five days. It was then broken with a flax brake to separate the fibres ; on a dry, sunny day it was "scutched " or " swingled " with a block and knife to get rid of any bark. The clean fibres were made into bundles, " swingled " again, then " beetled " (i. e. pounded) until soft, then "hetcheled" or pulled through a comb or rows of fine, long wire bristles. After this wearying and dusty process, the fibres were spread and drawn to various finenesses of threads. After passing through twenty manip- ulations, the flax was at last ready for spinning on the small wheels. The spinning of two skeins of linen thread was a good day's work ; for it, a spinner was paid eight cents a day and "her keep." Is it to be wondered at that linen sheets, etc., were handed down from one generation to another and trea- sured with care ?
Flaxseed was used extensively. The flax was allowed to re- main in the ground until it grew yellow, and the seed was then made into oil. In 1640 the court of Massachusetts passed two orders, for the growth of flax and for the teaching of boys and girls to spin, and a bounty was paid for linen grown, spun, and woven here.
Deborah Sampson was one of the best-known spinners of linen and worsted. She was engaged to do the finest work at many a house, and frequently spun at the Morton, the Bourne, the Clarke, and the Sproat houses. In 1749 the fair spinsters of Boston met on the Common, and spun on a wager from sunrise to sunset. Spinning became very popular ; not to be a " spinster " was a disgrace. Neighbors frequently carried their wheels to each other's houses to work together ; classes were formed that young and old alike might learn, for each family must contain at least one skilled worker.
Preceding the Revolution, so loyal were the women all over America that homespun goods were in great demand. They agreed to wear no imported linen or woollen. Prizes for spin- ning and weaving were given. Not only was linen made into garments, but wool goods were also home-made. In "New
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England's First Fruits " is written : "Linnen fustian we are making already ; sheep are coming on for woollen cloth ; - deer, seal and moose skins are to be had plentifully which will help this way, especially for servants' clothing." As early as 1664 there were in Massachusetts about three thousand sheep. When Middleboro was resettled, sheep-raising was encour- aged, and the wool was much used. The fleeces were opened and cleansed, the coarser parts were spun into yarn, the finer were carefully prepared, tossed, and separated, then tied in bags to be "dyed in the wool." For this, indigo was in great demand, peddlers carrying it from place to place; pokeberry boiled with alum made a crimson dye, and many flowers and vegetables were used in this art of coloring.
After carding, the wool was rolled deftly, ready for spin- ning. The wool spinning was done on large wheels, the " spin- ster" standing, stepping a few steps forward and back, grace- fully guiding the threads to the motion of the wheel. The spin- ning of six skeins of yarn was considered a good day's work, and it is estimated that in do- ing that amount she must have walked backward and forward A FAMILY LOOM OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY almost twenty miles, and all that by her wheel in her own room. The work easily furnished occupation for an entire family by the firelight, one carding the wool into rolls, one spinning it into yarn, one sitting at the clock reel, one filling quills with woollen yarn for the loom, one placing new teeth in a wool card, etc. Weavers (or websters) frequently went from house to house as well as spinsters.
With the hand loom of early days, we must not forget other important industries showing the thrift of our mothers. No- thing was wasted ; old rags were carefully gathered and used to make rag carpets. The warp of these was frequently strong, coarse flax thread, while the filling was of narrow pieces of
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rags cut about half an inch wide; the different colors were sewed together in one long strip and rolled into a ball. A ball weighing a pound and a quarter would make about a yard of carpeting.
Bed coverlids of remarkable and varying design can be found in many an old attic in town. Girls were taught to knit as soon as their fingers could control the needles, -one little girl of four knit a pair of stockings. All stockings, mittens, and scarfs were made at home. As a variety, scarfs were sometimes "pegged" or crocheted. The bead purses and bags now so popular called forth all the ingenuity and skill of our early grandmothers. They had landscapes and figures ; memorial bags in black and white with purple beads had "mourning designs " of weeping willows, urns, and gravestones. Some- times mottoes or initials were wrought in.
