News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-11-05
The OIden Times.
sEyENTY-FVE OR EIGHTY YEARS AGO.
By Aunt Snnie Lnmnsnn-

by aunt susie BnfnpHOn.
=. East CAMBRDGE, Vt. Oct. 20. 1891.
I thlnk you will like TO hear more Of th
, olden times, so III begin where LETT on, wit
New Tears greeting The young folks woul,
get together In theevenin' aud hev "A plensnn
VISIT but they didn't hev nice sleiahs nnt
harnesses for the boys TO carry the gals ni
tney 90 now but all kept one horse, ant
some who were able kept two or three, and
they rode horse back mostly in them dnvr
the horses was broke to carry two, or douhls
as they called IL. They went 10 meetin' horss
pack. They didn't hev meetin' houses in them
slIhes, they had meetin's in school houses and
dweHn houses. Why, bless you the Young
iolks would walk two or three miles 20 meet.
IN on Sunday or 10 an evening meetin' nnd
not think il IA hard task either, they was used
to walkin'
The big boys and gals had to improve the
time when they went 10 school IN the winter
and study hard at home evenin's and learn
what they could so as TO be ready 10 help
their fathers and mothers IN the spring. the
| boys TO help make sugar and the gals TO help
their mother DO the rpinnin Of The fax and
4 tow, and the house work They diflu' A
hey sugar houses and tin buckets and arches
and eyaporatOrs and other conveniences, az
they do now; they had wood spoutH TO tan
the trees with, and some th wasn't able 20
get out slaves and hire a cooper to make
| tubs TO hold the sap, had 60 make troupha of
| wood that would hold a pailful or more aud
search them inside 80 they wouldn't leak; aud
/ then dug out a great hemlock log for a SAP
/ holder or storage, and 20 boil the sap they
| drove two crotched sticks into the ground,
| put pole across and hung a great cnldron
/ kittle on that then would build n hot fire un.
/ derneath TO boil down the SAP. They had 10
gether thesap by hand, with a snp-yoke made
/ To put on the shoulders with hook fnatenod
| by string TO ench end 20 ns TO carry two
pals Of sap through the snow and cold 20
] Ea 80
but made enough for home use. IL wasn't as
white as now but IL was sweet Fnrmers'
wives made their own butter and cheese, but
they didn't hev large darieH and creameriea
and cheese factories as they hev now. The
butter and cheese was sweet aud good aud
took comfort maxim IL too.
The mail was carried on horse back 10 them
times, carried the bag in front or tied 10 the
saddle behind. They didn't hey any envelopes
in them days, buthad TO seal iheirletters with
wrappers or sealin' wax. and letter postage
cost more then than IL does now; six cents n
letter or more, according TO the distance.
sometimes as much as TWENTY-FIVE coutH 40
the boys and gals couldn't write az often as
they do now, They hadn't any lamps or
Kerosene oil TO burn for lights M thcy hev
now; for lights they had candles. tallow can
dies TO burn; some would dip twelve or fifteen
dozen. and some moro than that at on time,
and some, too, would get a pteh-pine knot
and put IL on the fire in the great fire place,
which would burn, lightingup the whole room
so you could see TO work or rend I spoee
some Of the young folks, now. would sny.
that they couldn't live 50. that was old fash
ioned. Wall they did live and inioyed them
selves, too; took much comfort | guess
as they do now They didn't hev 10 20 to
the store to buy their boots and shoes for
there was "A shoemaker in most every deestriet
that worked at the trade all the time and
some of them had two or three men 20 help
them they had 30 much work to do for they
was kept busy to supply the whole They
had tanneries where the farmers carried their
cattle hides and calf-skins 20 hev them tan
ned, the OK hides for the sole lether. the COW
hides for the upper lether for their boots aud
shoes for every day wear, and the calfskins
would be for the nice OF meetin' boots and
shoes. Some Of them were very nice, too
looked handsome enough for ANYBODY Folks
had 30 make their own clothes in them dnys
didn't go 60 the store TO buy a suit Of clothes
as now. for the farmers kept sheep, and the
boys would hev n jolly tim, when they went
with their fathers to drive the sheep down 60
the river 20 wash them la the spring. when
IL got wnrm enough they would make "a yard
or pen down by the water aud drive the sheep
sometimez two neighbors would join IA wasii.
ing them, some had twenty, some thirty
aud some more, but nll had sheep to make
their own clothes; they could separate
them easy for they were marked In the
ear Wall, when they got dry, shearin' time
came; then pickin' time for the heeces Of wool
had to be picked to carry TO the cardin' ma
chine TO be made into rolls ready TO spin.
The gals and small boys had to do the pick.
in, but they had stents given them aud when
that was done they could play. When thev
got the rolls il had to be spun and wove into
cloth for their winters wear. The gals had
to spin the yarn and their mothers done the
weavin'. Some had black sheep they could
mix the black wool with the white TO make
gray cloth, and Others that hadn't black ones
eolored the wool to mix with the white. AZ
ter il was spun and wove into cloth IL was
sent to the mill TO be fuled and drest, ready
to be made into garments for the men folks
to wear The men had blue and white strip
ped frocks to wear wove coarsely, made to
slip over the head and reached most down 60
their boots, they was warm, too. For their
meetin' suits the yarn was spun very fine and
when drest was very nice They had tailors
in them days To make their nice clothes; they
would take their measure and make them oil
ready for wear, for they worked at the trade
all the time Some though would make their
own clothes, but mostly the taiors made the
nice clothes
The women in the winter wore flannel which
was spun very fine, wove and sent to the
elothin' mill to be colored and prest, some
green some blue, some red and some black.
Ii was very handsome. Instead Of ulsters
and coaks they hev now, they made what
they called overcoats TO wear for their meet
in suits, and they were nice, looked like hne
broad-eloth. Their every day wear wasn't
sent to the mill, but was striped or checked
at home
They didn't hev so many stiles and furbe-
lows as they do now, but they took comfort,
lots of comfort, ms much as they do now, and
guess more. Why, they had traiuin'E. gen
eTal musters fourth Of July celebrations and
wolf hunts bear hunts and deer hunts, tor
wolves, bears and deer were very plenty In
them days; they would call out the men for
a sartin day, perhaps n hundred or more with
their guns and piteh-forks, yes, and horns 10
blow, or sound, and form ring TO SURROUND
the wolves and bears to catch them. There
was a bounty on them and the one that killed
the animal got the bounty. They didn't hev
matches in them days To build fires as now.
They had "A kind Of wood called punk which
with flint and steel could strike fire and
they had bellowses then TO blow the fire with.
They had a brass warmin'-pan with q long
handle and n cover, 60 shet tight, TO fll with
coles to warm the beds in n cold room In the
winter.
They had hatters, too, In some towns TO
make hats and in the summer they braided
and sewed them at home, out Of straw. They
didn't hev balloons 10 fly IN the air then,
but the boys had kites 10 fly up In the air,
and they enjoyed playing with them, too.
But think this letter long enough. so will
| close; and some other time tell you more what
| the boys and gals had TO do most n hundred
years ago perhaps you'll want 20 keep these
| letters tor the world is movin' ON and many
inventions are bein' sought out