Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 8

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930

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Subsistence by Hunting .- This was an im- portant part of the employment of the early settlers of this country. For some years the woods supplied them with the greater amount of their subsistence, and with regard to some families at certain times, the whole of it; for it was no uncommon thing for families to live several months without a mouthful of bread. It frequently happened that there was no breakfast until it was obtained from the woods. Furs and peltry were the people's money. They had nothing else to give in ex- change for rifles, salt and iron, on the other side of the mountains.

The fall and early part of the winter was the season for hunting the deer, and the whole of the winter, including part of the spring, for bears and fur skinned animals. It was a cus- tomary saying that fur is good during every month in the name of which the letter r oc- curs.

As soon as the leaves were pretty well down and the weather became rainy, accompanied by light snows, men, after acting the part of husbandmen so far as the state of warfare per- mitted them to do so, began to feel that they were hunters. They became uneasy at home. Everything about them became dis- agreeable. The house was too warm, the feather bed too soft, and even the good wife was not thought for the time being a proper companion. The minds of the hunters were ' wholly occupied with the camp and chase. They often got up early in the morning at this season, walked hastily out and looked anx- iously to the woods and snuffed the autumnal

into the house and cast a quick and attentive look at the rifle, which was always suspended to a joist by a couple of buck's horns, or little forks. The hunting dog, understanding the intentions of his master, would wag his tail and by every blandishment in his power express his readiness to accompany him to the woods.

A day was soon appointed for the march of the little cavalcade to the camp. Two or three horses furnished with packsaddles were loaded with flour, Indian meal, blankets and everything else requisite for the use of the hunter.

A hunting camp, or what was called a half- faced cabin, was of the following form: the back part of it was sometimes a large log; at the distance of eight or ten feet from this two stakes were set in the ground a few inches apart, and at the distance of eight or ten feet from these two more, to receive the ends of the poles for the sides of the camp. The whole slope of the roof was from the front to the back. The covering was made of slabs, skins or blankets, or, if in the spring of the year, the bark of hickory or ash trees. The front was left entirely open. The fire was built directly before this opening. The cracks between the logs were filled with moss. Dry leaves served for a bedding. It is thus that a couple of men, in a few hours, will con- struct for themselves a temporary but toler- ably comfortable defense from the inclemen- cies of the weather. The beaver, otter, musk- rat and squirrel are scarcely their equals in dispatch in fabricating for themselves a covert from the tempest ! A little more pains would have made a hunting camp a defense against the Indians. A cabin ten feet square, bullet proof and furnished with portholes, would have enabled two or three hunters to hold twenty Indians at bay for any length of timo. But this precaution was never attended to; hence the hunters were often surprised and killed in their camps.

The site for the camp was selected with all the sagacity of the woodsmen, so as to have it sheltered by the surrounding hills from every wind, but more especially from those of the north and west.

Hunting was not a mere ramble in pursuit of game, in which there was nothing of skill and calculation : on the contrary the hunter, before he set out in the morning, was informed by the state of the weather in what situation he might reasonably expect to meet with his game; whether on the bottoms, sides or tops

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

of the hills. In stormy weather the deer al- of piety; others said that whenever they ways seek the most sheltered places, and the hunted on Sunday they were sure to have bad leeward sides of the hills. In rainy weather, luck all the rest of the week. in which there is not much wind, they keep in the open woods on the highest ground.

In every situation it was requisite for the hunter to ascertain the course of the wind, so as to get the leeward of the game. This he effected by putting his finger in his mouth and holding it there until it became warm, then holding it above his head; the side which first becomes cold shows which way the wind blows.

As it was requisite, too, for the hunter to know the cardinal points, he had only to ob- serve the trees to ascertain them. The bark of an aged tree is thicker and much rougher on the north than on the south side. The same thing may be said of the moss, it is much thicker and stronger on the north than on the south sides of the trees.

