De Witt County, Illinois - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 7 of those read), 1882

Customs Of Early Days

T is a trite but true proverb that "Times change, and we change with them;" and it is well illustrated by the changes in dress, condition and life that have taken place in this county in less than half a century. AVe doubt not that these changes, as a whole, are for the better. . To the old man, indeed, whose life-work is on the past, where his treasures are, there are no davs like the old days, and no song awakens so responsive an echo in his heart as " xVuld Lang Syne."

The very skies that arch above his gray head seem less blue to his dimmed eye than they did when, in the adoration of his young heart, he directed to them his gaze ; the woods appear less green and inviting than when in the gayety of boyhood he courted their cool depths ; and the songs of their feathered inhabitants fall less melodiously upon his ear. He marks the changes that are everywhere visible, and feels like crying out, iu the language of the poet :

It is natural for the aged to sigh for a return of the past, nor would we attempt the hopeless task of convincing them that with the changes of the years there have come also an increase in happiness, an improvement in social life, progress in education, an advancement in morality, and a tendency upward in all that relates to the welfare of mankind.

We may learn u.seful lessons, however, from a study of that land over which the pardonable and fond imagination of the old settler has thrown the " light that never was on sea or land," if, withdrawing ourselves from the dizzy activities of the present days, we let the old settler take us by the hand and lead us back into the regions of his youth, that we may observe the life of those who founded a grand empire in a great wilderness. Let us leave the prow of the rusliirig s^hip, from which may be discerned a mighty future rich in promises ami bright with hope, and take our place upon the stern, and gaze backward into the beautiful land of the past.

Xo doubt we shall he led to regret the absence among us of some of the virtues of dwellers in those early days. Gone is that free-hearted hospitality which made of every settler's cabin an inn where the belated and weary traveler found entertainment without money and without price. Gone is that community of sentiment which made neighbors indeed neighbors ; that era of kindly feeling which was marked by the almost entire absence of litigation.

So rapid has been the improvement in machinery, and the progress in the arts and their application to the needj of man, that a study of the manner in which people lived and worked only fifty years ago seems like the study of a remote age.

It is importaut to remember tliat while a majority of settlers were poor, that poverty carried with it no crushing sense of degradation like that felt by the very poor of our age. They lived in a cabin, it is true, but it was their own, aad had been reared by their hands. Their house, too, while inconvenient and far from water-proof, was built in the prevailing style of architecture, and would compare favorably with the homes of their neighbors.

They were destitute of many of the conveniences of life, and of some things that are now considered necessaries; but they patiently endured their lot and hopefully looked forward to better. They had plenty to wear as protection against the weather, and an abundance of wholesome food. They sat down to a rude table to eat from tin or pewter dishes ; but the meat thereon spread - the flesh of the deer or bear ; of the wild-duck or turkey ; of the quail or squirrel was superior to that we eat, and had been won by the skill of the head of the house or that of his vigorous sons. The brf ad they ate was made from corn or wheat of their own raising. They walked the green carpet of the grand l)rairie or forest that surrounded them, not with the air of a beggar, but with the elastic step of a self-respected freeman."

The settler brought with him the keen axe, which was indispensable, and the equally necessary ritle ; the first his weapon of offence against the forests that skirted the water-courses, and near which he made his home ; the second that of defence from the attacks of his foe, the cunning child of the forest and prairie. His first labor was to fell trees and erect his unpretentious cabin, which was rudely made of log-, and in the raising of which he had the cheerful aid of his neighbors. It was usually from fourteen to sixteen feet square, and never larger than twenty feet, and was frequently built entirely without glass, nails, hinges or locks.

The manner of building was as follows : First large logs were laid in pcjsitiou as sills ; on these were placed strong sleepers, and on the sleepers were laid the rough-hewed puncheons, which were to serve as floors. The logs were then built up till the proper height for the eaves was reached ; then on the ends of

Tlie whole country, nnw dotted with smiling farms and happy villages, ' traversed by railroads and telegraph-wires, was a wilderness, consisting chietiy ol' prairie, which stretched away in billowy vastness, like a congealed ocean. Along the water-courses was a fringe of timber, and occasionally was to be seen a grove. The immigrants came ; some in carta, the children packed like sardines in a bo.x ; some in wagons, and some on horse-back I with pack horbes.

the building were placed poles, longer than the other end-logs, which projected some eighteen or more inches over the sides, and were called " butting-pole sleepers; " on the projecting ends of these was placed the " butting-pole" which served to give the line to the first row of clap-boards. These were, as a matter of course, split, and as the gables of the cabin were built up, were so laid on as to lap a third of their length. They were often kept in place by the weight of a heavy pole, which was laid across the roof parallel to the ridge-pole. The house was then chinked, and daubed with a coarse mortar.

