Plymouth County, Massachusetts - Chapter 19: Early Habits and Cu.sto.ms, 1884

Social Life - Parties - Spinning Matche.. - Raising Fla.^ - Proccaa of iSIauufacture - Dress of Men and Womeu - Amusements - Raisings - Style of Architecture - Use of Cranes - Tinder-Boxes - Food of the Early [nhabitants - Drinks - Well-Sweep - Rising and Retiring Early - .\ttendanco on Church Worship.

The people of Brockton, in its early settlement, were on a footing of remarkable eijuality. Their social manners and customs were very simple, friendly, and unceremonious. Visiting was common and frequent among neighbors, and without the formalities of invitation. When a company of neighbors were invited, the women went early, taking their knitting and babies with them, and spent the afternoon, and the men went in season to take supjier and return in the evening. Many of the social gatherings partook of the useful as well as the agreeable. They joined together to help their neighbors husk their corn or to raise a building, and occasionally Some neighboring housewife had a quilting party, in which all the good housewives gave an afternoon to make a covering for u bed. In the social gatherings of the young pi-ople, dancing was a favorite amusement, and generally using a fiddle. If that could not be had, they used to dance by whistling and singing the tune. Spinning matches, at one time, were quite common, and the people made their own cloth and yarn, and hence were obliged to raise their flax. Nearly every farmer in town owned and cultivated a patch of ground devoted to that purpose. We here give an account of the method of preparing it fur use. The quantity of seed required for an acre varied frotu one-half to three bushels. The stalk or stem, when grown, w;is of a pea-green, and from two to three feet ill height, bearing a blue blossom, which ripened into a ball that contained the flax seed. When the flax was ripe, it was pulled carefully by the roots, tied into small handfuls, left to dry on the ground a day or two, then set up in small stocks, and, after becoming well dried, was stacked in a field a fortnight or more. Then the seed were thrashed out, and sometimes dipped in water for a week or more, and evenly and thinly spread out on the grass to be rotted. This being sufficiently done, it was packed away for the winter, and, as soon as the fair days appeared in spring, there was a general turn-out of men for dressing flax, which consisted of separating the fibrous thread from the stalk. This had to be done by several implements, called the brake, the hatchel, the swingling-board and knife. A smart man dresses nearly forty pounds a day. After the process of dressing and twisting it into bunches, it was handed over to the good woman and her daughters to spin, weave, whiten, and convert into thread, cloth, and neat, beautiful garments. Wo shall describe the process of manufacture, a.s follows : first, the hatchel was brought and fastened into a chair with a string or stick, and the mother, with her checked apron, and a handkerchief pinned about her neck, and another handkerchief tied about her head to keep off the dust, sat in another chair. Winding one end of the flax tightly around the fingers of the right hand, and holding it, slic drew the flax through the hatchel till it was thoroughly combed ; theu, changing, slie combed in a similar manner the other end. Next, it was snarled or wound on the distafi", and spun into thread or yarn upon the /out- or linen-wheel. That drawn out by Iiatt/icliiiij viViS called low, which was carded by hand, with hand-cards, and spun upon the large wheel. That was called low-ijarn. From the wheel it went to the fi-cl, and from the reel to the luoni, which nearly every family had, and every woman knew how to use, although some families let out their flax to be made into cloth and yarn.

Thus we see our ancestors were indepeudent of foreign looms and spindles for their ordinary dress, and for mere decorations, such as are common at the present day, they had but little regard; and, indeed, a showy costume would have excited contempt rather than emulation. Their attire on the Sabbath, as well as on working-days, was plain. The father's common dress consisted of a woolen coat, a striped wouleu frock, tow frock, and woolen, velvet, tow, or leather breeches. These, with loug stockings, were fastened at the knee by a buckle; in winter they wore woolen or leather buskins, and thick cowhide shoes, fastened with buckles on the instep. Their be»c hats were what are now called " cocked-up hats," turned up with three corners, and the more noted men wore wigs.