The whole business of the hunter consists of a succession of intrigues. From morning till night he was on the alert to gain the wind of his game, and approach it without being discovered. If he succeeded in killing a deer, he skinned it and hung it up out of the reach of the wolves, and immediately resumed the chase till the close of the evening when he bent his course towards his camp; when arrived there he kindled up his fire, and together with his fellow hunter cooked his supper. The sup- per finished, the adventures of the day fur- nished the tales for the evening. The spike buck, the two and three pronged buck, the doe and barren doe, figured through their anec- dotes with great advantage. It would seem that after hunting awhile on the same ground the hunters became acquainted with nearly all of the gangs of deer within their range, so as to know each flock of them when they saw them. Often some old buck, by the means of his superior sagacity and watchfulness, saved his little gang from the hunter's skill by giving timely notice of his approach. The cunning of the hunter and that of the old buek were staked against each other, and it frequently happened that at the conclusion of the hunting season the old fellow was left free, uninjured tenant of his forest; but if his rival succeeded in bringing him down, the victory was followed by no small amount of boasting on the part of the conqueror.

When the weather was not suitable for hunting, the skins and carcasses of the game were brought in and disposed of.

HOUSEHOLD MANUFACTURES

Nearly all the clothing of the early settlers was made from cloth of home manufacture. Long after the country had passed into its pio- neer state, the women carded, spun, wove, colored and fulled the fabric, and when this was done they made the clothing without the aid of tailors or fashion plates. When more spinning was to be done than the wife could do in addition to her ordinary housework, and where the daughters were too young to help, spinsters were employed to come into the families to spin flax in the winter season and wool in the summer. The price usually paid these spinsters was a shilling a day, a day's work ending at early bedtime. Some will be surprised when told that many of these women had money to show at the year's end. It was the custom, to some extent, to count a certain number of "runs" as a day's work. This had a tendency to accelerate the motion of the wheel and lessen the hours of labor. The spinning exercise is one which the young women of modern times have never enjoyed. The wheel used for spinning flax was called the "little wheel," to distinguish it from the "big wheel," used for spinning wool. These "stringed instruments" fur- nished the principal music of the family, and were operated by our mothers and grandmoth- ers with great skill attained without expense, and with far less practice than is necessary for our modern dames to acquire a skillful use of the elegant and costly instruments. They were indispensable household articles, and were to be found in nearly every family. The loom was not less necessary than the wheel. There were many houses, however, in which there was none. But there were always those who, besides doing their own weaving, did some for others. Woolen cloth was made in the home. There being at first no carding machines, wool was carded and made into short rolls with hand cards. These rolls were spun on the "big wheel," which is still to be seen in some of the houses of the old families, be- ing occasionally used for spinning and twist- ing cotton yarn. It was turned by hand and with a velocity to give it sufficient momentum to enable the nimble mother, by her backward step, to draw out a twist and thread nearly used for both linen and woolen. A cloth

Many of the hunters rested from their la- the length of the cabin. The same loom was bors on the Sabbath day, some from a motive

