Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-10-10

shipped to Europe. They had moved
from Virginia and North Carolina and
many of them brought nothing that
could not be put on pack-horses. The
upper part of South Carolina near
est them was still new
country. The revolution was just over,
there was no money and as yet no
trade Few rich people came with the.
first corners, and life was much as /
have pictured II among those near Sa-
vannah, only the up-country people
had no company stores to fall back
on, and what they had not brought
with them they were compelled to do
without. The settler generally came
to the new country in the early part
of the year and pitched his tent near
a spring. He generally chose the
lands by a. creek where he could find
pasturage for cattle he had brought
with him and began at once to build
his cabin, 1t was the duplicate of the
one we have described as belonging
to the low country. He was largely
dependent on his rifle for meat. and
on his corn-field for bread. The cane
brake was cleared and with his wife's
aid the corn was planted. Before his
crop was gathered he bought from his
Carolina neighbor bread and. as rule,
beat 1t into meal and hominy in his
MOlAdAs nc NuAhCQ AAAC SlOCh AAAtO TIC
woods and relied largely for some
years on the return from his cattle.
He did not generally have any ne
groes and did his own work, and his
wife did the sewing. milking and
cooking. After he was able to buy a
negro or two he still lived in his log
cabin and on his plain fare. His fur
niture was very scant and his COM
forts very few. For the first few years
he had neither sugar nor coffee and
no store goods were bought but few
Indispensable articles. The school was
conspicuous from fits absence, and
there were very few churches. The
Virginians who came after the war
brought with them sometimes a few
negroes. but there were many substan-
tial citizens who had none. The
houses were furnished in the same way
and the tables had the same articles
of food In 1890, Benjamin Hendricks.
had one bed, a fax wheel, loom, a
cotton wheel, tools, rife, mare and
colt, a horse. There were no chairs nor
bedsteads. knives or forks
James Aycock: Two beds, eight cows
and calves. four horses, 80 hogs, four
negroes, three sheep.
George Freeman: IA cattle. Is sheep,
one hdd. tobacco, five beeves, nine ne
groes, Is hogs, two beds, one bed and
curtains, two churns, one oven, two
slxillets, two bowls. three reap hooks,
one loom. tea kettle. "- tt#
Charles Head had four negroes,
three horses, six cows, two beds, one
driper and safe, two hackles, one
fax wheel, one table. five chairs. two
sad irons one gridd1e, one table, one
looking glass. ~
There were no bedsteads, no knives
and forks, nor books of these invento-
ries.
The one room cabin soon gave way
to the double log house, and now the
newcomers were able to provide their
families with some comforts. In 179S
] find the first mention in the up-coun-
try Of riding carriage. 1t was chair
or gig owned by John Wingfield, and
there is the first mention of domestic
turkeys potatoes, sugar, bacon and
lard, and of a table cloth. He was
considered a very rich man for those
times, as the Wingfelds, Terrells, Fos-
tiers, Bookers, and life lost its primi-
tive features. 1t was early In the last
century that cotton began to be culti-
waited largely and their fortunes were
made with great rapidity.
The ordinary life of. the country peo-
pie was up to the beginning of the
century, save as it was broken into by
a few rich immigrants. life of great
simplicity. 49,
The country home was a log cabin.
the clothing was homespun. and there
were no table luxuries. Coffee was a
rare article and sugar even raFer The
high price of coffee, 80 1-3 cents a
pound, and of sugar, Is 2-S cents
pound, put 1t out of the reach of peo-
pie of moderate means. Molasses was
so cents a gallon for the black Musca-
voda, and was considered a great lux
ury. There was an abundance of
hog and hominy and buttermilk and
cornbread, and a sturdy, healthy, hap
by people were the rural people of the
Georgia Of hundred years ago. Gen.
eral Henry r. Jackson wrote book of
verses in which he pays his tribute to
the Georgia farmer. One verse Of 1t
recall:
ION bacon and grits he breaks his fast;
on bacon and green's his dinner
On bacon and ash cakes sups at last;
Bacon all the while. the sinner"
There were three kinds of corn cakes.
The hoeeakes, the ash cake and the
Johnnie cake. There are in the old in
ventories bread hoes mentioned. They
were made to bake on, the Johnny or
journey cake was cooked on a tDOaru
and the ash cake in the ashes. 1t was
not long after the people began to set
tie down before they had schools and
the old field school so often described
was found in every neighborhood. The
tuition paid was 80 cents a month, the
school term 70 months in the year, and
the school house a cabin by the road
side The pupils all studied reading,
writing and arithmetic, and when they
wanted grammar they had to go to
the academy at.
The pioneers had great virtues; they
were ready to fight any time, and any
where, and anybody, and to be a liar
or a coward or a cheat were things
not to be thought of, but am sorry
to say they too often got drunk when
they went to the courthouse. They
were, however, always willing to con-
fess their dereliction in meeting, and
ask the brethren to forgive them,
which they did very readily. They
were grand people. though they did
set on three legged stools and ate with
their fingers.
Wedgwood blue is one of the favoritt