The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-04-13

A Glimpse at the Earlier Half OF the
Last Century.
WRITTEN BY UNCLE" JAKE MILLER.
Tells Of the Schools In His Boyhood Days,
and Weaves In Many Things Of In.
terest In his Autobiography.
Continued from last week.

LII tlloSe udyS peopie lidue
nearly all their own clothing
You would see a weaver's loom at
nearly every house. Sheep and
fax would be raised, and women
would help to break the flax and
spin it into thread, and weave
towels and table cloths, and
shirts and pants for men and
boys; they would spin the wool
aud weave blankets, and fine
cloth-all wool-for the girls to
wear for dresses, and would
weave what they called linsey-
half wool and half cotton. That
they used for every day wear.
All had to wear good wooden
stockings and good kip shoes
Often we would have to go three
miles to school and the girls
would laugh about lt-all hearty
aud cheeks as red as roses. l tell
you none of the girls had grave
yard cough in those times, be-
cause they were ordered by their
parents to keep their feet warm
and dry. What great blessing
it would be to-day for the young
girls if they would set greater
value on their health, for good
health is worth more than all else
in the world. Then you would
never see a young lady with a
nat they all wore either sunbon-
nets or hoods, and the young
men wore homemade clothing.
Everybody was happy and con-
tented.
When I was a young chap
there was no coal oil and no
matches and if the fire would go
out the men would take piece of
punk and flint and the back of a
knife blade and strike fire, which
would ignite the punk, and then
with a little blowing and some
kindling you could soon have a
fire.
People nearly all mad log hous-
es and big chimneys in them
There were no cook stoves they
had big fire places, and the WON.
en- had Dutch ovens with short
legs. They would rake lot of
Goals out on the hearth, set the
oven over them, put the loaf of
bread in and put a metal lid on,-
and they could bake just fine
bread and cakes. They had a
large griddle with long legs to
bake buckwheat cakes on. 1t was
placed over Goals drawn out on
the hearth, and five buckwheat
cakes, about the size of top plate
of a cook stove, baked thereon. |
tell you those cakes with some
fresh butter and honey were just
grand. Those days they had to
use candles they had moulds to
to make them in and candlesticks
10 hold them. They made poor
light-nothing compared with
those we have now. There was
only one buggy in Licking Greek
township in 1849.
l was married to my first wife
on March 6, 1849. Her people
lived near Fort Littletop, and we
wanted to go TO her fathers and
get married. Mr.. James Austin
was the man who had the buggy
/ referred to, and I went to see
him about getting 1T. He gave II
to me for five days and didn't
cnarge me cent for the use OF
it. He'was grand, good neigh
Dor.
i nearly forgot to give little
politics as l went along. l cast
my first vote IN 1848 for Genera
Cass for President, and | have
never missed but one election
since, have always been a Demo
crat and have stood close to my
party.
My first wife died in the
spring of 1852, leaving a little
babe three months old. 1t died
of scarlet fever when it was two
years old. l married my SECOND
wife October "a, 1854. Our frs
child was born September IL
1855, and to US were born nine
children; seven are living, and
two are dead.
l was elected constable In Dub