A huge fire-place was built in at one end of the house, in which fire was kindled for cooking purposes, for the settlers generally were without stoves, and which served the needed warmth in winter. The ceiling above was sometimes covered with the pelts of the racoon, opossum, and of the wolf, to add to the warmth of the dwelling Sometimes the soft inner bark of the baxs wood was used for the same purpose. The cabin was lighted by means of greased-paper windows. A log would be left out along one side, and sheets of strong paper, well greased with coon-grease or bear-oil, would be carefully tacked in.

The furniture comported admirably with the house itself, and hence, if not elegant, was in most perfect taste. The tables had four legs, and were rudely m de from a puncheon. Their seats were stools having three or four legs. The bedstead was in keeping with the rest, and was often so contrived as to permit it to be drawn up and fastened to the wall during the day, thus affording more room to the family. The entire furniture was sitnple, and was fratued with no other tools than an axe anrl augur. Each was his own carpenter; and some displayed considerable ingenuity in the construction of implements of agriculture, and utensils, and furniture for the kitchen and house. Knives and forks they sometimes had, and sometimes had not. The common table-knife was the pack-knife or butcher-knife. * Horse-collars were sometimes made of the plaited husk of the maize, sewed together. They were easy on the neck of the hor.se, and if tug-traces were used, would last a long while. Horses were not used very much, however, and oxen were almost exclusively used. In some instances carts and wagons were constructed or repaired by the self-reliant settler ; and the woful creakiugs of the untarred axles could be heard at a great distance.

The women corresponded well with the description of the vtitiious woman in the last chapter of Proverbs, for they "sought wool and flax, and worked willingly with their hands." They did not, it is true, make for themselves " coverings of tapestry," nor could it be said of them that their " clothing was silk and purple ;" but they "rose while it was yet night, and gave meat to their household," and they "girded their loins with strength and strengthened their arms." They " looked well to the ways of their household, and ate not the bread of idleness." They laid " their hands to the spindle and to the distafl^," and "strength and honor were in their clothing."

In these days of furbelows and flounces, when from twenty to thirty yards are required by one fair damsel for a dress, it is refreshing to know that the ladies of that ancient time considered eight yards an extravagant amount to put into one dress. The dress was usually made plain, with four widths in the skirt, and

* Wooden vessels, either dug out or coppered, and called " noggens," were in common use for bowls, out of which each member of the family ate mush and milk for supper. A gourd formed the drinking cup.

two front ones, cut gored- The. waist was made very short, and across the shoulders behind was a draw-string. The sleeves were enormously large, and tapered from shoulder to wrist, and the most fashionable - for fashion, like love, rules alike the "court and grove " - were padded so a? to resemble a bolster at the upper part, and were known as " mutton-legs," or " sheep-shank sleeves." The sleeve was kept in shape often by a heavily starched lining. Those who could afford it used feathers, which gave the sleeve the appearance of an inflated balloon from elbow up, and were known as "pillow-sleeves."

Many bows and ribbons were worn, but scarcely any jewelry. The tow dress was superseded by the cotton gown. Around the neck, instead of a lace collar or elegant ribbon, there was disposed a copperas-colored neckerchief.

In going to church or other public gathering in summer weather, they sometimes walked barefooted till near their destination, when they would put on their shoes or moccasins. They were contented and even happy without any of the elegant articles of apparel now used by the ladies and considered necessary articles of dress. Ruffles, fine lace^, silk hats, kid gloves, false curls, rings, combs and jewels, were nearly unknown, nor did the lack of them vex their souls. Many of them were grown before they ever saw the interior of a well-supplied dry-g-oods store. They were reared in simplicity, lived in simplicity, and were happy in simplicity.