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

was sometimes called linsey or linsey-woolsey, subsequently got the hides of their slaughtered the warp being linen and the filling woolen. cattle tanned "on shares," or if their share was insufficient to shoe the whole family, for the tanning and dressing other means of pay- ment was provided. Then there was in the neighborhood a circulating shoemaker, who made his yearly autumnal circuit with his "kit." The children had a happy time dur- ing his sojourn, which lasted one, two or more weeks, according to the number of feet to be shod. The boys, who had doffed their old shoes when the winter snows had scarcely dis- appeared to enjoy the luxury of going bare- foot, were now no less joyful in the anticipa- tion of new ones to protect their feet from the frost or early snows. In the early part of the century Archibald Matthew, a cloth dresser by trade, came to East Wheatfield township. Wool for men's garments was then generally sent to him to be fulled and dressed, if the parties lived within a convenient distance. He in a short time (date unknown) built a small woolen mill and carding machine. Much dyeing was done in the family. Butternuts were used to make brown, peach leaves for yellow, and myrtle for a red shade. Woolen was also made and worn by the mothers and daughters. Flannel for women's wear, after dyestuffs were to be had, was dyed such colors as the wearer fancied. It was sometimes a plaid Large boys and girls, when leather was scarce and dear, were known to go barefoot the greater part of the year. It was not a rare thing to see girls, as well as boys, not in the poor families, at Sunday meetings with feet unshod. Some made shoes for themselves and families. Boots were little worn even by men except in winter season. Men's boots and shoes were usually made of coarse leather, called cowhide. Occasionally a young man attained the enviable distinction of appear- ing in a pair of calfskin boots, made by a skilled workman. Boots and shoes for both feet were made on one last. In those days, rights and lefts were not known. In this de- partment of dress, as in others, in respect to style and cost, the past and the present ex- hibit a remarkable contrast. made of yarns of various colors, home-dyed. To improve their appearance, these flannels were sent to a cloth dresser (after such a me- chanic had come into the country), for a slight dressing. Dyewoods and dyestuffs formed no small part of the early merchant's stock. Barrels of chips, Nicaragua, logwood and other woods, kegs of madder, alum, cop- peras, vitriol, indigo, etc., formed a large part of the teamster's loading for the storekeeper. Many can yet remember the old dyetub, stand- ing in the chimney corner, covered with a board and used as a seat for children, when the stools or homemade chairs were wanted for visitors. Nearly all the coats, "wam- muses," pants, etc., were made of homespun goods. When a young man appeared in a suit of "boughten" cloth, he was an object of envy to his associates.

For many years, few except merchants, lawyers, doctors and some village mechanics wore cloth that had not passed through the hands of the country cloth dresser. Hence the early merchants kept small stocks of broadcloths.

EARLY COOKING

To witness the several processes in cooking in pioneer times would likely surprise and amuse those who have grown up since cook- stoves came into use. The first thing to at- tract attention was the wide fireplace. Ket- tles were hung over the fire to a stout pole, sometimes called lug-pole, the ends of which were fastened on the sides of the chimney at such height as to be safe from ignition from the heat or sparks. The kettles were sus- pended from trammels, which were pieces of iron rods with a hook ,on each end. The longest one reached nearly down to the fire. and with one or more shorter ones, a kettle was brought to the proper height above the fire. For the want of iron, wooden hooks were sometimes used for trammels, which being directly above the kettles, were safe from fire.

There were also tailoresses who came into families to make up men's and boy's winter clothing. The cutting was done by the vil- lage tailor, if a village was near. Bad fits, which were not uncommon, were generally charged to the cutter. Hence the custom of tailors, when advertising, "cutting done on short notice and warranted to fit," to append the over-prudent proviso, if properly made up. These same tailoresses charged for their work two shillings per day. This was thought, by some, a little exorbitant, as the usual price of help at housework was but six shillings per week, Sundays not excepted. For a while the pioneers wore moccasins, and then boots and The long-handled frying pan became a com- shoes were made of tanned leather. Farmers mon cooking utensil. It was held over the

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

fire by hand; but to save time the handle was laid on a box or back of a chair, the pan rest- ing on the fire, while the cook was setting the table. The pan was also used for baking shortcakes. It was placed before the fire, leaning slightly backward, with coals under and back of it to bake the under side. A more convenient one was the castiron, three- legged, short-handled spider, which was set over the coals on the hearth for frying meat. The legs were of such length and so adjusted that, when used for baking cakes and bread, by turning it towards the fire to the proper slope, handle upwards, it kept its position.

An early mode of baking corn bread, was to put the dough on a smooth board, about two feet long and eight inches wide, placed on the hearth in . a slanting position before the fire. When the upper side was baked, the bread was turned over for baking the other side. When lard was plentiful, the bread was shortened and called johnnycake. But a better article for baking bread than either the pan or spider was the castiron bake- kettle, in some places called "dutch oven," with lugs and a closely fitted cover. Stand- ing on the hearth with coals under and over it, bread and biscuit were nicely baked. Bread for large families was, in after years, usually baked in large outdoor ovens built of brick or fireproof stone. Turkey and spareribs were roasted before the fire, sus- pended by a string, a dish or a pan being placed underneath to catch the drippings. Some of the inconveniences in cooking in these open fireplaces can be readily imagined. Women's hair was singed, their hands were blistered and their dresses scorched. A frame house with jamb fireplaces, in a measure re- lieved the pioneer housewives. In one of the jambs was fixed an iron crane which could be drawn forward when kettles were to be put on or taken off. The invention of cookstoves began a new era in cooking; and some averse to the innovation intimated a desire to return to the "old way," which will hereafter be known only to history.