Samplers were to be found in every family. Each girl proudly worked her name, age, and some appropriate motto on a strong, loosely woven canvas. With their love of needlework, we must not forget the patchwork quilts of varying design and color. So great was the interest in neatly sewing bits of wool, calico, or silk together that much skill was shown. Neighbors exchanged patterns of different names, such as " log cabin," "rising sun," " blue brigade," "fox and geese," "old maid's ramble," etc. When the patchwork was completed, it had to be quilted, and many a merry-making was held at these quilting- parties. The patchwork was placed on a lining, with layers of wool or cotton wadding between, and stretched on four bars of wood ten feet long, - the quilting-frame. Around this out- stretched quilt several would sit, fastening the whole together. At first, woollen pieces only were used ; calico was a later luxury, and still later silk. Netting and lace work was another industry, as well as straw braiding for hats. Lace veils were made by mothers and daughters for street wear, and the pre- paring of the bridal veil was of great interest to all.
The work of the men was largely out of doors on the farms. In the winter they made and mended their utensils by the firelight. The crops had to be gathered and stored for the
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winter, or prepared for sale and exchange. They had no white bread ; the barley, corn, and rye had to be taken to the mill to be ground. Threshing was done by huge hand flails made by the farmers. The apple crop was gathered, part dried for winter use, and part made into cider, for which Middle- boro was famous. Roads had to be cleared from one place to another in winter days, and all the farmers in the neighbor- hood joined in the " breaking out " with ploughs or sleds and oxen. Four-wheeled vehicles were but little used until after the Revolution. Before this, chaises had been used somewhat, but the usual mode of travel was by horseback.
One of the most welcome visitors was the peddler, who made at least one annual tour through the villages of the town with his various wares. As stores were few, his coming was looked for with interest, with the possibility of buying some article necessary for the home work, a jack-knife for the boys, a needle, or a pin (rare in the early days) for the industri- ous housewife. Another visitor was the tailor, a woman who helped in the dressmaking as well as in the suit-making for men and boys.
In early winter, if they did not raise the cattle and tan their leather, a family would purchase a calfskin, a "side of upper " and a side of sole leather, and a travelling shoemaker went from house to house making shoes. Calvin Dunham's name has come down as one of Middleboro's shoemakers of a few generations ago. He would bring bench and tools with him, the family would have the shoe thread on hand from the yearly spinning, and seated in a warm corner by the kitchen fire, he would make and mend the shoes for the family and neighbors who dropped in for a social evening. Hannah Reed was an- other shoemaker, noted for her energy and strength,1 her wit
1 Hannah Reed's great strength can best be illustrated by the fact that she fre- quently walked to Boston - and back the next day - to purchase leather, etc., for her work. She made "good substantial shoes, well fitting to the feet."
At one time two clerks in the store were talking, and one said, "There comes Hannah Reed. I bet you five dollars you don't dare to kiss her." He took the bet, and stepping up as she was making her purchases, kissed her. The indignant shoemaker turned, seized him by the collar and seat of his trousers, dragged him
SOCIAL CUSTOMS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 217
and cheery disposition. Another travelling workman was the wheelwright or wagon repairer. Frequently men repaired their carts from the stock of wood kept on hand, but John Paddock was sent for in case of a serious break in axle-tree or other parts of wagons and sleds.
When Franklin spent a few days here,1 he gave them many practical suggestions in their domestic economy, as he told of his "Franklin stove," of an improved water trough for horses, of the corn broom in place of the stiff old birch broom. His visit was one of the great social events, as life was not filled with the excitement and rush of modern times. Aside from the gay assemblages at Oliver Hall and a few of the larger houses, there was none of the modern so-called social life. Card playing 2 and dancing were frowned upon by some ; the old-fashioned games were enjoyed by all ; quilting-parties, husking-bees, tea parties, were the occasions of merry-making. The old singing-school should be mentioned as one of the festive gatherings for the young people. At the tea parties, the guests frequently sat in little groups. Small tables were placed near them, and the tea was passed on large trays with gingerbread, cookies, and such dainties as the housewives of Middleboro knew so well how to prepare. Neighborliness was cultivated, - women would carry their work to others' houses for sociability. Frequently they would have what was called " change work :" if two were to make soap, candles, or sew, one would spend a day helping the other. In a few days the visit would be returned. Even house-cleaning days meant social pleasure, for then they usually had a "whang," a gathering of the neighbors, and on the principle that many hands make
to the door, and pitched him out. He won his bet, but never tried that trick again.
