Memories of the Calls 19: Spring Medicine, Making Soft Soap, and Maple Sugar
Spring Medicine
We little children some times took sulphur and molasses. I did not dislike it. the sulphur is tasteless, and the molasses sweet. For the whole family, in the early days, mother used to make us Spring Medicine. The ingredients so far as we recollect, were dandelion, burdock and yellow dock roots, with prickly ash, and wild cherry bark. This concotion was soaked in cider, in the early days before the family all signed the pledge and all cider was taboo. The medicine, tho bitter, was not so terrible to take. I used to make a great fuss over taking castor oil. Once when quite small, mother used all her powers to coax me to take a dose, and finally said, "Well, father I guess you'll have to get a switch." Father went out, and I took it very quickly, but it was a long time before father came in, and I never saw the switch. I never gave my children castor oil, unless possibly under doctor's order. I gave Castoria. The ad said "Babies cry for Castoria."
Making Soft Soap
The women of that day were certainly versatile. Among the things mother did was to make soft soap. Father put wood ashes in a barrel and poured pails of water in the top. The liquid running from the openings in the bottom was lye. Did it have to be strong enough to hold up an egg to answer for soap making? During the weeks and months before making soap she had been savings odds and ends of grease. These accumulated fast at butchering time. When there was enough lye and grease a fire was build under the big black kettle out doors and they were boiled together with frequent stirrings until they combined, making soap. I do no know what rules she used or how she knew when she had enough of either ingredient. Mary Sperry, when she married Charles Brierly, stipulated she was not to have to make soap or do butchering work. Soap making was a smoky, dirty, hard job.
Maple Sugar
I think our folks made a good deal of Maple sugar and sirup before my time., but it was a decidedly minor industry within my memory. Father used to tell how he took a gold watch in trade, one more expensive than he would intend to practise carrying. There came a warm spell when the sap ran very freely, and the buckets were running over. To save the sap, he collected it on Sunday, and lost the watch. When I had the Primary Class at Stafford, I used to teach the children the lines
"A Sabbath well-spent brings a week of content
And strength for the toils of the morrow.
But a Sabbath profaned, what so-eer be gained
Brings nothing but trouble and sorrow."
______
Patty's notes on these entries
These were three separate consecutive entries in the original manuscript. I've combined them into one blog post.
The pledge - Temperance Pledges were at the center of the temperance movement. People, and even entire families, pledged to abstain from alcohol. Early pledges often referred to just hard liquor like gin and whisky, but allowed consumption of wine, beer and hard cider. Later pledges promoted abstaining from all forms of alcohol. The Family Temperance Pledge was introduced in the 1870s, where all members of a family committed to abstaining from all forms of alcohol. Based on the comment about the family all signing the pledge - the Coe family may well have signed a family temperance pledge sometime in the 1870s.
Family Temperance Pledge from 1887
Family temperance pledge. Blank form for members of the family to sign n. p. 1887. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/rbpe.2380420a/.
Mother - Deborah Prentice (1833-1910) , daughter of Southwick Prentice and Elizabeth Ann Smith
Father - Albert Coe (1827-1907), son of Ezra Coe and Elizabeth Ann Sornberger
Castoria - Fletcher's Castoria was a syrup of senna (a laxative) and other ingredients designed to soothe upset stomachs introduced in the 1870s. It is still available today as Fletcher's Laxative.
1910 ad for Fletcher's Castoria from the Le Roy Gazette
Mary Sperry - Mary E. Sperry (1857-1943), daughter of Platt Sperry (1814-1889) and Rebecca Storm (1821-1957). Her brother George W Sperry (1853-1933) married Mary Isadore Coe (1851-1924) daughter of Albert Coe and Deborah Prentice. Mary Sperry married Charles Sumner Brierley in 1883.
Charles Brierly - Charles Sumner Brierley (1856-1928), son of Thomas Brierley (about 1814-after 1880) and Betsy Radcliffe (1819-1913).
Maple syrup - According to the 1880 Agricultural Census Schedule, Albert Coe produced 7 gallons of Maple Sugar/molasasses in 1879.
Comments
Post a Comment