USA > Missouri > History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 60
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supply of fire borrowed from some neighbor to rekindle that which had gone out from carelessness. On many shelves, or mantles, there stood in these days a vessel containing rolls of paper called lamp-lighters, which ·were held in the fire that blazed on the hearth, and then used to light the candle or the lamp. Other articles of the most fre- quent use, and seemingly entirely· indispen- sable, were rarely seen inside the houses of many people in this period.
The houses of the settlers were, in the early part of the period we are considering, built very largely of logs. The same house plan followed in Virginia and the Carolinas and brought westward by the American settlers was still in use. By 1850, however, there were in operation saw-mills, enabling the more enterprising of the inhabitants to con- struct frame honses and, accordingly, we find that from this time on, frame houses became more and more common. These houses built during this period, while simple in plan, and free from much ornamentation, were usually built of the quality of lumber which it is now no longer possible to secure. Timber was the cheapest commodity on the market, and where a saw-mill was available at all, it was possible to secure at a very low cost, lumber sawed from the finest and straightest of trees.
These houses, whether frame or logs, were still heated by the fire-place. There were a few stoves, for during this period the open iron stove known as the "Franklin" made its appearance in Southeast Missouri, and found favor in some places, but the great depend- ance was upon the open fire-place. The chimneys were built in some counties of stone, but in most cases they were still of what was known as the "stick and dirt" type. Brick was coming to be used for the same purposes
in places, and there were occasional brick houses being erected, though they were as yet by no means common.
The food of the people was simple, but abundant. In more remote settlements game was still to be found in very great abundance, and supplied, in considerable measure, food for the family. Wild turkey and venison, and some of the countless varieties of wild fowl, bacon, and less frequently beef, were the staple meats. Bread made from flour was used more and more extensively, but during all of this period the bread that was most commonly used by the American settlers was corn bread. There was as yet no general use of many varieties of vegetables or fruits. Orchards were planted in places, and kitchen gardens were cultivated by some, but these were the exception and not the rule. De- pendence was placed on the plainer and more substantial items of diet which we have men- tioned. These remarks, of course, do not apply to the French settlements, for they re- tained that taste and skill in cookery and the preparation of food which has always dis- tinguished the French.
The dress of the American settlers during a great part of this period was still of the home-spun cloth, such as we have described in speaking of the dress of an earlier time. Toward the close of the period, as we have indicated. there came more and more into use clothing made from cloth imported into the country. Even at this time, however, the cloths themselves were cut and made up in the home. Not many of the people wore clothes made by tailors or in great manufac- turing establishments. This was especially true of the clothing of the men. Of course in the larger towns, where something of a
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society prevailed, men of substance were ac- customed to have their clothes made in the cities by tailors, but this was by no means the usual thing in Southeast Missouri before the war. If the cloth itself were not woven in the home, it was bought and then turned into the various articles of dress. While there were many disadvantages in this situation, it had some advantages. One was the possi- bility of securing cloth that possessed un- usual wearing qualities.
The household implements were primitive in character. Cooking, during the greater part of this period, was almost universally done on the open fire. The kitchen of the house contained, instead of a range, a fire- place, and on this the women of the house cooked the food that was used. The frying- pan, the kettle, and the baking oven were the utensils used. Those who never tried the ex- perience cannot appreciate the trials of the housewife who prepared dinner for a large family in this way. It was before the day of the sewing machine, or at least the use of the machine was not common in this part of the state. Almost all sewing was done by hand. This took a great part of the time of the busy housewife, for she not only mended the clothes of the household, but also made them in the first instance.
It has been set out in other chapters that during this period there was a constant growth in schools and in church organiza- tions. While there was no such careful or- ganization of public schools as now exists, and no such opportunities offered for educa- tion as the children of the present day enjoy, still there were few communities, even in the most remote counties, where schools were not conducted for at least a part of the year, and
there were not many places where the pio- neer preacher did not penetrate, bringing with him the gospel.
The amusements were not different from those of the present period. The dance and the social party, attendance upon meeting, picnics, barbecues, were the principal gather- ings attended by both sexes. The men found amusement in shooting at a mark with the rifle, in hunting and fishing, in such humble sports as marbles and pitching horseshoes. There were also certain athletic contests, and it was no uncommon thing for the men of the neighborhood to engage in wrestling and in the jumping match. This was before the day of baseball, but the men had a game, out of which baseball probably developed, which was called "town ball."
