USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Lyndeborough > The history of the town of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, Vol. II > Part 1
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
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DENNIS DONOVAN -
.
THE HISTORY OF LYNDEBOROUGH NEW HAMPSHIRE
VOL. II
F 44 L9 D6 U.Z
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE "OLDEN TIME" IN LYNDEBOROUGH.
BY J. A. WOODWARD.
If any of the farmers of the Lyndeborough of today were required to go into the largest wood-lot in town, say in March or April, and cut down trees, build themselves log-houses to shelter their families, make clearings and raise crops sufficient for maintenance during the succeeding twenty-four months, they would undoubtedly think themselves obliged to deal with a pretty hard proposition. But that is what the first settlers of Lyndeborough undertook to do in A. D. 1735-1740. Besides, the heaviest growth of wood or timber within the limits of the town now, is not to be compared with the immense trees that constitute the celebrated "original growth."
The building of some sort of house on the lands they had bought was the first task of the pioneer, and it must of a neces- sity be a log-house. Sometimes these were built by the un- aided efforts of the settler and his family, but frequently some- one who planned to settle in the neighborhood would "change work," and in that way make the labor of lifting the logs into place easier. These log-houses were often built with one end against a large boulder, this to serve as a backing for the fire- place. Jeremiah Carleton's was built that way and so was Adam Johnson's. The fire-place was usually a mammoth affair, and it needed to be to warm the loosely-constructed house. It was made of stone laid in clay, with a low, wide chimney. Bricks were not to be had at first, and they were not used to any great extent until framed houses were substituted for the rude. hut.
One could sit in the corner of these old fire-places and, look- ing up, see the stars at night. Even after bricks came into general use people still built their fire-places on a generous scale, and the chimneys likewise. Probably the last of those old chimneys to be torn down was the one in the Jonas Kidder house; Jesse Simonds had it taken down. It was 12 feet square at the base and continued at that size up through the second story, in the hall of which was a fire-place large enough to
464
HISTORY OF LYNDEBOROUGH
burn "four-foot " wood. Into these fire-places was hauled an immense back-log, and some of the houses were so arranged as to allow a horse to haul it right into the room, then a somewhat smaller fore-stick was placed, and then smaller wood placed on top, and the result was a roaring fire, that warmed every thing near it, and left the back of the room cold and draughty. Hav- ing liis house built and covered with split pine shingles, and the heartli-stone warm, the next work of the settler was to make a clearing, and get some land ready for crops.
Ususually the trees were felled one by one, but sometimes the choppers would commence on one side of a lot and chop the trees nearly off, and then one or two large trees would be felled against those, and down would go the whole lot. I have heard my grandfather tell the story of one such fall on land north of the mountain. It was not a common practice, how- ever, and was only tried when there was a "chopping bee." There was great danger to the choppers. A sudden gust of wind, or some workman chopping too far into the tree, was liable to set the "fall" going, to the great danger of those engaged in the toil. But it was said that the trees were packed imore closely together by this method, and a much better "burn " could be obtained. These fallen trees were allowed to remain until partially dry, and then came the burn. Such a mass of trunks of trees, limbs and dried foliage and twigs made a most tremendous fire, and at this day one wonders what was done to prevent it from spreading into the adjoining woods. Perhaps it did and the settlers did not care.
Of course even after the best "burn" the trunks of the immense trees and the larger limbs remained unconsumed, and then came the log-piling. As soon as enough settlers had come into the town, this part of the work was generally made the occasion of a " bee." The men and boys came with their oxen and axes, and logs were chopped into convenient lengths and hauled together and piled. It was hard, sooty work, and would not appeal to a present-day farmer as very desirable toil ; but those men are said to have had great fun and excitement in the logging " bee," and they had the satisfaction of knowing that they were lending a helping hand to a neighbor. Possibly, too, the New England rum, which was always plentifully supplied on such occasions, had something to do with the merry excite- ment. These log piles were fired, and when consumed, left an immense residue of ashes to fertilize the soil.
