Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-11-01
QUAINT OLD-TIME WAYS.
Some Massachusetts Funeral and
Meeting House Regulations of
a Century and a Half Ago.

OAS
of the most charming cities of our
commonwealth, Northampton, we find
much of deep interest as revealing
customs and habits of olden time.
No fire was found in 1.-THE meeting
house" in olden time, and compare
lively recently foot stoves were car
ried to church. as were tallow can
dies to the evening meetings. In
1871 the important vital question at
a legal town meeting vas: shall
men and their wives be seated to-
gether in pews?" and the vote was
an emphatic mol"
In 1744, says the Springfield (Mass.)
Republican, about the beginning of
Jonathan Edwards trouble in the
parish, it was voted net "to pay
the charge of bringing his daughter
from Brookfield." In 1873 this APP
pears on the town records: Taking
into consideration the difficulty Mr..
Edwards hath labored under this
year, and some time past with re-
spect to his firewood, the town voted
hat those persons who have not this
year brought him a load of wood
might d liDCIlN OCt"CCI Ills III
and next Tuesday night to bring each
one his load of wood" If there was
not a sufficiency of wood by that
time, the town then voted, the Sc
lectmen shall see that the deficiency
should be met at the cost of the
town.
Later, in 1889, we find in the war
ran for town meeting this entry:
"To procure firewood for the Rev. Mr..
seat the meeting house." \ most
serious business to decide, who should
take preference in the broad ~aisies.
The "nigger pew" well remembered
by the writer, caused no trouble to
said officer, as hat was readily ac-
cepted by the "colored brethren
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, as by this report of a COM
mittee, May IL, 1850, to whom had
been referred the conduct of funerals,
as follows:
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 there
fore recommended to all the inhabi-
tants of this town to observe the fol-
lowing regulations 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 end two;
but if the deceased was a woman,
then the women are to follow next
the moarners 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 process
sion. And it is requested that no
person walk or ride on either side
the DTOCeSSlOn ITOIh int hOUSe ~ tic
grave.
Ten of the prominent men of the
city were appointed and requested to
attend at funerals and to regulate
the procession thus recommended I'M
til the same shall become habitual
to the people. In 1745 the question
was raised in the annual town meet
ing "if the town would be at the
expense of coloring the meeting
house." and it passed in the negative:
Evidently they thought that nature
would do it without expense. Not till
1749 were the forts and Notifications
of the town demolished and the tim
Der and boards sold for the benefit
of the town. Laws were passed rcla.
tive t the schooling of boys and the
amount of wood they should bring
to the schoolhouse; girls were of no
account in those days.