1 See chapter containing an account of The Green.
2 In Plymouth Colony Laws, Part III, p. 250, we find : -
" Be it also Enacted, That no person in this Government, shall play at Cards, Dice, Cross and Pile, or any such unlawful Game, wherein there is Lottery, at any private house, or elsewhere in this Government on penalty of ten shillings fine, to be paid by every one that so playes, and twenty shillings by the Master or Head of a Family that shall know of and suffer such Gaming in his House or where he hath Command."
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light work, a house was soon cleaned. This sharing of burdens helped much in accomplishing a task quickly.
The dress of the early settlers was of the simplest all through the colony.1 The court forbade the purchase of woollen or silk garments with silver or gold thread or lace on them. "Cut works imbroid or needle or capps bands & rayles," ruffs and beaver hats, were forbidden. In Plymouth Colony the dress was simpler than at the Bay or at Salem. From some of the old inventories which have come down we can judge of their clothing. Leather was used, - tanned buckskin breeches and jackets for out-of-door work. Before the Revolution dress had become very showy and elegant in some parts of Massachusetts. The gay dresses worn at Oliver Hall were frequently imported, and were equal to court costumes in their elaborate trimmings. In the country places, while silks were used somewhat, there was a marked difference. The pilgrim quietness in dress had not been altogether outgrown. Mrs. Rebecca Scollay Clarke wrote of a visit to the old church at Middleboro : -
"I stood on the steps and saw the men and women come riding up - most of them on horseback; the women sitting behind the men on pillions. They dismounted at the horse block at the door. The sight was strange to me just from the city where we all walked our short distance to meeting. The women's dresses too looked very queer. They were nearly all dressed in linsey-woolsey of their own weaving. It was very handsome cloth, well pressed and glossy, almost as silk, but very different from what the Boston women wore, of foreign make and manufacture."
At about that time the calash, a curious form of bonnet with a bridle in front to prevent its shutting up, was much worn.
1 One of the early members of the Bennett family was a well-to-do farmer, who, although having more money than many of his townsmen, dressed in a simple suit of homespun made from the undyed wool of his own sheep; the buttons were of leather cut from the hide and sewed on with a stray piece of home-made cord. In this costume he stopped at one of Boston's old taverns for supper and lodgings. The landlord, fearing he might be a tramp, inquired if he had money to pay for this, at which the farmer drew from his pocket a rough piece of sheepskin, and unrolling it, took out a hundred dollars, with the remark," If this is not enough, I will send out to Middleboro and get more, so I think you will be satisfied."
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Long cloaks, or capes, called capuchins or pelisses, beautifully embroidered skirts,1 and silk petticoats with daintily draped overdresses, thin-soled shoes which necessitated the wearing of overshoes, known as " goloe shoes " 2 and " pattens," mits knit or made of kid, are in the list of women's apparel, as well as " Sad Grey Kersey Wascote, blew Apron, Greene Searge Was- cote and Linsey Woolsey petticoats, Whittle that is fringed, Jump, fine Neck Cloath," etc. In the chapter on Muttock there is a description of the gowns of some of the ladies and the elaborate costumes of the men.
When the early colonists came, they wore their hair shaved in contrast to the long hair of the cavaliers. This soon gave place to the wigs, which, uncomfortable as they must have been, lasted in fashion for a century and a half. The old men wore their hair braided in a queue, as shown in many of the old portraits in town.
Jewelry was little worn at first, -a few rings, bracelets, pins, and sleeve-buttons were seen. Watches were rare luxuries, and clumsy at that. Time was frequently kept by sun-dials in front of the houses of the wealthy, but in the simpler homes " noon marks " were the time-keepers. These marks were usu- ally small cuts made in the window frames where the sun rested at high noon.
