Annie55
02-21-2007, 08:03 PM
RESOURCEFUL PEOPLE
These days of speed and high prices few of us perhaps Realize to what extent the villages the farming districts of 50 or 60 years ago were self sustaining, or how resourceful was the average farming family. If the farmers along the upper Kennebecasis be taken as an example, their wants were comparatively few, and these they themselves supplied to a very large extent.
Most of them grew some wheat in addition to the Buckwheat, which was so important a feature of the food supply. Their looms turned their own wool into cloth.
The local grist mills turned the grain into food for man or beast. They did all their rough carpenter work, and so much that it was far from rough.
Wearing apparel was mostly homemade. The village shoemaker went from house to house in turn making shoes for the whole family, including "fine" boots for Sunday wear, or to be worn on special occasions.
The village carpenter of the sixties and seventies was an artisan of no little range. He made wagons, window frames or furniture. Indeed, no job seemed beyond him. There was a blacksmith and a harness maker and later a cheese maker.
There was a "wise women" who was famous as a midwife. A sawmill, and lumbering was thriving business.
Old men who recall the timber of the day speak with bitter contempt of the logs that they have seen of late years "fence posts" they say in derision. "Why in the old days four or five sticks would make a sled load for a heavy team." As was common in the province then practically every countryman was an expert axeman and "handy" with many tools. The doctor was seldom seen in the villages. Too often he was called in too late, but on the other hand the men and women of the country were skillful in dealing with the common forms of injury and, right or wrong, they depended much upon themselves in healing with ordinary aliments.
If work was hard, food was plentiful and wholesome. There was a high standard of endurance, among both men and women. Nearly all children went barefoot from spring till fall. Religion "took hold" strongly, the sermons were long and mostly full of fire and brimstone.
The amusements were few and simple. In the early days of baseball the players, even the catcher wore no gloves.
Sometimes a "company" of strolling players, two or three in all, would give a show in the temperance hall. That was an occasion indeed ventriloquism, several more or less strange musical instruments, and step dancing. In this latter art there were always many local celebrities. Many a "hired man" was good at it, the music being that of a mouth organ or a jews harp. In the seventies a good hired man received as much as $90.00 for six months board included, or if he hired by the year perhaps he got
$100. Or $120. And a really good hired man surely earned his money. Of course it cost him little for clothes and tobacco, and in those days money was money.
Village store
At the village store much farm produce was traded in " for goods. Some took their pork to the saint john market, and occasionally their butter and poultry, and fat cattle. Butchers came from the city to buy calves, steers, sheep and lambs. Feed for cattle, horses, hogs and poultry was all homegrown. Beyond tea, sugar, molasses, oil and the like the average family bought little.
At Kings County village in those days was a friendly and neighborly community as it still is but very different, though happy enough, were the farmers who knew no bicycles no motor cars, no phonographs, no telephone, no radio. Pianos were rare, but there were organs for Sunday and the fiddles for the dances that horrified the more straight laced but that had a growing attraction for the younger generation. The temperance society gave a fine opportunity for a bit of courting.
The deer were scarce
In these days when big game is plentiful it is odd to recall the deer were exceeding scarce in the parish of Cardwell 60 years ago. Indeed when some men who were cutting cordwood on one of the slopes killed a small deer at that time neighbors came from all about to see it.
The moose were then about as scarce as caribou, but partridges were numerous, and trout plentiful. There were more bears than nowadays, and they killed a good many sheep and there were a good many sheep to kill, for in those days a good farm flock was the rule rather than the exception, and
Sheep killing dogs were not long tolerated. Most of the boys did a little trapping for muskrats, mink, foxes and otter. The muskrat pelts in those days was sold to traveling buyers for from eight to fifteen cents twelve being thought high as a rule.
It may sound like a cheerless age as compared with our own when there are so many forms of amusement, but what young and old didn't know about or were not accustomed to, they did not miss. Each generation makes its own habits, and persons seeking to establish the superiority of one time with another are mostly idle. Those were the good days, but so are these.
Written by "Caldwell", about the 1800's.