465
THE "OLDEN TIME "
The first crops raised were Indian corn and rye, and usually a small plot of flax. The seed must be all planted or sowed by hand, and the tools our forefathers had to use were of the most primitive kind, heavy and cumbrous. A plow was of no use whatever on account of the roots in the soil. The rye was scratched in with a three-pronged implement, and the iron in the hoes would have made a half-dozen of those of the present day. With these tools the corn was covered among the roots and stones, and it would be interesting to know how much they raised to the acre in that virgin soil. It was not until many years later that potatoes were raised to any great extent. This vegetable was slow in coming into general use as an article of food. Mrs. Chase Hadley told the writer that her husband raised two bushels one year and divided them with the neigh- bors, keeping only one-half bushel for his own family ; and that no one wanted them or ate them in those days. That must have been about the year 1800.
Hoes, axes, scythes, etc., were all made by the nearest black- smiths. The shovels were made from a riven oak plank, blade and handle all one piece, the blade concave on one side and con- vex on the other, and sometimes shod with a piece of steel. Probably there are none of these old relics in town now, but one of these shovels was kept in Sherebiah Manning's hop- house for years, and was much worn.
Sometime later a very narrow harrow with teeth top and bot- tom was used to harrow in rye on burnt ground. If the roots threw it bottom side up, the team might still go on and the har- row would do business.
When the roots had decayed to some extent, and some of the larger stone had been cleaned away, plows came into use. These plows were manufactured in the town and were the joint product of the blacksmith and the carpenter. The beam was six or seven feet long, made of oak or ash, perhaps five inches in greatest diameter, tapering toward the team and handles. The "plow irons," made by a blacksmith, were the share, the point and the wing ; the mold-board was made of wood, and on this were fastened pieces of steel or sheet-iron to prevent the furrow from wearing it away. About forty years ago one of these old plows was in existence and was used in repairing the highway in District No. I. It had pieces of old saw plate fast- ened to the mold-board. The handles were very low, but it was said to do better work than the more modern plows; and
466
HISTORY OF LYNDEBOROUGH
it may be added it took more team to draw it. In the process of time the land was cleared of stone, and the miles of wall were built, wheat and oats and potatoes were raised, hop fields were planted (this last industry to be abandoned when the Western States began to raise hops), and the fields of Lynde- borough practically as they are to-day, were evolved. The sin- gle and double walls in town show what was taken from the soil besides crops, and the muscular energy the fathers ex- pended in wresting smooth fields from the forest.
How long the log-cabin period in the history of Lynde- borough continued there are no traditions to tell. They were rough, uncomfortable habitations at the best, and generally con- tained one room and a small loft, this last reached by a ladder. A hole dug under the hut and reached by a trap-door in the floor, served as a cellar. During the severe winters common to the climate the occupants must have suffered much from the cold, in spite of all contrivances, such as hanging bed-quilts around the fire-place, and the use of the " settle," with its high back. These low houses must have been nearly buried in the deep snow, but doubtless this was a blessing, as it made the interiors all the warmer. Green wood was burned, and this had to be dug out of the snow. None was ever housed in those days, and, in fact, a generation or two passed before woodsheds became common. When the boys got chilly they were sent to the woodpile to ply the axe until they were thoroughly warmed.
It is probable that as soon as saw-mills were established and boards could be obtained, the settlers began to build framed houses. These at first were invariably of one story. The frame was made of hewn timber, much of it seven and eight inches square, almost strong enough to have supported a modern "sky-scraper."
Carpenters always worked by "scribe " rule in those days in framing a building, either house or barn. Square rule did not come into use for almost a hundred years later.
These new houses were loosely-constructed affairs, and it was necessary to retain the generous fire-place, to which was added the brick oven. Then, as the people grew prosperous and forehanded, they began to build the more pretentious two- storied houses.
Nails were very scarce and hard to obtain, and some of the houses had the boarding fastened to the frame with wooden pins. The older part of the house on the old "town farm " has
467
THE "OLDEN TIME"
the boards fastened in this way. The pins are of oak, about three inches long and perhaps three-eighths of an inch square at the head, tapering to a point. This part of the house was built by Eleazer Woodward just previous to the Revolutionary War. Nehemiah Boutwell made nails for years, and many of the houses in town were built with them.
David Stratton built the seventh framed house in Lynde- borough. Such is the tradition, but tradition is silent about the preceding six. The site of Stratton's house was about twenty rods south of where Fred Holt lives.