There was a curious custom of collecting mourning rings, which were given to chief mourners at a funeral, and families of prominence all had them. They were usually of gold enam- elled in black or black and white, and ornamented with a death's-head, a coffin, a skull, or a lock of hair. Mottoes were frequently engraved, such as, "Prepare for Death," "Death Parts United Hearts," etc. So universal was this custom that
1 Fine embroidery was a source of great pride to the New England women, and in many of the old attics in Middleboro can be seen embroidered quilts, scarfs, and dresses. Miss Susan Hayes Ward has studied some of these dainty pieces, and revived the quaint stitches and designs from a bride's petticoat found in the Sampson family and from curtains in the Stetson family. These beautiful stitches, of old Persian coloring and pattern, have been restored as an important addition to the modern art work under the name of the New England stitch.
2 Thoreau calls them "glow-shoes."
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many rings can be found among the old colony heirlooms, and such was the expense entailed that a vote was passed in 1767, in Boston, "not to use any mourning rings but what are manufactured here." Other gifts usual at the time were gloves, fans, white linen scarfs, etc.1 As far back as 1633, in Samuel Fuller's will we find that his sister should have gloves worth twelve shillings; "John Jenny and Job Winslow each a paire of gloves of five shillings."
Funeral " baked meats " and drinks were an important part of the preparation on these occasions. Rum, cider, beverage, and beer were freely dispensed until a change in the cus- toms of drinking brought an end to this phase of hospitality. One old gentleman remarked, "Temperance has done for funerals."
In the earliest times it was the custom to make the coffin from the trunk of a tree. This was hollowed out, and the body placed inside, then pieces of plank were nailed on the ends. John Tomson was buried in the Nemasket cemetery in this manner. Gravestones with inscriptions cut upon them were imported from London until about 1700. Before that, the sim- ple stones without inscriptions were used if the families were unable to meet the expense of imported ones.
It was not the custom in early days to have any religious service at the burial. An address was made when Captain Jonathan Alden was buried, in Duxbury, in 1697, and this was considered a decided innovation. Not until 1720 did the custom become general.
The church bell was tolled, and the mourners walked by the side or followed the body. On the death of any one in Middle- boro, the bell at the First Church tolled the number of years of his age. Before tolling it would strike three if a child had died, six if a woman, and nine if a man.
A description of the church and its service has been given elsewhere. The sermons were long, and people frequently stood when they felt tired of sitting on the straight, wooden seats. One minister of the First Church is described as wear-
1 New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. iv, p. 33.
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ing black gloves with the fingers partly cut off, that he might the more easily turn the leaves of the Bible.
Isaac Backus, writing February 20, 1794, says, speaking of the people in the old colony of Plymouth : -
" There are very few men who are very rich, but the people are more upon a level than in most parts of our country, and the people retain many of the excellent qualities that were possessed by their fathers, and capital crimes are less known here than in many other places."
There was but little money in the inland towns of the col- ony until some time after the beginning of the last century. Payments for work and other things were usually made in pro- ducts of the farm, wood, and lumber, the prices of which were fixed by a general understanding in the community ; contracts and promissory notes were often made payable in so many pounds of pig iron. During the Revolutionary War, to supply this want of money, the Continental Congress issued paper bills to pass as a circulating medium, which, however, soon so
THE ATTIC OF THE BACKUS HOUSE
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depreciated in value as to become comparatively worthless. . This money failed to supply the want of a standard value in currency, and served merely to embarrass people in the pay- ment of taxes which had become burdensome. Under an act of the legislature in 1777, standard prices were fixed by the selectmen of the town, which continued in force for many years.
FOR THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBOROUGH
Pursuant to an act of the General Assembly of the State of Massachusetts Bay in the year of our Lord 1777 - to prevent Monopoly and oppression it is hereby Enacted By the Selectmen and Committee of Said Middleborough That from and after the 24th Day of February 1777 -that the Goods Labor and Every Neces- sary and Convenient Article of Life herein after particularly Enumerated or otherwise included Shall not in said town of Middleborough Exceed the Price hereinafter particularly Enumerated or otherwise Proportioned to Said Goods and articles mentioned or included.
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