REMEMBRANCES: Part Two

Mom once said that material things were not important to her, but her memories were and that was all she needed. Profound thought from a very remarkable, and capable woman. Since in many ways I have followed in my mother’s footsteps - here is a mélange of things that I recall.

As a small child: getting stuck to the floor ( temper?); falling down the stairs (my knees were always scabby), mercurochrome and a kiss from Mom stopped the tears.
I remember going through a “shut up” phase that finally earned me a slap one day in the postoffice. Did I do it again after that? Of course not.

The house I grew up in Medford, Massachusetts:

When still small – I used to talk to the picture of my mother when I was supposed to be napping on her big bed – and one day I decided that she would be very impressed with my beauty and surprised at my grownup appearance dressed in her pink crepe dress with the accordion pleated cape. I managed some makeup too sitting on the bench in front of the mirrored vanity. I opened the door to meet with disapproval rather than the awe and admiration I had expected.

It’s funny how a child remembers clothes (except for the time I neglected to put on my panties when we were to take a trip to Boston with Aunt Hazel.) Mom also had an off white dress with cape like the pink. She had a turquoise moire evening gown with narrow straps and a short jacket – it had a large dark rose velvet bow. And I have vague recollections of another gown, blue I think, and of all things to remember – that it was made of mousseline-de-soie. And another (remembered because in my teens I borrowed it) was coral with a round neckline, a little peplum, and small metal stars on the bodice. . . . And what fun to come home from play or school and find that Mom had made me a new dress. All by hand – my favorite was white with little blue flowers, light blue bias binding with fagotting at the neckline!

My early coiffure, a dutch cut with bangs, was replaced at one time by CURLS- a perm at home, and curling irons heated up on the gas stove. . . . . . . and all the bits & pieces happening: Mail twice a day, the ragman, milkman, iceman & vegetable man, in carts & in wintertime tungs. Bowman’s grocery delivering a phoned in order every day, Medford Square stores where the clerks got down what you wanted (absolutely no self-service.) Pampa coming home with a live lobster in his valice, Dad taking me duck hunting, going with Mom & Dad to the gun club and learning to shoot (prone at 3 years old).

And that is just the beginning –

FOUR SCORE & THREE YEARS AGO

REMEMBRANCES
Of early trips to Cape Sable Island – by boat, then train, then ferry – to a very different world for a very little girl.


We took the boat to Yarmouth from Rowes wharf in Boston – “Rose wharf – what a pretty name for a wharf”, said I. The train ride from Yarmouth was so exciting that I left my favorite be-ribboned bonnet behind. At Barrington we caught the ferry to the island – no causeway approach at that time.

My greatgrandfather and greatgrandma owned the Seaview Hotel and I admired the stone dogs that guarded the steps – was amazed to see spittoons strategically placed in the front rooms. And my happy day when my bonnet arrived, found and returned from the train. I remember curling up in a rocking chair and looking at things to buy in the dream book (Sears Roebuck catalog) with greatgrandma. A puzzle – everyone called them Aunt Ruth and Uncle Lennie, but to me it had to be grampa and gramma. Different from my grandmother I called Nana and my grandfather I called Pampa.

Now there were many things to be seen and to learn about in visits over the next seven years – the house across the street, built by grampa with living quarters upstairs, postoffice and grocery store below.(Grampa was also postmaster for about fifty years altogether). There was also a blacksmith shop, a barn and oh my that barn was scary when I was just three years old – I walked very quickly and carefully to pass the cows that would kick and swish their tails – there was a pig, a horse and at the very end two very large oxen! I learned to milk the cows when I got older and braver – and what fun to squirt some warm milk right into my mouth. Back at the hotel, later run by greatuncle Rob and aunt Lo there were hens and geese – the latter to be avoided as they hissed, nipped and chased me. But what fun learning to churn butter with aunt Lo.

Among last year’s archives you will find “Four Generations” with information about those mentioned above . . . and as I think of all the many changes in life style and activities over the years – stay with me for a bit and there will be more to come.

OF SLAVES & SERVANTS

Excerpt from the John Cary Descendants printed Oct 1906 - a bulletin sent to members of the Cary family who met annually at Highland Park,Brockton

At an early date colored people were held in servitude in some well-to-do families in New England. One I have seen named Patience Ring. They called her old Patience. She was held in a branch of the Cary family as a slave, until the Emancipation Act in New England took place; afterwards she was taken care of in the families till her death and was decently buried in the first burial place in West Bridgewater.

