When Our Mother was a Little Girl
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 1)
Description
[corresponds to front cover of When Our Mother Was a Little Girl]
WHEN OUR MOTHER WAS
A LITTLE GIRL
by Mrs. A Baldwin
copyright 1888
(original in vault)
WHEN OUR MOTHER WAS
A LITTLE GIRL
by Mrs. A Baldwin
copyright 1888
(original in vault)
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 2)
Description
[corresponds to introduction of When Our Mother was A Little Girl]
This book was written by Mrs. A. Baldwin, who was the daughter of Mahalia
Rosecrans, daughter of Abraham Rosecrans and Susan Patrick Rosecrans.
These stories were told by Mahalia to her grandson (Mrs. Baldwin's son).
Mrs. Baldwin thought them interesting so put them in print about 1888. My father
John Landon, and Charles Patrick each bought a copy. The cousins asked me many
times if I could get some copies made up but not until 1955 did I take the time
to do so. As a child this book was read to me many times and I have read it
several times each year. I never tire going through its pages. My father who was
born in 1832, knew most of the folks mentioned in the book and I used to hear him
tell of meeting them. I hope the reader will enjoy the book half as much as I have.
Joseph B. Landon
84 Winthrop Road
Columbus 14, Ohio
Nov. 25, 1964
This book was written by Mrs. A. Baldwin, who was the daughter of Mahalia
Rosecrans, daughter of Abraham Rosecrans and Susan Patrick Rosecrans.
These stories were told by Mahalia to her grandson (Mrs. Baldwin's son).
Mrs. Baldwin thought them interesting so put them in print about 1888. My father
John Landon, and Charles Patrick each bought a copy. The cousins asked me many
times if I could get some copies made up but not until 1955 did I take the time
to do so. As a child this book was read to me many times and I have read it
several times each year. I never tire going through its pages. My father who was
born in 1832, knew most of the folks mentioned in the book and I used to hear him
tell of meeting them. I hope the reader will enjoy the book half as much as I have.
Joseph B. Landon
84 Winthrop Road
Columbus 14, Ohio
Nov. 25, 1964
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 3)
Description
[corresponds to unnumbered page 1 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
When Our Mother Was A Little Girl
Copyright, 1888. Mrs. A. Baldwin
Part 1
"What are you thinking about, Jack?" said Grandma. "I'm not Jack. I'm
George Washington: and I'm thinking about Indians. Tell me about when you were
a little girl and the Indians came."
"Ah!" said Grandma, "George Washington saw more Indians in his day than I
ever did in mine, and Block-houses, too, for that matter; but he never saw our
Block-house; and I will tell you about that. A block-house is a large square house,
the logs are round and rough on the outside, but hewn on the inside; and all around
at intervals, are little holes."
"For birds' nest?" said Jack.
'No, indeed; they are for guns. At these the men would stand and fire, and
the women down below would cling together, and the children would cry: and outside,
the Indians, all covered with paint, would yell and dance and fire their arrows.
But I never saw anything of this kind, for they were all friendly Indians when I
was a little girl; though once, when I was a baby and my father was away in Delaware-
town, making roads for the army, and all the men were with him , a woman came run-
ning across the fields, crying, "Susan, Susan! the Injuns! Run to the Block- House!'
My mother who was never afraid of any thing, said she would not go. But when Uncle
Isaac's wife came by, with her bed and her clothes in a wagon and her children on
top of them, mother was persuaded to pack her things on, too, and taking me in her
arms, she walked to the Block-house, which was three miles away, close by Uncle Jim
Starke's. There they all spent the night, but the next day, not seeing any Indians
or hearing any more about them, they went home, and that was the last time the old
Block-house was ever used; but it stood many years, a peaceful place for the chil-
dren to play in and perhaps after all, the birds did build their nests in the gun
holes.
"There was once a camp-meeting in that same Delawaretown where father made
the roads, and the people invited the Indians from Sandusky to meet with them.
Several hundreds of them accepted the invitation and came marching into town; the
Chiefs and warriors ahead, the young men following, and the women straggling along,
in the rear, loaded down with the wigwams and cooking utensils. Such an array was
alarming. Had they come for good or evil? Uncle Jake, who was a class-leader,
said it was all for good; that they were led by the Spirit; that the heathen were
our inheritance; and he sang with more fervor than ever, that he hoped to shout
glory when the world was on fire. But father said they had come because they had
nothing else to do; and no doubt he was right, for these Indians were the last of
the old Hurons; their forefathers had been powerful allies of the French; in more
then one fight they had conquered the Iroquois; and now their glory had departed
and they were restless and discontented in their narrow precincts on the shores of
Lake Erie. We were all anxious to see them and father took us in his wagon to their
encampment. I was a very little girl, and the only thing that I remember was a
When Our Mother Was A Little Girl
Copyright, 1888. Mrs. A. Baldwin
Part 1
"What are you thinking about, Jack?" said Grandma. "I'm not Jack. I'm
George Washington: and I'm thinking about Indians. Tell me about when you were
a little girl and the Indians came."
"Ah!" said Grandma, "George Washington saw more Indians in his day than I
ever did in mine, and Block-houses, too, for that matter; but he never saw our
Block-house; and I will tell you about that. A block-house is a large square house,
the logs are round and rough on the outside, but hewn on the inside; and all around
at intervals, are little holes."
"For birds' nest?" said Jack.
'No, indeed; they are for guns. At these the men would stand and fire, and
the women down below would cling together, and the children would cry: and outside,
the Indians, all covered with paint, would yell and dance and fire their arrows.
But I never saw anything of this kind, for they were all friendly Indians when I
was a little girl; though once, when I was a baby and my father was away in Delaware-
town, making roads for the army, and all the men were with him , a woman came run-
ning across the fields, crying, "Susan, Susan! the Injuns! Run to the Block- House!'
My mother who was never afraid of any thing, said she would not go. But when Uncle
Isaac's wife came by, with her bed and her clothes in a wagon and her children on
top of them, mother was persuaded to pack her things on, too, and taking me in her
arms, she walked to the Block-house, which was three miles away, close by Uncle Jim
Starke's. There they all spent the night, but the next day, not seeing any Indians
or hearing any more about them, they went home, and that was the last time the old
Block-house was ever used; but it stood many years, a peaceful place for the chil-
dren to play in and perhaps after all, the birds did build their nests in the gun
holes.
"There was once a camp-meeting in that same Delawaretown where father made
the roads, and the people invited the Indians from Sandusky to meet with them.
Several hundreds of them accepted the invitation and came marching into town; the
Chiefs and warriors ahead, the young men following, and the women straggling along,
in the rear, loaded down with the wigwams and cooking utensils. Such an array was
alarming. Had they come for good or evil? Uncle Jake, who was a class-leader,
said it was all for good; that they were led by the Spirit; that the heathen were
our inheritance; and he sang with more fervor than ever, that he hoped to shout
glory when the world was on fire. But father said they had come because they had
nothing else to do; and no doubt he was right, for these Indians were the last of
the old Hurons; their forefathers had been powerful allies of the French; in more
then one fight they had conquered the Iroquois; and now their glory had departed
and they were restless and discontented in their narrow precincts on the shores of
Lake Erie. We were all anxious to see them and father took us in his wagon to their
encampment. I was a very little girl, and the only thing that I remember was a
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 4)
Description
[corresponds to page 2 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
curious kind of cradle. It was made of a blanket, with each of the four corners
tied to a tree; when the wind blew the cradle would rock; and the old squaws
could put in half a dozen babies and go off to hear the preaching. I thought
it would be an excellent idea for the twins, and proposed it to mother one day
when Uncle Jake's children came over to help us pull flax, and was so offended
at her refusal, I left Sophronia alone in a fence corner, where the poor little
thing cried herself almost to death; but mother never found it out, and I said
nothing more about the cradle. I hope, Jack, that you will be better to your
little sister than I was to mine, and always tell your mother the truth." "Like George
Washington? But I don't want to hear about babies, I want to hear about
Indians."
"Why, there are baby Indians, as well as big Indians, and they call them
Pappooses. When a pappoose's mother is going on a journey she does not strap
her baby up softly and carry it in her arms, but she straps it on a board and
the board on their back, and marches along. Once an old squaw came to Uncle
Abner Ayres' tavern, in Fredericktown, and she stopped outside the door and un-
strapped her pappoose, and set the board, pappoose and all, against the side of
the house, while she went to get some whiskey. When she came out, there was no
baby left, for a dreadful old sow had eaten it all up. But you like to hear
about fighting Indians, do you, with paint on their faces and feathers in their
hair? They do very well to talk about, but how would you like to see some of
them walking in here tonight?
Once, when father and mother had gone to a funeral and we children were
at home alone, we saw a party of them coming up the road, with guns in their
hands and knives and tomahawks in their belts. We were scared enough. Some of
the children ran under the bed and some under the table, and Maranda crawled
into a bag; but Uncle Daniel's boy- Uncle Daniel was General Rosecrans' grand-
father - armed himself with a poker and stood in the doorway to protect us. He
was a little fellow about 9 years old, but his dark eyes were full of courage
and his young heart beat stoutly under his homespun shirt. The odds were des-
perate, one against many; an old poker against guns and tomahawks. No neigh-
bor was within call. Around us lay a little patch of cleared land, and beyond
that, the woods. We were all alone, and our only defense was the little boy,
with his poker in the cabin doorway. The Indians, armed and painted, came
nearer and nearer; but when within a few yards of the house they stopped and
began talking gesticulating in a frightful manner. Were they planning to
fire the house and scalp the inmates? We shook with fear in our hiding places.
But great was our relief when they turned back, and we, peeping cautiously out,
saw them lay down their guns, stick their knives and tomahawks into the fence,
and then return to the house, making signs that they were friendly and only wanted
something to eat. We came timidly out from under the beds and tables, and Maranda
crept out of her bag, and we gave them all the bread and venison we could find in
the house, and were happy enough when they marched off, one after another, Indian
fashion, down the road." "If they had burned the house, then what? I guess your
father and mother would have been sorry they went to a funeral. I don't like
funerals."
"They did not, either, but they always went to them. In those times every
man within 10 miles was a neighbor and every neighbor was a friend and when any-
one died, a boy was sent on horseback from house to house to tell the sad tidings.
On the day of the funeral, all the men and women in the country round laid aside
their work, however important, and attended it. Rough wagons, with boards across
curious kind of cradle. It was made of a blanket, with each of the four corners
tied to a tree; when the wind blew the cradle would rock; and the old squaws
could put in half a dozen babies and go off to hear the preaching. I thought
it would be an excellent idea for the twins, and proposed it to mother one day
when Uncle Jake's children came over to help us pull flax, and was so offended
at her refusal, I left Sophronia alone in a fence corner, where the poor little
thing cried herself almost to death; but mother never found it out, and I said
nothing more about the cradle. I hope, Jack, that you will be better to your
little sister than I was to mine, and always tell your mother the truth." "Like George
Washington? But I don't want to hear about babies, I want to hear about
Indians."
"Why, there are baby Indians, as well as big Indians, and they call them
Pappooses. When a pappoose's mother is going on a journey she does not strap
her baby up softly and carry it in her arms, but she straps it on a board and
the board on their back, and marches along. Once an old squaw came to Uncle
Abner Ayres' tavern, in Fredericktown, and she stopped outside the door and un-
strapped her pappoose, and set the board, pappoose and all, against the side of
the house, while she went to get some whiskey. When she came out, there was no
baby left, for a dreadful old sow had eaten it all up. But you like to hear
about fighting Indians, do you, with paint on their faces and feathers in their
hair? They do very well to talk about, but how would you like to see some of
them walking in here tonight?
Once, when father and mother had gone to a funeral and we children were
at home alone, we saw a party of them coming up the road, with guns in their
hands and knives and tomahawks in their belts. We were scared enough. Some of
the children ran under the bed and some under the table, and Maranda crawled
into a bag; but Uncle Daniel's boy- Uncle Daniel was General Rosecrans' grand-
father - armed himself with a poker and stood in the doorway to protect us. He
was a little fellow about 9 years old, but his dark eyes were full of courage
and his young heart beat stoutly under his homespun shirt. The odds were des-
perate, one against many; an old poker against guns and tomahawks. No neigh-
bor was within call. Around us lay a little patch of cleared land, and beyond
that, the woods. We were all alone, and our only defense was the little boy,
with his poker in the cabin doorway. The Indians, armed and painted, came
nearer and nearer; but when within a few yards of the house they stopped and
began talking gesticulating in a frightful manner. Were they planning to
fire the house and scalp the inmates? We shook with fear in our hiding places.
But great was our relief when they turned back, and we, peeping cautiously out,
saw them lay down their guns, stick their knives and tomahawks into the fence,
and then return to the house, making signs that they were friendly and only wanted
something to eat. We came timidly out from under the beds and tables, and Maranda
crept out of her bag, and we gave them all the bread and venison we could find in
the house, and were happy enough when they marched off, one after another, Indian
fashion, down the road." "If they had burned the house, then what? I guess your
father and mother would have been sorry they went to a funeral. I don't like
funerals."
"They did not, either, but they always went to them. In those times every
man within 10 miles was a neighbor and every neighbor was a friend and when any-
one died, a boy was sent on horseback from house to house to tell the sad tidings.
On the day of the funeral, all the men and women in the country round laid aside
their work, however important, and attended it. Rough wagons, with boards across
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 5)
Description
[corresponds to page 3 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl]
for seats, perhaps with a chair for some old grandmother, formed the procession,
followed often by men on horseback with their wives behind them. They had no
hearse and the best wagon of the settlement held the coffin and a homespun blanket
answered for a pall. I have seen many grand processions since then. Once I saw
a city hung with mourning, and thousands of soldiers marching with muffled drums
and all the people mourning a great man. But I have never seen anything that
seemed to me so solemn as those wagons winding through the forests and over the
rough roads to the half-cleared grave-yard of that new country."
But Grandma is thinking her own thoughts and has wondered far away from her
Indian stories.
Now I will tell you one more and then we will light the lamp and get ready
for supper. We were never afraid of Indians when father was at home for father
was a mighty hunter, and we were proud of him. I can see him now, as he looked
to me when I was a child. Tall and erect, with black hair and eyes so keen, no
thing escaped them. He wore cloth trousers, foxed below the knee with deer skin; a
hunting shirt of striped flannel, with fringe around the bottom. His powder horn
and shot-bag were slung across his shoulders, and his hunting knife was in his
belt. There never was a doubt in our minds about his being able to protect us, and
I think there never was in his, for he was a man of courage. And so this morning
that I am going to you about, we were not in the least frightened, when we
saw a large party of Indians approaching the house. Father went out to meet them,
and they made signs that they wanted breakfast. Friend or foe was always made
welcome to our table, so he brought them in, and mother cooked more meat and baked
more cakes on the griddle, and they feasted to their satisfaction. After they had
gotten through and mother was clearing the table, she said to father "What shall I
do with this bread?"
"O, give it to them! I don't want to eat after red dogs!"
They went away, and the circumstance was forgotten when, several years after,
father was in Delawaretown, and an old chief invited him to take a drink, Father
consented, and politely requested him to drink first. But he said, "No, You, you
no like to drink after the red dogs" and then reminded him of his remark about the
bread, which he had perfectly understood. No, we never were afraid when father
was home. But two or three times a year he went to Chillicothe to get his corn
ground; that was a long journey and he was away several days. One stormy night we
were sitting 'round our fire enjoying its warmth and comfort."--
"Just like our fire, Grandma?"
