The day preceding Christmas, preparations were made to enjoy some good
diets on that and the next succeeding day, by baking cakes, boiling
doughnuts, &c., on which to feast, especially the second Christmas day,
when neighbors visited each other and partook of the good victuals
previously and this day provided. Formerly two days were kept as
Christmas, and two days as New Year's throughout our valley. The first
Christmas day was kept holy and reverential as Sunday, and the second
as mentioned, on the evening of which the young people generally had a
dance. The day previous to New Year's, the same preparations were made
for both New Year's days, and early in the morning of the first day, at
or before break of day, a few individuals would be out in one part of
the neighborhood and salute a near neighbor with the firing of guns by
his door, which awakening the inmates they speedily arose out of their
beds, and, on meeting their visitors, they mutually greeted each other
with the wish of a Happy New Year, after which a treat of cider was
given and sometimes other liquor after it became used, and some cakes,
doughnuts and apples were distributed among them. Here they were joined
by one or a few of this family and proceeded to the next neighbor, where
the same routine was gone through and generally one or a few individuals
were added at each house, and by this means quite a company was formed
by passing through the neighborhood. In my time these proceedings began
to be disapproved, and gradually ceased until they became abandoned. In
all other respects, the first and second New Year's days were kept in
the same manner as the second Christmas day.
After these festivities were past, the people resumed their business,
which was very urgent at this time of the year, in which, before my
time, it was said there generally was good sleighing and they had to do
a great amount of teaming in the winter season while sleighing
continued, to get their wheat to market, their fire wood, post and rail
timber drawn, and much other work which teams had to perform. Wheat, in
the first instance, had to be taken between 50 and 60 miles distance
from our present town to market, afterwards between 40 and 50 miles.
As the days are short in winter, the people before my time occupied a
part of the night after dark in the evening and in the morning before
daylight, for threshing and cleaning wheat, and also for taking it to
market. The great amount of fire wood, post and rail timber, which had
to be provided in the winter season, also made much winter work. After
sleighing ended, post and rail timber had to be split, the posts holed
and rails sharpened, and, as soon as the frost was out of the ground,
new fences were made of these and the old fences were repaired. In 1770
and afterwards, a great amount of fuel and fencing timber was used in
consequence of the large fires farmers kept up in their sitting rooms
and kitchens, the smallness and scattered situation to which farms had
become reduced at that time, and the necessity of dividing them into
small lots for pasturing purposes.
In March and April, the flax which had not been previously dressed, was
in these months all crackled and swingled, rope yarn spun, and ropes
made for halters, traces, lines and other uses. Each farmer in these
months prepared his hides for tanning, procured white oak bark, and laid
down the hides, together with the bark and water, in troughs, to be
tanned during the warm season. The linen for summer wear was principally
woven in these months by the men, the manure drawn from the barnyards
and stables, and flax seed and oats sowed.
In May, the corn-ground was ploughed and planted, and ploughing for
buckwheat was done for the first time.
In June, the corn was hoed twice, for which it was prepared by ploughing
each time between the rows one way, so that much had to be done with the
hoe, and the ploughing for summer fallow was also commenced, and at an
early day of the settlement sometimes finished in this month.
In July the harvesting and gathering of winter grain and oats, and the
pulling of flax was all done.
In August, after meadows were made, the grass was cut and gathered for
fodder, flax taken up and brought into barns, and a second ploughing for
wheat was principally done in this month. (It was customary with the
ancient people to plough three times for wheat and twice for rye).
In September the plowing for seed and sowing winter grain was commenced,
and was continued during the month of October and beginning of November.
Cider was from time to time made during these three months. The topping
of corn, by cutting off the stalks above the ears for fodder, was done
in September until the time of the Revolutionary War, after which this
practice was abandoned and the cutting up of corn near the ground and
setting it up in small shocks became a general practice, in which,
improvements in performing the work, and time and manner of doing the
same, have from time to time been made. Until the time of the
Revolutionary War, and during that war, the ears of corn on the stalks,
standing out in the field after becoming dry, were pulled from the
stalks and thrown into small heaps between the rows, from which they
were taken with a wagon into the barn where they were husked, sometimes
by means of one or more husking frolics, but more generally by the
family only. In these months and beginning of December, flax was rotted,
and some of it dressed for winter spinning, and rope yarn was spun, and
ropes made for cow-ropes, halters, traces, lines and other purposes for
winter use.
In November, winter apples, and the few potatoes, turnips and other
roots raised in those times, were brought into the cellar; and the
killing and putting up of pork and beef was done in the latter part of
this month and beginning of December. The manufacturing of leather,
which each farmer had tanned during the season, was done at this time
and made into shoes, (generally by a member of the family), also the
weaving of linsey-woolsey and woolen check for winter wear, and the
dressing of some flax for winter spinning. In November, each farmer
generally took a load of wheat and flax seed to market, for procuring
salt, pepper, iron and other articles.
The women, as well as the men, had also to perform a great amount of
labor. Besides their ordinary housework, they had to spin the yarn for
all their clothing, hatcheled their flax, and card their wool, bleach
all their linen for shirts and some other uses, make all the wearing
apparel of both men and women, and did all the knitting of stockings
and mittens, which amounted to more than double the knitting now done
for a family, which had become necessary in consequence of the fashion
of men in former times wearing short breeches, which also made it
necessary for them to wear over stockings.
All those necessary occupations made a great amount of business for our
ancestors, and furnished them with a very plentiful supply of the
necessaries of life. They had very little help besides that of a few
slaves, which generally did not amount to more than a man and a woman
slave to a family, exclusive of children and old people not able to do
much. The inhabitants were generally farmers, and few laborers could be
obtained by them.
* * * * *