Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-11-20

From " llii2m Mchnishts Z" Our Western
Border"
How THE COUPLE WERE SETTLED.
A spot was selected on e piece of
land of one of the parents. Shortly
sitter the marriage, day was ap-
pointed for building the cabin. The
choppers, carpenters, &c. arranged
ali the day before. The clap-boards
for the roof We're split with a large
frow, four feet long, and as wide as
the timber would allow. They We're
used without planning or shaving.
The puncheons for the floor were
made by splitting trees eighteen
inches in diameter, and hewing the
faces Of them with a broad-axe. They
were half the length of the floor they
were intended to make.
The second day was allotted for
the raising. In the morning all the
neighbors assembled and selected
four corner men, whose business it
was 70 notch and place the logs. The
rest of the company supplied them
with material By the time the cabin
was few rounds high, the sleepers
and floor began to be laid. The door
was made by saving or cutting the
logs in one side, 50 as TO make an
opening about three feet wide, which
was secured by upright pieces OF
timber, through which holes were
bored into the ends of the logs for
the purpose of pinning them fast.
A similar opening, but wide. was
made in one end for a chimney. This
was built of logs and was large
enough to admit Of back and iambs
of stone At the square, two end
,ogs projected foot or more to re
ceive the bunting poles against which
the ends OF the first row of clap
boards for the roof were supported.
The roof was formed by making
the end logs shorter, until a single
log formed the comb; on these par
allel logs the clap-boards were placed,
the ranges of them tapping some dis
tance over those next below them,
and kept in their places by logs
placed at a proper distance upon
them. The roof, and sometimes the
floor, were finished on the same day
of the raising.
A third day was commonly spent
by few carpenters in leveling off the
floor and making a clap-board door
and table, which latter was made OF
split slab and supported by four
round limbs set in auger holes Some
three-legged stools were made IN the
same manner. Some pins stuck IN
the logs at the back of the house
supported some clap-boards, which
served for shelves 4 single fork,
placed with its lower end in hole IN
the floor and lis upper end fastened
to joist, served for a bedstead by
placing hole in the fork, with one
end through a crack between the logs
at the end of the wall. This front
pole was crossed by a shorter one
within the fork, with its outer end
through another crack. From the
front pole, through crack between
the logs OF the end of the house, the
boards were put on which to form
the bottom of the bed Sometimes
other poles were pinned to the forks
q little distance above these for the
purpose of supporting the front and
foot of the bed, while the walls were
the support of its back and head
A few pegs around the walls for a
display of the coats of the women
and hunting shirts of the men, and
two small forks or buck horns pro
truding from q joist for the rifle and
shot pouch, completed the carpenter
work. In the meantime the masons
were also at work. With the heart
pieces of the clap-board timber, they
made billets for chinking up the
cracks between the logs of the cabin
and the chimney. A large bed OF
mud mortar was made for daublng
over these cracks SO filled, and few
stones formed the back and jambs OF
the chimney. =,
The cabin being thus finished, the
ceremony of house-warming took
place before the young couple were
allowed to move into it. This ''warm-
ing" was a dance lasting whole
nj ght, indulged in by the bride and
groom, relatives and neighbors- on
the day following, the young couple
took possession of their new man
sion.
At house-raisings, log-rollings and
harvest parties, every one was expect
ed to his duty faithfully. A person
who shirked his duty on these occa'
sions was called a Laurence, oi
some other still more opprobrlous
epi.het, and if it ever came his turn
to require like aid, the idler soon
felt his punishment in the genera
rofusal to attend his call Every
man, too, Of full age and size, was
expected to do his full share OF mill
tary or scouting duty. If he did not
he was "hated as a coward Ever
the want of any article of war equip
ments. such as ammunition, SHARP
flint, printing wire, a scalpiDg miIe
or tomahawk, was thought highly
disgraceful,