One thing which marked the social life of the early settlers in outlying districts, and which has practically disappeared, was the unity of feeling. This was manifested in many ways. Most often it took the form of co-operative work. If a house was to be raised, or the logs on a piece of ground were to be "rolled," the work was not left to be done by the man interested, and those whom he might employ, but the neighbors on every hand gathered in to assist him. The raising of a new house was the term applied to put- ting up the logs on the ordinary log struc- ture, and setting up the rafters for the roof. This was accomplished by a collection of men who spent the day in hard work and also in pleasant companionship. The men who came for this, or other work, were often accom- panied by their wives, who, while their hus- bands were busily engaged in the field or on the new house, assisted the hostess in the preparation of the bountiful dinner which
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was one of the main features of the day. This method of work extended also to such work as wheat threshing. This feeling of the unity of the neighborhood found expression, however, not only in this work together, but also in a certain care for the interests of each individual. The man who fell sick might be at a distance from a physician, and at a very much greater distance from a trained nurse, but he was certain to have the attention and help of those who lived about bim. It was not an infrequent thing for a man who fell sick and whose crops thereby suffered to find that the kindly disposed of his neighbors had gathered together and worked his crop out for him.
This feeling, which was found in almost every neighborhood, went far toward amel- iorating the hard conditions in which men and women passed their lives. Unfortu- nately, this spirit has been lost in most com- munities in this part of the state. There exists but little trace of the friendly, neigh- borly spirit which found expression in the ways which we have mentioned. Today, the man who has extra work to do no longer looks to his neighbors and friends, but counts him- self fortunate if he is able to hire persons to work for him.
We have seen in discussing the various set- tlements that there were physicians living in many of them. In spite of this fact, how- ever, one of the great hardships endured by many people of this section of the state, was the absence of medical treatment and of the proper supply of medicines. It was not at all unusual for families to live at great dis- tances from the nearest physicians. This state of things, of course, caused much suffer- ing which might have been avoided, had it been possible to have secured a physician's
service. It resulted, however, in the study of simple diseases and the making of simple remedies in practically every home. Some member of the family had to take upon him- self the responsibility for the simple treat- ment of diseases, and the housewife usually prepared a supply of home remedies. There were certain herbs and barks that were held in high esteem for the treatment of common complaints.
In considering the situation of the people in this time, we must not forget that it was not a day of division of labor, at least not in the rural communities. There were carpen- ters and blacksmiths and other mechanics in the larger towns, but just as was the case with the physicians, people who lived in the more remote counties were compelled to dis- pense with the services of these. This resulted in the all-around knowledge and in the ability to do a great many things which distin- guished men who lived along the frontier. Since it was often impossible to secure a car- penter or a blacksmith, and since carpenter work and blacksmithing had to be done, it fell out that men who needed the work learned to do it for themselves. There are now living in Southeast Missouri many men of the older generation who could turn their hands to various kinds of work. They could build a house or a fence or construet furni- ture. They could sharpen a plow or weld a broken rod, and do many other similar things, which we are accustomed to think of as being solely within the province of the professional workman. This all-around skill which was developed from the very necessity of the case, was one of the compensations for the lack of schools and formal education. The boy in the remote community might be un- able to attend school more than a few weeks
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in the year, and the school which he attended was not equipped for doing a high grade of work, but he found in his home the stimulus for learning many useful things and the op- portunity and even necessity for practicing them. To use the carpenter's tools, or those of the blacksmith, to be able to mend harness or shoes, or to turn his hand to do a number of other things, was supposed to be a part of the boy's education and preparation for life. And it must not be forgotten in estimating character and intellectual development of the man of this period, that such a training as this not only fits the hand and the eye for the performance of their tasks, but also has its effect in developing intellect and the for- mation of character. We have sometimes mis- judged the men of other generations, and of Icsser opportunities, because we have consid- ered that the mind may be developed only by contact with books and schools. It is not true, of course, that all manner of labor has a great effect in the development of the mind, but it is true that the practice of the differ- ent trades and professions which we have mentioned, under the circumstances of pioneer life, does have a very great effect in mental growth and development. Out of the seem- ingly unfavorable conditions, the elementary condition of the schools in Southeast Mis- souri during this period, there came many men who have real breadth of intellect and force of character, and may not be unwor- thily compared to many who have had much greater advantages and much better oppor- tunities.
