San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-03-04
GOOD OLD DAYS IN OHIO.
The Times when Houses were Locked
with q Wooden Latch.


: belonged to very different one from
y tho one / now inhabit My father
3 was native Of Loudon coanty, Va.
t and his farm was in tho midst OF q
i large settlement of Marylanders and
n Virginians, who brought with them
tho manners and customs OF their na'
= tive states, and whose stories and re-
i collections were full OF the things
they had seen and experienced in
0 those places where to them the world
: had just been born.
In those days there was nothing
about house or farm, from fine
D toothed comb to pair of horses and
5 wagon, that people did not borrow or
3 lend. Besides, there was kept up be-
, tween neighbors constant exchange
of mince pies, sausages, spare.ribs,
and all manner of eatables. Who
ever killed beef or other animal al
/ ways senta part to his nearest neigh
bors, and in due time received the
like in return.
THE HOUSES OF THE FIRST SETTLERS.
Inever saw o lock on the door of
any farmhouse in Ohio; indeed, more
than half the houses had no other
latcbes than wooden ones. These
were lifted by means of leather
string, that always chung on the out
side. There were many houses in
no part of which could be found
nail, a screw, or any other thing
of iron. Doors, windows and all,
were put together with wooden pins,
great and small. The shakes, or
"clapboards " of the roof were held
in place by "weight poles, small
logs, laid upon each length of boards.
Some chimneys were of brick, but
many were of sticks and clay.
In the old house of my maternal
grandmother were many curious
things. There were many bark boxes,
neatly sewed together and gaily
painted, and adorning the walls were
bows, quivers, tomahawks, eagle
plumes and the like. For blowing
the fire there was in common use a
huge fan, made of buckskin sewed to
the spread prongs of forked stick,
and with handle as long as that of
an ordinary broom--an Indian bel
lows.
In the garret of this old house I
found, as boy, bonanza of curiosi-
ties. There were immense horse
pistols with flint locks, old swords
and muskets, long hunting-knives,
and helmets made of rawhide that
would have withstood the stroke of q
tomahawk.
From this garret one day lugged
down to the old lady pack-saddle-
o thing the like of which / had at
that time never seen-and asked her
what it was. Then she described the
use of the sawbuck- looking affair, and
told me how, in the days before there
were any vessels running. on Lake
Erie, their goods we're all packed
across the Allegheny mountains on
the backs of horses
NoAH's ARK IN THE WILDERNESS.
But what / liked best to hear the
old lady relate was the story of her
coming to Ohio with my grandfather
to take possession of tract of land
they had bought in the wilderness. Z
They stopped nearly year at Pitts :
burg, where my grandfather caused
to be built some barges or fiat-boats. :
These boats were freighted after the !;
fashion Of Noah's ark. They had on :
board of them horses, cattle, sheep, :
hogs, dogs, chickens, turkeys, geese, =
ducks, and all manner of beasts and :
fowls, also all kinds Of farming imple- =
ments, and the tools of many trades. =
The boats were foated down the =
Ohio river to Marietta, then were !,
poled and warped up the Muskingum 1,
as far as they could be taken, or to :
the nearest point to the tract of land :
that was to be settled upon. When y
they arrived on this land there were
not men enough in the neighborhood
to raise an ordinary log house, there Y
fore their first habitation was con- II
structed of logs that were split o
Around this was constructed large "
stockade, into which the sheep, hogs, II
and most of the other animals had to p
be brought every evening in order TO s
prevent their falling prey to bear, 9
wolves, and other wild animals. u
For many years nearly all the cloth y
ing worn was of home manufacture. a
Even in my time, there was spinning G
and weaving in almost every house "a
hold. On almost every farm was c.
= loom house y, in which the loom was u
Kept banging away, weaving either 81
linen or woolen cloth. At certain D
the meadows were seen spread
With long webs of bleaching linen.
This was used for sheets, table-cloths, nj
.owels and clothing. pI
Itinerant shoemakers came with pI
heir benches ard kits of tools, and p
'emained till all in the family were &
bod, every farmer having on hand q e
upply Of leather of his own, made at n
be nearest tannery, from the skins o
4 his own animals. In those days p
hey skinned every animal that had \
kin, when it died-hogs. dogs and "a
j. Men who made a business Of Il,
,reaking and dressing fax went from -
arm 10 farm; also those who thresbed "
rain with fails, those who assorted p'
nd handled tobacco. and those Who