"I well remember Old Patience. She spent some time in our family when I was a child. She was tall, not very dark, sharp features, pleasant countenance, and the embodiment of good nature. But she had one weakness, she loved cider and unless restrained would sometimes drink to excess. Perhaps no one in the association has any tradition of Patience Ring. I have dictated this thinking it might be of some interest to the Cary Assoc. "
Rev. Howard Cary Dunham 1813-1906

BOSTON’S OLD STATE HOUSE

Did You Know?
*1657 - Boston Town House was constructed of wood. Funds donated by Boston merchant Robert Keayne to include a market place, “a convenient room for the Courts to meet in winter and summer,” and a room for the town elders to confer.
*1711 – Town House destroyed by fire. The General Assembly proposes a brick building to replace it.
* 1713 – Present Old State House opens and becomes the site of the provincial government. Some portions of the original brick wall remain today.
* 1747 – Another fire destroys interior and part of the brick walls. Present Old State House rebuilt as of this date. Figures of British lion and unicorn appear on east side.
* 1761 – James Otis’ eloquent arguments against British Writs of Assistance stirs patriotic sentiment against British rule. John Adams, a spectator that day, would later write, “ . . then ans there the child Independence was born.”
* 1767 – Public galleries built in Representative’s Hall, the first known example of providing accountability for elected officials.
* 1770 – Boston Massacre occurs outside building. Five Bostonians killed by British soldiers, later tried for murder. Defended by John Adams, five acquitted, two found guilty of manslaughter.
* 1774 - Massachusetts legislators circumvent British intentions to dissolve the body by locking doors to Representative’s Hall and electing delegates to Continental Congress.
* 1776 - Declaration of Independence read to Bostonians from balcony. Lion and unicorn are removed and burned at bonfire. King Street name changed to State Street.
* 1780 – John Hancock chosen first Commonwealth Governor and inaugurated in Council Chamber room.
* 1780-1790 - The building serves as Massachusetts State House.
* 1788 – Massachusetts ratifies the Federal Constitution, the sixth state to do so. Sessions held at several places in Boston but final ratification takes place at Old State House as Massachustts becomes part of the United States.
* 1789 – President Washington visits Boston and reviews parade in his honor from the west side of the building.
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1798 – Building renovated for private shops; wine merchants, wig makers, hatters and a restaurant among tenants.
1820-29 – Second floor used by Masons.
1830-40 – Renovated in 1830 by William Washburn, the building is used as Boston City Hall during this decade.

In 1881 The Bostonian Society was founded to preserve and restore the Old State House. There you will find continued restoration, a museum, a restored Council Chamber and more in this historic site, declared in 1960 by the Boston National Historic Sites Commission as” the most important public building in American History prior to the Declaration of Independence.”

AND THE LADIES SAID -

From the Distaff:

July, 1775 - "I was struck with General Washington. You had prepared me to entertain a favorable opinion of him, but I thought the one half was not told me. Dignity with ease, and complacency, the Gentleman and soldier look agreably blended in him. Modesty marks every line and feture of his face."
Abigail Adams

1775 - "It is unsafe to return to Cambridge, as the enemy were advancing up the river, and fixing on the town to stay in. Thus with precipitancy we were driven to the town of Anderson, following some of our acquaintance - five of us to be conveyed with one poor tired horse and chaise; thus we began our pilgrimage, alternately walking and riding, the roads filled with frighted women and children; some in carts with their tattered furniture, others on foot fleeing into the woods. But what added greatly to the horrors of the scene, was our passing through the bloody field at Monotong, which was strewed with the mangled bodies. We met one affectionate father with a cart, looking for his murdered son, and picking up his neighbors who had fallen in battle in order for their burial."
Hannah Winthrop

October, 1775 - "The desk, the pews and other incumbramces are taken down in Old South to make it convenient for the accomodation of Gen. Burgoynbe's light horse; while the infamous Dr. Morrison, whose character I suppose you are acquainted with, reads prayers in the church on Brattle street to a set of banditti who after the rapines, robberies and devastations of the week, dare - some of them - to lift up their sacriligious hands, and bow before the altar of mercy" . . " I will breathe one wish more; and that is for the restoration of peace - peace, I mean on equitable terms, for pusillanimous and feeble as I am, I cannot wish to see the sword quietly put up in scabbard, until justice is done to America.
Mercy Otis Warren

