I was lucky enough to meet a gentleman, Mr Gipe, through my hobby of genealogy, who had family letters going way back into the 1850's. From these letters we can catch glimpses of what life and times were like for these early settlers. Naturally Eastern living was most comfortable, and yet these people were willing to give up this safety and move west toward available land. The family Mr. Gipe and I had in common were named Dickson. Sometimes spelled Dixon.
I am not going to bore you with a Dickson family history, but just give you peeks into a life in these times, especially for the women, as I read it.
They lived in a one room cabin made of round logs without nails or sawed timber. Logs of the desired length were cut, with the ends being notched so as to keep them as near together as possible. A fireplace was cut out of one end of the cabin and a mud and stick chimney was built on the outside. Poles were on each side of the fireplace and a mantle over all. This was a catch all for the family, and held the tallow candle for light. Kettles were hung over the fire suspended on trammels which were held by strong poles. A long handle pan was used for cooking meat, held on the fire by hand. The best thing for baking was a flat bottomed kettle with a tight fitting lid known as a dutch oven. With hot coals over and under the bread would bake quickly. A doorway was cut in one on the walls, and a door made of clapboards was hung on wooden hinges. This was opened by pulling a leather latchstring. If the latchstring hung outside the door it was a sign of welcome to all. The floor was made of puncheon and the boards that covered the roof were rived by hand and held up by weight poles.
The furniture of the pioneer cabin was homemade. Beds, splint-bottom chairs, a pine table, cupboard, sometimes a spinning wheel.
Neighbors were described as hospitable, and all were poor and on an equal footing. The chills and fever seemed to be the worst disease, and quinine and boneset tea were used by every family. When a whole family became ill at once the neighbors would go and take care of them. There were no matches, and fire was borrowed from a neighbor. Prairie fires were a threat in the fall to be dreaded. These fires could spread quickly and precautions had to be taken to protect the buildings and crops from being destroyed.
There were blackberries, plums and other wild fruits. Deer, wild turkey and other game were plentiful but bread stuffs were sometimes scarce. There were plenty of wild hogs. There were bees and in an early day one custom was to go bee hunting. Grandfather would travel many miles into wild country in search of the hive. He would follow the bee to his home.
Sugar taps on the maple trees provided syrup and sugar. Some families grew flax for fabric, and sheep were raised for wool. A little wheel spun the flax to finer fabrics such as dresses, and wool was spun to yarn for knitting. Fish were abundant. Herbs were for doctoring. They were gathered and dried. These herb concoctions were called tonics and administered to prevent illnesses.
Women predominately first came to this country from England. Religion decreed much of the laws governing woman, when and who they could marry, and what was considered appropriate womanlike behavior. Women did participate in religious ceremonies, but it was rare. It was a disgrace to be pregnant without a husband, and women were shunned, from the community for such a unfortunate circumstance. The experience of seeing the treatment of a fellow woman, kept most women from daring to defie the custom of sex before marriage. Women who provided sex as a means of income, were recognized as being a part of the society, but totally rejected by the church and ordinary citizens in the day to day living.
Some women entered this country as indentured servants. These women immigrated and had to pay off their trip to an owner. Usually it was for seven years before they were allowed their freedom. She could not marry during this time unless her future husband could afford to pay back the rest of her debt. Since money was extremely scarce, this was nearly an impossible feat.
Most women grew the family food in a household's garden. In some families the excess produce was allowed to be sold as well as butter, eggs and chickens. The biggest commodity that women sold was flour. In order to make flour, grain had to be transported to a flourmill where it was ground and turned into flour.
Girls were not usually privledged to attend much schooling. They were taught in the homes, and the subjects were sewing, cooking, religious, and manners. Money and land were possessions of men. Typically woman were under the constraints of the husbands will. No matter the circumstances, he decided for all what was best. Some women moving west gained a more partnership like relationship, working so hard to fulfil the obligations of building the home, caring for children, feeding the family and affording the taxes on the homestead.
So an advantage to a woman in early days proved to be, wealth, beauty, health and wits. The women without advantages had to work really hard. The neighbor woman who came across the prairie in a covered wagon, homesteaded 6 claims. She had four sons and she put one on each claim. Each received a land settlement when she died, and became millionaires growing wheat on the land. Her two daughters were not remembered in the settlement. One daughter had asked to be a teacher, and she had been loaned the funds to attend a teachers college for two years. In this time she met a principal she wanted to marry, but her mother said she couldn't until she repaid the load. After the loan was paid, her principal gentleman was gone. He may have not been the man for her after all, but the rest of her life, she thought he had been. The daughters did look after their mother in her old age and care for her until she died.
One last comment and I will get down off my soap box. In my long life, I have viewed a great deal of change toward children. Some of these changes seem to be very good, in my opinion. Parents are paying more attention to children's needs and spending time and funds to help children be the best they can be. I am, however, saddened by the many crimes against children, and the coldness with which children harm other children. I wonder why this is happening. When I worked, in an office of about 27 employees, 5 or 6 were always unmarried girls, raising babies, with high school educations or less. They were the lowest paid, and held the least chance of getting any promotions. They were always struggling to make a living. It cannot have been an easy life for them. What is this doing to their children?
Are we becoming ruder, less caring, harder people? Has working outside the home made women tougher, more aggressive, hardier? Some pioneer women were pretty tough, very aggressive, and certainly of hardy stock. They were considered survivors.
What lies at the core of this decay in our countries morals, in which so many professions now garner little respect. Basically we are skeptical and distrusting of politicians, lawyers, suspicious of doctors, and minsters. Even scornful of teachers. Why are our heros movie stars?
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