"No, not very much like ours. That fireplace was three times as large; and
instead of brass fire-irons they had great black stones; called "nigger heads", and
on these were piled logs, so large and heavy, it took two men to role them in,
with hand-spikes; and every night men went from house to house, helping one another
build the fires. When the family went to bed the blaze was carefully covered with
ashes so the fire seldom went out; for we had no matches, and it was difficult to
kindle with flint, that rather than do it, I have known people who go a long distance
to 'borrow' a brand or a shovelful of coals. Well, we were sitting 'round one of
these great fires. Mother was spinning flax at her little wheel, the older girls
were knitting, and the children were listening to stories of Wyoming and mother's
childhood, when the door suddenly opened and in walked two big Indians. Indians
never knock, and our door had only a wooden latch, and the leather latch-string
hung outside. So there they came, without any warning.
for seats, perhaps with a chair for some old grandmother, formed the procession,
followed often by men on horseback with their wives behind them. They had no
hearse and the best wagon of the settlement held the coffin and a homespun blanket
answered for a pall. I have seen many grand processions since then. Once I saw
a city hung with mourning, and thousands of soldiers marching with muffled drums
and all the people mourning a great man. But I have never seen anything that
seemed to me so solemn as those wagons winding through the forests and over the
rough roads to the half-cleared grave-yard of that new country."
But Grandma is thinking her own thoughts and has wondered far away from her
Indian stories.
Now I will tell you one more and then we will light the lamp and get ready
for supper. We were never afraid of Indians when father was at home for father
was a mighty hunter, and we were proud of him. I can see him now, as he looked
to me when I was a child. Tall and erect, with black hair and eyes so keen, no
thing escaped them. He wore cloth trousers, foxed below the knee with deer skin; a
hunting shirt of striped flannel, with fringe around the bottom. His powder horn
and shot-bag were slung across his shoulders, and his hunting knife was in his
belt. There never was a doubt in our minds about his being able to protect us, and
I think there never was in his, for he was a man of courage. And so this morning
that I am going to you about, we were not in the least frightened, when we
saw a large party of Indians approaching the house. Father went out to meet them,
and they made signs that they wanted breakfast. Friend or foe was always made
welcome to our table, so he brought them in, and mother cooked more meat and baked
more cakes on the griddle, and they feasted to their satisfaction. After they had
gotten through and mother was clearing the table, she said to father "What shall I
do with this bread?"
"O, give it to them! I don't want to eat after red dogs!"
They went away, and the circumstance was forgotten when, several years after,
father was in Delawaretown, and an old chief invited him to take a drink, Father
consented, and politely requested him to drink first. But he said, "No, You, you
no like to drink after the red dogs" and then reminded him of his remark about the
bread, which he had perfectly understood. No, we never were afraid when father
was home. But two or three times a year he went to Chillicothe to get his corn
ground; that was a long journey and he was away several days. One stormy night we
were sitting 'round our fire enjoying its warmth and comfort."--
"Just like our fire, Grandma?"
"No, not very much like ours. That fireplace was three times as large; and
instead of brass fire-irons they had great black stones; called "nigger heads", and
on these were piled logs, so large and heavy, it took two men to role them in,
with hand-spikes; and every night men went from house to house, helping one another
build the fires. When the family went to bed the blaze was carefully covered with
ashes so the fire seldom went out; for we had no matches, and it was difficult to
kindle with flint, that rather than do it, I have known people who go a long distance
to 'borrow' a brand or a shovelful of coals. Well, we were sitting 'round one of
these great fires. Mother was spinning flax at her little wheel, the older girls
were knitting, and the children were listening to stories of Wyoming and mother's
childhood, when the door suddenly opened and in walked two big Indians. Indians
never knock, and our door had only a wooden latch, and the leather latch-string
hung outside. So there they came, without any warning.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 6)
Description
[corresponds to page 4 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl]
"We were very much frightened and huddled close together, but mother rose
from her wheel, and without a sign of fear, asked them what they wanted. They
made her understand, by motions, that they expected to spend the night. She
could not refuse them, it was more dangerous to send them away than it was to keep
them, so she placed chairs for them before the fire and made them as welcome as
she could. They were not pleasant to look at as they sat in our midst wrapped in
their blankets, silent and motionless. The more we looked at the them,
the more frightened we became, and mother was glad to take us into the next room (we had
two rooms) and put us in our beds. Then she covered the fire and told the Indians
that they could go to sleep when they liked.
"They made ready to by lying down on the floor, with their heads to the fire
and their tomahawks for pillows, while their guns were placed carefully by their
sides. Our fears were soon forgotten, but who can tell what our mother thought
and felt during the long hours of that winter night. She was up early in the morn-
ing and gave them their breakfast, and they were gone before the children were
awake, and even now, I can scarcely convince myself that it was not all a dream.
"Perhaps they were thankful to my mother. I know some Indians once re-
turned after receiving a kindness and brought baskets to the children, and one of
them gave my sister an Indian nose-ring. It was, in shape and size, very much
like the bowl of a large spoon, and would have hung over the mouth in the most in-
convenient manner. The gift seemed of no consequence to us, but when my sister
sold it a peddler for a silver dollar, we realized its value and envied her
accordingly. Fifty cents was a large sum of money to possess in those days and
Sophronia never thought of spending it, but rubbed it bright with vinegar and
ashes and put it carefully away in a box, bringing it out as a great treasure when
our cousins and the neighbor children came to visit us.
"And that reminds me of a piece of money I had given to me when I was a
little girl, and all the trouble it made me." "Money don't make me trouble,"
said Jack. "But I'm not a girl. Tell me about it. "There was no hotels in
Kingston in those early times, and travelers were obliged to depend on the hospi-
tality of the settlers, and it soon became known far and near that anyone stop-
ping at Abram Rosecrans' would be certain of a place to sleep and something to eat,
so it was no unusual thing to see a stranger riding up and hear him ask if
he could spend the night. Father had always one answer - "You must take care of
your own horse. There's the stable and plenty of feed. And if you go before
breakfast, you'll have to pay but if you stay to breakfast, I shall not charge you
anything." Of course the traveler, whoever he was, stayed to breakfast, and of
course, father never took any pay for his entertainment. And father's answer was
considered by us all a most excellent joke.
"I was very fond of horses then , as I am now and when a fine horse came, it
was my delight to lead him to the trough and water him and sometimes, to steal a
ride upon his back. I liked that much better than helping mother get supper. And
although my sisters cut the bread and set the table and turned the griddle cakes,
I was always the favorite, and it was to me that one of these travelers, on going
away, gave a silver quarter of a dollar.
"I think I must have been the first child in the family to receive money, or
my brothers and my sisters would not have treated me as they did. Or, perhaps I
was proud, and as you say, 'Took on airs'. - I no sooner received that money than
I was made to feel myself an outcast. When I went to help Maranda wash the dishes,
"We were very much frightened and huddled close together, but mother rose
from her wheel, and without a sign of fear, asked them what they wanted. They
made her understand, by motions, that they expected to spend the night. She
could not refuse them, it was more dangerous to send them away than it was to keep
them, so she placed chairs for them before the fire and made them as welcome as
she could. They were not pleasant to look at as they sat in our midst wrapped in
their blankets, silent and motionless. The more we looked at the them,
the more frightened we became, and mother was glad to take us into the next room (we had
two rooms) and put us in our beds. Then she covered the fire and told the Indians
that they could go to sleep when they liked.
"They made ready to by lying down on the floor, with their heads to the fire
and their tomahawks for pillows, while their guns were placed carefully by their
sides. Our fears were soon forgotten, but who can tell what our mother thought
and felt during the long hours of that winter night. She was up early in the morn-
ing and gave them their breakfast, and they were gone before the children were
awake, and even now, I can scarcely convince myself that it was not all a dream.
"Perhaps they were thankful to my mother. I know some Indians once re-
turned after receiving a kindness and brought baskets to the children, and one of
them gave my sister an Indian nose-ring. It was, in shape and size, very much
like the bowl of a large spoon, and would have hung over the mouth in the most in-
convenient manner. The gift seemed of no consequence to us, but when my sister
sold it a peddler for a silver dollar, we realized its value and envied her
accordingly. Fifty cents was a large sum of money to possess in those days and
Sophronia never thought of spending it, but rubbed it bright with vinegar and
ashes and put it carefully away in a box, bringing it out as a great treasure when
our cousins and the neighbor children came to visit us.
"And that reminds me of a piece of money I had given to me when I was a
little girl, and all the trouble it made me." "Money don't make me trouble,"
said Jack. "But I'm not a girl. Tell me about it. "There was no hotels in
Kingston in those early times, and travelers were obliged to depend on the hospi-
tality of the settlers, and it soon became known far and near that anyone stop-
ping at Abram Rosecrans' would be certain of a place to sleep and something to eat,
so it was no unusual thing to see a stranger riding up and hear him ask if
he could spend the night. Father had always one answer - "You must take care of
your own horse. There's the stable and plenty of feed. And if you go before
breakfast, you'll have to pay but if you stay to breakfast, I shall not charge you
anything." Of course the traveler, whoever he was, stayed to breakfast, and of
course, father never took any pay for his entertainment. And father's answer was
considered by us all a most excellent joke.
"I was very fond of horses then , as I am now and when a fine horse came, it
was my delight to lead him to the trough and water him and sometimes, to steal a
ride upon his back. I liked that much better than helping mother get supper. And
although my sisters cut the bread and set the table and turned the griddle cakes,
I was always the favorite, and it was to me that one of these travelers, on going
away, gave a silver quarter of a dollar.
"I think I must have been the first child in the family to receive money, or
my brothers and my sisters would not have treated me as they did. Or, perhaps I
was proud, and as you say, 'Took on airs'. - I no sooner received that money than
I was made to feel myself an outcast. When I went to help Maranda wash the dishes,
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 7)
Description
[corresponds to page 5 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
she said she had rather wash them alone; that rich folks didn't need to wash
dishes. And when I joined the twins, who were picking up chips, they went off on
the other side of the woodpile and left me alone. I did not care about the work,
but nobody would play with me and that was hard to bear.
"That afternoon Uncle Jake's children were coming over and we were going for
nuts. There had been a big frost the night before, and we could hear the nuts
rattling down in the woods and the prickly burrs were thick under the chestnut
trees. This first nutting expedition was a great event to us and we had talked of
nothing else for a week. Mother had made us each a linen bag and had woven tape
on purpose for strings. And when I saw the children coming, I forgot all about my
money and ran to show them my bag. But one of the girls got ahead of me and I
heard her say "Oh! she feels so big," and then they went off and whispered among
themselves "I went with them for the nuts, but nobody wanted to walk with me or
talk with me, and they had secrets together and laughed and made signs. I filled
my bag alone and walked home alone and was very unhappy".
Every night , after we were washed and made ready for bed, we said our prayers.
Mother had not time to hear us one by one, as your mother does, so we all knelt in a
row around the bed and prayed silently. But that night I could not remember anything
to say, I was so busy thinking about my money; and I could not sleep after I went to
bed. What should I buy with it? I had everything I wanted. I had new shoes, laced
with leather strings; and white lined stockings, that mother had knit me to wear to
church; and a pair of gloves that she knit; and a pink calico dress, with a ruffle
in it; and a pocket handkerchief with a border; and a silk bonnet that Mrs. Prince had
made from a piece of one her dresses. I could not think of anything else. I might
buy something for my sisters, and I took great comfort thinking how ashamed they would
be when they saw how generous I was. But then my sisters had everything I had, eve to
the bonnet, for Mrs. Princes dress had answered for us all. The silk was changeable,
red in one light and green in another, and we presented a gay appearance and were much
envied, when the six of us rode to church in the wagon, three on a seat. No, my sisters
had everything and I had everything; but I must spend my money, for it made me so un-
happy to keep it.
I had put it for safety under one of the stones on the hearth; but every time I
awakened, I seemed to see it shining like an eye, and once or twice I got up and lifted
the stone to assure myself it was there.
I had a wretched night, very early heard my mother stirring in the kitchen. I am
an old lady now, but that sound comes back to me -- our mother, in the half darkness,
working for her children. My troubles were over. I sprang from my bed, seized my
money and ran to the kitchen. Take it! I cried, as I threw myself on her. Take it!
Buy tea with it, or snuff for Aunt Thankfull, anything so I don't have it.
How easy it was. Now the girls would love me just the same and everything would
be pleasant. The new day was dawning as I ran to call father to breakfast. He heard
me singing and said, What makes you so happy this morning?
Oh, I have given away my money, that's what makes me happy.
Don't you like money? he said, laughing.
No, I don't, and I hope I'll never have any more.
But you have had money, said Jack.
Yes, but none that ever caused me so much trouble as that silver quarter; and
after all my happiness has come in giving it away.
she said she had rather wash them alone; that rich folks didn't need to wash
dishes. And when I joined the twins, who were picking up chips, they went off on
the other side of the woodpile and left me alone. I did not care about the work,
but nobody would play with me and that was hard to bear.
"That afternoon Uncle Jake's children were coming over and we were going for
nuts. There had been a big frost the night before, and we could hear the nuts
rattling down in the woods and the prickly burrs were thick under the chestnut
trees. This first nutting expedition was a great event to us and we had talked of
nothing else for a week. Mother had made us each a linen bag and had woven tape
on purpose for strings. And when I saw the children coming, I forgot all about my
money and ran to show them my bag. But one of the girls got ahead of me and I
heard her say "Oh! she feels so big," and then they went off and whispered among
themselves "I went with them for the nuts, but nobody wanted to walk with me or
talk with me, and they had secrets together and laughed and made signs. I filled
my bag alone and walked home alone and was very unhappy".
Every night , after we were washed and made ready for bed, we said our prayers.
Mother had not time to hear us one by one, as your mother does, so we all knelt in a
row around the bed and prayed silently. But that night I could not remember anything
to say, I was so busy thinking about my money; and I could not sleep after I went to
bed. What should I buy with it? I had everything I wanted. I had new shoes, laced
with leather strings; and white lined stockings, that mother had knit me to wear to
church; and a pair of gloves that she knit; and a pink calico dress, with a ruffle
in it; and a pocket handkerchief with a border; and a silk bonnet that Mrs. Prince had
made from a piece of one her dresses. I could not think of anything else. I might
buy something for my sisters, and I took great comfort thinking how ashamed they would
be when they saw how generous I was. But then my sisters had everything I had, eve to
the bonnet, for Mrs. Princes dress had answered for us all. The silk was changeable,
red in one light and green in another, and we presented a gay appearance and were much
envied, when the six of us rode to church in the wagon, three on a seat. No, my sisters
had everything and I had everything; but I must spend my money, for it made me so un-
happy to keep it.
I had put it for safety under one of the stones on the hearth; but every time I
awakened, I seemed to see it shining like an eye, and once or twice I got up and lifted
the stone to assure myself it was there.
I had a wretched night, very early heard my mother stirring in the kitchen. I am
an old lady now, but that sound comes back to me -- our mother, in the half darkness,
working for her children. My troubles were over. I sprang from my bed, seized my
money and ran to the kitchen. Take it! I cried, as I threw myself on her. Take it!
Buy tea with it, or snuff for Aunt Thankfull, anything so I don't have it.
How easy it was. Now the girls would love me just the same and everything would
be pleasant. The new day was dawning as I ran to call father to breakfast. He heard
me singing and said, What makes you so happy this morning?
Oh, I have given away my money, that's what makes me happy.
Don't you like money? he said, laughing.
No, I don't, and I hope I'll never have any more.
But you have had money, said Jack.
Yes, but none that ever caused me so much trouble as that silver quarter; and
after all my happiness has come in giving it away.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 8)
Description
[corresponds to page 6 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
Part II
The driving sleet beats against the window, and the pine trees outside are
heavy with snow. Long icicles hang from the piazza roof, and the little stone dog
that guards the door lies in a bed whiter than himself. The lake roars like the
ocean, and the wind whistles wildly around the house. On a night like this, two
years ago, a little bird came and knocked at our window, asking as plainly as a
bird could ask, to be let in. Its feathers were sodden; its wing was wounded, and
it scarcely fluttered as we warmed it in our hand, and nursed it into life. It
seemed to trust us. But, alas! friends at night were enemies in the morning, in
the eyes of that little bird, and it flew away without a chipper gratitude.
Jack was a baby then, although he is a a big boy now, he will yet stand at the
window watching, as he often does on nights like these, for the return of that un-
grateful bird.
Jack has had a trying day, for the precincts of a house are a contracted
field for a mighty hunter like Daniel Boone -- and Jack is Daniel Boone. He has
been all day on the chase and his legs are tired going up and down in quest of
game. He has had a frightful time with a growling bear in a cave under the bed.