And a Different Viewpoint
From the Journal of a Lady, Her Journey from Scotland to the West Indies & to North Carolina
"They had got some news that had not been agreeable, which had been transpired by the arrival of a ship from Boston. This was a battle having happened on a place called Bunkershill . . . I shall not be easy until I go into town to inquire the particulars of this battle. . . . .I have seen a newspaper published by the committee's order, where the whole story of the battle is denied, 'tho it is said that the Americans had made an attack on us and killed many of our officers, amongst others they mentioned Major Pitcairn. I hope this is not the Pitcairn that was married to Miss Dalrymple, as I know many of her relations. But though 'tis false altogether, I hope the publisher will be hanged, for they have vexed me, though I do not believe them."
Janet Schaw

QUOTATIONS - more bits & pieces

As a historical interpreter I find Mark Twain's comment to be most significant - far too many judge previous centuries by the mindset of the twenty-first century.


"To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours." - Mark Twain
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"It is impossible to carry on a war without oppressing the inhabitants in some degree; and however disagreeable and inconvenient it may be to the people, and to those in power, a regard to the common good and general safety will justify the measure."
Nathaniel Greene 1 August 1780
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March 23, 1775 "If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!"
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Thomas Paine - 1776: "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."
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And that last (Thomas Paine- 1776)still applies to this very day and should be a clarion cry of love, thanks and respect for those men and women past and present who continue to serve their country

CHILDREN, CARE AND CURE

Child-rearing practices of the colonial era included much from the writings of John Locke in "Thoughts on Education", published in England in 1690. He recommended icy baths for infants and young children. A classic, documented example, Josiah Quincy recalled that in winter as well as summer he would be carried from his warm bed and taken to a cellar kitchen to be dipped three times in a tub of frigid water straight from the well. Also in keeping with Locke's advice, his shoes were made with thin soles so that water could leak in. In his boyhood, he said, he spent most of his time with wet, cold feet. Quincy survived, many of his generation did not.

First food for the infant was mother's milk. Various substances, including dangerous lead-based pewter were used in nursing bottles and nipples, and if John Locke was followed meat would not be fed until the child was several years old. Children might have brown bread, corn pudding, baked beans and perhaps milk and cheese and some fruits.

A primary threat to health was infectious disease. Yellow fever, pernicious malaria, scarlet fever, diphtheria . The latter had been a mild disease before 1735 when it suddenly assumed a fatal form in an outbreak in Kingston, NH. Whooping cough, dysentery, influenza, tuberculosis, pleurisy and smallpox. Much of the medical practices contributed to fatalities, the receipts and cures in books of cookery often provided a gentler dosage than that of the physician.

Burns were mentioned frequently by Martha Ballard, and treatment with poultices of rum, onion and indian meal. She also refers to children passing or vomiting worms, a common, debilitating condition found in that area. Scaldings were frequent, and one child, age 7, appeared dead after drinking spirits. They immersed him in warm water and put down oil, Dr Cony was called and used some means and he recovered. She frequently made use of the mild cathartics , senna and manna, even using manna with infants.

As innoculations for small pox became desireable/fashionable, children, too, underwent the procedure. From a letter written by Lady Montegu about her six-year-old son - "the children play together all the rest of the day and are in perfect health to the eighth; Then the fever begins to seize them and they keep their beds two days, very seldom three. They have very rarely above twenty or thirty in their faces, which seldom mark, and in eight days time they are as well as before their illness.

COFFEE and TEA

What made America the big coffee drinking nation it is today? During the time of the Rev War the non-alcoholic drink of choice seems to have been tea - especially up in the northern colonies. I am wondering if the tariff on tea, and the whole politics of
the tea tax, drove Americans to start drinking coffee.

I remember someone saying that he was not sure it was an easy one-for-one replacement in the Revolutionary era. For one thing, although coffee was *one* of the substitutes offered for tea in the early 1770s, it wasn't the only one. "Labrador," a sort of herb tea of North American origin, and chocolate were also on the table.