Much has been written about ambitious youth studying by the light of the open fire or by the aid of pitch pine splints, doubtless all true; but it is also doubtless true that those first settlers went to bed as a rule almost as soon as it was "dark under the table." They had few books, no newspapers, and the out-of-door life, with its vigorous muscular labor in clear- ing the land, would be likely to promote a drowsy feeling, come night. But if they were inclined to sit up late, the light of the open fire or of a pitch pine torch was all they had at first. There were rude lamps in existence at that day, but they had 110 means to provide the oil to burn in them. But as they began to have herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, candles came into use, and the making of the year's supply of "tallow dips " was quite an event in the household economy.
Peeled willow sticks about eighteen inches long, and a little less than a half-inch in diameter were provided, and on these were looped six strands of candle wicking of the length of the required "dip." These were placed about a couple of inches apart on the stick. Two small poles were then placed on some support, generally two chairs. These poles were long enough to hold some dozens of candles and were laid far enough apart to allow the candles to hang between. A large kettle of tallow was then melted, and when all was ready, these wicks were dipped in the hot tallow. In withdrawing them of course they stuck together more or less, and then a finger was used to separate them, and the stick was placed on the poles to cool. By the time the last stickful was dipped, the tallow on the first had hardened sufficiently to allow of its being dipped again, and so the process was continued, the candles growing in size, until they were large enough. Usually enough were made at a time to last a year.
Later, candle-molds came into common use. These were tin
468
HISTORY OF LYNDEBOROUGH
molds of the size and shape of a candle, fastened together in groups of a dozen. The wicking was drawn through them and secured by a knot at the bottom. Melted tallow was poured into them and allowed to cool. These candles, it was claimed, were not as good as "dips," being more inclined to run. Although there were "snuffers " in every household, it was a common practice to snuff the candle with the fingers, and it was quite a trick to do it without burning the fingers or putting the candle out. By holding the candle between the eyes and the book or paper, (and incidentally catching the falling grease in one's lap) one could read quite comfortably by its use.
Whale oil lamps were used to some extent in the early days, but they were smoky things and only those who were considered opulent could afford them. Camphene, a highly explosive oil or liquid, was also used for illuminating purposes but was rather dangerous.
In the decade between 1850 and 1860 kerosene oil became the common light, and has continued with many improvements in lamps to the present day.
The writer's father bought the first of this oil in 1858, paying twenty-five cents per quart therefor.
The clothing of the pioneers of Lyndeborough was all home- made, home-spun and woven in a rough loom set up in the kitchen, usually. Wool was not very plenty at first, and about the first crop raised was a patch of flax. This was pulled at the proper time and laid out to rot, as it was termed, then it was cleaned of its seed, and broken with what was called a " flax breaker," a machine which required considerable muscle to operate. Next it was swingled to clean out the coarser parts, combed to get rid of the tow and then was ready to be spun on the "little wheel." Sheets, pillow-cases, towels, and women's dresses, together with 'shirts for the men, were made from it. The boys had to wear a product made from the tow, coarse and rough.
Some of this linen was figured, and compares very favorably with the linen of to-day. Mrs. E. C. Curtis has some of the table linen made by her grandmother from flax raised on the old homestead in Johnson's Corner. It was spun and woven in the old house on that farm, a house in which was no plaster- ing and no paint. That such fabrics could have been made with the rude looms of the times, almost passes belief. They are as fine in texture and figure as those of the present day.
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THE "OLDEN TIME "
Some of the designs were called the "American Beauty," "Orange Quarter," etc. Mrs. Curtis also has some towels made by her great-great-grandmother, more than a hundred and fifty years ago, which show artistic design in figure.
All the girls were brought up to card and spin and weave and knit. Forty-two knots of filling, or six skeins, or thirty-five knots of warp, or five skeins, was a day's work of either kind, and fifty cents per week and board was the pay when working out.
Mrs. Asher Curtis, senior, used to milk two cows for an addi- tional compensation of eight cents.