This life developed men of very great ini- tiative and wonderful power. It was during this period that the west attracted such great numbers of people by the discovery of gold in California. Thousands of Missourians,
some of them from the southeast, made their way to the west and took part in all the stirring scenes of that time. These men, ow- ing to their early training and the character which it had developed, made their mark in every part of the new country. The Mis- sourian became a well known character and was regarded as one of the highest types of men in the west. It is a curious and inter- esting exercise to look through the records of western life and to see how many Missourians have filled important places and played great parts in the building up of the west. All along the coast, from Canada to Mexico, are to be found Missourians and their descend- ants. The characters which were developed in them by the pioneer life in the state fitted them excellently for the work of the country.
One of the most interesting accounts hav- ing to do with this period was written by Judge Robert Goah Watson of New Madrid county. Judge Watson, who came to New Madrid very early in its history as a trader with the Indians, became one of its most prominent and influential citizens. He ac- cumulated considerable property through his trading enterprises and was a man who al- ways stood up for the best interests of his community. He wrote late in his life an ac- count setting out the experiences which he had in the new section of the country. It is an interesting bit of biography and it casts considerable light on the surroundings and life in New Madrid county.
One of the things of which he speaks with special emphasis is the existence in the early days of undesirable people. Not only were such gangs of robbers as the Mason and Mur- rell band, if not tolerated, at least allowed to continue their operations for a good many years, but there were in addition to these open and notorious outlaws, a large number
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of men who, for one reason or another, had left their homes and who had vicious and evil habits that they brought to the new coun- try. They considered themselves to be out- side of the domain of law and order and to have a license to conduct themselves as they chose. It was exceedingly difficult to reduce them to orderly living. They formed a con- siderable part of the population and by their boldness they imposed themselves upon the quieter and better class. There were many crimes committed by them, more especially the crime of counterfeiting and forgery. Judge Watson says that it became a matter of the greatest difficulty to determine whether a bill or check or a piece of money was really valuable or whether it was only a counter- feit or a forgery.
This condition of affairs lasted until the better citizens of the county determined for the safety of the county, for the sake of their good names and self protection, to rid them- selves of these undesirable persons. Accord- ingly, they banded themselves together into an organization, not unlike the later vigilance committees of California. They served notice on those who were giving trouble that they would be summarily dealt with, that they need no longer expect to be tolerated or al- lowed to continue their nefarious practices. At first it seemed that resistance would be made and that blood would flow as a result of this action. The better citizens, however. stood firm for their rights and finally those whose presence was not desired slunk away and the country was left much better off than it had been.
INDUSTRIES
During these years the principal industries in the country continued to be farming and mining. A great deal of farming land was
opened, and the products of the soil in- creased in number and value. Agriculture was studied more carefully, and the great fertility of much of the soil enabled the grow- ing of large crops. The great majority of the population were directly dependent upon the produce of the soil. This was true even in the mineral section, for while many per- sons worked at times in the mines, there was no great number, even in that district, who were not also directly interested in the culti- vation of the soil. The better lands of Sonth- east Missouri, which are to be found in the alluvial soil of the Mississippi bottoms, be- gan to be opened up during this period. The building of the levee in Pemiscot county was an evidence of the growing appreciation of value of this soil. In Butler, Stoddard, Dunklin and Mississippi counties, there were large tracts of land being put into enltiva- tion during this period. It is impossible to give any accurate statistics as to the value of the produce of the soil, for the reason that no such statistics were gathered during part of this time. It was not until the census of 1860 that the government began to make in- quiry into the occupations of men and to take account of the things which they grew or manufactured. It was long before the or- ganization of the bureau of labor or of the labor department of the state government, and no particular attention was paid to the gathering or preservation of statistics having to do with these matters. The growth of the population, however, enables us to decide that production was increasing rapidly because the country was self-supporting. It grew prac- tically everything necessary for the life of the people.
The crops were not greatly different from those that are now grown, though hardly so
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varied in character. Corn and wheat were the staples, and connected with these was the cattle growing industry. The range had not disappeared as yet, and it was still possible to raise stock profitably at very little cost. It was during this period that cotton made its appearance in the counties in the extreme southeast.
One handicap under which farmers labored was the lack of transportation facilities. Ex- cept for those situated on the river, it was a matter of the very greatest difficulty to trans- port their surplus products to market, and we may not be surprised that the growth of the country away from the river, in spite of all its natural advantages, was slow until the era of railroad construction began. A study of the statistics of population set out in the table accompanying another chapter, shows very conclusively the influence of river trans- portation in the development of the country. If these figures are compared with similar figures published in another chapter the in- fluence of railroads in the development of the interior is very plainly seen.