“The Ladies too were so zealous for the Good of their Country, that they agreed to drink no Tea, except the Stock of it which they had by them; or in Case of Sickness. Indeed, they were cautious enough to lay in large Stocks before they promised; & they could be sick just as suited their Convenience or Inclination. Chocolate & Coffee were to be substituted for Tea; & it was really diverting, to see a Circle of Ladies about a Tea Table, & a Chocolate or Coffee Pot in the midst of it filled with Tea”. (A Tory view of the Revolution activities)

We are aware of the tea dumped in Boston Harbor. Did that signal a cultural shift from tea to coffee? And then consider that coffee has more caffeine than tea on average. A safer guess might be economics. Although coffee was popular in Europe even in the 16th century it was more expensive than tea. As an occasional treat, coffee was more likely to be served than tea.

Despite the high prices today, coffee is available from more sources, and there's more competition, so more people can afford to drink it as an everyday beverage instead of a rare luxury.

HISTORICAL OPINIONS: What was Said and What was Thought

About John Hancock – gossip, truth, opinion?
John Hancock, one of the richest men in America, already had a price of 500 pounds on his head when he signed the Declaration of Independence as President of the Continental Congress He signed as he always did, not one speck larger than normal. This was the culmination of three days of wrangling and 86 alterations made to the original draft. These men who signed were heroes, alike in their dedication to the cause, but vastly unalike in their personal lives.

John Hancock was no exception, we are all familiar with his story, the history books recount the facts, and there are the myths as well. But what of the man himself?

From the distaff viewpoint: Abigail Adams did not always sing his praises – she referred to him as the ‘tinkeling cymbal’ in discussing his popularity in the 1780 election for Governor of Massachusetts; and in a November letter to her dear husband notes that “Last week his Excellency gave a very Grand Ball, to introduce our republican form of government properly upon the Stage.” In earlier letters she mentions “a military company under Mr. Hancock that is much talked about here”. (For John Hancock, wealthy merchant, yearned for military command, and would have willingly taken the place of George Washington).

But from Mercy Otis Warren, the historian: Mr. Hancock was a young gentleman of fortune, of more external accomplishments than of real abilities. He was polite in manners, easy in address, affable, civil and liberal. With these accomplishments he was capricious, sanguine and implacable. Naturally generous he was profuse in expense; he scattered largesses without discretion, and purchased favors by the waste of wealth until he reached the culmination of his wishes which centered in the focus of popular applause. He enlisted early in the cause of his country, at the instigation of some gentlemen of penetration, who thought his ample fortune might give consideration, while his fickleness could not injure so long as he was under the influence of men of superior judgment.

Opinion - from two very perceptive women who were “on the scene”, and knew the participants.

USING COSMETICS IN THE 18TH CENTURY

Yesterday we spoke of ingredients in use in that time period, but it occurred to me that it might be important to take a look at just how and why they were put to use. I am indebted to Barbara Talasco who put together “Never Quite Satisfied” based on her research – excerpts follow:

Throughout the course of history we have continually attempted to improve upon nature with a grand variety of concoctions and contraptions. Never was the tendency stronger than during the 18th century when fashion reigned supreme – a time when an inordinate amount of time, money and energy was expended in the quest for the ultimate appearance.

A myriad of painting, padding hiding and dyeing paraphernalia became part of every person’s toilette. Even the face was padded when necessary. When age and loss of teeth allowed the cheeks to hollow, an under-the-counter item called ‘plumpers’ (little cork balls inserted into the mouth to fill the void) came to the rescue. “Mrs. Button who wears cork plumpers in each cheek and never hazards more than six words for fear of shewing them” – 1780, Mrs. Cowly, The Belle’s Stratagem.

Snippets of mouse skin became false eyebrow and came in many colours. They replaced the natural brow which was often intentionally removed by plucking, shaving, or the use of painful plasters or depilatories (sometimes containing quicklime) its original site obscured with pink paste.

Beyond shaping and replacing came an assault on the very skin by way of ‘complexion improvers’ and cosmetics. Creams and lotions, both homemade and commercially produced were popular; some were innocent and some were lethal.

Skin was softened and wrinkles removed with greases and oils. Nightly applications with saturated forehead cloths and impregnated skin gloves (chicken and dog) were the preferred methods of treatment.

Rouge of the day was accomplished by several methods but mostly by ‘Spanish Wool’. This woolen or felt pad was impregnated with a red dye and was applied to dampened cheeks and lips by men and women alike. Thus the characteristic red and white face that went on in the morning and came off at night was accomplished by some men and all fashionable women.

Lead which served to whiten also served to darken as in the form of combs for the hair and especially for the eyebrows – when natural brows were kept, that is. Brows could also be darkened with a solution of green vitriol and gum Arabic.