As the sheep increased in numbers, the carding, spinning, and weaving of woolen fabrics was added to the home indus- tries of the forefathers. The hum of the " big wheel " mingled with that of the " little " or flax wheel, and then came the era of the " striped frock," a garment made of wool, belted at the waist, and worn almost universally by the men of two or three generations. It was warm and comfortable and was almost the only outside garment many had. It was worn "to mill and to meeting " and retained its popularity until comparatively recent years. John Richardson was about the last man in the "mid- dle of the town " to give it up. The well-to-do and the poor alike wore them.
Sometimes cotton filling was obtained from the lower towns, and bedspreads and other articles were made of cotton and wool, or with a flax warp made into a coarser fabric for common wear.
Girls made their own wedding outfits in those days, carding and spinning and weaving the wool for blankets, and using their utmost skill in the fineness and the design of linen fabrics. Generally the quantity of table linen, towels, blankets, bed- spreads, etc., was enough to last the bride through her married life, for the goods she made wore like iron. The maidens were very proud of their skill, and were not bashful in showing the results of their handiwork. Frequently the all-wool cloth in- tended for best wear was fulled at some nearby mill and a nap made on it. Joshua Sargent operated just such a mill in town for many years. When the fabrics were dyed the fashionable color was blue, and the aroma of the old dye pot with its bag of indigo was in every kitchen at times.
Of underclothing the men had none, nor indeed wanted any. Mrs. Asher Curtis, mother of Mrs. Betsey Ann Curtis, solici-
470
HISTORY OF LYNDEBOROUGH
tous for her husband's comfort once made him a pair of good, warm, woolen drawers, and one cold morning persuaded him to wear them. Such an experience was new to him, but he started for the wood-lot with thein on. He had loaded his wood and started for market, walking beside his oxen, and he found the drawers uncomfortably warm, so he mounted the load, and in a biting wind with the thermometer below zero, discarded the underwear and never could be persuaded to wear any again.
There has been much speculation in these later days, as to how our present winters compare in severity with those of the "olden time." In connection therewith the following record kept by some member of the Goodrich family and found by John H. Goodrich among the family papers will be of great interest. It gives the number of snow-falls, total depth of snow- fall, number of rains, and time of apple-blossoming for twenty- three years, commencing with 1830.
No. of
Total depth No. of of snow
Time of
Years snow falls
rains apple blossoming
1830
49
6-4
66
May I
1831
55
6-3
82
.
May 14
1832
54
IO
81
May 28
1833
51
6-10
94
May 6
1834
53
10-9
103
May 19
1835
68
7
98
May 27
June 21. A little frosty Aug. 4. A little frosty
1837
71
8-9
90
June I
1838
60
4-5
98
May 26
1839
67
5-9
113
May 16
184
58
10-51/2
83
May 17
June 2. Frost to kill
.
1843
66
13-6
94
May 20
1844
53
8-7
109
May 15
1845
75
IO
124
May 15
1846
75
6-6
103
May 9
June 13. A frost
1847
67
7-6
II7
May II
June 15. A fall of snow
1848
53
7-6
I20
May 17
June I. A fall of snow
1849
69
7
91
May 10
1850
70
II
98
June 4
June 5 and 12. Corn killed
1851
49
6-10
II5
May 22
1852
78
13-6
83
May 25
1853
72
6-11/2
May 19
May 22 Frost to kill apple buds and corn
1836
58
9
79
May 18
June 23. Quite a frost
1841
51
12-7
III
May 27
1842
72
7-6
123
May 18
June 2. A flight of snow June 2. A frost to kill June 12. Corn killed
In the matter of footwear the earliest settlers in town wore . Indian moccasins in the winter, and during warm weather men and women, old and young, went barefoot when at home. As soon as they began to slaughter cattle and tan yards were estab-
471
THE "OLDEN TIME"
lished, the hides were sent to the tanners to be made into leather, some of which was sold, and some was brought home to be in readiness for the shoemaker to make up into boots and shoes for the family. The shoemaker travelled from house to house with his kit of tools, and as much footwear was made up as was thought would last the whole family a year. The women's shoes were coarse and heavy like the men's, and it was not until nearly a century after the first settlement of the town that soft and shapely shoes were made for the gentler sex. Oh ! those old long-legged, cowhide boots ! Men and boys had to wear them. One pair was supposed to last for a year, with the help of the cobbler. Stiff and hard at the best, the snow and cold of winter made it almost impossible to get them off the feet. And the old boot-jack hanging from its appointed peg-how many generations wrestled with that! Sometimes the father's or brother's assistance was invoked, and turning his back to the patient, he would take the foot between his legs, and grasping the boot with both hands, either pull it off or the other fellow out of his chair.
