The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-06-22

ashes, ana were all lne uelleI lOl IT,
Light was made by means of home
nodded candles, or iron lamps, filled
with lard, much after the style of the
lamps now used by miners. If there
was a clock, it hung against the wall,
as Yankee" clocks were as yet not
known; and if there was a looking
glass, it was not conspicuous for either
size or elegance.
o. food the great aim was to have il
in abundance, and of solid kind, rath-
or than in great variety. Owing to the
early hours at which breakfast was
eaten in the country, there was usually
what was called "a piece AT about zen
o'clock in the forenoon aud dinner an
supper came dU the regular hours, with
Oftentimes "yieCe" at four O'Clock in
the afternoon. In those days meat
cOul not be purchased as now at the
butcher shops. lee, as a preseryative,
was then unknown; and il fresh meal
was used IL was ordinarily only during
the time that it would remain fresh aft
er the yearly butcheriUg. Every fam.
lily raised its own pork and veal, aud
frequently its own beef, In addition
to such vegetables as are StlL common,
the early settlers INDUCED largely III
musn aud milk, speck and crou5,
"schniJts und kuepp," dish tit Tor al,
Emperor; and no doubt l make some Of
tiOu OF it), sn Oked or Sal ed meat, (all
parts of beef OF hog were then salted
and smoked), game and fish, dried ap
pies, several kinds of soup, (-uch as pO-
tatO bean, cider and milk soup, apple
butter, pumpkin butter, smear-c case,
common mOlasses, common brown su-
gar, (mOstly maple, white sugar OF any
kind was then a great rarity, fat cakes,
sometimes called "EauStnachL" cakes
from r,rapt1pa Df alw4VS hIZinu
them on Faustnacht or Shrove Tuesday,
if at no other time in the year, rye
bread and rye cuffee, varied occasion
ally by wheat bread and "store" cOtf, e,
slap Jacks, corn cakes, and the like;
few preserved fruits, now and then gin
ger cakes and sugar cakes, particularly
at Christmas, when the chlldrenS pres
ents consisted mainly of such cakes.
Tomatoes were known then, (where
known at alDas manteL ornaments They
were called Love Apples" and were
thought to be unfit for eating.
Oysters, iCe-cream, fancy cakes and
candies, fancy preserves and jallies,
sweet corn canned fruit and vegetables,
and cultivated berries of any kind, were
then wholly unknown. And there
were no early vegetables nor fruits
brought here from the South, for two
reasons: First, they were not cultivated
in sufficient quantities to warrant ship
meut; secOud, Of any other reason IS
necessary there were no rapid trans
pOrtatiOnal facilities. The fruits w
then had were apples, peaches, pIums, |
Cultivated and Wild, cherries, wit |
= lid strawberries, raspbeTrips, hucEle- !
berries, crauberrles and 81 Juue" OF |
Service" berries.
In those days. too, the popular pota- |
to for fail and early winter use was the |
NeshannOck," which is now, substLG- |
italy, extinct; although 1t IS doubtful |
whether it has ever been Cquall b.
any of the many varieties of pOta
to which have since been originated.
In the matter of clothing there was
the same difference between then anG
now as in most other things. Many
families possessed hand lOOms, ,andWOVe
their own linen and wooden cloths, the
work being mainly done by the women,
Other families had their weaving done
by persons who followed the business
for a livelihood. The tltX and WOO
were home raised, and were spun into
yarn by the women of the household, |
on the old-tasshioned spinning
wheels, preparatory to being
the clDthiug then worn, by females a. !
well as males, was of homemade cloth !
either linen (tJr summrT) OF WOOleu !
,fOr winter aud much, If not most OF !
it, 'Vas made up by the WO en-, In the |
summer there were but few stockings |
worn, by either men, women or child !
ren, as they mostly went bare footed, |
or wore shoes, alone. This was neces |
sary, as the people, i'm general, were |
poor; and knltting-wOrk tor many fam |
lies would have been heavy task tor |
its female mem bers, had stockings been |
constantly worn. But few coats were |
then worn, as rOundabOuts were cheap |
er, and with men and boys, alike, took |
the place Of the more costly garment. |
If man had the good fortune to be-
able to wear a"DOdy or r''swallOw-tailed"
coat, of blue satinet, (Or 'casinet," as 1t
was then called, with a collar reaching
half way up the back of his head brass |
buttons, and a short waist, he was
looked upon as becoming aristocratic;
and if he spOrted in addition, high |
crowned fur hat, (all hats were then
made of fur or wool, silk hats being as
yet among things undiscovered), high
neck-stock, pair of boots, and false
bosom or "dickey" TO his shirt, he could
set up for dandy. Such thing as
bosom attached to shirt, OF linen
collar or wristbands, was not then
known. Boots and shoes were CREASED,
instead of being blackened; and can
recollect that l was d good sized boy
before l ever saw such a thing as shoe
Under clothing was not Chen
worn by either men or women,
young or old. The dresses of the
women were principally made of either
linen or linsey- -wOolsey. Calico and other
cotton goods were scarce and dear; and
it was seldom, except at her bridal, or
other important occasion, that the wO-
nan of that day wore a dress of other
than homemade material. Six yards
Of calico or other stuff of similar
width, was considered a dress pattern
for for grown woman. The bonnets
worn were chiefly of the style then and
now known as "sun-bOnnets" which, if |
intended for ''dress" occasions, were
sometimes covered with silk. There
was also another bonnet, which, if
recOllect rightly, was called "calash'
and which was made of silk, over a
series of wire frames, and co Id be
closed or opened somewhat after the
of a fOlding-tOp buggy of mod
ern days. Straw bOnnets were rare; but
there are, no doubt, many here who
will recollect we'll the old "Duustable"
bonnet, which was made of straw, and
was fully the size of a half-bushel
measure; and also the old "leg-of-mut-
ton sleeves, holding another half BUSH
ell, and sometimes expanded between
the shoulder and elbow nv bainp stuf fled