Regular bathing became less an ostentatious act and more routine. Teeth were cleansed with toothpicks and rag-wound sticks, and whitened with a mixture of lemon juice and burnt alum.

[I do suggest to historical interpreters that a camp follower might make use of information slanted toward the fashionable lady: why not try the rag on a twig (or a fringed twig) tooth brushing, conspicuously public for nothing was personal and private, along with a grand splashing of water on the face! – what elegance !!! ???]

IMPROVING ON NATURE IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

Among our bits and pieces are notes on the use and ‘makeup’ of cosmetics:
*the term pomander is derived from ‘pommes d’ambre’ or amber apples. They were carried to mask offensive odors and to ward off disease.
*As a base for cosmetics, perfumed ground alabaster or starch were used as well as ceruse (white lead) . Lip sticks consisted of coloured ground plaster of Paris.
*Although black patches were most fashionable, scarlet patches were also worn.
*False porcelain teeth were often worn with cheek plumpers.
*Also providing color was Spanish wool. Spanish leather, carmine, coloured ceruse, vegetable rouge, and serviette rouge (a rag dipped in coloured dye).

Interesting ingredients for cosmetics were lead, mercury, bitter almonds, tartar, the whites, birch tree sap, rosemary and white wine, ass’s milk. Also hog lard, honey, bear’s grease, olive oil, Arabian gum, rosewater, orris root, musk, civet, amber-gris, oil of cloves, vinegar, alum. Already mentioned - ground alabaster, plaster of Paris and starch. Lye, rhubarb, puppy fat, apples, posset curd, egg shells, borax, white poppy seeds, and quick lime. Lead calcined with sulphur, frog’s blood, leeches, goats grease, apricot paste, myrhh. Also puppy dog urine (drunk in the 17th century), dog blood, buttersnail shells, lemon, sugar, gold leaf, jasmine, frangipane, water of talc and frog spawn water.

*Hungary water was a popular scent consisting of rosemary oil, verbena oil, Portugal oil, linette oil, peppermint oil, triple rose water, triple orange flower water, and ninety percent alcohol.

I mentioned ceruse. It was commonly called paint (as in powder & paint) and gave the skin a fashionable whiteness and was the main ingredient in most rouges and lip salves. The most celebrated example of its fatal results was Maria Gunnning, Lady Coventry, a noted beauty who died of lead poisoning in 1760. In mid century England heavy cosmetic use by the elite included not only the women but the men as well.

The above is the “WHAT” but tomorrow I will make a continuation with the “HOW” – . . . . . to be continued

THE CANAL THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

The Cape Cod Canal, the widest artificial waterway in the world, was opened in 1914. It’s a surprise to many that a canal almost came through Randolph, Avon, Brockton, Bridgewater, Raynham and Taunton rather than Sandwich and Bourne.
In the early years of the 20th century “The New York, Brockton and Boston Canal” proposed waterways as a transportation necessity throughout the country. Not a casual intent but a researched plan with topographical photographs, trade tables, cost tables and shipping tables – a serious scientific study.

The canal cut would have been 102,000 feet long, 200 feet wide and 26 feet deep with a 250 foot right of way on each side of the bank. It would include 14 locks and 15 highway and five railroad bridges with 100 foot clearances.

Enter Judge Lloyd E. Chamberlain of Brockton, Massachusetts – Judge of Probate for Plymouth County, President, Massachusetts State Board of Trade. Brockton Board of Trade and Vice President of the National Inland Waterways Commission. Judge Chamberlain was an ardent proponent of the Brockton Canal proposal. Returning from a 1909 convention of the Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association of Virginia, Judge Chamberlain said: “I returned more deeply impressed than ever before with the merit of what is today known as the ‘Brockton Canal.’ . . . “it is of sufficient importance for the president of the United States to give his thought and presence.”

Costs? $57,618,358 - while The Cape Cod Canal was projected as $10,000,000. The Brockton Canal never happened.

A SHAMELESS PLUG!

This is a shameless plug for an organization I have been active in for more than 35 years – Daughters of the American Revolution. As I reread what I wrote back in the 90s I note that all still applies, and the growth of the organization into the computer age has been both rewarding and phenomenal.

