The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-01-22
Our GrandmOthers.

Our GrandmOthers.
The accomplishments of the danes of
colonial times were many, SO many that
when we write of our great grand
mothers we can scarcely fail to dwell
on the grace with which they presided
in their homes. 1t was q common
thing for a mother to help her boys in
their studies, while with careful ear,
she watched over her daughter at the
harpsichord. If illustrations were
wanted many could be offered. OF q
successful merchant it may be said:
" He early formed, from the literary
habits of his family, taste for intel
lectual pursuits, and all his leisure
hours in his youth were devoted to the
improvement of his mind: the feeling
being kept alive and strengthened by
the eloquent letters of his mother and
Housewifely accomplishments were
as essential as grace and ease in society,
and the girl who could not spin as well
as embroider and paint on velvet was
thought to be wanting. To spin well
was as important as to dress well, and
delightful must have been the spinning
bees, when the girls industriously
twirled the wheel all the afternoon,
and the young men came in the even
ing to see the counting of the skeins and
do their part of the dancing. Can we
not picture ourselves a scene like this,
which dates from 1767P
Last Wednesday thirty seven young ladies
of this town made the Rev. DR.. Stiles lady a
visit. They sent their wheels and carried fax
enough for a moderate days spinning, having
agreed to have no trial who should spin most,
but to spin good yarn, and as much as they
could without fatiguing themselves; and &C.
cordingly they spent the day in q very agree
able and Industrious manner, and at sunset
made Mrs. Stiles q present of about one hum
dred ffteen-knotted skeins OF yarn, fine
enough for shirts for the best gentleman in
America
So well are these qualities known to
have been in high repute that l need
not pause to speak of them. But there
was one talent that our great-grand.
mothers possessed which has rarely
been noticed-the ability to manage
their own affairs successfully when il
became necessary for them TO do so,
For this they were trained, almost in.
sensibly-not in the counting-room mol
ut the desk, but at the fireside, where
they heard all matters of business dis.
cussed with friends and neighbors, and
there they gained some knowledge oi
trade, as carried on in other countries
the Windward Islands, Amsterdam
the South of France, or the lands be
yond the Cape of Good Hope. The in
formation acquired was solid, and the
possession of it in many instances saved
a widow suddenly left alone from desti
tuition. The girls as well as the boy!
were encouraged to send out adventure.
-"ventures" they are called-when
ever q vessel put to sea, and all the
pin-money that could be spared wa.
laid out in goods marketable in some
distant port. Months sometimes
elapsed before there was any return
but at length, when the vessel arrived
there was trunk on board, filled witt
Irish linen, which the Captain said be
longed to Polly Hopkins, the proceed
of her invoice of spermaceti candles
Children, catching the spirit, asked
leave to cast their bread upon th'
water, and the better class of house
hold servants expressed the same de
sire. One wrote to her master in 1859
"Inclos'd is pair of Earrings Pleas asl
Captin Oliver to carry them a venter for m
vally of them tell him he may Bring the ef
fects in anything he thinks will answer best.
The time often came when the knowl
edge thus acquired was of the creates
value-when a husband or father died
leaving no male relative to manage hi
affairs. To close up the business a
once would be disastrous, for ther
were adventures on every sea, and un
til the vessels returned there was n
way of settling an estate without seri
ous loss. And so the widow, to protec
her own and her children's interest
resolutely carried on the business, tax
| ing it up at a point where her husban,
laid it down. Many illustrations O
this aptitude might be given.
| In the autumn of 1744 a gunpowde
accident killed or mortally wounded
nine persons in Newport, all of whom
were in business here, and three O
them were prominent merchants. The
had gone into a store on a wharf to ex
anime the outfit of a privateer, an,
there the explosion took place. Som
of the wounded lived eight or min
days, but not one of them ever spok
again, and to this day it is not know
how the accident occurred. One of tn
wounded was Sultan Grant, of tn
Scotch house of Grant of Grant, wh
had come to America in 1925 and sci
tied in Newport. He married in thi
country, and at the time of his death
family was growing up around him.
went directly to the dock without wait
ing to put on shawl or hat. When sh
reached the scene she saw all at
glance, and taking off her Hollan
apron (every matron wore one whe
attending to her household duties), sh
cut it into strips with the scissors tha
hung from her side and bound up tn
wounds of her dying husband.
At the time of his death Mr.. Gran
was actively engaged in business; b
was interested in a number ofprivateers
had ventures on many seas, and in En-
gland and on the Continent he had bus
ness relations. Mrs. Grant took a
full issue; her eldest son helping he
when he had grown little older, an
had acquired knowledge enough unde
her training to be of assistance to heI
At the same time she looked CAREFUL
after the education of her daughters
How well this was done could be show
by many of their letters.
But perhaps no better illustration @
Mrs. Grant 8 force of character could b
shown than her success in q court G
law. With large interests at stake, an
having at times INSCRIPTIONS debtor
to deal with, it is not surprising this
occasionally she was drawn into litigs
ton. In this instance at the last me
ment she discovered the duplicity c
her counsel, and at once went to tn
courtroom. Her lawyer, seeing he
there, urged her to retire, but withor
effect; and when the Judge, disturbe
by the interruption, called for an e,
planation, she stepped forward, tol
why she was there, held forth the ev
dence of her counsers treachery, an
asked permission to argue her ow
case. The dignity of the woman, an
her clear, business-like address TO th
court, moved the Judge, who allowe
her to lay her case before the jury
This she did in manner that left n