He had tracked the deer to their salt licks in the kitchen, and has killed the owl
on the bookcase, till it is as dead as an owl can be, and his work is done and
here comes Grandma, knitting and all, to their camping-ground on the hearth rug.
"Grandma, I killed a bear today. Did you ever see a man before that killed
a bear?" and Jack elevated his small figure and put on a look of great fierceness.
Grandma laughed as she looked at her little boy, and said,
"Why, yes I have seen a man that killed a bear; but he brought his bear home
with him, we had bear steak for supper, I wonder if your bear's meat will be
as tough as ours was! Sit down in your little chair and I will tell you about it.
"It was a winter evening, though not so cold as it is to-night; we were
through supper and the girls were washing the dishes, and mother was mixing the
'corn pone' for breakfast. She always made this at night and put it into a baking
kettle, with an iron cover. This she set in a bed of coals, with coals on the lid,
then covered it all with ashes, and in the morning the pone was baked brown. With
wild honey or maple molasses, it made a dish fit for a king. Father was sitting
before the fire, and perhaps he heard us taking about breakfast, for all at once
he got up and said, 'I think I'd better go and kill a deer, we are about out of
venison,' and taking his gun down from the wall, he hung his shot-bag and powder-
horn on his shoulder, put his knife in his belt, and started for the Deer Lick.
This was a salt spring, where the deer came to drink, and was about a quarter of a
mile from the house. Near the spring was a tree, and father climbed up among the
branches, feeling sure that a deer would come before bed-time. He was obliged to
keep perfectly quiet, and it was cold work waiting, hour after hour, so he was
glad enough when he heard a rustling among the bushes. He cautiously raised his
gun, to be ready. But what was his surprise to see, instead of a deer, a great
black bear! It came slowly and clumsily along, growling in an ugly, sullen way.
Many a man would have been frightened; but father only thought, 'Now I must do my
best; for if I miss him, or slightly wound him, he will be on me before I can re-
load.' So he took careful aim and fired.
Part II
The driving sleet beats against the window, and the pine trees outside are
heavy with snow. Long icicles hang from the piazza roof, and the little stone dog
that guards the door lies in a bed whiter than himself. The lake roars like the
ocean, and the wind whistles wildly around the house. On a night like this, two
years ago, a little bird came and knocked at our window, asking as plainly as a
bird could ask, to be let in. Its feathers were sodden; its wing was wounded, and
it scarcely fluttered as we warmed it in our hand, and nursed it into life. It
seemed to trust us. But, alas! friends at night were enemies in the morning, in
the eyes of that little bird, and it flew away without a chipper gratitude.
Jack was a baby then, although he is a a big boy now, he will yet stand at the
window watching, as he often does on nights like these, for the return of that un-
grateful bird.
Jack has had a trying day, for the precincts of a house are a contracted
field for a mighty hunter like Daniel Boone -- and Jack is Daniel Boone. He has
been all day on the chase and his legs are tired going up and down in quest of
game. He has had a frightful time with a growling bear in a cave under the bed.
He had tracked the deer to their salt licks in the kitchen, and has killed the owl
on the bookcase, till it is as dead as an owl can be, and his work is done and
here comes Grandma, knitting and all, to their camping-ground on the hearth rug.
"Grandma, I killed a bear today. Did you ever see a man before that killed
a bear?" and Jack elevated his small figure and put on a look of great fierceness.
Grandma laughed as she looked at her little boy, and said,
"Why, yes I have seen a man that killed a bear; but he brought his bear home
with him, we had bear steak for supper, I wonder if your bear's meat will be
as tough as ours was! Sit down in your little chair and I will tell you about it.
"It was a winter evening, though not so cold as it is to-night; we were
through supper and the girls were washing the dishes, and mother was mixing the
'corn pone' for breakfast. She always made this at night and put it into a baking
kettle, with an iron cover. This she set in a bed of coals, with coals on the lid,
then covered it all with ashes, and in the morning the pone was baked brown. With
wild honey or maple molasses, it made a dish fit for a king. Father was sitting
before the fire, and perhaps he heard us taking about breakfast, for all at once
he got up and said, 'I think I'd better go and kill a deer, we are about out of
venison,' and taking his gun down from the wall, he hung his shot-bag and powder-
horn on his shoulder, put his knife in his belt, and started for the Deer Lick.
This was a salt spring, where the deer came to drink, and was about a quarter of a
mile from the house. Near the spring was a tree, and father climbed up among the
branches, feeling sure that a deer would come before bed-time. He was obliged to
keep perfectly quiet, and it was cold work waiting, hour after hour, so he was
glad enough when he heard a rustling among the bushes. He cautiously raised his
gun, to be ready. But what was his surprise to see, instead of a deer, a great
black bear! It came slowly and clumsily along, growling in an ugly, sullen way.
Many a man would have been frightened; but father only thought, 'Now I must do my
best; for if I miss him, or slightly wound him, he will be on me before I can re-
load.' So he took careful aim and fired.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 9)
Description
[corresponds to page 7 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
"We heard the report of the gun, and, the next minute, father's call for the
dogs. For some reason, the dogs refused to go. Again we heard the call. The case
was urgent, something must be done! So two boys who were spending the night with
us , seized the dogs, and, lifting them on their backs, ran with them to the lick.
There they found father with his knife in his hand, the snow red with blood, and
the bear dead. He had killed it the first shot; but uncertain of it, had called
the dogs to help, in case of a struggle. The boys came home, hitched the oxen to
the bob-sled, and went back for the bear. We children flocked out to see it, and
I remember it looked like a great black cow in the moonlight.
"In the morning all the neighbors came, and word went far and near that
Abram Rosecrans had killed a bear-- the first and last ever killed in our township.
We took great delight in hearing father tell the story over and over again, and
tried our best to think bear's meat better than venison, but it was so strong and
tough we could not really like it."
"Did he kill a deer the next night?"
"I don't remember about that. But he never had any trouble killing deer: he
would often kill three or four in a day, and come home with the skins and the best
part of the meat slung over his saddle. Mother would cook all she wanted, and
father would usually jerk the rest. Jerking was cutting it into narrow strips,
smoking it a little, and then drying it. Father always took jerked venison and
parched corn when he went hunting, and we had it for our dinner at school. Our
little school-house was a mile away, and we carried our dinners with us. There
were pegs driven 'round the school-room, over our seats, and on these we hung our
baskets.
"One day I lost my dinner, and how do you think it happened? It was a warm
summer day, and I was trying to study, -- but from my window I could see the woods
full of wild flowers and birds and squirrels and all manner of pleasant things,
and it seemed as if noon never would come, -- when, all at once, I heard a scream,
and looking up, I saw, right before me, hanging by its tail from the ceiling, an
immense black snake! Its head was in my basket, and it was eating my dinner with
great satisfaction. Oh, how we ran! -- the teacher and all. The school-house was
cleared in a minute! And then, two of the big boys went in with clubs and killed
it. We did not measure it, but we always said, 'it was as long as a rail.'
"Yes, I lost my dinner, but it came out right, for the other children divided
with me and the teacher gave us an extra play hour.
"That school teacher's name was Polly Taylor. She was pretty, sweet girl,
and a great favorite with her scholars.
"Susan Skeels, another teacher, never thought of anything but study. How we
did dislike her! She was an old maid, and had very strict notions about the bring-
ing up of children. We had to stand with our toes exactly to the crack when we
recited: had to hold a heavy Dictionary at arms-length for a punishment, and were
feruled for the the slightest cause. The time came, though when we had our revenge,
and I will tell you about it.
"One summer's day we were gathered in the school-house, studying and recit-
ing, when suddenly, to our great terror, the sun seemed blotted from the sky and
the darkness of midnight settled upon us. There was a whirring, roaring noise,
"We heard the report of the gun, and, the next minute, father's call for the
dogs. For some reason, the dogs refused to go. Again we heard the call. The case
was urgent, something must be done! So two boys who were spending the night with
us , seized the dogs, and, lifting them on their backs, ran with them to the lick.
There they found father with his knife in his hand, the snow red with blood, and
the bear dead. He had killed it the first shot; but uncertain of it, had called
the dogs to help, in case of a struggle. The boys came home, hitched the oxen to
the bob-sled, and went back for the bear. We children flocked out to see it, and
I remember it looked like a great black cow in the moonlight.
"In the morning all the neighbors came, and word went far and near that
Abram Rosecrans had killed a bear-- the first and last ever killed in our township.
We took great delight in hearing father tell the story over and over again, and
tried our best to think bear's meat better than venison, but it was so strong and
tough we could not really like it."
"Did he kill a deer the next night?"
"I don't remember about that. But he never had any trouble killing deer: he
would often kill three or four in a day, and come home with the skins and the best
part of the meat slung over his saddle. Mother would cook all she wanted, and
father would usually jerk the rest. Jerking was cutting it into narrow strips,
smoking it a little, and then drying it. Father always took jerked venison and
parched corn when he went hunting, and we had it for our dinner at school. Our
little school-house was a mile away, and we carried our dinners with us. There
were pegs driven 'round the school-room, over our seats, and on these we hung our
baskets.
"One day I lost my dinner, and how do you think it happened? It was a warm
summer day, and I was trying to study, -- but from my window I could see the woods
full of wild flowers and birds and squirrels and all manner of pleasant things,
and it seemed as if noon never would come, -- when, all at once, I heard a scream,
and looking up, I saw, right before me, hanging by its tail from the ceiling, an
immense black snake! Its head was in my basket, and it was eating my dinner with
great satisfaction. Oh, how we ran! -- the teacher and all. The school-house was
cleared in a minute! And then, two of the big boys went in with clubs and killed
it. We did not measure it, but we always said, 'it was as long as a rail.'
"Yes, I lost my dinner, but it came out right, for the other children divided
with me and the teacher gave us an extra play hour.
"That school teacher's name was Polly Taylor. She was pretty, sweet girl,
and a great favorite with her scholars.
"Susan Skeels, another teacher, never thought of anything but study. How we
did dislike her! She was an old maid, and had very strict notions about the bring-
ing up of children. We had to stand with our toes exactly to the crack when we
recited: had to hold a heavy Dictionary at arms-length for a punishment, and were
feruled for the the slightest cause. The time came, though when we had our revenge,
and I will tell you about it.
"One summer's day we were gathered in the school-house, studying and recit-
ing, when suddenly, to our great terror, the sun seemed blotted from the sky and
the darkness of midnight settled upon us. There was a whirring, roaring noise,
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 10)
Description
[corresponds to page 8 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
and then the rain fell in torrents. I cannot tell how long it lasted, but when
it ceased, we found that the little brook between us and our homes had become a
rushing river and the foot bridge was in danger of being washed away. We dared
not cross it alone, and were greatly relieved when we saw father coming to
help us over. Miss Susan was very fat, and she did not like to trust herself on
the log, but after father had taken the children over, she was persuaded to try
it. She got on very well until she neared the middle, where the current was
swiftest, when, for some reason, she lost her courage, and, with a wild cry,
threw her arms around father, and they tumbled together into the water.
"Then was our chance. 'Good for her! good for her!' we cried. 'Look at
her; look at her now' as she came struggling up, the water dripping from her sun
bonnet, and her clothes clinging to her stout figure. 'Keep your toes to the
crack, Susan; don't forget your manners! Cross your i's, dot your t's, and spell
ablel! Three cheers for teacher! and laughed, and cheered, and hurrahed, and
one boy, in his excitement, threw his cap into the brook and it floated away
after Miss Susan's dinner-basket.
"Father finally dragged her to the land, and a sad sight she was, as he
hurried her along the path to our house. Mother gave her some dry clothes, and a
bowl of camomile tea, and she was none the worse for her wetting. But after that
she never seemed quite happy in school and soon made way for Polly Taylor.
"I was very fond of play when I was a little girl. I am afraid I liked it
too well, and I often got into mischief. I remember one day mother said I might
go to Uncle Joe's; the way to Uncle Joe's was right through the woods, and that
I liked, for I never was afraid and I always found something to interest me. On
this day, a herd of deer ran across my path, a dozen of them, with branching horns
and bright beautiful eyes, and little farther on, an old wild turkey flew out
from behind a clump of bushes. I was curious to see what she had been doing, and
creeping cautiously 'round, I came to a next of turkey eggs. that was a trea-
sure indeed! I had no basket, but what could be better than a sun-bonnet! I
filled it full, tied the string together for a handle, and hurried on to show
my prize to Uncle Joe's children. They were delighted, and proposed that we
should set the eggs and raise our own turkeys. Fortunately, they had several
sitting hens, and we had only to lift them carefully, take out the hens' eggs,
and put in the turkey eggs. Aunt Sarah wondered why her hens were so long com-
ing off, and she wondered still more when they did come off, and instead of a
brood of young chickens, they were followed about by long-legged, half feathered
turkeys. I thought the hens, themselves, must have been surprised at their queer
looking children; but were just as kind as they would have been to their own
yellow chickens, and scratched for them and clucked to them in the most motherly
manner. But turkeys have no gratitude: and as soon as they could pick for them-
selves, they ran away to the woods and were seen no more.
"I always liked to go to Uncle Joe's, but there was no place we enjoyed
quite so much as Uncle Isaac's. Aunt Mary had died before I could remember, and
the children kept house.
"In those day children could not do as much damage as they can now. There
was little furniture to injure and no carpets to wear out. I recollect, when
Uncle Jim Starke's last wife made a rag carpet (I was quite a big girl then) how
all the people talked about her extravagance. It was said the rags would have
made six good 'coverlids,' and 'what a waste it was to put them on the floor to
and then the rain fell in torrents. I cannot tell how long it lasted, but when
it ceased, we found that the little brook between us and our homes had become a
rushing river and the foot bridge was in danger of being washed away. We dared
not cross it alone, and were greatly relieved when we saw father coming to
help us over. Miss Susan was very fat, and she did not like to trust herself on
the log, but after father had taken the children over, she was persuaded to try
it. She got on very well until she neared the middle, where the current was
swiftest, when, for some reason, she lost her courage, and, with a wild cry,
threw her arms around father, and they tumbled together into the water.
"Then was our chance. 'Good for her! good for her!' we cried. 'Look at
her; look at her now' as she came struggling up, the water dripping from her sun
bonnet, and her clothes clinging to her stout figure. 'Keep your toes to the
crack, Susan; don't forget your manners! Cross your i's, dot your t's, and spell
ablel! Three cheers for teacher! and laughed, and cheered, and hurrahed, and
one boy, in his excitement, threw his cap into the brook and it floated away
after Miss Susan's dinner-basket.
"Father finally dragged her to the land, and a sad sight she was, as he
hurried her along the path to our house. Mother gave her some dry clothes, and a
bowl of camomile tea, and she was none the worse for her wetting. But after that
she never seemed quite happy in school and soon made way for Polly Taylor.
"I was very fond of play when I was a little girl. I am afraid I liked it
too well, and I often got into mischief. I remember one day mother said I might
go to Uncle Joe's; the way to Uncle Joe's was right through the woods, and that
I liked, for I never was afraid and I always found something to interest me. On
this day, a herd of deer ran across my path, a dozen of them, with branching horns
and bright beautiful eyes, and little farther on, an old wild turkey flew out
from behind a clump of bushes. I was curious to see what she had been doing, and
creeping cautiously 'round, I came to a next of turkey eggs. that was a trea-
sure indeed! I had no basket, but what could be better than a sun-bonnet! I
filled it full, tied the string together for a handle, and hurried on to show
my prize to Uncle Joe's children. They were delighted, and proposed that we
should set the eggs and raise our own turkeys. Fortunately, they had several
sitting hens, and we had only to lift them carefully, take out the hens' eggs,
and put in the turkey eggs. Aunt Sarah wondered why her hens were so long com-
ing off, and she wondered still more when they did come off, and instead of a
brood of young chickens, they were followed about by long-legged, half feathered
turkeys. I thought the hens, themselves, must have been surprised at their queer
looking children; but were just as kind as they would have been to their own
yellow chickens, and scratched for them and clucked to them in the most motherly
manner. But turkeys have no gratitude: and as soon as they could pick for them-
selves, they ran away to the woods and were seen no more.