I AM A DAUGHTER: LET ME TELL YOU WHY

In this beloved organization I find all the things that touch my heart in the myriad opportunities for service in state and chapter organizations. Here I truly find and can recognize, the soul deep patriotism and love of country that is an innate part of me. Here I can share these feelings with kindred souls.

I have been privileged. The people and life styles of our American War for Independence have had a pull upon me for most of my life. This pull has translated into extensive research and into my becoming a reenactor and historical interpreter. In this alternate role I join many other Daughters who have chosen to portray accurately the events of our country’s past. I have learned the lifestyles and skills of our ancestors and have been able to advance that knowledge of domestic and military activity and impart it to young and old alike. This interest and study has encompassed areas of heritage, traditions and skills. This has been a personal commitment.

And what better venues for transmitting this love of country and knowledge and pride in our forebears than in the multiplicity of opportunities for communication as a Daughter?

Communication - all the research and knowledge in the world is worthless unless it is shared. Thus as Daughters we share our heritage, and keep alive the sacrifices of the past. This 18th century woman, (indeed that is exactly what I call myself), has taken advantage of the communication possibilities of the present and the future. In my studio, next to my spinning wheel, needlework tools, flax, raw wool and silk, are a computer, a scanner, and a fax machine. These are my tools of communication and have made connections with Daughters, and those who would be Daughters, across this vast nation.

Although loyalty and devotion goes first to our chapters and state societies, in reality today’s Daughters of the American Revolution are not confined to boundaries of time nor space. What a wonder to pass along information and possibilities without constraint. What a wonder to learn of those things to which Chapters and Daughters all over the world have devoted time,talent, and money, and to share their pride in their accomplishments. What a wonder to feel that they are not strangers, but friends that we have yet to meet.

Yes, I am also a Daughter of the present and for the future. In working with young people and children I see the light of understanding and caring in their young eyes. I see the hope for tomorrow and the promise of the future. As we make small sacrifices for those veterans whose sacrifices are often unimaginable, I am witness to a love of country beyond all personal considerations - I am humbled.

Each year, as the flag unfurls over Continental Congress; we stand with hands over our hearts and moist eyes uplifted. In this single moment we seem to achieve a renewal of faith and the courage to continue the work and the devotion that is DAR. In these beautiful buildings is a legacy for the future and I can truthfully and pridefully say that I have been and will be a part of this continuum, as will my daughters, and if God wills, their daughters and granddaughters as well.

I am blessed, I am a Patriot and I am a Daughter.

QUILL: of Quills and Quilling and Other Definitions

An obvious and common definition is the feather of a large bird, often a goose or turkey, formed into a pen by pointing and slitting the lower end of the barrel.

A plectrum formed of a feather for plucking the strings of a musical instrument; in instruments of the harpsichord type, a piece of crow quill set on a jack and put into motion by the keys.

A float of a fishing line made of a quill,

A convenient way to pick the teeth.

Threads wound on a quill, ready for the weaver.

To form small, cylindrical plaits or folds, to goffer thus using papers or fabrics, or ribbons or lace. Would you like to quill a ruffle for your cap? You do wear one, do you not? Lacking many quills I offer a modern day substitute - just smooth out your fabric strip while wet, place a series of plastic drinking straws over and under the strip and let it dry.