It may be interesting to speak more specifically regarding cookery and diet. Wild meat was plentiful. The settlers generally brought some food with them to last till a crop could be raised. Small patches of Indian corn were raised, which, iu the earliest days of the settlements, was beaten in a mortar. The meal was made into a coarse but wholesome bread, on which the teeth could not be very tightly shut on account of the grit it contaiued. Johnny-cake and pones were served up at dinner, while mush and milk was the favorite dish for supper. In the fire-place hung the crane, and the dutch-oven was used in baking. The streams abounded in fish, which formed a healthful article of food. Many kinds of greens, such as dock and polk, were eaten. The " truck-patch " furnished roasting-ears, pumpkins, beans, squashes and potatoes, and these were used by all. Fur reaping-bees, log-rollings and house-raisings, the standard dish was pot-pie. Coffee and tea were used sparingly, as they were very dear, and the hardy pioneer thought them a drink fit only for women and children. They said it would not " stick to the ribs." Maple-sugar was much used, and honey was only five cents a pound. Butter was the same price, while eggs were three cents a dozen. The utmost good feeling prevailed. If one killed hogs all shared. Chickens were to be seen in great numbers around every doorway ; and the gabble of the turkey and quack of the duck were heard in the laud. Nature contributed of her fruits Wild grapes and plumbs were to be found in their season, along the streams.

The women manufactured nearly all the clothing worn by the family. In cool weather gowns made of " linsey-woolsey " were worn by the ladies. The chain was of cotton and the filling of wool. The fabric was usually plaid or striped, and the differing colors were blended according to the taste and fancy of the fair maker. Colors were blue, copperas, turkey-red, lightblue, etc. Every house contained a card-loom and spinningwheels, which were considered by the women as necessary for them as the rifle for the men. Several different kinds of cloth were made. Cloth was woven from cotton. The rolls were bought and spun, on little and big wheels, into two kinds of thread ; one the " chain," and the other the " filling." The more experienced only spun the chain ; the younger the filling. Two kinds of looms were in use The most primitive in construction was called the "side-loom." The frame of it consisted of two pieces of scantling running obliquely from the floor to the wall. Later, the frame loom, which was a great improvement over the other, came into use.

Jlany times when the men gathered to a log-rolling or barnraising, the women would a.ssemble, bringing their spinningwheels with them. In this way sometimes as many as ten or twelve would gather iu one room, and the pleasant voices of the fair spinners were mingled with the low hum of the spinningwheels. " Oh ! golden early days ! "

Such articles of apparel as could not be mauufactured were brought to them from the nearest store by the mail-carrier. These were few, however. The men and boys, in many instances, wore pantaloons made of the dressed skin of the deer, which then swarmed the prairies iu large herds. The young man who desired to look captivating to the eye of the maiden whom he loved, had his " bucks" fringed, which lent them a not unpleasing efl'ect. INIeal-sacks were also made of buck-skin. Caps were made of the skins of the wolf, fox, wild-cat, and musk-rat, tanned with the fur on. The tail of the fox or wolf often hung from the top of the cap, lending the wearer a jaunty air- Both sexes wore moccasins, which in dry weather were an excellent substitute for shoes. There were no shoemakers, and each family made its own shoes.

The settlers were separated from their neighbors often by miles.- There were no church-houses or regular services of any kind to call them together; hence, no doubt, the cheerfulness with which they accepted invitations to a house-raising, or a log-rolling, or a corn-husking, or a bee of any kind. To attend these gatherings, they would go ten and sometimes more miles.

Generally with the invitation to the men went one to the women, to come to a quilting. The good woman of the house where the festivities were to take place would be busily engaged for a dav or more in preparation for the coming guests. Great quantities of provisions were to be prepared, for dyspepsia was unknown to the pioneer, and good appetites were the rule and not the exception.

" The bread used at these frolics was baked generally on Jonny or Journey-cake boards, and is the best corn-bread ever made. A board is made smooih, about two feet long, and eight inches wide - the ends are generally rounded. The dough is spread out on this board, and placed leaning before the fire. One side is baked, and then the dough is changed on the board, so the other side is presented, in its turn, to the fire. This is Jon;iv-cake, and is o-ood, if the proper materials are put in the dough, and it is properly baked.'' - Eeynolda History.