"I always liked to go to Uncle Joe's, but there was no place we enjoyed
quite so much as Uncle Isaac's. Aunt Mary had died before I could remember, and
the children kept house.
"In those day children could not do as much damage as they can now. There
was little furniture to injure and no carpets to wear out. I recollect, when
Uncle Jim Starke's last wife made a rag carpet (I was quite a big girl then) how
all the people talked about her extravagance. It was said the rags would have
made six good 'coverlids,' and 'what a waste it was to put them on the floor to
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 11)
Description
[corresponds to page 9 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
be walked on! It was almost wicked.' No, there was no furniture or carpets to
spoil and no windows to break. When a man built a house, he cut out the logs , to
leave open spaces, two or three feet long. In these he put a kind of frame and
pasted paper over it; this paper was greased on the outside, so the rain would not
injure it, and the light came through better than you would think. The first
window glass I ever saw was a great curiosity. Dr. Skeels had it in his new house,
and father took us to see it. He had two windows, with four panes in each window.
That we could see in and see out was wonderful! I went outside and Maranda inside,
and we pressed our faces against the glass and tried to touch and kiss on another.
We could not understand it; - a piece of that glass would have more precious than diamonds.
"But I was going to tell you a little story about a visit to Uncle Isaac's.
One day, as a special favor, father said I might take the gray mare and ride over
to see my cousins, but that I must come home before night, for Uncle Isaac had no
room to stable the mare, and it was too cold to leave her in the field. I was al-
ways fond of horseback riding and I went off with great joy. The children gave
me a warm welcome, and especially glad to see me, because their father had
gone to 'quarterly-meeting' and they were alone; they insisted that I should
stay all night and cousin John said he would look out for the mare. Uncle Isaac
was building an addition to his house, and the rooms were floored, but not entirely
finished, and into one of these rooms he put the mare.
"After evening meeting, Uncle Isaac came home bringing a minister with him,
and they went to bed. Sometime in the night, he wakened us by calling, 'John!
John! Get up! There are horses in the yard! and there might have been a dozen,
such a whinnying and tramping of hoofs as we heard. But John was sleepy, and he
called back, 'Oh! never mind , father, It is only Uncle Abram's old mare in the
bedroom!'
"Uncle Isaac was satisfied and went back to bed; but I have often wondered
if the minister thought that was where we always kept our horses.
"Uncle Jake's children were our most constant playfellows, their farm ad-
joined ours, and between our house and theirs was only a little woods and a slash,
as we called the brook so the two families were always together.
"One night, I remember, father and mother and Aunt Polly and Uncle Jake were
invited to a party at Mrs. Blackman's. Mrs. Blackman came from Newtown, and was
looked upon as authority in all matters of taste and fashion. She had no children
and lived luxuriously in a double log-house, with an entry between. She baked
beans just as they did in Boston, and made real Connecticut pumpkin pies. One of
her parties was quite an event. This night Uncle Jake and Aunt Polly were going
with father and mother, and as the snow was deep, father thought he had better
drive the oxen. He put fresh straw in the sled, for mother was going to wear her
dove-colored silk, and that required care. Mother had brought that dress with her
from Wyoming, ten years before, but it was still considered a handsome dress and
was only worn on great occasions.
They bade us good-by, promising to bring us some cake, if we were good chil-
dren; and we watched them, slowly wending their way through the clearing, till
fairly out of sight. Then on went our hoods and cloaks, and away we went, through
the snow, to Uncle Jake's. Their children had promised to spend the evening with
us, and we were to help them carry over the baby. Poor little thing! it was cruel
be walked on! It was almost wicked.' No, there was no furniture or carpets to
spoil and no windows to break. When a man built a house, he cut out the logs , to
leave open spaces, two or three feet long. In these he put a kind of frame and
pasted paper over it; this paper was greased on the outside, so the rain would not
injure it, and the light came through better than you would think. The first
window glass I ever saw was a great curiosity. Dr. Skeels had it in his new house,
and father took us to see it. He had two windows, with four panes in each window.
That we could see in and see out was wonderful! I went outside and Maranda inside,
and we pressed our faces against the glass and tried to touch and kiss on another.
We could not understand it; - a piece of that glass would have more precious than diamonds.
"But I was going to tell you a little story about a visit to Uncle Isaac's.
One day, as a special favor, father said I might take the gray mare and ride over
to see my cousins, but that I must come home before night, for Uncle Isaac had no
room to stable the mare, and it was too cold to leave her in the field. I was al-
ways fond of horseback riding and I went off with great joy. The children gave
me a warm welcome, and especially glad to see me, because their father had
gone to 'quarterly-meeting' and they were alone; they insisted that I should
stay all night and cousin John said he would look out for the mare. Uncle Isaac
was building an addition to his house, and the rooms were floored, but not entirely
finished, and into one of these rooms he put the mare.
"After evening meeting, Uncle Isaac came home bringing a minister with him,
and they went to bed. Sometime in the night, he wakened us by calling, 'John!
John! Get up! There are horses in the yard! and there might have been a dozen,
such a whinnying and tramping of hoofs as we heard. But John was sleepy, and he
called back, 'Oh! never mind , father, It is only Uncle Abram's old mare in the
bedroom!'
"Uncle Isaac was satisfied and went back to bed; but I have often wondered
if the minister thought that was where we always kept our horses.
"Uncle Jake's children were our most constant playfellows, their farm ad-
joined ours, and between our house and theirs was only a little woods and a slash,
as we called the brook so the two families were always together.
"One night, I remember, father and mother and Aunt Polly and Uncle Jake were
invited to a party at Mrs. Blackman's. Mrs. Blackman came from Newtown, and was
looked upon as authority in all matters of taste and fashion. She had no children
and lived luxuriously in a double log-house, with an entry between. She baked
beans just as they did in Boston, and made real Connecticut pumpkin pies. One of
her parties was quite an event. This night Uncle Jake and Aunt Polly were going
with father and mother, and as the snow was deep, father thought he had better
drive the oxen. He put fresh straw in the sled, for mother was going to wear her
dove-colored silk, and that required care. Mother had brought that dress with her
from Wyoming, ten years before, but it was still considered a handsome dress and
was only worn on great occasions.
They bade us good-by, promising to bring us some cake, if we were good chil-
dren; and we watched them, slowly wending their way through the clearing, till
fairly out of sight. Then on went our hoods and cloaks, and away we went, through
the snow, to Uncle Jake's. Their children had promised to spend the evening with
us, and we were to help them carry over the baby. Poor little thing! it was cruel
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 12)
Description
[corresponds to page 10 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
to take it out of its warm cradle. But we wrapped it up well, and took turns run-
ning with it, and were soon home. On the way one of the boys called out, 'There
are Mother Hess's dogs!' and saw several of the great black creatures run out
of the woods, and thought no more of it.
"We gave the baby some milk and were commencing our games, when we were
startled by hearing howls in the distance. We listened. The sound came nearer and
nearer, and louder and louder, and the the boys cried out,
'It's wolves! It's wolves! and they're coming to the house!
"Sure enough, in a minute there they were! -- before the doors, under the win-
dows, and all around the house -- filling the air with howls. Then we knew it was
wolves we had seen in the woods, and were frightened enough when we thought of the
little baby and our escape. We felt quite safe in the house, and after a time were
tempted to take a peep at them; so we opened the door a little crack and took turns
looking out. I remember how, in the dark, their eyes gleamed like coals of fire.
"The boys thought they would scare them, by throwing fire-brands in their
midst, but they only ran off a little way and came back fiercer than ever. Then
John Poole took down father's shot-gun. There was a keg of powder handy, under the
bed, and he put in a good, heavy charge, poked a hole in the window paper and fired
away. This amused us, but did not scare the wolves, and we finally got tired and
went to bed.
"When father came home they were gone, but the snow 'round the house was
covered with tracks. Uncle Jake and Aunt Polly were so glad to find the children
safe, they forgot to scold us about taking out the baby, and we had our cake all
the same.
"Wolves were very troublesome in those days, and we were obliged to have the
sheep-pen adjoining the house, and covered over. The calf-pen was a little farther
off; and once, in broad daylight, a wolf climbed on the pen and would have seized
the poor little calf, had not mother called the children and told us to scream, all
at once, as loud as we could.The noise we made was more than any wolf could stand,
and he ran away.
"The men had wolf-pens all through the woods. These were made of logs with
a trap-door on the top. A piece of meat inside tempted the wolf, and when he
jumped in to get it, the door fell and he was caught.
"One day, I was playing with my cousins and we came across one of these pens.
I proposed that we should get into it and have it for a house. They were ready for
anything, so in we climbed, when, suddenly, down came the cover, and we were fast
enough. Fortunately, there was some one outside to go for help, or in those deep
forests they might have hunted for days and not found us.
'We were quite excited, at one time, about a large gray wolf that prowled for
weeks around the neighborhood and eluded out best hunters. It had only three paws,
one of them having been cut off by a trap. Morning after morning we could find its
tracks around our pens, and once in a while a sheep would be missing. One evening,
just at dusk, Mrs. Blackman was out, bringing in her clothes, when this old, three-
footed wolf chased her into the house. That was going a little too far, and father
said he would take the matter in had. So he killed a sheep and place it in such
to take it out of its warm cradle. But we wrapped it up well, and took turns run-
ning with it, and were soon home. On the way one of the boys called out, 'There
are Mother Hess's dogs!' and saw several of the great black creatures run out
of the woods, and thought no more of it.
"We gave the baby some milk and were commencing our games, when we were
startled by hearing howls in the distance. We listened. The sound came nearer and
nearer, and louder and louder, and the the boys cried out,
'It's wolves! It's wolves! and they're coming to the house!
"Sure enough, in a minute there they were! -- before the doors, under the win-
dows, and all around the house -- filling the air with howls. Then we knew it was
wolves we had seen in the woods, and were frightened enough when we thought of the
little baby and our escape. We felt quite safe in the house, and after a time were
tempted to take a peep at them; so we opened the door a little crack and took turns
looking out. I remember how, in the dark, their eyes gleamed like coals of fire.
"The boys thought they would scare them, by throwing fire-brands in their
midst, but they only ran off a little way and came back fiercer than ever. Then
John Poole took down father's shot-gun. There was a keg of powder handy, under the
bed, and he put in a good, heavy charge, poked a hole in the window paper and fired
away. This amused us, but did not scare the wolves, and we finally got tired and
went to bed.
"When father came home they were gone, but the snow 'round the house was
covered with tracks. Uncle Jake and Aunt Polly were so glad to find the children
safe, they forgot to scold us about taking out the baby, and we had our cake all
the same.
"Wolves were very troublesome in those days, and we were obliged to have the
sheep-pen adjoining the house, and covered over. The calf-pen was a little farther
off; and once, in broad daylight, a wolf climbed on the pen and would have seized
the poor little calf, had not mother called the children and told us to scream, all
at once, as loud as we could.The noise we made was more than any wolf could stand,
and he ran away.
"The men had wolf-pens all through the woods. These were made of logs with
a trap-door on the top. A piece of meat inside tempted the wolf, and when he
jumped in to get it, the door fell and he was caught.
"One day, I was playing with my cousins and we came across one of these pens.
I proposed that we should get into it and have it for a house. They were ready for
anything, so in we climbed, when, suddenly, down came the cover, and we were fast
enough. Fortunately, there was some one outside to go for help, or in those deep
forests they might have hunted for days and not found us.
'We were quite excited, at one time, about a large gray wolf that prowled for
weeks around the neighborhood and eluded out best hunters. It had only three paws,
one of them having been cut off by a trap. Morning after morning we could find its
tracks around our pens, and once in a while a sheep would be missing. One evening,
just at dusk, Mrs. Blackman was out, bringing in her clothes, when this old, three-
footed wolf chased her into the house. That was going a little too far, and father
said he would take the matter in had. So he killed a sheep and place it in such
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 13)
Description
[corresponds to page 11 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
a life-like position on the trap, that no wolf could resist it, and the old fellow
was caught the very first night.
"That is all the wolf stories I remember. But as you have been shooting owls
today, I will tell you an owl story.
"John Poole, the boy who fired at the wolves the night of Mrs. Blackman's
party, was the son of a widow who lived neighbor to us.
"One night, a few months after the party, father and mother were awakened
from their sleep by a violent knocking and pounding at the door and some one crying,
'Help! help!' Father sprang quickly out of bed, drew back the great, wooden bolt
and called out,
"Who's there? What's the matter?'
"A voice in the darkness answered,
"It's me! it's me!" and the Devil is in my bedroom!' and the owner of the
voice, whoever he was, staggered through the door and fell on the floor.
"By that time we were all aroused, and very much alarmed. Mother hastily
blew up a coal and lighted a candle, and there on the floor, lay John Poole. His
curly hair was torn and matted; his face was scratched, and the blood was streaming
down. He was a frightful object, and so exhausted by fear and running, he could
scarcely speak. Mother bathed his face, and after a time he managed to tell his
story.
"The Pooles lives in a cabin, with one room below and a loft above. Mrs.
Poole slept in the lower room and John in the upper. He had taken his candle, as
usual , and climbed the ladder but no sooner had he stepped into his room, than he
heard a frightful noise, and the Devil, himself, jumped out at him, and seized him
by the hair, and blew out his candle, and beat him on the head and scratched him,
-- all the time calling him dreadful names, in a language he could not understand.
It was only by a miracle that he escaped and jumped down the ladder, and never
stopped running till he had reached our house.
"Our hair stood on end as we listened. Bears and panthers were bad enough!
But a Devil, was too awful for anything! And father took down his gun, we all
cried, and begged him not to go. But he went off laughing, saying that he would
kill the Devil and bring him home with him.
"In half an hour he came back, carrying an immense white owl! John was very
much mortified, and it was many years before he heard the last of his Devil."
a life-like position on the trap, that no wolf could resist it, and the old fellow
was caught the very first night.
"That is all the wolf stories I remember. But as you have been shooting owls
today, I will tell you an owl story.
"John Poole, the boy who fired at the wolves the night of Mrs. Blackman's
party, was the son of a widow who lived neighbor to us.
"One night, a few months after the party, father and mother were awakened
from their sleep by a violent knocking and pounding at the door and some one crying,
'Help! help!' Father sprang quickly out of bed, drew back the great, wooden bolt
and called out,
"Who's there? What's the matter?'
"A voice in the darkness answered,
"It's me! it's me!" and the Devil is in my bedroom!' and the owner of the
voice, whoever he was, staggered through the door and fell on the floor.
"By that time we were all aroused, and very much alarmed. Mother hastily
blew up a coal and lighted a candle, and there on the floor, lay John Poole. His
curly hair was torn and matted; his face was scratched, and the blood was streaming
down. He was a frightful object, and so exhausted by fear and running, he could
scarcely speak. Mother bathed his face, and after a time he managed to tell his
story.
"The Pooles lives in a cabin, with one room below and a loft above. Mrs.
Poole slept in the lower room and John in the upper. He had taken his candle, as
usual , and climbed the ladder but no sooner had he stepped into his room, than he
heard a frightful noise, and the Devil, himself, jumped out at him, and seized him
by the hair, and blew out his candle, and beat him on the head and scratched him,
-- all the time calling him dreadful names, in a language he could not understand.
It was only by a miracle that he escaped and jumped down the ladder, and never
stopped running till he had reached our house.
"Our hair stood on end as we listened. Bears and panthers were bad enough!
But a Devil, was too awful for anything! And father took down his gun, we all
cried, and begged him not to go. But he went off laughing, saying that he would
kill the Devil and bring him home with him.
"In half an hour he came back, carrying an immense white owl! John was very
much mortified, and it was many years before he heard the last of his Devil."
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 14)
Description
[corresponds to page 12 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
Part III
The sun shone bright and clear the morning after the storm, and Jack looked
from his window on a world of whiteness. The sleighs, with their jingling bells,
were not yet out, and the deep snow muffled the noises of the street. To the out-
ward ear, all was silence, --but it was the silence of intense life. The snow
dazzled; the icicles glistened; the sun shot forth his rays, and the very air
sparkled.