Farming, however, was not the only, though it was the most important, industry followed by the people of the section. There were considerable numbers of men engaged in buying and selling. More and more the people came to depend upon the imported goods, especially clothing and dry goods. During the earlier part of this period, the home was the factory where there was manu- factured all that was needed for the comfort of its members. This, however, was changed by the close of the period which we are con- sidering. The development of steamboat transportation and the consequent ease and cheapness with which goods might be trans- ported, enabled those who lived in the coun- ties bordering the river, to secure manufac-
tured goods at a fraction of their former cost, and they came more and more to be dependent upon articles so secured. This habit, or fash- ion, of using things imported from other parts of the country spread slowly but surely, to those settlements and towns lying away from the river. To supply the wants of these people there was a considerable number of 'persons engaged in merchandising. In con- trast to the settlements made prior to this period we find that one of the first houses in every town was occupied by one enterprising trader with a considerable stock of goods.
The wheat raised on these farms was cut by hand. It was before the day of farming machinery. The first implement used in wheat cutting was the sickle. This was a curved blade with handle, which was held in the right hand while the left hand grasped the heads of the wheat. These were then cut off at the top of the stalk and carried from the field. Sometimes the scythe was used, and later the cradle was invented. The cradle consisted of a long, heavy scythe blade, to which was attached a number of wooden fingers, each as long as the blade, and project- ing above it. When the wheat was cut, the cradle caught the stalks, and these were then removed by the person using the implement. The handfuls of grain thus gathered were placed together to form a bundle or sheaf. The instrument appears awkward and of little use, judging by the standards of today, but it was used for many years and harvested great crops of wheat.
The scythe was also used to cut whatever hay was grown on the farm. This, too, was work requiring time, and seems today to have been inadequate for the purpose for which it was used.
Other farming machinery and implements were of like character. The wooden plow was
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still in use in some places. The first improve- ment over the wooden plow in general use was the steel point, then the whole of the point and mold board were made of steel. Of course, the wooden implement, or even the cne with steel point was vastly inferior to the modern plow, and work accomplished by it not to compare in quality with that done today. The modern cultivator and disc har- row were as unknown as the self-binder.
The wheat which was thus harvested by land, was threshed, usually, by the flail, or by being trampled upon by cattle. After it was dry it was placed on the floor of the barn, or on a specially prepared piece of ground, and then beaten upon with sticks. in order to shatter the grains from the head. When this was done the straw was raked away, and then the wheat was winnowed. This was accomplished by taking it up iu shovels and throwing it into the air, so that the chaff was blown away by the wind.
This wheat was ground into flour at the little mills which made their appearance at a number of places in this section. Practically all of them at first were water mills, and were to be found only in those counties in the Ozarks. The people who lived in the allu- vial section were compelled to take their wheat for great distances to these mills.
Corn was ground both by water mills, such as are used for the grinding of wheat, and also at mills operated by other power, usually horse power. These horse-power mills some- times consisted of a great, flat wheel set at an angle on which horses and sometimes cattle were tied. Their walking set the wheel in motion, and this was geared to the ma- chinery of the mill. Corn was not infre- quently ground also in hand mills owned by many families.
The mining interests were large during this period though they did not develop as rap- idly as they did later. The lack of capital to provide proper machinery as well as inade- quate transportation facilities prevented the development of the region to the extent pos- sible in a later period. Some of the richest lead regions were not yet discovered. The great Flat river district was not yet devel- oped in full, and the very rich deposits at Doe Run had not yet been touched. The first furnace at Bonne Terre, afterward the site of the greatest mine in the entire south- east, was not erected until about 1856, and the production was very limited until near the close of the war, when the St. Joseph Lead Co. was organized and began to push the work of development. The older mines were still worked, but they did not produce anything like the immense quantities of lead later taken from them.
Manufacturing began to have importance toward the close of this period. Perhaps the most important manufactured product during these years was flour. Water mills were erected at various places in the counties of the upland and wheat was brought to them from all over the district to be ground. Toward the close of the period the first steam mill in the section was erected at Cape Girar- deau. During this period, also, the demand for lumber caused the building of saw mills. Previously when lumber was desired, it was sawed from the log by hand. The first saw mills were water mills or else were driven by horse power.
Another manufactured article was brick. At Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Perryville, Fredericktown, and the towns in the hills houses began to be built of brick. Clay ex- isted in many places suitable for brick-mak- ing and this industry began to develop.
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There were distilleries in places, and much whiskey was made. Tan yards were common also. Lime began to be manufactured. The manufacture of pig lead and of shot liad long been carried on in the mineral region and grew in quantity during this period.
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