At all the log-rollings and house-raisings it was customary to provide liquor. Excesses were not indulged in, however. The fiddler was never forgotten. After the day's work had been accomplished, out doors and in, by men and women, the floor was cleared and the merry dance began. The handsome, stalwart young men, whose fine forms were the result of their manly outdoor life, clad in fringed buckskin breeches and gaudily colored hunting-shirts, led forth the bright-eyed, buxom damsels, attired in neatly-fitting linsey-woolsey garments to the dance, their cheeks glowing with health and eyes speaking of enjoyment, and perhaps of a tenderer emotion.

" In pure pioneer times the crops of corn were never husked on the stalk, as is done at this day ; but were hauled home in the husk and thrown iu a heap, generally by the side of the crib, so that the ears, when husked, could be thrown direct into the crib. The whole neighborhood, male and female, were iuvited to the shucking, as it was called. The girls, and many of the married ladies, generally engaged in this amusing work.

" In the first place two leading, expert huskers were chosen as captains, and the heap of corn divided as nearly equal as possible. Rails were laid across the pile so as to designate the division ; and then each captain chose, alternately, his eoi~ps of huskers, male and female. The whole number of working hands present were selected, on one side or the other, and then each party commenced a contest to beat the other, which was in many cases truly exciting. One other rule was, that whenever a male husked a red ear of corn, he was entitled to a kiss from the girls. This frequently excited much fuss and scuffling, which was intended by both parties to end in a kiss. It was a universal practice that iaffia, or Monongahela whisky, was used at these husking frolics, which they drank out of a bottle, each one, male and female, taking the bottle and drinking out of it, and then handing it to his next neighbor, without using any glass or cup whatever. This custom was common and not considered rude. Almost always these corn-shucks ended iu a dance. To prepare for this amusement fiddles and fiddlers were in great demand ; and it often required much fast riding to obtain them. One violin and performer were all that was contemplated at these innocent rural games.

" Towards dark, and ihe stipper half-over, then it was that a bustle and confusion commenced. The confusion of the tongues at Babel would have been ashamed at the corn-shuckings. The young ones hurrying off the table, and the old ones contending for time and order. It was the case, nine times out of ten, that but one dwelling-house was on the premises, and that used for eating as well as dancing.

But when the fiddler commenced tuning his instrument the music always gained the victory for the young side. Then the dishes, victuals, table and all, disappeared in a few minutes, and the room was cleared, the dogs drove out, and the floor swept off ready for action. The floors of these houses were sometimes the natural earth, beat solid, sometimes the earth, with puncheons in the middle, over the potato-hole, and at times the whole floor was made of puncheons.

" The music at these country dances made the young folks almost frantic, and sometimes much excitement was displayed to get on the floor first. Generally the fiddler on these occasions assumed an important bearing, and ordered, in true professional style, so and so to be done ; as that was the way in North Carolina, where he was raised. The decision ended the contest for the floor. In those days they danced jigs and four-handed reels, as they were called. Sometimes three-handed reels were also i danced.

" In these dances there was no standing still ; all were moving at a rapid pace from beginning to end. In the jigs the bystanders cut one another out, as it was called, so that this dance would last for hours. Sometimes the parties in a jig tried to tire one another down in the dance, and then it would also last a long time before one or the other gave up.

" The bottle went round at these parties as it did at the shuckings, and male and female took a dram out of it as it passed around. No sitting was indulged in, and the folks either stood or danced all night, as generally daylight ended the frolic. The dress of these hardy pioneers was generally plain homespun. The hunting-shirt was much worn at that time, which is a convenient working or dancing dress. Sometimes dressed deer-skin pantaloons were used on these occasions, and mawkawsins - rarely shoes - and at times bare feet were indulged iu.

" In the morning all go home on horse-back or on foot. No carriages, wagons, or other vehicles were used on these occasions, for the best of reasons - because they had none."

"Alike .ill ages; dames of ancient days; Have led tbeir cliildren through the mirthful maze. And the gray grandsire, skilled in jeslic lore, Has frisked beneath the burden of three-score."