Copies at the saint john regional library, under Kennebecasis.
These days of speed and high prices few of us perhaps Realize to what extent the villages the farming districts of 50 or 60 years ago were self sustaining, or how resourceful was the average farming family. If the farmers along the upper Kennebecasis be taken as an example, their wants were comparatively few, and these they themselves supplied to a very large extent.
Most of them grew some wheat in addition to the Buckwheat, which was so important a feature of the food supply. Their looms turned their own wool into cloth.
The local grist mills turned the grain into food for man or beast. They did all their rough carpenter work, and so much that it was far from rough.
Wearing apparel was mostly homemade. The village shoemaker went from house to house in turn making shoes for the whole family, including "fine" boots for Sunday wear, or to be worn on special occasions.
The village carpenter of the sixties and seventies was an artisan of no little range. He made wagons, window frames or furniture. Indeed, no job seemed beyond him. There was a blacksmith and a harness maker and later a cheese maker.
There was a "wise women" who was famous as a midwife. A sawmill, and lumbering was thriving business.
Old men who recall the timber of the day speak with bitter contempt of the logs that they have seen of late years "fence posts" they say in derision. "Why in the old days four or five sticks would make a sled load for a heavy team." As was common in the province then practically every countryman was an expert axeman and "handy" with many tools. The doctor was seldom seen in the villages. Too often he was called in too late, but on the other hand the men and women of the country were skillful in dealing with the common forms of injury and, right or wrong, they depended much upon themselves in healing with ordinary aliments.
If work was hard, food was plentiful and wholesome. There was a high standard of endurance, among both men and women. Nearly all children went barefoot from spring till fall. Religion "took hold" strongly, the sermons were long and mostly full of fire and brimstone.
The amusements were few and simple. In the early days of baseball the players, even the catcher wore no gloves.
Sometimes a "company" of strolling players, two or three in all, would give a show in the temperance hall. That was an occasion indeed ventriloquism, several more or less strange musical instruments, and step dancing. In this latter art there were always many local celebrities. Many a "hired man" was good at it, the music being that of a mouth organ or a jews harp. In the seventies a good hired man received as much as $90.00 for six months board included, or if he hired by the year perhaps he got
$100. Or $120. And a really good hired man surely earned his money. Of course it cost him little for clothes and tobacco, and in those days money was money.
Village store
At the village store much farm produce was traded in " for goods. Some took their pork to the saint john market, and occasionally their butter and poultry, and fat cattle. Butchers came from the city to buy calves, steers, sheep and lambs. Feed for cattle, horses, hogs and poultry was all homegrown. Beyond tea, sugar, molasses, oil and the like the average family bought little.
At Kings County village in those days was a friendly and neighborly community as it still is but very different, though happy enough, were the farmers who knew no bicycles no motor cars, no phonographs, no telephone, no radio. Pianos were rare, but there were organs for Sunday and the fiddles for the dances that horrified the more straight laced but that had a growing attraction for the younger generation. The temperance society gave a fine opportunity for a bit of courting.
The deer were scarce
In these days when big game is plentiful it is odd to recall the deer were exceeding scarce in the parish of Cardwell 60 years ago. Indeed when some men who were cutting cordwood on one of the slopes killed a small deer at that time neighbors came from all about to see it.
The moose were then about as scarce as caribou, but partridges were numerous, and trout plentiful. There were more bears than nowadays, and they killed a good many sheep and there were a good many sheep to kill, for in those days a good farm flock was the rule rather than the exception, and
Sheep killing dogs were not long tolerated. Most of the boys did a little trapping for muskrats, mink, foxes and otter. The muskrat pelts in those days was sold to traveling buyers for from eight to fifteen cents twelve being thought high as a rule.
It may sound like a cheerless age as compared with our own when there are so many forms of amusement, but what young and old didn't know about or were not accustomed to, they did not miss. Each generation makes its own habits, and persons seeking to establish the superiority of one time with another are mostly idle. Those were the good days, but so are these.
Written by "Caldwell", about the 1800's.
Copies at the saint john regional library, under Kennebecasis.