A child lives close to nature; and Jack' eyes grew bright, and his pulses
quickened under the influences of the morning. He laughed aloud as a flock of "wax-
wings" swooped down on the "mountain ash," scattering the snow, in search of their
breakfast of berries. And a moment after, Jack was a "wax-wing" himself, in red
mittens, flying here and there through the snow-drifts with a heart as free from
care as any bird of them all. But alas! legs are not wings, at will, and snow-
covered ice is treacherous. For with a cry, poor little Jack falls helpless.
The birds fly away; the children troop along to school; the sleighs go merri-
ly by, while Jack lies on the sofa in the parlor. but he is Jack no longer: he is
a soldier, wounded in the great Rebellion. His army coat hangs by his side, the
buttons are tarnished and the shoulder-straps are faded; -- Virginia suns and the
dampness of Virginia trenches have left their marks upon them. On his head is an
old cap, the regulation blue is dimmed and visor is defaced, but Jack takes
pride -- and well he may -- in the golden letters that adorn the front. Over his
shoulders is a sash that once was crimson, and on his breast he wears a badge bear-
ing the names of "Petersburgh," and "Spottsylvania," and "Cold Harbor." Grandma is
the nurse in charge, and tells her patient many stories of hospitals and wounded
men.
"Women have to take care of men; don't they, Grandma? They can't fight and
wear uniforms and get wounded."
"No, they don't wear uniforms, and don't generally fight. But I know one
man who was wounded, and wounded by a soldier. Her father kept a tavern on
Wyoming Flats, and when she was a little girl, about as old as you are, some Revo-
lutionary soldiers stopped at their house to spend the night. One of them careless-
ly laid his gun in a corner of the room; in some way it was knocked over and it went
off, shooting the little girl in the leg. Her wound was so severe they were obliged
to cut off her leg, and she had weeks of suffering. But the Government gave her a
pension, and she got on very well with her wooden leg. Mother told me a funny story
about that leg. "The Hilman's came to Ohio the same time with our people and old
Mrs. Hilman rode horseback nearly all the way. One night they stopped at a tavern,
and the landlord came out to help Mrs. Hillman from her horse. He had on high boots
with his pants tucked into them. He offered his hand, Mrs. Hillman gave a spring,
and by some chance her wooden leg went inside of his boot. They both fell to the
ground, and the leg was so wedged in, it required a great effort on the part of the
bystanders to get them apart.
"Mrs. Hillman was the tailor of the neighborhood, and went from house to
house cutting and making clothes for the men and boys. We were always delighted
when she came to us, for she had seen Washington and Lafayette, and she told us
many stories: but especially, there was a fascination and a mystery about her
wooden leg that never lost its interest.
Part III
The sun shone bright and clear the morning after the storm, and Jack looked
from his window on a world of whiteness. The sleighs, with their jingling bells,
were not yet out, and the deep snow muffled the noises of the street. To the out-
ward ear, all was silence, --but it was the silence of intense life. The snow
dazzled; the icicles glistened; the sun shot forth his rays, and the very air
sparkled.
A child lives close to nature; and Jack' eyes grew bright, and his pulses
quickened under the influences of the morning. He laughed aloud as a flock of "wax-
wings" swooped down on the "mountain ash," scattering the snow, in search of their
breakfast of berries. And a moment after, Jack was a "wax-wing" himself, in red
mittens, flying here and there through the snow-drifts with a heart as free from
care as any bird of them all. But alas! legs are not wings, at will, and snow-
covered ice is treacherous. For with a cry, poor little Jack falls helpless.
The birds fly away; the children troop along to school; the sleighs go merri-
ly by, while Jack lies on the sofa in the parlor. but he is Jack no longer: he is
a soldier, wounded in the great Rebellion. His army coat hangs by his side, the
buttons are tarnished and the shoulder-straps are faded; -- Virginia suns and the
dampness of Virginia trenches have left their marks upon them. On his head is an
old cap, the regulation blue is dimmed and visor is defaced, but Jack takes
pride -- and well he may -- in the golden letters that adorn the front. Over his
shoulders is a sash that once was crimson, and on his breast he wears a badge bear-
ing the names of "Petersburgh," and "Spottsylvania," and "Cold Harbor." Grandma is
the nurse in charge, and tells her patient many stories of hospitals and wounded
men.
"Women have to take care of men; don't they, Grandma? They can't fight and
wear uniforms and get wounded."
"No, they don't wear uniforms, and don't generally fight. But I know one
man who was wounded, and wounded by a soldier. Her father kept a tavern on
Wyoming Flats, and when she was a little girl, about as old as you are, some Revo-
lutionary soldiers stopped at their house to spend the night. One of them careless-
ly laid his gun in a corner of the room; in some way it was knocked over and it went
off, shooting the little girl in the leg. Her wound was so severe they were obliged
to cut off her leg, and she had weeks of suffering. But the Government gave her a
pension, and she got on very well with her wooden leg. Mother told me a funny story
about that leg. "The Hilman's came to Ohio the same time with our people and old
Mrs. Hilman rode horseback nearly all the way. One night they stopped at a tavern,
and the landlord came out to help Mrs. Hillman from her horse. He had on high boots
with his pants tucked into them. He offered his hand, Mrs. Hillman gave a spring,
and by some chance her wooden leg went inside of his boot. They both fell to the
ground, and the leg was so wedged in, it required a great effort on the part of the
bystanders to get them apart.
"Mrs. Hillman was the tailor of the neighborhood, and went from house to
house cutting and making clothes for the men and boys. We were always delighted
when she came to us, for she had seen Washington and Lafayette, and she told us
many stories: but especially, there was a fascination and a mystery about her
wooden leg that never lost its interest.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 15)
Description
[corresponds to page 13 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
Yes, my grandfather came from "Wyoming Flats, too. He owned a good farm
there, with a house and barn and everything comfortable. But he had four sons,
Abram, Isaac, and Jacob and John, and two daughters, Sarah and Rebecca; and to see
them all settled in life was more to him than houses or land, or ease and comfort.
So he sold all that he had, bade good-by to the scenes of his early life, and with
the remnant of his household goods packed in two wagons, and their sons with their
wives and children following, he set forth upon a journey through forests almost
unbroken, over streams dangerous to ford, and among a people savage and cruel; --
a journey whose only limit was the little bag of money, hidden, perhaps like
Joseph's cup, in a sack of grain, for grandfather had decided on the number of his
acres, and would travel on until the price accorded with his means.
"With him were three brothers -- Carpenter by name, the Taylor family, the
Hillmans, and the Sturtevants. Old Mrs. Sturtevant was a resourceful shiftless sort
of a woman, but only one little circumstance made her famous as a manger and the
envy of her neighbors. At starting she had hung her churn behind the wagon, And
every night when she milked her cow -- they all brought cows -- she put her milk in
her churn and the jolting of the wagon churned it, and she had fresh butter all the
way, and buttermilk to treat her friends.
"My mother lived to be a very old woman, but to the day of her death she
blamed herself for her want of management, and spoke mournfully of the butter she
might have made.
"Why they chose Kingston township for their home I cannot tell. It was sever-
al miles from any settlement, and had only two inhabitants, --old George Hess and
Mother Hess, his wife; but Kingston was their Canaan, and there grandfather bought
his land, paying one dollar and a half an acre, and there he built his house, and
there my father and my uncles built their houses.
"They were rude enough. Sawmills were unknown, and hewing boards form solid
trees was slow work. We had a puncheon floor, and the ceiling overhead was elm-
bark, the stump of a tree, left standing in a corner of the room, made a solid
table, and my cradle -- for I was the first baby born in the new home -- was a
little maple trough.
"Mother had brought with her chests of clothes and cloth enough to last us
until the land was cleared and our first crop of flax grown; but our chief diffi-
culty was in getting corn for bread. Several times a year father was obliged to
take a long journey to Chillicothe -- his bridle-path marked by blazed trees --
for the purpose of buying corn.
"Near our house was the samp mortar, -- a stump hollowed out with a weight,
suspended by a sweep, -- and here the men of the neighborhood came, in turn, to
pound their corn. Years after Norton's mill was built, and all the men for thirty
miles around took their provisions with them and went to the 'raising.' To hear
father tell, in his return, of the height of it, and the width of it, and the size
of the hopper, and the weight of the stone, was like the wonders of Aladdin.
"Old George Hess was a very important man in our neighborhood; for he had a
cleared farm and had raised potatotes, and had seed wheat to sell.
"But more important than George Hess was George's wife, who was known to us
all as Mother Hess. She was a stout little woman, in a short gown and petticoat.
Yes, my grandfather came from "Wyoming Flats, too. He owned a good farm
there, with a house and barn and everything comfortable. But he had four sons,
Abram, Isaac, and Jacob and John, and two daughters, Sarah and Rebecca; and to see
them all settled in life was more to him than houses or land, or ease and comfort.
So he sold all that he had, bade good-by to the scenes of his early life, and with
the remnant of his household goods packed in two wagons, and their sons with their
wives and children following, he set forth upon a journey through forests almost
unbroken, over streams dangerous to ford, and among a people savage and cruel; --
a journey whose only limit was the little bag of money, hidden, perhaps like
Joseph's cup, in a sack of grain, for grandfather had decided on the number of his
acres, and would travel on until the price accorded with his means.
"With him were three brothers -- Carpenter by name, the Taylor family, the
Hillmans, and the Sturtevants. Old Mrs. Sturtevant was a resourceful shiftless sort
of a woman, but only one little circumstance made her famous as a manger and the
envy of her neighbors. At starting she had hung her churn behind the wagon, And
every night when she milked her cow -- they all brought cows -- she put her milk in
her churn and the jolting of the wagon churned it, and she had fresh butter all the
way, and buttermilk to treat her friends.
"My mother lived to be a very old woman, but to the day of her death she
blamed herself for her want of management, and spoke mournfully of the butter she
might have made.
"Why they chose Kingston township for their home I cannot tell. It was sever-
al miles from any settlement, and had only two inhabitants, --old George Hess and
Mother Hess, his wife; but Kingston was their Canaan, and there grandfather bought
his land, paying one dollar and a half an acre, and there he built his house, and
there my father and my uncles built their houses.
"They were rude enough. Sawmills were unknown, and hewing boards form solid
trees was slow work. We had a puncheon floor, and the ceiling overhead was elm-
bark, the stump of a tree, left standing in a corner of the room, made a solid
table, and my cradle -- for I was the first baby born in the new home -- was a
little maple trough.
"Mother had brought with her chests of clothes and cloth enough to last us
until the land was cleared and our first crop of flax grown; but our chief diffi-
culty was in getting corn for bread. Several times a year father was obliged to
take a long journey to Chillicothe -- his bridle-path marked by blazed trees --
for the purpose of buying corn.
"Near our house was the samp mortar, -- a stump hollowed out with a weight,
suspended by a sweep, -- and here the men of the neighborhood came, in turn, to
pound their corn. Years after Norton's mill was built, and all the men for thirty
miles around took their provisions with them and went to the 'raising.' To hear
father tell, in his return, of the height of it, and the width of it, and the size
of the hopper, and the weight of the stone, was like the wonders of Aladdin.
"Old George Hess was a very important man in our neighborhood; for he had a
cleared farm and had raised potatotes, and had seed wheat to sell.
"But more important than George Hess was George's wife, who was known to us
all as Mother Hess. She was a stout little woman, in a short gown and petticoat.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 16)
Description
[corresponds to page 14 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
with a man's hat upon; her head; and her constant companions were three big black
dogs. They had no children, so they adopted three, or rather she adopted two,
and George one.
"Dave was George's boy, and Moze and Julie were claimed by Mrs. Hess. George
had all the care and responsibility of his child, and she of her two. If Dave was
sick in the night, George had to get up and attend to him; but if it were Moze or
ornaments of their house was a large looking-glass, but having found Julie looking
in it, more than she thought was good for her Mother Hess took it down, -- when
she died, twenty years after, it was unpacked from one of her great chests.
"George was a frugal man and drove a close bargain. Walter Dunham once went
to him to buy some wheat. Walter was a poor man, and the price was so exorbitant,
he felt he could not pay it, and was turning dejectedly away, when old Mrs. Hess
followed him and whispered
"'You come back when George is not at home.'
"And he did go back, and she filled his bags without charge and sent him
off happy.
"Another time, this same Walter Dunham had all his sheep killed by wolves.
The day following, father had a rolling and Mrs. Hess came to help mother cook for
the men. At the table they were lamenting Mr. Dunham's ill luck.
"I'm sorry, too,' said Mrs. Hess, 'I'm sorry one sheep. How sorry are you?'
and she appealed to each in turn, and not to be outdone by a woman, every man had
to be sorry a sheep.
The next day all met at Mr. Dunham's and Mother Hess was with them,
leading the finest of her flock. She was a great Whig and her influence among a
poor class of squatters called 'Taways,' controlled the election. She would often
walk ten miles to Delawaretown to hear a political speech, a dislike of riding be-
ing one of her peculiarities. Her horses were like children to her. Their names
were all written in the family Bible, and at her death, thirty were caught and sold
that had never known a bridle.
"George died first. But, years before his death, they had equally divided the
property. George left his to Dave, but hers went to Moze and Julie. These two had
fortunately married one another, and as long as lived they made a happy home
for Mother Hess.
"In less than a year after mother came to the country, she was followed by
her three brothers, Uncle Newman and Uncle Joe and Uncle Ben. Uncle Josh came
many years later. He had been a sargeant in the Continental Army and a soldier in
the War of 'Eighteen hundred and twelve'. Uncle Joe was a great man, an office
holder in the county and a member of the Legislature. But Uncle Ben, the black
sheep of our family, was our favorite.
"Uncle Ben was in many ways remarkable. He is the only man I have ever
known who had double front teeth. They were white and even, and the peculiarity
was scarcely noticeable; but they were double all around, and strong beyond be-
lief. He was very eccentric in his dress, never wearing a coat, even in the
with a man's hat upon; her head; and her constant companions were three big black
dogs. They had no children, so they adopted three, or rather she adopted two,
and George one.
"Dave was George's boy, and Moze and Julie were claimed by Mrs. Hess. George
had all the care and responsibility of his child, and she of her two. If Dave was
sick in the night, George had to get up and attend to him; but if it were Moze or
ornaments of their house was a large looking-glass, but having found Julie looking
in it, more than she thought was good for her Mother Hess took it down, -- when
she died, twenty years after, it was unpacked from one of her great chests.
"George was a frugal man and drove a close bargain. Walter Dunham once went
to him to buy some wheat. Walter was a poor man, and the price was so exorbitant,
he felt he could not pay it, and was turning dejectedly away, when old Mrs. Hess
followed him and whispered
"'You come back when George is not at home.'
"And he did go back, and she filled his bags without charge and sent him
off happy.
"Another time, this same Walter Dunham had all his sheep killed by wolves.
The day following, father had a rolling and Mrs. Hess came to help mother cook for
the men. At the table they were lamenting Mr. Dunham's ill luck.
"I'm sorry, too,' said Mrs. Hess, 'I'm sorry one sheep. How sorry are you?'
and she appealed to each in turn, and not to be outdone by a woman, every man had
to be sorry a sheep.
The next day all met at Mr. Dunham's and Mother Hess was with them,
leading the finest of her flock. She was a great Whig and her influence among a
poor class of squatters called 'Taways,' controlled the election. She would often
walk ten miles to Delawaretown to hear a political speech, a dislike of riding be-
ing one of her peculiarities. Her horses were like children to her. Their names
were all written in the family Bible, and at her death, thirty were caught and sold
that had never known a bridle.
"George died first. But, years before his death, they had equally divided the
property. George left his to Dave, but hers went to Moze and Julie. These two had
fortunately married one another, and as long as lived they made a happy home
for Mother Hess.
"In less than a year after mother came to the country, she was followed by
her three brothers, Uncle Newman and Uncle Joe and Uncle Ben. Uncle Josh came
many years later. He had been a sargeant in the Continental Army and a soldier in
the War of 'Eighteen hundred and twelve'. Uncle Joe was a great man, an office
holder in the county and a member of the Legislature. But Uncle Ben, the black
sheep of our family, was our favorite.