The amusements of that day were more athletic and rude than those of to-day. Among the settlers in a new country, from the nature of the case, a higher value is set upon physical than mental endowments- Skill in wood-craft, superiority of muscular development, accuracy in shooting with the rifle, activity, swiftness of foot, were qualifications that brought their possessors fame. Foot racing was often practised, and often the boys and young men engaged in friendly contests with the Indians Every man had a rifle, and kept it always in good order; his flints, bulletmolds, screw-driver, awl, butcher-knife and tomahawk were "fastened to the shot-pouch strap, or to the belt around the waist. Target shooting was much practised, and shots were made by the hunters and settlers, with flint-lock rifles, which cannot be excelled by their descendants with the improved breech-loaders of the present day.

At all gatherings, jumping and wrestling were indulged in, and those who excelled were thenceforth men of notoriety- Cards, dice, and other gambling implements were unknown. Dancing was a favorite amusement. It was participated in by all.

At their shooting-matches, which were usually for the prize of a t.urkev, or a gallon of whisky, good feeling generally prevailed If disputes arose, they were settled often by a square, stand-up fight, and no one thought of using other weapons than fists. They held no grudges after their fights, for this was considered unmanly. It was the rule that, if the fight was between two persons, the victor should pour water for the defeated as he washed away the traces of the fray, after which the latter was to perform the same service for the former.

To illustrate the ready ingenuity of the early settlers, developed by their poverty, and remoteness from places where necessaries could be purchased, we borrow an anecdote from " Ford's History of Illinois," related of James Lemon, a well-known pioneer of Monroe county, and an old style Baptist preacher. A farmer by occupation, "He manufactured harness as they were required. Being one day employed in plowing a piece of stubble ground, on turning out for dinner, as was his wont, he left the harness on the beam of the plow. His son, not diifering from the proverbial minister's boy, perhips, who had assisted him by removing the clogging straw from the plow with a pitch-fork, remained behind loug enough to conceal one of the collars, that he might have a playing-spell while his father was occupied in making another. But his plot failed ; on returning after dinner and missing the collar, his fiither, reflecting a few minutes, promptly divested himself of his leather breeches, stufl'ed the legs with stubble, straddled them across the neck of the horse for a collar, and plowed the remainder of the day bare-legged, requiring the assistance of his truantly inclined boy all the time." At this day, to provide for such a mishap, half a day would have been spent in going to town after another collar.

Pioneer Mills. - Among the first were the " band mills." A description of one will not prove uninteresting. The plan was cheap. The horse power consisted of a large upright shaft, some ten or twelve feet in height, with some eight or ten long arms let into the main shaft and extending out from it fifteen feet. Augur holes were bored into the arms on the upper side at the end, into which wooden pins were driven. This was called the " big wheel," and was, as has been seen, about twenty feet in diameter. The raw-hide belt or tug was made of skins taken off of beef cattle, which were cut into strips three inches in width ; these were twisted into a round cord or tug, which was long enough to encircle the circumference of the big wheel. There it was held in place by the wojden pins, then to cross and pass under a shed to run around a drum, or what is called a " trunnel-head," which was attached to the grinding apparatus. The horses or o.xen were hitched to the arms by means of raw-hide tugs. Then, walking in a circle, the machinery would be set in motion. To grind twelve bushels of corn was considered a good day's work.

The most rude and primitive method of manufacturing meal was by the use of the Grater. A plate of tin is pierced with many holes, so that one side is very rough. The tin is made oval, and then nailed to a board. An ear of corn was rubbed hard on this grater whereby the meal was forced through the holes, and fell down into a vessel prepared to receive it. An improvement on this was the Hand-mill. The stones were smaller than those of the " band-mill," and were propelled by man or woman power. A hole is made in the upper stone, and a staff of wood is put in it, and the other end of the staff is put through a hole in a plank above, so that the whole is free to act. One or two persons take hold of this staff and turn the upper stone as rapidly as possible. An eve is made in the upper stone, through which the corn is put into the mill, with the hand in small quantities to suii the mill, instead of a hopper. A mortar, wherein corn was beaten into meal, was made out of a large round log, three or four feet long.

The picture here drawn of the pioneers, their modes of living, their customs, and amusements, while lacking entire completeness, we feel is not inaccurate and untruthful.