Sharp County record., 1879-12-04
DIR GRANDMOTHER'S DAYS.
An OId.schOOl House-wife-AndH Her Thrifty
Achievements.


rFrom the Turner's Falls (NIass.) Reporter ]
Mrs. Orrin Payne, who was born IN
Montague in 1890, was the oldest OF nine
cbildren-six boys and three girls
Verify she has lived a busy life. She
saws She can't remember when she dld
not have to work. When 10 she taught
one term of school, receiving five shll-
limos per week and boarding round, al
wa7s having bread and milk for supper,
wearing q checkered tow gown, the
cloth for which she had spun herself.
For the y succeeding years she kept
her fathers house, all her brothers (the
Youngest 4 and the oldest 19) living at
home. Besides providing for the table,
doing the washing and all the like du-
ties of the household, she spun all the
linen and wove and made the clothes for
the whole family. The manner of liv-
inc then was, boiled pot every day for
dinner, served cold for breakfast, bread
crumbled by the housekeeper, or pud-
ding and milk for supper-pies only
Thanksgiving and election days. Dur
inc this time she frequently went out
sewing for day Q5 hours), and when
they stopped the clock to prolong the
time, often 1S hours, at y - cents per
day. One June day she spun 16 yards
shirting.
In 1912 she married Orrin Payne.
Nathan Cheney remarked that she would
make a man of any body and a good
store customer for him. Mr.. Payne was
three years her senior. He died in 1878.
Her married life has been marked by
the same industry as her maidenhood.
The first four years they raised flax and
made it into cloth afterwards, when it
was superseded by cotton. She has al
ways had a loom and made woolen
cloth, carpets, etc. She took in 100
pounds per year to make into cloth to
halves" :" She made about 100 yards of
frocking a year at 8 cents per yard. She
furnished the material for the uniform
of we'll known non-cOmmissioned mil
itary company that hailed from her
neighborhood. Some years she has
woven 500 yards of carpeting Her first
carpet was for Moses Bardell; the price
of weaving 10 cents per yard.
She has made all her own bed-quiltS
and great numbers for other people; al
ways exhibited bed-quilts, stockings,
socks and stocking-yarn, at the Franklin
fairs, so long as the society has existed,
and always received premiums. She
had the care of a considerable dairy;
made butter and cheese; boarded the
district schoolma'am two terms a
year for 20 consecutive years,
besides occasionally taking other
boarders. She says that her present
boarder, Locke Payne, is the only one
from whom she has heard complaint,
and, like Oliver Twist, "found fault with
his victuals and asked for more" She
kept paupers when they were knocked
off to the lowest bidder. Old Granny
Sinclair, 10 years, at IS cents per week; ;
Betsy Allen, two years, at 81; Hannah
Coon, three years, Olive Cary, two
years, Granny Ellis, two years, at 81;
and never had one able to do her own
washing.
Within six years she has woven 100
yards of carpeting and done consider
able spinning. Until within six years
since she has been disabled by an acci-
dent, she has never hired help in the
house to the cost of $40. After Mr..
Payne got his farm paid for she began
to save in her own name, and
accumulated a considerable sum of
money.
The neighbors of her early life-the
bold yeomanry of Dry Hill--haye all
passed away. Antipus Stewart went
away and hung himself; two large fam
lilies of Bartletts; Darius, Daniel and
Libeous Payne; Uncle Bill Greene;
Martin and Elijah Goodnow; Tom and
John Hurd, have all passed away. The
school has degenerated from forty to
ten scholars. The old farms and houses
are occupied by foreigners and transient
inhabitants; and Dry Hill seems des-
tined to become what it was apparent
ly designed fora link to hold the world
together, and grow wood and timber
upon.