Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-09-21
WEDDINGS IN THE EARLY
DAYS.

ton OF the marriage ceremony as per-
formed in the latter part of the last CEN
tury in Washington county and the re-
gion round about, written by the Rev
Mr.. Doddridge, which serves we'll to
illustrate the manners of our ancestors:
''For long time after the first settle
ment of this country the inhabitants in
general married young. There was no
distinction of rank, and very little of
fortune. Of these accounts the first
impression of love resulted in marriage,
and a family establishment cost but lit
tie labor and nothing else. A descrip-
tion of a wedding. from the beginning
to the end, will serve to show the man
ners of our forefathers, and mark the
grade of civilization which has succeed
ed to their rude state of society in the
course of few years. At an early
period, the practice of celebrating the
marriage at the house of the bride be-
gan, and it would seem, with great pro-
priety She also had the choice of the
priest to perform the ceremony. A we'd
ding engaged the attention of a whole
neighborhood and the frolic was antic-
ipated by old and young with eager
expectation. This is not to be won
dered at, when it is told that a we'd
ding was almost the only gathering
which was not accompanied bv the
labor of reaping, log-rolling, building a
cabin, or planning some scout or cam
paign. In the morning of the wedding
day the groom and his attendants as
sembled at the house of his father for
the purpose of reaching the mansion of
his bride by noon, which was the usual
time for celebrating the nuptials, which
for certain must take place before din
ner. Let the reader imagine an assem-
blage of people, without store tailor
or mantua-maker, within a hundred
miles and an assemblage of horses,
| without blacksmith or saddler within
an equal distance. The gentlemen
dressed in shoe packs, moccasins, leath-
er breeches, leggins, linsey hunting
shirts, and all homemade The ladies
dressed in linsey petticoats and linsey
or linen bed-gowns, coarse shoes, stock
ings, handkerchiefs and buckskin
gloves, if any. If there were buckles,
rings, buttons or ruffies, they were the
relics of old times, family pieces from
parents or grand parents. The horses
were caparisoned with old saddles, old
brides or halters or pack-saddles, with
| a bag or blanket thrown over them;
| rope or string as often constituted the
girth as piece of leather. The march
in double file was often interrupted by
the narrowness and distractions of our
horse-paths, as they were called, for
we bad no roads; and these difficulties
were often increased, sometimes by the
good and sometimes by the ill-will of
neighbors, by falling trees, and tying
grape vines across the way Some
times an ambuscade was formed by the
wayside, and an unexpected discharge
of several guns took place, SO as to
cover the wedding party with smoke.
Let the reader imagine the scene which
followed this discharge the sudden
spring of the horses, the shrek of the
girls, and the chivalric hustle of their
partners to save them from falling.
Sometimes in spite of all that could be
done to prevent it some were thrown
to the ground If wrist, elbow or
ankle happened to be sprained it was
tied with a handkerchief, and little
more was thought of it or said about it.
Another ceremony commonly took
place before the party reached the
house of the bride, after the practice of
making whisky began, which was at
an early period. When the party were
about a mile from the place of their
destination, two young men would sim
gle out to run for the bottle the worse
the path, the more logs, brush aDd deep
hollows, the better, as these obstacles
afforded an opportunity for the greater
display of intrepidity and horseman-
ship The English fox chase, in point
of danger to the riders and their horses,
is nothing to this race for the bottle.
The start was announced by an Indian
yell logs, brush, muddy hollows, hill
and glen were speedily passed by the
rival ponies. The bottle was always
filled for the occasion, so that there was
no use for judges for the first who
reached the door was presented with
the prize with which he returned in
triumph to the company. On approach
ing them he announced his victory over
his rival by shrill whoop. At the
head OF the troops he gave the bottle
first to the groom and his attendants,
and then to each pair in succession to
the rear of the line, giving each a dram
and then putting the bottle to the bo-
som of his hunting shirt, took his sta
tion in the company. The ceremony
of the marriage preceded the dinner,
which was a substantial backwoods
feast of beef, pork, fowls and sometimes
venison and bear meat, roasted and
boiled with plenty of potatoes, cabbage
and other vegetables. During the din
ner the greatest hilarity always pre-
vailed, although the table might he
large slab of timber, hewed out with
broad-axe, supported by four sticks set
in augur holes, and the furniture some
old pewter dishes and plates; the rest
wooden bowls and trenchers, a few
pewter spoons much battered about the
edges, were to be seen at some tables
The rest were made of horns If knives
were scarce, the deficiency was made
up by the scalping knives which were
carried in sheaths suspended to the
belt of the hunting shirt. After dinner
the dancing commenced and generally
lasted till the next morning. The
figures of the dances were three and
four handed reels or square sets and
| jigs The commencement was always
square four which was followed by
what was called jigging it off; that is
two of the four would single out for
| jig, and were followed by the remain
ing couple. The jigs were often accom-
panied with what was called cutting
out; that is, when either of the parties