The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-11-30
QUAINT OLE-TIME WAYS.
Some Massachusetts Funeral and Meet
ing House Regulations of Century
and Half Ago.

Diving into the old records of one of
the most charming cities of our com
monwealth, Northampton, we find
much of deep interest as revealing
customs and habits of olden time. No
lire was found in "the meeting house.
in olden time, and comparatively re-
Gently foot stoves were carried to the
church, as were tallow candles to the
evening meetings In 1877 the import
ant vital question at a legal town
meeting was: "Shall men and their
wives be seated together in pews?"
and the vote was an emphatic ENor"
In 1744, says the Springfield, Mass.
Republican, about the beginning of
Jonathan Edwards trouble in the
parish, it was voted not .'to pay the
charge of bringing his daughter from
Brookfeld. - In 1913 this appears on
the town records: Taking into con-
sideration the difficulty Mr.. Edwards
hath labored under this year, and
some time past with respect to his fire.
wood, the town voted that those per-
sons who have not this year bought
him load of wood might have liberty
between this time and next Tuesday
night to bring each one his load OF
wood. If there was not sufficiency
of wood by that time, the town then
voted, the selectmen shall see that the
deficiency should be met at the cost of
the town.
Later, in 1885, we find in the war
rant for town meeting this entry
"To produce frewood for the Rev.
Mr.. Williams; to choose a committee
to seat the meeting house. A most
serious business to decide, who should
take preference in the broad aisles
The niger pew well remembered
by the writer, caused no trouble to
said officer, as that was readily &C
cepted by the "colored bretheren, -
like COWS in the stable, who went
dutifully to their separate stalls.
Not only the living had special
rules governing their conduct, but the
rules about the dead were very quaint,
May IL, 1850, to whom had been re-
ferred the conduct of funerals. as fol-
lows:
Whereas, It is the opinion of this
town that funerals ought to be con-
Quoted with great decency and de-
corum in order to impress on rising
and risen generation the Importance Of
the awful solemnity, and to render the
house of mourning better than the
house of feasting. Be it therefore rec
commended to all the inhabitants of
this town to observe the following reg
ulations at funerals:
First. That the relatives of the de-
ceased follow next the corpse, two and
two.
Second. If the deceased was a male
person the males are to follow next the
mourners, two and two, and the
women after them, two and two; but
if the deceased was a woman, then
the women are to follow next the
mourners and the men after them.
Third. Those on horseback are to
follow in after the foot folks, horses
two and two, and the carriages are
to follow in the rear of the procession.
And it is requested that no person
walk or ride on either side the pro-
cession from the house to the grave
Ten of the prominent men of the
city we're appointed and requested to
attend at funerals and to regulate the
procession thus recommended until the
same shall become habitual to the
people. In 1745 the question was raised
in the annual town meeting eff the
town would be at the expense of color
ing the meeting house, =. and it passed
in the negative Evidently they
thought that nature would do it with
out expense. Not till 1749 were the
forts and Notifications of the town
demolished and the timber and boards
sold for the benefit of the town Laws
were passed relative to the schooling
of boys and the amount of wood they
should bring to the school house /;
girls were of no account in those days.