"Uncle Ben was in many ways remarkable. He is the only man I have ever
known who had double front teeth. They were white and even, and the peculiarity
was scarcely noticeable; but they were double all around, and strong beyond be-
lief. He was very eccentric in his dress, never wearing a coat, even in the
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 17)
Description
[corresponds to page 15 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
coldest weather. His shirts were made of calico, a little open in the front and
ruffled around the neck. His eyes were gray, and his expression kind and pleasant.
His wife lived in Pennsylvania; but Uncle Ben's home was wherever he happened to be,
and his money belonged to any one who needed it.
"He had been a Methodist preacher -- and his knowledge of the Scriptures and
his mighty voice made him welcome at revivals and camp meetings -- but he fell from
grace so often, the Conference could not trust him; and when we knew him, he was a
veritable 'Jack-of-all-trades.'
"He brought a set of tools with him, and under his skillful hand our house
became quite elegant, in comparison with our neighbors. We had a planed door
with a latch and wooden bolt, two bedsteads made of cherry wood, and best of all, a
chest of drawers. That was a piece of furniture to be proud of, and we little girls
felt rich with half a drawer apiece.
"Uncle Ben made coffins, too. Once there was a freshet, and the waters of
the 'Big-belly' rose so high that the ford became impassable, and the foot-bridge
was washed away. Uncle Ben had a coffin to deliver on the other side, and how to
get it over became a serious question. The hour of the funeral drew near; the case
was urgent; and at last Uncle Ben solved the difficulty by boldly launching it upon
the water and paddling it across.
"Poor Uncle Ben! How many stories, the old people used to tell of him! He did
not keep himself unspotted from the world, but he visited the widow and the father-
less, and the cause of the poor he searched out. Once I saw him take the shoes
from off his feet and give them to a wretched woman; and he had to buy a cow for a
family left in poverty. By his example he taught us to be generous, and his gifts
of dresses and ribbons and pretty things, made room for him in all our hearts.
Girls loved pretty dresses then, as girls do now, and mother did her best to please
us. And her best, what did that involve! -- shopping 'round in pleasant stores and
seeking after styles and fashions? No, indeed! It was climbing up the ladder to
the cabin loft and bringing down the bag of flaxseed. It was the planting in the
springtime; the anxious watching for the flowers in summer; the directing of the
children as they pulled it in the fall; the raking and the binding and the rotting;
the breaking and the skutching and the hetcheling; the carding of the tow and the
spinning on the big wheel; the winding of the distaff and spinning on on the little
wheel; the reeling and the quilling; the rinsing of some skeins in lye to bleach
them, and the coloring of others. Last, and most difficult of all, the weaving
and the cloth was done, -- some white, some unbleached, striped and checked with
coppers and blue, -- and now, after months of labor and anxiety, the dresses could
be cut and made; and not dresses only, but shirts and sheets and pillow-cases, the
ticking for our feather beds, table cloths, towels, curtains, and even cloth to
sell. the girls were taught to spin as soon as they were old enough, and a little
sister, more ambitious than the others, had a little bench on which she jumped to
reach the wheel.
"The loop-shop was the first addition to our house, and mother was noted for
her weaving. In one day she wove fourteen yards of yard-wide cloth, and carried it
to Berkshire and traded it out at Judge Brown's store. The first one-horse wagon
in our township, --no carriage has ever seemed to me so fine as that, -- she bought
and paid for with proceeds of her loom.
"In the evenings, as a kind of fancy work, she wove tape (buttons were a
luxury, and we used tape instead), and father twisted rope for harnesses and bed-
cords.
coldest weather. His shirts were made of calico, a little open in the front and
ruffled around the neck. His eyes were gray, and his expression kind and pleasant.
His wife lived in Pennsylvania; but Uncle Ben's home was wherever he happened to be,
and his money belonged to any one who needed it.
"He had been a Methodist preacher -- and his knowledge of the Scriptures and
his mighty voice made him welcome at revivals and camp meetings -- but he fell from
grace so often, the Conference could not trust him; and when we knew him, he was a
veritable 'Jack-of-all-trades.'
"He brought a set of tools with him, and under his skillful hand our house
became quite elegant, in comparison with our neighbors. We had a planed door
with a latch and wooden bolt, two bedsteads made of cherry wood, and best of all, a
chest of drawers. That was a piece of furniture to be proud of, and we little girls
felt rich with half a drawer apiece.
"Uncle Ben made coffins, too. Once there was a freshet, and the waters of
the 'Big-belly' rose so high that the ford became impassable, and the foot-bridge
was washed away. Uncle Ben had a coffin to deliver on the other side, and how to
get it over became a serious question. The hour of the funeral drew near; the case
was urgent; and at last Uncle Ben solved the difficulty by boldly launching it upon
the water and paddling it across.
"Poor Uncle Ben! How many stories, the old people used to tell of him! He did
not keep himself unspotted from the world, but he visited the widow and the father-
less, and the cause of the poor he searched out. Once I saw him take the shoes
from off his feet and give them to a wretched woman; and he had to buy a cow for a
family left in poverty. By his example he taught us to be generous, and his gifts
of dresses and ribbons and pretty things, made room for him in all our hearts.
Girls loved pretty dresses then, as girls do now, and mother did her best to please
us. And her best, what did that involve! -- shopping 'round in pleasant stores and
seeking after styles and fashions? No, indeed! It was climbing up the ladder to
the cabin loft and bringing down the bag of flaxseed. It was the planting in the
springtime; the anxious watching for the flowers in summer; the directing of the
children as they pulled it in the fall; the raking and the binding and the rotting;
the breaking and the skutching and the hetcheling; the carding of the tow and the
spinning on the big wheel; the winding of the distaff and spinning on on the little
wheel; the reeling and the quilling; the rinsing of some skeins in lye to bleach
them, and the coloring of others. Last, and most difficult of all, the weaving
and the cloth was done, -- some white, some unbleached, striped and checked with
coppers and blue, -- and now, after months of labor and anxiety, the dresses could
be cut and made; and not dresses only, but shirts and sheets and pillow-cases, the
ticking for our feather beds, table cloths, towels, curtains, and even cloth to
sell. the girls were taught to spin as soon as they were old enough, and a little
sister, more ambitious than the others, had a little bench on which she jumped to
reach the wheel.
"The loop-shop was the first addition to our house, and mother was noted for
her weaving. In one day she wove fourteen yards of yard-wide cloth, and carried it
to Berkshire and traded it out at Judge Brown's store. The first one-horse wagon
in our township, --no carriage has ever seemed to me so fine as that, -- she bought
and paid for with proceeds of her loom.
"In the evenings, as a kind of fancy work, she wove tape (buttons were a
luxury, and we used tape instead), and father twisted rope for harnesses and bed-
cords.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 18)
Description
[corresponds to page 16 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
"Our cherry bedsteads had corded bottoms and high posts, reaching nearly
to the ceiling. these, curtained off, made spare chambers for our guests,
and two or three in a room were no disadvantage. 'Round mother's were
curtains of gay chintz from Pennsylvania, and the other were of linen, woven
by herself. These were finished at the top by a valance or ruffle, pleated
and fastened on with pins. For these pins I sighed! Cousin Beck suggested
that thorns were just as good as pins for curtains; and one day when mother was
busy in the loom-shop, and the children were off playing, I dragged out one of
the big chests, put a chair on top of it, mounted the chair, and, carefully
withdrawing the pins, substituted long sharp thorns. My stock in trade gave me
a great advantage and I played pin till all the school was bankrupt. When
mother cleaned house, months after, she discovered the deception and questioned
all the older children, but never thought of me, I was so little and so
innocent.
"Yes, mother had a busy life. When the land was cleared and father had
pasture for the sheep, she made woolen goods as well as linen, and she bought
cotton by the bunch, mixed it with the wool and wove a cloth called jeans, twilled
and heavy , for the men and boys. We took great pride in our first woolen clothes.
Our undergarments were colored red with bran and madder; and our dresses brown,
with butternut bark, or green, with peach leaves.
"One night when Elim Brown was keeping company with my sister, I slipped
from bed and walked around the room, for the purpose of displaying my night-
gown of red flannel. My sister was horrified, and I suffered for my vanity by
being sent off in disgrace.
There was work in plenty for both men and women; everything we ate and
everything we wore came from the hand. I was almost grown before I saw any sugar
except that made in our own camp. Occasionally we had a treat of store tea, but
generally drank rye coffee and tea made of sage. The first genuine coffee I ever
tasted was at Uncle Dan'els.
"Uncle Dan'el was a doctor, and with his pill-bag on his saddle rode every-
where about the country. On one of his trips he had either bought or been pre-
sented with some coffee; -- it was a great luxury, but Aunt Thankful said, 'Massy!'
-- she always prefaced everything with 'Massy!'--'Massy! Children will enjoy it
more'n grown folks!' and paying no attention to Uncle Dan'el's remonstrances, but
talking to herself all the time, she bustled about, browned it in the skillet pounded
it in the mortar, and then giving it a good, hard boil to get the strength out,
poured it into our cups. The first taste! I remember it now, and Aunt Thankful's
enjoyment of it all, as passed the cream and sugar saying, 'Massy! children,
help yourselves; there's plenty of it.'
"Yes, that was my first coffee. It seems strange to think about it now;
but then even such common things as pepper and spice and soda were unknown, and our
salt was brought sixty miles on horseback. Mother pounded dill and sassafras root
for flavoring; and we raised red peppers in the garden, and cooked little pieces
with our food to season it. Soda--saleratus we called it--mother made by burning
corn-cobs on the griddle.
"Work, work in every direction. Their pleasures were only work under another
name, work made play by the sympathy of friends. The rollings and the raisings
and the huskings, the quilting-bees and the pumpkin-parings and the apple-parings
"Our cherry bedsteads had corded bottoms and high posts, reaching nearly
to the ceiling. these, curtained off, made spare chambers for our guests,
and two or three in a room were no disadvantage. 'Round mother's were
curtains of gay chintz from Pennsylvania, and the other were of linen, woven
by herself. These were finished at the top by a valance or ruffle, pleated
and fastened on with pins. For these pins I sighed! Cousin Beck suggested
that thorns were just as good as pins for curtains; and one day when mother was
busy in the loom-shop, and the children were off playing, I dragged out one of
the big chests, put a chair on top of it, mounted the chair, and, carefully
withdrawing the pins, substituted long sharp thorns. My stock in trade gave me
a great advantage and I played pin till all the school was bankrupt. When
mother cleaned house, months after, she discovered the deception and questioned
all the older children, but never thought of me, I was so little and so
innocent.
"Yes, mother had a busy life. When the land was cleared and father had
pasture for the sheep, she made woolen goods as well as linen, and she bought
cotton by the bunch, mixed it with the wool and wove a cloth called jeans, twilled
and heavy , for the men and boys. We took great pride in our first woolen clothes.
Our undergarments were colored red with bran and madder; and our dresses brown,
with butternut bark, or green, with peach leaves.
"One night when Elim Brown was keeping company with my sister, I slipped
from bed and walked around the room, for the purpose of displaying my night-
gown of red flannel. My sister was horrified, and I suffered for my vanity by
being sent off in disgrace.
There was work in plenty for both men and women; everything we ate and
everything we wore came from the hand. I was almost grown before I saw any sugar
except that made in our own camp. Occasionally we had a treat of store tea, but
generally drank rye coffee and tea made of sage. The first genuine coffee I ever
tasted was at Uncle Dan'els.
"Uncle Dan'el was a doctor, and with his pill-bag on his saddle rode every-
where about the country. On one of his trips he had either bought or been pre-
sented with some coffee; -- it was a great luxury, but Aunt Thankful said, 'Massy!'
-- she always prefaced everything with 'Massy!'--'Massy! Children will enjoy it
more'n grown folks!' and paying no attention to Uncle Dan'el's remonstrances, but
talking to herself all the time, she bustled about, browned it in the skillet pounded
it in the mortar, and then giving it a good, hard boil to get the strength out,
poured it into our cups. The first taste! I remember it now, and Aunt Thankful's
enjoyment of it all, as passed the cream and sugar saying, 'Massy! children,
help yourselves; there's plenty of it.'
"Yes, that was my first coffee. It seems strange to think about it now;
but then even such common things as pepper and spice and soda were unknown, and our
salt was brought sixty miles on horseback. Mother pounded dill and sassafras root
for flavoring; and we raised red peppers in the garden, and cooked little pieces
with our food to season it. Soda--saleratus we called it--mother made by burning
corn-cobs on the griddle.
"Work, work in every direction. Their pleasures were only work under another
name, work made play by the sympathy of friends. The rollings and the raisings
and the huskings, the quilting-bees and the pumpkin-parings and the apple-parings
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 19)
Description
[corresponds to page 17 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
were called merrymakings; but they were, in reality, hard work done in company.
The spinning-bees were best of all, and had a double value. Was any woman sick
or burdened with unusual cares, her flax and tow were divided out among her
neighbors. the work was done, and her recovery, perhaps, was celebrated by a
party. Provisions were sent in, and each one came, bringing with her the yarn
that she had spun.
"It was almost impossible to get work done for money. Sometimes a Taway
would hire for a few days. And there was a queer old man, who appeared every
winter, and went from house to house spinning for his board and clothes. We
called him 'Jimmy the Spinner'; but where he came from, no one knew, or why he
had chosen that strange way of life. He was a quiet little man. He had no
stories to tell about his wanderings, and but little interest in the life around
him; but he had a store of plaintive love songs, and he sang them as he spun,
in a weak, quavering voice. Year after year, he went his rounds, coming in the
fall and leaving in the spring;--he was part of the season to us. We knew that
winter was coming, for 'Jimmy the spinner' sat in our kitchen corner, and that
spring was at hand when he said good-by.
"One year we watched for him in vain. The leaves had fallen and the nuts
been gathered, but still he did not come. And he never came again. From first
to last he was a mystery.
"Another singular character was 'Johnny Appleseed'--a small wiry man,
with keen black eyes and long black hair. For years he had gone up and down
through Ohio and Indiana, doing and finally sacrificed his life. He was chosen,
he said, to make the wilderness blossom; to plant, that others might eat of the
fruit. At the cider mills in Pennsylvania he gathered apple-seeds; filling a bag,
he took it on his back and started westward. Carefully choosing places where
the soil was fertile and the outlook pleasant, he would clear the ground and
plant his seeds. These clearings would, perhaps, be miles from any habitation
and often in the midst of forests, but the locality was well marked in his mind
and year after year they were re-visited and cultivated, and became, under his
care, nurseries for the surrounding country.
"His devotion and enthusiasm inspired many of the early settlers to lay out
orchards. He advised and helped them in the transplanting of the trees, and then
his work was done. They blossomed and bore fruit, and Johnny was far away, still
doing his 'duty' in the advance of civilization.
"He lived to be an old man. One night he asked for shelter at a cabin, in
western Indiana. They gave him food and offered him a bed, but he preferred the
floor, --and with his bag beside him, went to sleep. In the morning they found
that he was dying. He was unconscious, but a look of perfect peace was on his
face. Perhaps he saw the Tree of Life.
"The love of this man for the trees that he planted was like that of a
father for a child. He could not bear to have them pruned or grafted. To cut
them, seemed inflicting pain. His heart was full of tenderness toward everything
except himself. He went cold and hungry; walked barefooted, through the snows
of winter, and bore the heat of summer; but he could not see an animal or an
insect suffer, and the little money that he had, he spent in providing home for
crippled and ill- treated horses. He loved all children, and carried in his bag
bright bits of calico and ribbon for the little girls. It was said that he would
were called merrymakings; but they were, in reality, hard work done in company.
The spinning-bees were best of all, and had a double value. Was any woman sick
or burdened with unusual cares, her flax and tow were divided out among her
neighbors. the work was done, and her recovery, perhaps, was celebrated by a
party. Provisions were sent in, and each one came, bringing with her the yarn
that she had spun.
