Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-01
GOOD OLD TIMES.
HOW eur 1ew England Grandfathers
Lived.


How Cur oew England Grandfathers
Lived
Among the numerous witnesses who
appeared during the last autumn before
the Senate Committee on Education and
Labor was Mr.. Sylvester Marsh, of Con-
cord, New Hampshire. Mr.. Marsh is
well known as the inventor and builder
of the railroad up Mount Washington,
and although he has passed the S0th an
niversary of his birth he is still in the
vigorous possession of his mental ard
powers. He was native of the
little rural town of Campton, New Hamp-
shire, where he lived till he was nineteen,
when he came to Boston. Subsequently
he spent some years in Chicago, return
ing to Boston and the East where for the
last twenty years he has spent most Of
his time When he was before the Com
m,ttee he gave very graphic picture of
the habits of living in the country towns
Of Northern New England sixty and sew
enty years ago, and his account has since
been published in the Manchester On. H. }
Mirror. Whether
The Former Days were better than the
Latter
nay be judged somewhat from his ac-
count "My memory extends back to
about 1909, or 1910, when l was about !
years of age. We then clothed cur
selves by raising our own sheep, taking
the wool to a cNrding- tied up
in blankets, on horseback, and having
it carded into rolls. That was carried
back to the house. and there the wom-
en- spun the wool and wove tho cloth
altogether by hand-loom, of course
Then MS to linen for shirts, &c, every
farmer had peice of fax, aud got out
his own flax, dressed it as we'll as he
could, and that was spun and woven by
the women and made into shirts and
sheets. With regard to shoes: Almost
all farmers killed an OK or a COW in the
fall Of the year, and they were all far
mers where ! lived then The skin wa!
carried to tannery, and after the hide
had been tanned, the shoemaker came t.
the houses of the families with his lap
stone and tools, and made up shoes fo
the family. Linen or tow shirts wer
of course worn. The country was gooC
for potatoes and for winter grain ; winte
rye and winter wheat did very we'll then
1t was a poor country for corn at an.
time. We used to fatten our hogs most
ly upon boiled potatoes. We would &c
a hog up SO he would weigh 200 or 25
on boiled potatoes. In about 1912 ther
was not a four-wheeled carriage in tn
town. When / was a boy my mothe
bought OF n carpenter the first fannin
mill, for tanning or wiunowing grair
that was used in the town, and paid fc
it i'll weaving. In about 1911 Edmun
1a1
whatever you might call it, into tow
There were no springs upon it; til
body was set on the axles. In 1s1
came
: The War with Great Britain.
The stock vas then all picked up
a that country and driven to Canada, al
some Of it was for the enemy, too.
common COW would bring $50 in none
| have seen that much paid to my faith
I for one. Before This war COW wou
bring about S12, not over that. The
', was scarcely any money i'll the country
i that time; business was done by dicke
A yoke Of six-feet cattle were consider,
: fair wages for Il man for six mont
c work, We had a common school thr
e months in tie year. [ had to go t,
l. miles to school. We had arithmetic al
: geography, and the first rudiments
" grammar, reading, writing, spelling, al
y oratorlcal speaking. We all had
5, study oratory and speak then. 4
&c teachers got about SS a month and tn,
a board-boarding around in different ia
IS lilies. we used to have spelling scho,
a once a week, in the evenings--spelli
VI schools where we used to have to choC
e. sides. We had church in my nat
I'll town, and We paid the minister $400
III year; paid him in produce and wo'
~ no cash Mt all, but in such material
5- no could live on. In 1912 this chul
J. was torn to pieces on political questio
n Part OF the people were Democrats,
le favor of the war, and part of them W
'u Federals, opposed to the war, ami
made such division Of the church t
it broke up the society. The old chu
was a square church, about 40 by 80
do | guess, with square pcws in it,
with scat that lifted up when you st,
up Mt prayers, making that much m
''SG' room, and when the preacher +
w "Amen, the clapping Of seats was
iA9 tonlshing. The sermon was always
ipoi hour long; it was never short OF Il
'cl and prayers accordingly. We hnt
w W. tithiug with long pules to k
OF order, and when the boys made
Is much noise they got raped ON the 1t
wa The women used 10 bring to chlj
as pieces of eheet-iron in wooden fra
III with Goals inside, 20 that they &C
as keep their feet warm by keeping Il
|: ON the wooden frame, which would Il
I'VE them from coming in direct contact
Ier the heat. Every woman, almost, bror
ne such a thing a8 that When there
ma no snow on the ground the women
10 to church on pillons, as we called III
IN behind the men. Girls in those
:, used to have a pair of fine shoes,
otd they would carry them in their hi
IS! until they. got near the church,
IN then they would step to one side of
Il, road, or into the bushes, and put on
ae- shoes, 60 into church, and take thel
pid- again on the way home, so rs not to
lam them much. This know to be ia
ded the Women.in Those Days
cate did oil kinds OF lousswork. gpinI