Following the Satucket Path through Abington, Massachusetts

Several years ago, plans were started to note points of historic interest in Massachusetts towns. One of those "tours" was the work of a long-time Abington resident Dorothy (Mrs. Kenneth) Taylor.
1. As you enter Abington from the North on Route 58, you are following the route of the old Satucket Path , an Indian Trail that connected Weymouth with East Bridgewater. Just over the town line in Abington is the "Heape of Stones" whose plaque reads:"The Heape of Stones marks the oldest jurisdictional line in the country erected in 1664 "to mark the crossing of the line between Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony at the Satucket Indian Path."
2. Continuing south on Route 58, turn left at Harrison Avenue and continue to the end. On the left is Arnold Park with a boulder commemorating the Abington Riot of August 16, 1893. The riot occurred when the railroad tried to stop the street car company from laying tracks across the railroad right of way, in spite of a court order permitting this. The Massachusetts Supreme Court later ruled in favor of the street car company and set a country-wide precedent when it jailed the railroad officials involved in the riot. As a peace offering to the town, the railroad built the North Abington Station, designed by the famous architect H.H. Richardson. The station, a National Historic Landmark now being used as a restaurant stands opposite Harrison Avenue and Arnold Park.
3. Returning to Route 58, continue south to take the right fork at the North School as you continue along the Satucket Path. On reaching Central Street, approximately a mile from the fork inthe road, turn left and watch on your left for the entrance to Mt. Vernon Cemetery. Halfway into the cemetery on the left are the graves of both Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers and at the far end of the cemetery are some of the oldest graves in Abington.
4. Retrace your way back to Central Street and look to your left. You will see the railroad bridge which was also part of the railroad's peace offering. Prior to the street being lowered for the bridge, this had been a very dangerous intersection.
5. Now turn to your right on Central Street and return to the old Satucket Path (now known as Washington Street). Turn left and take your next left which is Wilson Place. This will take you to Island Grove Pond. You may park along the street here and walk over the bridge to admire the Memorial Arch built in 1912 to honor those who fought in the Civil War. Continuing into the grove area, to your right you will find a boulder marking the site of many Abolitionist Meetings whose speakers included William Lloyd Garrison.
6. Retrieving your car, follow the pond south to Centre Ave (Route 123). Turn right and just a few doors further on, on your right you will see the Dyer Memorial Library. This building was erected in 1935 and is both museum and library perpetuating the history of Old Abington which originally covered the areas now known as Whitman and Rockland. Miss Marietta Dyer (1853-1918), last living heir of her uncle's importing fortune, establlished the Dyer Trust Fund in her will for the purpose of constructing this building to house a library and historical exhibits.
7. Leaving the Dyer Library, turn left at the lights to regain the Satucket Path and continue straight through the second set of lights to the intersection with Route 18. Here, in front of the church, is a plaque marking both the Satucket Path and the New Bedford Toll Road which you have just joined.
8. You continue south on Route 18 (the Ols Toll Road and Indian Trail), there is a plaque at Route 18 Auto Body marking the site of the first meeting house in Abington.

Education - in the 18thCentury

In the Library of Congress there are two volumes of school exercises. One dealing with mathematics exhibits a wide range with sureness, accuracy and clearness. Few college graduates today become so well trained in that subject. The problems in surveying show that at sixteen years of age this young man was fitted to earn his living in this field.

These books belonged to the young teen-aged George Washington.

The second book begins with legal forms such as every planter should know, some poetry, and "The Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation".
In the latter those maxims had their origin in France. Later in England additions were made concerning dining.

No, I won't list all 110, but here's a taste of the manners important at that time.
#6- Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others Stand, Speak not when you should hold your peace, Walk not when others stop.

#54 covers Vanity - Play not the peacock, looking everywhere about you, to See if you be well deck't, if your shoes fit well if your stockings sit neatly and clothes handsomely.

You know there are some that should be as important to us today as they were to Washington in the 18th century.
#56 Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you esteem your own Reputation, for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
#109 Let your Recreations be Manfull not Sinfull
#110 Labouur to keep alive in your Breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire called Conscience.

Bits & Pieces from my files:

Thoughts and ideas - once and a while decisions and/or conclusions come our way. The following from my files is just one of those subjects - as always open to further discussion. I do welcome any discussion and only ask that it be first referred to me. Today's Bit to Talk-A-Bout concerns the Woodland Indian .

Well before the arival of the Mayflower, the Woodland Indians had fallen upon hard times - their creative thrust had been blunted by centuries of bloody warfare and then, in 1616 - the great plague. Many tribes with scarcely enough living to bury their dead were vulnerable to their old enemies. The New England tribes were on their way to self-destruction.

In 1888 the following statement was made concerning the Pawtuckets. "The plague completed the ruin of this nation. The nature of this disease is doubtful - it began near Saco and swept down to Naraganset Bay but not beyond. Richard Vines, a physician, passed the winter of 1616 among the victims - he and his men even slept in the cabins of the sick, but not a white man was affected. The skin of the victims was of a deep yellow, both before and after death, still it seems the disease was not yellow fever and it was not the small pox".

The toll over the next 200 years was great, there was conflict among the tribes, and warfare against the settlers. In 1849 - a report presented to the legislature stated that there appears to be the remains of twelve tribes within the bounds of Massachusetts.They number only 847, including people of color connected with them. There were but six or eight of pure blood in Massachusetts.

Here I Am Again

It's been a while, I know. This old lady has been busy, and procrastinating, and not really sure what direction she wants to take. She finds herself deciding to take advantage of all the writing, research and odds and ends that she has been up to for too many decades and so - what's coming???