AN EARLY WEDDING

For a long time after the first settlement of this country the inhabitants in general married young. There was no distinction of rank and very little of fortune. On these accounts the first impression of love resulted in marriage; and a family establishment cost but a little labor and nothing else. A descrip-

tion of a wedding from the beginning to the end will serve to show the manners of our forefathers and mark the grade of civilization which has succeeded to their rude state of society in the course of a few years.

In the first years of the settlement of this county a wedding engaged the attention of the whole neighborhood; and the frolic was anticipated by old and young with eager expectation. This is not to be wondered at, when it is told that a wedding was almost the only gathering which was not accompanied with the labor of reaping, log rolling, build- ing a cabin, or planning some scout or cam- paign.

In the morning of the wedding day the groom and his attendants assembled at the house of his father for the purpose of reach- ing the mansion of his bride by noon, which was the usual time for celebrating the nup- tials, which for certain must take place before dinner.

Let the reader imagine an assemblage of people without a store, tailor or mantuamaker within a hundred miles; and an assemblage of horses without a blacksmith or saddler within an equal distance. The gentlemen dressed in shoepacks, moccasins, leather breeches, leg- gins, linsey hunting shirts, and all home- made. The ladies dressed in linsey petticoats and linsey or linen bedgowns, coarse shoes, stockings, handkerchiefs and buckskin gloves, if any. If there were any buckles, rings, but- tons, or ruffles, they were the relics of old times, family pieces from parents or grand- parents. The horses were caparisoned with old saddles, old bridles or halters, and pack- saddles, with a bag or blanket thrown over them; a rope or string as often constituted the girth as a piece of leather.

The march, in double file, was often inter- rupted by the narrowness and obstructions of our horse paths, as they were called, for we had no roads; and these difficulties were often increased, sometimes by the good and sometimes by the ill will of neighbors, by felling trees and tying grape vines across the way. Sometimes an ambuscade was formed by the wayside, and an unexpected discharge of several guns took place, so as to cover the wedding company with smoke. Let the reader imagine the scene which followed this dis- charge; the sudden spring of the horses, the shrieks of the girls, and the chivalrie bustle of their partners to save them from falling. Sometimes, in spite of all that could be done

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

to prevent it, some were thrown to the ground. If a wrist, elbow or ankle happened to be sprained it was tied with a handkerchief, and little more was thought or said about it.

Another ceremony commonly took place before the party reached the house of the bride, after the practice of making whiskey began, which was at an early period. When the party were about a mile from the place of their destination, two young men would single out to run for the bottle; the worse the path, the more logs, brush and deep hol- lows the better, as these obstacles afforded an opportunity for the greater display of intre- pidity and horsemanship. The English fox chase, in point of danger to the riders and their horses, is nothing to this race for the bottle. The start was announced by an In- dian yell; logs, brush, muddy hollows, hill and glen, were speedily passed by the rival ponies. The bottle was always filled for the occasion, so that there was no need for judges ; for the first who reached the door was pre- sented the prize, with which he returned in triumph to the company. On approaching them he announced his victory over his rival by a shrill whoop. At the head of the troop, he gave the bottle first to the groom and his attendants, and then to each pair in succes- sion to the rear of the line, giving each a dram; and then, putting the bottle in the bosom of his hunting shirt, took his station in the company.

