Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1905-1906, 1906-01-19
"REMINISCENCES or JAMES SHOEMAKER
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one to three dogs. The cows were
belled and turned out of range, the
horses were belled and hobbled.
Each settler could identify the pecu-
liar tinkle Of his bells among 20 9TH
ers. In the spring Of the year we
had different kinds of tea tolbit,
spicewood, sassafras, and the chips
of the sycamore, all which made ex-
cellent tea for the spring of the year.
While homemade sugar lasted, store
tea, sugar and coffee were not in COM
mon use. From 1915 to 1923, there
was many young housewife who
could spin, weave out, cut and make
her husband decent suit of clothes
! that did not know how to make cup
of store tea or coffee.
When | was a boy six or seven years
old / haerd my uncle say that after
dancing with a large Dutch girl the
night before, he took a seat on a
three-legged stool and invited her to
take a seat on his knee. She did so.
He gently laid his arm around her
shoulder, when she turned head and
looked him full in the face Half
affrighed and half delighted she
said: lyon hug mine mamma; she is
bigger as II / will now give anoth-
er instance where the lady thought
she was big enough, but the chance
was lacking. One morning Esq.
Jones saw a young gent ride up with
a young lady behind him. They
dismounted; he hitched his horse and
they made for the house and were in
vited to be seated. After waiting
a few minutes the young man asked
IF he was the Squire. He informed
him that he was. He then asked the
Squire what he charged for tieing
the knot. "You mean for marry
| ing your eyes SIR Gone dol
lar" says the Squire. evil you
take it in trade?" "What kind of
trade?" "Beeswax. "Bring it
in" The young man went to where
the horse was tied and brought in the
beeswax, but it lacked 40 cents of be-
ing enough to pay the bill. After
sitting pensive for some minutes the
young man went to the door and
said, "Well, Sal, let's be going. "
Sal slowly followed to the door, when
turning to the justice, with an en-
treating look, she said: "Well
Squire can't you tie the knot as far
as the beeswax goes anyhow" and
SO he did. and they were married.
l moved to Putnam county Octobe,
%, 1889. AT that time Floyd town
ship was as thicllly settled, except in
Groveland, as at present. There
were then t1S39) 240 taxpayers; now
there are 262 in the township.
When we commenced growing wheat
1T was sown in the corn among the
standing trees and stumps. 1t was
cut with a reap hook and either
threshed out with fails or trampeC
. out in the field on the ground will
) horses. In either case there was al
i ways dirt or gravel enough left il
: the wheat to sharpen your teeth, i
not your appetite. When tn,
wheat was threshed it was winnowet
with sheet, taken to a water mil
on horse back, ground OH a corr
cracker, bolted by hand and takel
home to be baked in. a skillet fo
breakfast on Sundays. In the fall
season we took our wheat to Craw
: louisville where we got good flour
; From 1887 to 1912 or '43 times wer
. extremely hard. Everything w
had to buy except sugar and coffee
were very high. For our surplu
: produce we had almost no market
!, In 1889 and 40, prior to the compile
: ton of the Wabash and Erie cana
we hauled our wheat to differen
. points on the Ohio river, where we re
: ceived from IS to 40 cents per bush
" ell. In 1S41 hauled a load of whea
: (25 bushels) to Hamilton, O., fror
= Floyd township, Putnam county.
:, distance of about 80 miles, fo
which | received 3S cents per bushe
In the fall of 1889 Capt. John Rol
. erts of Jackson township, Maj. As
/ of Greencastle, and John Allen c
e Floyd township, bought and packe
IT hogs for which they paid 1925 pc
e cwt. gross. They sold their baco
n in New Orleans for $3.50 per CIV
/ Roberts and Ash broke no. ALE
h said he saved himself. but lost h
l. money.
it