The ordinary outer dress of the women in summer was tow and linen goimis, checked " tyer.->," or " aprons," and in winter woolen gowns and aprons, thick woolen stockings, and cowhide shoes. The clothing was all of their own manufacture, and every house might properly be called a " home factory." They not only spun their own flax and wool, but wove their cloth in a hand-loom. They also made garments for fathers, sons, and brothers with their own hands. They disdained no kind of domestic labor; they needed no help. Contentment and happiness reigned in their abodes, and amid all their laborious toil, personal wants were few, and, even with their limited means of supply, few remained unsatisfied. Boys and girls (for such they were till married) were early taught to work, and, as soon as they acquired muscular power, were taught to make the most of life, and apply it to some useful purpo.se, and none were allowed to waste it in idlenos and dissipation. There was no distinction between the laborer and employer, no dift'erence between the kitchen and the parlor; for that was almost unknown, and generally shut up, except on public days, as Thanksgiving days, fasts and uhu like, most of the year. Balls, concerts, and places of amusement, scenic exhibitions, and tlie long list of modern devices for killing time were unknown. A "ing, a bee, a raising, a husking party, or a domestic circle, a sleigh-ride in the winter, or a cherry-ride in the summer, were sufficient for all the purposes of recreation and social intercourse, and for tiiose that wished for enjoyment of a more questionable character, the means and associates were to be found in other localities. The amusements and recreation of young men were mostly of the athletic kind, as "playing ball," which was always practiced, and is now kept up in spring and fall. Wrestling was very common, espero2 cially at i-aisiug.s and social and public gatherings. When at the raising of buildings the labor was over, and the uien stimulated by the treat all had received, they usually coaiiiieuced raising or luwciing one another. This sport comnicneed by two young persons getting inside of a ring formed by spectators, then older persons joined in the same exercise. Wagers would be laid, and a little more stimulant taken to give elasticity aud strength to the parties. In course of time parties would get in earnest, angry words and defiant gestures would be made, aud it generally ended in a fight. These wrestling-matches, we are happy to say, are nearly goue by. It may be said here that, at the raising of buildings, it was customary to call the men of the town together, aud the owner was expected to furnish the drinks and luuch, and, as soon as the ridgepole was fairly in place, for the master workman to dedicate the whole by dashing a bottle of rum upon the frame, followed by three hearty cheers from the company present.

We will now give the reader some idea of the early customs iu regard to living, the dwellings, and other ancient matters. I'irst in order are the

Dwelling-Houses. - The first were built ot logs, and called lug cabins, erected on land which was usually laid out in lots and ranges. Next, after the introduction of saw-mills, came the frame house of one story in height, and about sixteen by twenty-four or twenty-five feet on the ground, aud containing from one to three rooms. The next in order of architecture was a two-story house, with gambrel roof; and some were two-story iu front, with a roof slanting back to one story at the back part. The third order of houses was the hip-roof, and was iutroduced soon after the Revolutionary war, and consisted of a twostory house, with two front-rooms, a door iu the middle, with a hall running through the centre, and generally a one-story L, on the backside, for a kitchen, - such as the house of Benjamin Kingman, the late Eliab Whitman, David Cobb, in the village, and Josiah W. Kingman, Esq., at Carapello, that was burned in 1853. The windows in the earliest dwellings were either of mica or diamond-shaped glass, set in tin or lead. The chimneys were first built of stoue, with mammoth fireplaces, and an oven on one side running back, which, with the chimney, occupied nearly as much room as a modern bedroom. In the chimney, running from end to end, was a lug-pole, usually made of oak, from two to four inches iu diameter, on which were hung hooks and trammels of wrought iron, so constructed as to be raised and lowered at pleasure to suit the various sized kettles, which were hung over the fire for culinary uses. In the course of time these lug-poles gave way to the old iron crane, on accouut of their liability to burn, which was made to swing into the room or to hang over the fire. Cranes were first used iu this town about 1750. The fire was made of large logs, - one large one, called a back-log, being placed on the backside of the fireplace, usually from two to four feet in length ; two stones were used for andirons, and a large forestiek resting on the stones to keep up the fire, besides a backstick or the back-log; then a .-utEciency of smaller fire-wood was piled up. a pitch-pine knot being placed under the forestiek and lighted, made a rousiug fire. At each end of the firi[)laces were small benches or stools, on which the children usually sat, warming one side and then the other, till they were thoroughly warmed through, while the old folks were seated in front upon a " settle" enjoying the full blaze. With this they needed no modern gas-light, no oil, nor candles, for in the evenirjg pitchpine knots were used, which gave a strong and brilliant light. Splinters were usod to carry about the house, or into the cellar for cider and apples, instead of lamps and candles. Previous to the intrnductioa of friction matches, which are ol' a recent date, every family was supposed to have a tinder-bux, which consisted of a round tiu box about six inches in diameter, two inches deep, with a flat cover of tin, on the outside of which could be inserted a candle. The box contained tinder, made of burnt linen cloth or pieces of punk. By the use of a piece of flint upon the corners of a file or steel a spark would catch iu the punk, and then a stick, with brimstune on the end, coming in contact with the .>park si.-t the stick ou fire, from whence the kindling in the fireplace was lighted. Another method in general practice was to cover " live" coals in the fireplace with ashes, so as to keep the fire alive on the hearth till morning. When this failed the tinder-box was resorted to.