The ceremony of the marriage preceded the dinner, which was a substantial back- woods feast of beef, pork, fowls, and some- times venison and bear meat roasted and boiled, with plenty of potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables. During the dinner the greatest hilarity always prevailed; although the table might be a large slab of timber, hewed out with a broadaxe, supported by four sticks set in auger holes, and the furnish- ings some old pewter dishes and plates, the rest wooden bowls and trenchers. A few pewter spoons, much battered about the edges, were to be seen at some tables; the rest were made of horns. If knives were scarce, the deficiency was made up by the scalping knives which were carried in sheaths suspended to the helt of the hunting shirt.

After dinner the dancing commenced, and generally lasted till the next morning. The figures of the dances were three and four handed reels, or square sets and jigs. The commencement was always a square four, which was followed by what was called jig-

ging it off; that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and were followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were often ac- companied with what was called cutting out ; that is, when either of the parties became tired of the dance, on intimation, the place was supplied by some one of the company without any interruption of the dance. In this way a dance was often continued till the musician was heartily tired of his situation. Towards the latter part of the night, if any of the company, through weariness, attempted to conceal themselves for the purpose of sleep -. ing, they were hunted up, paraded on the floor, and the fiddler ordered to play "Hang on till tomorrow morning."

About nine or ten o'clock a deputation of the young ladies stole off the bride and put her to bed. In doing this it frequently hap- pened that they had to ascend a ladder in- stead of a pair of stairs, leading from the dining and ball room to the loft, the floor of which was made of clapboards lying loose and without nails. This ascent, one might think, would put the bride and her attendants to the blush ; but as the foot of the ladder was commonly behind the door, which was pur- posely opened for the occasion, and its rounds at the inner end were well hung with hunt- ing shirts, petticoats and other articles of clothing, the candles being on the opposite side of the house the exit of the bride was noticed but by few. This done, a deputation of young men in like manner stole off the groom, and placed him snugly by the side of his bride. The dance still continued; and if seats happened to be scarce, which was often the case, every young man, when not engaged in the dance, was obliged to offer his lap as a seat for one of the girls; and the offer was sure to be accepted. In the midst of this hilarity the bride and groom were not for- gotten. Pretty late in the night some one would remind the company that the new couple must stand in need of some refresh- ments, and "black Betty," which was the name of the bottle, was called for and sent up the ladder.

In the course of the festivity, if any wanted to help himself to a dram, and the young couple to a toast, he would call out :

"Where is black Betty? I want to kiss her sweet lips." Black Betty was soon handed to him. Then holding her up in his right hand he would say :

"Health to the groom, not forgetting my-

HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

self; and here's to the bride, thumping luck riage for commencing the work of building and big children."

This, so far from being taken amiss, was considered as an expression of a very proper and friendly wish, for big children, especially sons, were of great importance; as we were few in number, and engaged in perpetual hostility with the Indians, the end of which no one could foresee. Indeed many of them seemed to suppose that war was the natural state of man, and therefore did not anticipate any conclusion of it; every big son was there- fore considered as a young soldier.

But to return. It often happened that some neighbors or relations, not being asked to the wedding, took offense; and the mode of re- venge adopted by them on such occasions was that of cutting off the manes, foretops and tails of the horses of the wedding com- pany. Another method of revenge which was adopted when the chastity of the bride was a little suspected was that of setting up a pair of horns on poles, or trees, on the route of the wedding company. This was a hint to the groom that he might expect to be compli- mented with a pair of horns himself.

On returning to the infare, the order of procession and the race for black Betty was the same as before. The feasting and danc- ing often lasted for several days, at the end of which the whole company were so ex- hausted with loss of sleep that several days' rest were requisite to fit them to return to their ordinary labors.

Should I be asked why I have presented this unpleasant portrait of the rude manners of our forefathers, I in my turn would ask my reader, why are you pleased with the histories of the blood and carnage of battles? Why are you delighted with the fictions of poetry, the novel and romance ? I have related truth, and only truth, strange as it may seem. I have depicted a state of society and manners which are fast vanishing from the memory of man, with a view to give the youth of our country a knowledge of the advantages of civilization, and to give contentment to the aged by preventing them from saying "that former times were better than the present."

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Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 8

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930