A potpouri of thought, opinion, search and research, starting tomorrow at the crack of dawn!

Well darn it all, why wait? Lets start with a recent try at something old and new at the same time - Once upon a time I painted - art, varying subjects in oils - (one of my sons says he can still smell the turp and linseed). On the premise that an old dog can be taught new tricks - tried pencil sketching.

My mother's art supplies included six nice graphite pencils and a sketch book with a very faint outline of a seascape with lighthouse she had planned to start - I accepted the challenge and completed just the lighthouse and I was hooked. Exercise #2 was a female face and #3 my daughter, a ballroom dancer.

I never had worked with pencil but I will continue a bit more and then try my luck with acrylics which I never thought could take the place of oils. A challenge - please wish me luck!

Stay tuned - tomorrow will be a completely different subject.

A Brief Diversion

No, I have not abandoned the lineage stories, but am taking a brief hiatus to pay homage to MERCY OTIS WARREN. At the same time I am heading a FaceBook group called Mercy Otis Warren, Poet, Patriot
A truly remarkable woman from Plymouth’s past at the time of the American Revolution - Mercy Otis Warren, wife of General James Warren, mother of five sons. An accomplished housewife and needlewoman, she was also the author of poetry, political satire, a proposed Bill of Rights for the new Constitution and a 2 volume history of the American Revolution.

James and Mercy Warren and their dear friends John and Abigail Adams have left an indelible mark on their time, a valuable resource in their correspondence and activities during those troublesome years.

As I look through the published and non-published writings, and the biographies of this remarkable woman, perhaps it should start here in Plymouth at the corner of North Street and Main with the fine gambrel-roofed house, significant for its associations in early American history, her town house home following her marriage.

Mercy Otis’early years in Barnstable were not of the ordinary - her father James Otis was a man of intellectual habits and he encouraged awareness among his children as he included them in discussion and debate of subjects political and newsworthy at table and at fireside. James Otis was politically a Whig and Presiding Justice of the District Court. He sought culture for its own sake.
Her two older brothers were to be educated for the law at Harvard in Cambridge and Mercy was permitted to join in their studies, although the formal Greek and Latin were not deemed necessary. Not surprisingly, however, she was able to read Virgil and Homer in translation while brother James was plodding through the volumes in their original language. She read the work of Pope, Dryden, Milton, Shakespeare and Raleigh. Conversations and discussion of the ancients was a constant delight and a bond with Jemmie.
At an early age, the poetry of the ancients became a part of Mercy as did their histories. She learned the art of writing from their uncle and instructor, the Rev, Jonathan Russell who wrote his sermons beforehand - and on the Sabbath day she would hear those literary arts sounding as music.

. . .to be continued . . .

More Delorey Generations

WILLIAM & ANNE (PAROU)DES LAURIERS
5th Generation

William Des Lauriers, a seaman, was known also as Benoni. He was born 6 June 1816 in Tracadie, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. His marriage to Anne Parou (Perrault) took place in 1839. She was born 31 October 1816, also in Tracadie, the daughter of Louis & Isabelle (Mathe) Parou.
Their children were:
Louis: b abt 1841; d 1 Sep 1867 Pictou, Antigonish, NS
Honore: d 10 Sep 1866; m. Annie Broderick
William: b Jan 1841; m. Elizabeth Deslauriers;m...2. Marie Benoit
Anne: b 21 Sep 1842; m. Joseph Pettipas
* Joseph (Joshua) (Joachim): b 5 Jan 1845
Charles: b 8 Oct 1846
Philistin: b 17 Apr 1849; m. Mary-Margaret Deslauriers;m.2. Marie Marguerite Deslauriers.

William left this life 29 October 1875 in Tracadie. His wife Anne survived him, passing on 11 March 1890 at Weymouth, Massachusetts.


JOSEPH & MARGARET (GRANT) DELOREY
6th Generation

You have met them before and already have seen two photographs of Joseph and Margaret, the first at the time of their marriage in 1867, and a wonderful family photograph with eight of their children in 1892 (posted in February of this year).
This one will serve to link Joseph and his son William Louis, next in my husband’s lineage. It was taken about 1880 in Elizabethport, New Jersey.

This brings us to William Louis Delorey's generation (7) in the posts that will follow.Lots of photographs for Williams children remembered fondly that their father loved to have photographs of his family, both individually and in groups.