Food. - The morning and evening meal usually consisted of bean or pea porridge, dipped out with a wooden spoon into a wooden bowl, with bread aud butter. Coffee and chocolate were added upon extra occasions. Tea wa.s seldom used, especially by the children. The bread consisted of rye and ludiau meal; occasionally wheat bread. The dinner consisted of salt beef or pork, with vegetables boiled. Fresh meat was a rarity. Potatoes are an article of comparatively recent culture. For pudding, they had baked or boiled Indian meal. Tiie di:ihed used iu early days were mostly of wood. The plates were called trenchers. These wooden utensils were the first used ; they gradually gave way to pewter, aud still later to crockery and earthen ware.

Drinks. - Malt beer was a very commoD drink in the early settlenjoDt uf the country, which was made from barley, and was raised by nearly every farmer. Next came cider, which soon supplanted beer. This was a universal drinlv, murniag, noon, and night, each lamily laying in from ten to tliirty barrels for a year's stock. So common was tlie use of cider that it was considered a mark of disrespect not to pass it round when a neighbor or traveler called. Another very common drink was jlip, whicli was made of beer sweetened with sugar, with a " loggerhead," or redhut iron, thrust into it ; a little new rum was then poured iu, and nutmeg sprinkled into it. Tuddy was another favorite beverage, made of rum and water, i well sweetened. A slick, flattened on the end, for crushing the sugar and stirring it up, was called tlie "toddy-stick." The ring of the tumblers, ;ls it hit the sides in mixing, had its peculiar music, with which uearly every one was familiar.

Skillful men made graceful flourishes in making another excellent drink called egg-nog," otherwise known as -' Tom and Jerry, ' which was composed of sugar, milk, and spirits, mixed with a beaten egg, stirred in rapidly till the whole was made into froth, and drank hot. There are many now who have not forgotten how it tastes, and relish it quite well.

Having mentioned many of the drinks that were stimulating, we will now describe another kind, - cold icutti-. This is obtained from the earth, and is a natural production. Various means have been iu use for obtaining this liquid. Tlie mo.st aucieut is the " well-sweep." A well was usually dug at a distance of from ten to fifty or more feet from the house ; and but a few feet from the same a post was erected, having a crutch on the top end, in which a long pole was so nearly balanced and swung upon an iron or wooden pin, that when a bucket suspended upon the end of another smaller pole that descended into the water was filled, it could easily be drawn out. There are but few of this kind of apparatus for drawing water now to be found, only here and there a solitary one. Another means of obtaining water is by a windlass erected directly over a well, turned by a crank, the bucket being fastened to the end of a rope that passes over the windlass, and even this has given place to the pump aud pipe. Here and there is a natural spring, from which water is conducted by pipes to houses, supplying pure, unadulterated liquid.

that owned horses rode double. The wife was seated behind her husband upon the pillion, with her arm around him. In summer the young men went barefoot, or with shoes in hand ; the young women wore coarse shoes, carrying a better pair in hand, with stockings, to change before entering the meetinghouse. Going to meeting on foot was not confined to young people ; many women walked three to five miles to attend church. In winter it was customary for the women to carry small foot-stoves, which were usually made of perforated tin, fastened in a wooden frame, about eight or nine inches .square, in which were placed hot coals. These stoves were all the warming allowed in church. The usual time fur church service was one and a half hours, - from half past ten to twelve o'clock, or one gla.'s and a half long, as hour glasses were their lime-pieces in the absence of clocks. The intermissions were short, being one hour in winter and one hour and a half iu summer. The interval was generally spent in the nearest neighbors' houses, who always had a good blazing fire iu winter, aud plenty of coals with which to replenish their foot-stoves. This intermissiou was a grand opportunity for the people of the remote portions of the parish to meet every week aud become acquainted, as it promoted social union and good feeling throughuut the society. Every new and interesting event was discussed; and while partaking of their lunch they had brought with them, the father would request the boys to bring in and pass round the cider. The afternoon services being over, people might have been seen gathering around the horse-block that stood a short distance south of the church, on the green, wliieh was a large flat-topped stone for the use of women in mounting and alighting from their horses. The means of locomotion in the days of our fathers consisted of an ox-cart, or the back of a horse. A chaise or wagon was a curiosity. A journey of forty or fifty miles was a great undertaking, requiring much preparation ; while now many travel by steam hundreds of miles in a day, and think it nothing cuuipured to that in early days.

A journey from Brockton to Boston was the labor of two days with oxen and cart. The same journey is now performed in one day, and nothing thought of its being hard. It is one hour's ride in a steam train, and the trains run iu such a manner that a person can leave home after dinner, go to the city, and return iu the evening train, and have several hours for business.