A pot of tallow was kept to grease the boots to make them impervious to water and to soften them somewhat. This worked well when the boots were warm, but when they became cold it made them stiff as boards. After a time long-legged calf-skin boots, sometimes with red leather tops, began to be worn. These were considered very genteel, and as they were rarely worn except to church, they lasted for a long time. One of the deacons in town used to show a pair he had worn for twenty-five years, and they were in pretty fair condition.
In many of the houses there was a " cobbler's bench," and some member of the family could do the repairing, so the boots were patched and tapped almost as long as the leather would hold together.
Among the few blessings of the early settlers was a good appetite. They were valiant trenchermen, and numberless tradi- tions have come down to us of the culinary art of the " olden® time." But the truth is, the diet of the first-comers was scanty and plain. All cooking had to be done by the open fire, and this continued until 1835 or 1840, when cook-stoves were intro- duced. Thus, for a hundred years from the time John Cram made his "beginning," the cooks roasted and boiled and baked over the coals in the fire-place. And this in more senses than one.
472
HISTORY OF LYNDEBOROUGH
The woods abounded in game and the streams with fish, and probably people did not go hungry; but it is a curious fact that our ancestors in this town looked with disfavor on those who spent much time in hunting and fishing, and many sayings de- rogatory to the man or boy who went strolling around with rod or gun have come down to us. They considered it a sinful waste of time. Doubtless they were compelled to make use of the fish and game, but they much preferred domestic meat. As soon as they could raise and fatten swine, and the flocks and herds incresed, they seldom made use of the creatures of the forest. Of course there were exceptions to this rule, and there are traditions of Lyndeborough men who were mighty hunters in their day.
It is said that in the earlier cabins there was a wooden lug- pole extending over the fire and fastened to the side of the chim- ney. If this should happen to burn off, it was replaced by a new one. On this were hung the pots and kettles, and the housewife used a strong stick to lift them on and off, running a great risk of setting her clothing afire in doing so. But when these log cabins were discarded for the more comfortable framed houses, and more substantial brick chimneys were built, an iron crane extending over the fire, and hung at the side of the fire- place so that it could be swung out from the fire, was devised and was a great convenience. On it the kettles could be ex- amined or taken off with little risk of burns. Cranes continued to be used until cook stoves came, and the old fire-places were bricked up and the hearth-stones became cold. As soon as the settlers could raise corn and rye, brown, or rye and Indian bread, as it was called, was the only bread used. This was not " steamed," as now-a-days, but was baked in large loaves be- fore the fire or in the brick oven, and of course there was much hard crust. This crust, softened with warm water, a little mo- lasses and a little milk being added, made a common and favor- ite supper dish. For many years wheat flour was not to be had, and when it first did come in use it was so costly that it was considered a luxury which only the rich could afford. Seven pounds was thought to be an ample supply for a year in most families. It was bought in seven, fourteen and twenty-eight- pound lots. When a youth, Mr. E. C. Curtis worked for a man in the haying season who had bought a supply to last through that time, and when the hay was all cut and stored, returned to the store all that remained of the flour. Eli Curtis was the first
473
THE "OLDEN TIME"
one in town to purchase a whole barrel of flour, other than the store-keepers, and the Widow Cressy was the second.
Broths and stews and bean porridge were common articles of diet. Bean porridge was made in quantities to last the family a week or two, as bean porridge was "best when nine days old." Occasionally a veal calf would be killed, and part of the meat loaned to the neighbors, to be returned when they in turn should kill one. Salted meats and salted codfish were the main- stay during the year, and one definition of a fore-handed farmer in those days was one who always had " pork in the barrel and corn in the chamber." Naturally, there was always a craving for " fresh meat," and the settlers looked forward to pig-killing time with lively anticipation of juicy " spare-rib " and "chine " of fresh pork.
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