"It was almost impossible to get work done for money. Sometimes a Taway
would hire for a few days. And there was a queer old man, who appeared every
winter, and went from house to house spinning for his board and clothes. We
called him 'Jimmy the Spinner'; but where he came from, no one knew, or why he
had chosen that strange way of life. He was a quiet little man. He had no
stories to tell about his wanderings, and but little interest in the life around
him; but he had a store of plaintive love songs, and he sang them as he spun,
in a weak, quavering voice. Year after year, he went his rounds, coming in the
fall and leaving in the spring;--he was part of the season to us. We knew that
winter was coming, for 'Jimmy the spinner' sat in our kitchen corner, and that
spring was at hand when he said good-by.
"One year we watched for him in vain. The leaves had fallen and the nuts
been gathered, but still he did not come. And he never came again. From first
to last he was a mystery.
"Another singular character was 'Johnny Appleseed'--a small wiry man,
with keen black eyes and long black hair. For years he had gone up and down
through Ohio and Indiana, doing and finally sacrificed his life. He was chosen,
he said, to make the wilderness blossom; to plant, that others might eat of the
fruit. At the cider mills in Pennsylvania he gathered apple-seeds; filling a bag,
he took it on his back and started westward. Carefully choosing places where
the soil was fertile and the outlook pleasant, he would clear the ground and
plant his seeds. These clearings would, perhaps, be miles from any habitation
and often in the midst of forests, but the locality was well marked in his mind
and year after year they were re-visited and cultivated, and became, under his
care, nurseries for the surrounding country.
"His devotion and enthusiasm inspired many of the early settlers to lay out
orchards. He advised and helped them in the transplanting of the trees, and then
his work was done. They blossomed and bore fruit, and Johnny was far away, still
doing his 'duty' in the advance of civilization.
"He lived to be an old man. One night he asked for shelter at a cabin, in
western Indiana. They gave him food and offered him a bed, but he preferred the
floor, --and with his bag beside him, went to sleep. In the morning they found
that he was dying. He was unconscious, but a look of perfect peace was on his
face. Perhaps he saw the Tree of Life.
"The love of this man for the trees that he planted was like that of a
father for a child. He could not bear to have them pruned or grafted. To cut
them, seemed inflicting pain. His heart was full of tenderness toward everything
except himself. He went cold and hungry; walked barefooted, through the snows
of winter, and bore the heat of summer; but he could not see an animal or an
insect suffer, and the little money that he had, he spent in providing home for
crippled and ill- treated horses. He loved all children, and carried in his bag
bright bits of calico and ribbon for the little girls. It was said that he would
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 20)
Description
[corresponds to page 18 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
never eat at any house, till he would ask and be assured that there was plenty for
children.
"Grandfather's house was generally his stopping place, and over the kitchen
fire they held long arguments; for Johnny held strange views, called Swedenborgian,
and grandfather was a Wesleyan Methodist. The first prayer-meeting I ever
attended was at grandfather's. Their house had but one room, which was warmed
and lighted by the fireplace at the end,--a fireplace so large, they sometimes
hauled in with a horse, the logs to fill it. Against the opposite walls were
two curtained beds; and in one corner was a cupboard, filled with blue flowered
dishes and big pewter platters. Bunches of herbs were drying overhead, and
hams of venison and links of sausages hung against the chimney.
"When the people came to prayer-meeting, and all the chairs and chests
and beds were occupied, they bought in rough benches from outside, and soon
the room was filled. Some of the women had babies in their arms and children
holding to their skirts. Uncle Isaac and Uncle Jake were class leaders, and
they prayed and spoke and 'occupied the time', while Aunt Thankful led the
singing, in a high- pitched voice.
"Uncle Dan'el -- much to Aunt Thankful's grief was -- a Universalist. Once he
invited a Universalist preacher to hold service at his house. Aunt Thankful was
offended and refused to go into the room. But after the sermon was over and the
preacher was going away, Aunt Thankful called out, 'Massy, Dan'el! You're not
going to let him go without a cup of tea.' The good soul had had the kettle boiling
all the time, her hospitable heart being stronger than her theology.
"I was a large girl before we had any church building. but meetings were
regularly held in the houses of the neighborhood: and after Mr. Carpenter built
his barn, we met there in pleasant weather. There was room for all on the large
thrashing floor, and a barrel answered for a pulpit. Here the Word was expounded,
prayers offered and and arrangement made for works of charity and mercy the ensuing
week. Was any one sick, the preacher would announce it and ask for watchers and
for workers -- who would go on Sunday night! Who would wash on Monday! Could some-
one take the ironing home, and send a baking in? One after another would volun-
teer, until the week was filled, and the care and comfort of their neighbor was
insured. Had any poor come to their midst, they were provided for in the same
way, and for over fifty years not one poor person, man or child, came on the town.
"There were some Episcopalians in our neighborhood. Mrs. Blackman, who
came from Newtown--the one who gave the party--was an Episcopalian and so was
her neighbor, Mrs. Curtis. They always went to Berkshire to church riding on
pillions, behind their husbands. In Berkshire the 'Princes' lived,--and I must
tell you about them, for they were our best friends.
"Judge Prince and his brother were the first settlers in Berkshire township.
They came from Connecticut, bringing with them old Kate and Toney, two colored
people, who had been slaves to their father. Toney and Kate were cousins. When
their master died, he left his little boys in their care, and they had been, as
best they could, father and mother to them, and finally, in their old age
came with them to their new home in Ohio.
"All this happened before I was born or Kingston settled. But Toney, a
gray-haired old darky, was very fond of telling the story, and I heard it again
never eat at any house, till he would ask and be assured that there was plenty for
children.
"Grandfather's house was generally his stopping place, and over the kitchen
fire they held long arguments; for Johnny held strange views, called Swedenborgian,
and grandfather was a Wesleyan Methodist. The first prayer-meeting I ever
attended was at grandfather's. Their house had but one room, which was warmed
and lighted by the fireplace at the end,--a fireplace so large, they sometimes
hauled in with a horse, the logs to fill it. Against the opposite walls were
two curtained beds; and in one corner was a cupboard, filled with blue flowered
dishes and big pewter platters. Bunches of herbs were drying overhead, and
hams of venison and links of sausages hung against the chimney.
"When the people came to prayer-meeting, and all the chairs and chests
and beds were occupied, they bought in rough benches from outside, and soon
the room was filled. Some of the women had babies in their arms and children
holding to their skirts. Uncle Isaac and Uncle Jake were class leaders, and
they prayed and spoke and 'occupied the time', while Aunt Thankful led the
singing, in a high- pitched voice.
"Uncle Dan'el -- much to Aunt Thankful's grief was -- a Universalist. Once he
invited a Universalist preacher to hold service at his house. Aunt Thankful was
offended and refused to go into the room. But after the sermon was over and the
preacher was going away, Aunt Thankful called out, 'Massy, Dan'el! You're not
going to let him go without a cup of tea.' The good soul had had the kettle boiling
all the time, her hospitable heart being stronger than her theology.
"I was a large girl before we had any church building. but meetings were
regularly held in the houses of the neighborhood: and after Mr. Carpenter built
his barn, we met there in pleasant weather. There was room for all on the large
thrashing floor, and a barrel answered for a pulpit. Here the Word was expounded,
prayers offered and and arrangement made for works of charity and mercy the ensuing
week. Was any one sick, the preacher would announce it and ask for watchers and
for workers -- who would go on Sunday night! Who would wash on Monday! Could some-
one take the ironing home, and send a baking in? One after another would volun-
teer, until the week was filled, and the care and comfort of their neighbor was
insured. Had any poor come to their midst, they were provided for in the same
way, and for over fifty years not one poor person, man or child, came on the town.
"There were some Episcopalians in our neighborhood. Mrs. Blackman, who
came from Newtown--the one who gave the party--was an Episcopalian and so was
her neighbor, Mrs. Curtis. They always went to Berkshire to church riding on
pillions, behind their husbands. In Berkshire the 'Princes' lived,--and I must
tell you about them, for they were our best friends.
"Judge Prince and his brother were the first settlers in Berkshire township.
They came from Connecticut, bringing with them old Kate and Toney, two colored
people, who had been slaves to their father. Toney and Kate were cousins. When
their master died, he left his little boys in their care, and they had been, as
best they could, father and mother to them, and finally, in their old age
came with them to their new home in Ohio.
"All this happened before I was born or Kingston settled. But Toney, a
gray-haired old darky, was very fond of telling the story, and I heard it again
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 21)
Description
[corresponds to page 19 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
and again when I was a little girl. Toney was a favorite with the children, and
the redcheeked apples that he brought us were as great a rarity and as highly
prized, as oranges or bananas, by the children of the present day.
"By this time Mr. Prince--the elder brother--had married Judge Brown's
daughter and become a judge himself, and when Mrs. Blackman and Mrs. Curtis rode
to Berkshire on their pillions, he read the service from the Prayer-book at the
schoolhouse; and one or twice a year Bishop Chase, himself, came for Confirma-
tion. He, of course, stayed with the Princes.
"I remember hearing Mrs. Prince tell mother, how, on one of his visits, he
had accidentally broken her only china bowl. But she said it did not matter,
for the Bishop always liked to drink out of a gourd better than anything else.
"Even at that time, people found it difficult to buy things. Mrs. Prince
once sent to our house, a distance of two miles and a half, for a needle that
she had left there the day before; but after a few years her father opened a store
in Berkshire, and it was there that mother sold the fourteen yards of cloth that
she had woven in one day.
"One experience of my life made a deep impression on my mind, and the
circumstances of it are vivid to this hour. It was a fall day and mother had
gone to Berkshire and left me in charge of the house. Once a year Joseph Prince
took a drove of hogs to New York and mother always helped his sister-in-law--the
Judge's wife-- to get him ready for the trip. He went horseback, following his
hogs. The journey was long and tedious, and required a stock of good, warm mittens,
thick winter stockings and heavy overalls packed closely in his saddlebags.
"We can scarcely imagine such a journey now. Hogs are 'pig-headed'
animals to drive, and in the woods, especially, needed constant care and
patience. they would take their time; there was no use trying to hurry them,
and the hundred miles to the Lake must have seemed interminable. At Sandusky
they took a boat to Buffalo, and then on foot again to New York city.
"Well, father and mother had gone to say 'Good-by' to Joseph, as people
nowadays go on board a European steamer; and , as I told you, I was left to keep
the house. there was an unusual excitement in our neighborhood that day, in
regard to some suspicious characters that had been seen in company with Palmer--
Mr. Taylor's son-in-law. This Palmer had come a stranger to the settlement, and
being a showy, talkative young man, had won the heart of Mr. Taylor's daughter
and married her. They had a little baby and she stayed at home, but he always
away on what he called 'business'. This time, on his return, he brought two
or three men with him, and suspicion gained ground that his 'business' was making
'counterfeit money'. A smoke had been seen rising above the forest trees and
several of the neighbors, Uncle Jake and Uncle Dan'el among the number, came
for father to go with them on the search. I told them that father was in
Berkshire, and they left me anxious and distressed. We had no daily papers then,
to make crime familiar to us,--the Delaware Gazette was the only paper I had
ever seen, two or three families clubbed together and subscribed for that, but
it was filled with local politics, a love story now and then, and original
poems in the Poet's Corner',--and the thought that counterfeiters might be in
our woods--even then at work!--was dreadful and terrified me so, I scarcely
dared to stay alone.
and again when I was a little girl. Toney was a favorite with the children, and
the redcheeked apples that he brought us were as great a rarity and as highly
prized, as oranges or bananas, by the children of the present day.
"By this time Mr. Prince--the elder brother--had married Judge Brown's
daughter and become a judge himself, and when Mrs. Blackman and Mrs. Curtis rode
to Berkshire on their pillions, he read the service from the Prayer-book at the
schoolhouse; and one or twice a year Bishop Chase, himself, came for Confirma-
tion. He, of course, stayed with the Princes.
"I remember hearing Mrs. Prince tell mother, how, on one of his visits, he
had accidentally broken her only china bowl. But she said it did not matter,
for the Bishop always liked to drink out of a gourd better than anything else.
"Even at that time, people found it difficult to buy things. Mrs. Prince
once sent to our house, a distance of two miles and a half, for a needle that
she had left there the day before; but after a few years her father opened a store
in Berkshire, and it was there that mother sold the fourteen yards of cloth that
she had woven in one day.
"One experience of my life made a deep impression on my mind, and the
circumstances of it are vivid to this hour. It was a fall day and mother had
gone to Berkshire and left me in charge of the house. Once a year Joseph Prince
took a drove of hogs to New York and mother always helped his sister-in-law--the
Judge's wife-- to get him ready for the trip. He went horseback, following his
hogs. The journey was long and tedious, and required a stock of good, warm mittens,
thick winter stockings and heavy overalls packed closely in his saddlebags.
"We can scarcely imagine such a journey now. Hogs are 'pig-headed'
animals to drive, and in the woods, especially, needed constant care and
patience. they would take their time; there was no use trying to hurry them,
and the hundred miles to the Lake must have seemed interminable. At Sandusky
they took a boat to Buffalo, and then on foot again to New York city.
"Well, father and mother had gone to say 'Good-by' to Joseph, as people
nowadays go on board a European steamer; and , as I told you, I was left to keep
the house. there was an unusual excitement in our neighborhood that day, in
regard to some suspicious characters that had been seen in company with Palmer--
Mr. Taylor's son-in-law. This Palmer had come a stranger to the settlement, and
being a showy, talkative young man, had won the heart of Mr. Taylor's daughter
and married her. They had a little baby and she stayed at home, but he always
away on what he called 'business'. This time, on his return, he brought two
or three men with him, and suspicion gained ground that his 'business' was making
'counterfeit money'. A smoke had been seen rising above the forest trees and
several of the neighbors, Uncle Jake and Uncle Dan'el among the number, came
for father to go with them on the search. I told them that father was in
Berkshire, and they left me anxious and distressed. We had no daily papers then,
to make crime familiar to us,--the Delaware Gazette was the only paper I had
ever seen, two or three families clubbed together and subscribed for that, but
it was filled with local politics, a love story now and then, and original
poems in the Poet's Corner',--and the thought that counterfeiters might be in
our woods--even then at work!--was dreadful and terrified me so, I scarcely
dared to stay alone.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 22)
Description
[corresponds to page 20 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
"The hours passed on, I undressed the little children and put them into
their bed, and was sitting sewing when the door flew open, and a man dashed by,
saying, 'For heaven's sake, hide this, or I'm a ruined man!' and before I had time
to breathe he was gone, and at my feet was a bag of something. I heard steps out-
side, and scarcely knowing what I did, I seized the bag and threw it into the oven,
the door of which stood open.
"The next instant Uncle Jake and Uncle Daniel and all the men came in, out of
breath, crying,
"Did Palmer come in here! Have you seen Palmer?'
"I trembled with fear, but answered boldly:
"No! I have not seen him. He has not been through here.'
"And taking my word, they hurried on. They caught him somewhere near the
hay stacks, and held him under arrest, while they searched for evidence. But
they never found it and were obliged to let him go.
"It seems they had followed the smoke and came upon the gang at work, but
in some way the alarm was given, and Palmer, who was remarkable for his fleetness,
seized the bag of dies and escaped with them.
"I hope to never pass another such a night. I could find no place secret
enough to hide the bag. I tried to go to sleep with it under my bed, but it
haunted me like an evil spirit, and I finally got up and buried it in a barrel of
bran.
"Months after, when Palmer had left the country, I took courage and told
father. The bag disappeared form the barrel, but the remembrance of that dread-
ful night and the lie that I told, troubled me for many a year.
"We always went to father when we were in trouble. Father was a loving
easy-going man, as men given to hunting often are, and was never in hurry. He
managed his farm very well, but there was little inducement to raise more than we
could use ourselves. There was no market for the grain and no means of transpor-
tation. Father once took a load of wheat to Mt. Vernon, thirty miles away, but
could not sell it at any price, -- and rather than haul it home again, he took it
'round the town and gave it to the poor people.
"I remember a man, whose house had been burned down, coming to us for help.
Father offered him ten bushels of wheat but he replied that he was not taking
wheat any more.
"A good cow and calf were sold for five dollars. Father brought the money
home in his mitten and gave it to me to count. The most of it was 'split money,'
silver dollars cut in two, four and eight pieces.
"Where there was little to sell, there was little to buy, even our shoes
father learned to make by ripping up an old one, stitch by stitch, and cutting off
a pattern. He made them of wild hog skin. The woods were full of wild hogs, some
of them quite savage. One boar, especially, with enormous tusks, was so ferocious,
the men went in company to hunt him, and it was said that his hide was so tough, it
turned a bullet.
"The hours passed on, I undressed the little children and put them into
their bed, and was sitting sewing when the door flew open, and a man dashed by,
saying, 'For heaven's sake, hide this, or I'm a ruined man!' and before I had time
to breathe he was gone, and at my feet was a bag of something. I heard steps out-
side, and scarcely knowing what I did, I seized the bag and threw it into the oven,
the door of which stood open.
"The next instant Uncle Jake and Uncle Daniel and all the men came in, out of
breath, crying,
"Did Palmer come in here! Have you seen Palmer?'
"I trembled with fear, but answered boldly:
"No! I have not seen him. He has not been through here.'
"And taking my word, they hurried on. They caught him somewhere near the
hay stacks, and held him under arrest, while they searched for evidence. But
they never found it and were obliged to let him go.
"It seems they had followed the smoke and came upon the gang at work, but
in some way the alarm was given, and Palmer, who was remarkable for his fleetness,
seized the bag of dies and escaped with them.
"I hope to never pass another such a night. I could find no place secret
enough to hide the bag. I tried to go to sleep with it under my bed, but it
haunted me like an evil spirit, and I finally got up and buried it in a barrel of
bran.
"Months after, when Palmer had left the country, I took courage and told
father. The bag disappeared form the barrel, but the remembrance of that dread-
ful night and the lie that I told, troubled me for many a year.
"We always went to father when we were in trouble. Father was a loving
easy-going man, as men given to hunting often are, and was never in hurry. He
managed his farm very well, but there was little inducement to raise more than we
could use ourselves. There was no market for the grain and no means of transpor-
tation. Father once took a load of wheat to Mt. Vernon, thirty miles away, but
could not sell it at any price, -- and rather than haul it home again, he took it
'round the town and gave it to the poor people.
"I remember a man, whose house had been burned down, coming to us for help.
Father offered him ten bushels of wheat but he replied that he was not taking
wheat any more.
"A good cow and calf were sold for five dollars. Father brought the money
home in his mitten and gave it to me to count. The most of it was 'split money,'
silver dollars cut in two, four and eight pieces.
"Where there was little to sell, there was little to buy, even our shoes
father learned to make by ripping up an old one, stitch by stitch, and cutting off
a pattern. He made them of wild hog skin. The woods were full of wild hogs, some
of them quite savage. One boar, especially, with enormous tusks, was so ferocious,
the men went in company to hunt him, and it was said that his hide was so tough, it
turned a bullet.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 23)
Description
[corresponds to page 21 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
"No , we could live and spend very little money. The taxes were the greatest
trouble, and to meet these, father depended chiefly on his wolf scalps (for each
of which he received a bounty of a dollar) and his coon skins; these were always
salable. One young man, a neighbor of ours, had cleared his land and built his
cabin and wanted to be married. The bride was ready. She had her dower of
feather-beds, and homespun linen, and nothing was wanting but money enough to buy
the license. Coons were scarce, it was anxious time for the young lovers, but
finally love prevailed. Coons were caught and skinned and sold, the license
granted, and another home was founded.
"Father took great pleasure in his garden. His vegetables were excellent,
but the flowers were his pride. Such a bed of pinks was never seen; and 'stur-
tians' of every color; sweet peas and gilly flowers and roses, hollyhocks and mari-
golds! The yard was brilliant with color, and the house covered with vines. The
neighbors said they could smell our pinks a quarter of a mile. We had a bed of
tulips that was gorgeous. The bulbs were a present from Mother Hess, and she said
that the variety of color came from sewing them through and through with sewing
silk. The tiger-lily was father's favorite flower. When he was a very old man,
and had gone with Charles to Illinois, he had one planted under his bedroom win-
dow, so when he could walk no longer, he could see it from his bed.
"Mother's energy and vigor did everything for us. It sent us to school, it
made us study, it taught us to work and fitted us to struggle with the world; but
father's gentleness and sympathy , his love of natural things, was, to our lives,
what the vines and flowers were to our cabin. A beauty was given to common things;
a grace to labor; a sacredness to the very soil, which held the bloom and fragrance
of the rose. We were taught to work, but at the same time we were taught to ob-
serve the lily, which toils not, neither doth it spin."
Grandma ceased to speak and a silence fell upon the circle gathered around
her. Jack was long ago asleep and "children of a larger growth" had been listen-
ing to the stories of their mother's childhood. Never again in all the world
could such an experience be repeated. The spirit of "Jimmy the Spinner" would
look in vain for flax-wheels in the chimney corner, and a young man's hope would
be deferred if it depended upon coon skins; the men could not be found who was
taking wheat no longer, or a Bishop who preferred a gourd to drink from. No,
those days are gone, and their experiences can never be repeated; but remembering
the labor and sacrifice of our mother's life and that of our mother's mother may
that experience blossom into patience, and patience work out hope. Their endur-
ance and fortitude is our inheritance, and we deny our birthright when we submit
to discouragements or cease to hope.
The shadows of evening gather 'round us and the fire burns low upon the
hearth, the sleeping child upon the sofa, with his "army things around him, speaks
of Peace that comes through conflict, and is a fitting emblem of this Christmas-
time, and with our father and mother in our midst, we, their children, may well
sing the song of "Glory to the Highest, and Good Will To Men".
"No , we could live and spend very little money. The taxes were the greatest
trouble, and to meet these, father depended chiefly on his wolf scalps (for each
of which he received a bounty of a dollar) and his coon skins; these were always
salable. One young man, a neighbor of ours, had cleared his land and built his
cabin and wanted to be married. The bride was ready. She had her dower of
feather-beds, and homespun linen, and nothing was wanting but money enough to buy
the license. Coons were scarce, it was anxious time for the young lovers, but
finally love prevailed. Coons were caught and skinned and sold, the license
granted, and another home was founded.
"Father took great pleasure in his garden. His vegetables were excellent,
but the flowers were his pride. Such a bed of pinks was never seen; and 'stur-
tians' of every color; sweet peas and gilly flowers and roses, hollyhocks and mari-
golds! The yard was brilliant with color, and the house covered with vines. The
neighbors said they could smell our pinks a quarter of a mile. We had a bed of
tulips that was gorgeous. The bulbs were a present from Mother Hess, and she said
that the variety of color came from sewing them through and through with sewing
silk. The tiger-lily was father's favorite flower. When he was a very old man,
and had gone with Charles to Illinois, he had one planted under his bedroom win-
dow, so when he could walk no longer, he could see it from his bed.
"Mother's energy and vigor did everything for us. It sent us to school, it
made us study, it taught us to work and fitted us to struggle with the world; but
father's gentleness and sympathy , his love of natural things, was, to our lives,
what the vines and flowers were to our cabin. A beauty was given to common things;
a grace to labor; a sacredness to the very soil, which held the bloom and fragrance
of the rose. We were taught to work, but at the same time we were taught to ob-
serve the lily, which toils not, neither doth it spin."
Grandma ceased to speak and a silence fell upon the circle gathered around
her. Jack was long ago asleep and "children of a larger growth" had been listen-
ing to the stories of their mother's childhood. Never again in all the world
could such an experience be repeated. The spirit of "Jimmy the Spinner" would
look in vain for flax-wheels in the chimney corner, and a young man's hope would
be deferred if it depended upon coon skins; the men could not be found who was
taking wheat no longer, or a Bishop who preferred a gourd to drink from. No,
those days are gone, and their experiences can never be repeated; but remembering
the labor and sacrifice of our mother's life and that of our mother's mother may
that experience blossom into patience, and patience work out hope. Their endur-
ance and fortitude is our inheritance, and we deny our birthright when we submit
to discouragements or cease to hope.
The shadows of evening gather 'round us and the fire burns low upon the
hearth, the sleeping child upon the sofa, with his "army things around him, speaks
of Peace that comes through conflict, and is a fitting emblem of this Christmas-
time, and with our father and mother in our midst, we, their children, may well
sing the song of "Glory to the Highest, and Good Will To Men".
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 24)
Description
[corresponds to page 22 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
A Brief History of the Patrick Family.
Jacob Patrick, a native of Ireland, born 1733, came to America with his
parents and settled in Massachusetts in 1735. He had one son by his first wife,
Mathew by name. His second wife was Zeruah Rogers, a descendant of John Rogers
who was burned at the stake in England (1555) on account of religion. This
marriage produced nine children, seven boys and two girls. Their names in order of
their birth were; Joshua, Jacob, Mary, Sheperd, Susan, William, Benjamin, Norman
and Joseph. Their ages varied from 66 to 90 years at time of death.*
Matthew and Joshua served throughout the Revolutionary War. Benjamin and
Joshua served in the War of 1812. Joshua was shot through the hand by an Indian
three days before Hull's Surrender, he received a pension to the time of his
death.
Matthew married and settled in New York State, nothing is known of his family.
Joshua married twice and two sons by his first wife, Cepter and Charles: four
by his second wife, Poeba, Holms, Washington and Lafayette. There was little
known of Jacob, as he left home at an early day and was never seen by his brother
Joseph. A son of his visited the Patricks' of Delaware County, in 1835.
Mary married Jacob Flowers, a soldier of the Revolution: they had three
girls and five boys. Shepard married Kate Goodwin and had 2 girls and a boy.
Susan married Abraham Rosecrans, 8 girls and 2 boys, namely Calista, Zeruah, Miranda
Mahala, Elizabeth, Mariah, Almon, Sefrona, Charles and Susan. Elizabeth and Mariah
were twins. William was supposed to have settled in Michigan, nothing is known of
his history. Benjamin's first wife, a Miss Atherton, two girls and one boy, namely
Elizabeth, Malvina, and Charles. His second wife, a widow by name of Burger, they
had one son Benjamin.
Norman married a Sarah Williams, 3 girls and 3 boys, namely Keziah, Norman
Huldah, Matilda, George and John. (George was nicknamed Bunk).
Joseph married Sarah Taylor, six girls and two boys namely Eliza (married
Oliver Stark), Emilia, (married George Landon), Charles, Mary and Elizabeth, Julia,
Porter and Zeruah.
*Susan, Benjamin, Norman and Joseph emigrated from Luzerne County, Pa. to
Delaware County, Ohio in 1809. My children will have a more complete history
of the Patrick Family). Joseph B. Landon
Charles Patrick married Lydia Murphy had six children as follows:
Sarah who married Tom Fredricks. Thomas (Tom) married Melissa Parnes
Jane who married _____ Walker. Two other children - Thomas died as a baby
Joseph who married Annie Fredricks. before Thomas 2nd. was born.
Lydia died as a baby.
Mary Fitzpatrick married _____ Raymond and had one child Lenora
Mary Patrick married ______ Raymond and had one child Lenora who married Geo Wilcox.
Elizabeth married John Rooney and had Louellen-Eugene and Allen.
Julia married Geo. Benton, two children, both died young.
Porter married Phoebe McFalls
Zeruah married Roswell Fowler for 1st. husband- children Junnia and Lydia, Junnia
married Oren Barcus. Lydia married Wilbur Roberts.
A Brief History of the Patrick Family.
Jacob Patrick, a native of Ireland, born 1733, came to America with his
parents and settled in Massachusetts in 1735. He had one son by his first wife,
Mathew by name. His second wife was Zeruah Rogers, a descendant of John Rogers
who was burned at the stake in England (1555) on account of religion. This
marriage produced nine children, seven boys and two girls. Their names in order of
their birth were; Joshua, Jacob, Mary, Sheperd, Susan, William, Benjamin, Norman
and Joseph. Their ages varied from 66 to 90 years at time of death.*
Matthew and Joshua served throughout the Revolutionary War. Benjamin and
Joshua served in the War of 1812. Joshua was shot through the hand by an Indian
three days before Hull's Surrender, he received a pension to the time of his
death.
Matthew married and settled in New York State, nothing is known of his family.
Joshua married twice and two sons by his first wife, Cepter and Charles: four
by his second wife, Poeba, Holms, Washington and Lafayette. There was little
known of Jacob, as he left home at an early day and was never seen by his brother
Joseph. A son of his visited the Patricks' of Delaware County, in 1835.
Mary married Jacob Flowers, a soldier of the Revolution: they had three
girls and five boys. Shepard married Kate Goodwin and had 2 girls and a boy.
Susan married Abraham Rosecrans, 8 girls and 2 boys, namely Calista, Zeruah, Miranda
Mahala, Elizabeth, Mariah, Almon, Sefrona, Charles and Susan. Elizabeth and Mariah
were twins. William was supposed to have settled in Michigan, nothing is known of
his history. Benjamin's first wife, a Miss Atherton, two girls and one boy, namely
Elizabeth, Malvina, and Charles. His second wife, a widow by name of Burger, they
had one son Benjamin.
Norman married a Sarah Williams, 3 girls and 3 boys, namely Keziah, Norman
Huldah, Matilda, George and John. (George was nicknamed Bunk).
Joseph married Sarah Taylor, six girls and two boys namely Eliza (married
Oliver Stark), Emilia, (married George Landon), Charles, Mary and Elizabeth, Julia,
Porter and Zeruah.
*Susan, Benjamin, Norman and Joseph emigrated from Luzerne County, Pa. to
Delaware County, Ohio in 1809. My children will have a more complete history
of the Patrick Family). Joseph B. Landon
Charles Patrick married Lydia Murphy had six children as follows:
Sarah who married Tom Fredricks. Thomas (Tom) married Melissa Parnes
Jane who married _____ Walker. Two other children - Thomas died as a baby
Joseph who married Annie Fredricks. before Thomas 2nd. was born.
Lydia died as a baby.
Mary Fitzpatrick married _____ Raymond and had one child Lenora
Mary Patrick married ______ Raymond and had one child Lenora who married Geo Wilcox.
Elizabeth married John Rooney and had Louellen-Eugene and Allen.
Julia married Geo. Benton, two children, both died young.
Porter married Phoebe McFalls
Zeruah married Roswell Fowler for 1st. husband- children Junnia and Lydia, Junnia
married Oren Barcus. Lydia married Wilbur Roberts.
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl (p. 25)
Subject
[corresponds to page 23 of When Our Mother was a Little Girl ]
(A) Abraham Rosecrans Farm *Where bear was killed.
(B) Sam Rosecrans Farm
(L) Joseph Patrick Farm
(D) Cemetery where some of these folks are buried.
(C) Norman Patrick Farm (purchased in 1814).
(A) Abraham Rosecrans Farm *Where bear was killed.
(B) Sam Rosecrans Farm
(L) Joseph Patrick Farm
(D) Cemetery where some of these folks are buried.
(C) Norman Patrick Farm (purchased in 1814).
Dublin Core
Title
When Our Mother was a Little Girl
Subject
Landon family--Genealogy
Ohio--Delaware County--Kingston Township--History
Patrick family--Genealogy
Rosecrans family--Genealogy
Ohio--Delaware County--Kingston Township--History
Patrick family--Genealogy
Rosecrans family--Genealogy
Description
This book is a collection of early settlement stories of Berkshire and Kingston townships in Delaware county, OH. The stories are told by Mahalia Rosecrans to her grandson, son of the author, Mrs. A. Baldwin. Topics include early settlement culture, encounters with Native Americans and Native American culture, the ups and downs of having money, farming, hunting, education, prayer meetings and religion. The book includes a history of the Perfect family (Mrs. Baldwin's maternal line) and a map showing the locations of events pertinent to the stories in the book.
Creator
Author Mrs. A. Baldwin
Date
1888
Contributor
Joseph B. Landon
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Format
Book
Language
English
Type
Text
Identifier
31153866
Collection
Citation
Author Mrs. A. Baldwin, “When Our Mother was a Little Girl,” Delaware County Memory, accessed December 25, 2024, http://66.213.124.233/items/show/3411.