Back in the Old Days

When my mother died and my dad moved into Assisted Living, we had to empty the contents of their house before we sold it. We found boxes and boxes of old photographs, diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings. It inspired me to begin researching our ancestry. I learned some very fascinating things about our family.

Our great++ grandfather, Col. William Graham, was preparing to fight in the Battle of King's Mountain during the American Revolution. Just prior to the beginning of the battle against the loyalists, Col. Graham received word that his wife was in labor and was having a rough time. In those days, neither doctors or midwives delivered the babies; it was up to the husbands to assist. Col. Graham had a decision to make: stay and fight or return home just over the hill to assist his wife. He asked for permission to leave. His fellow colonels agreed to allow him to go. He was able to return to the fight near its end. Unfortunately, the colonel appointed to replace Graham at the head of his division was killed during the battle. Thereafter, there were those who labeled Graham a "coward" for deserting his post. He railed over that slur for years afterward.

I discovered a letter from one of my great+ aunts who recalled her daddy describing how his father (Col. Graham) would shake his cane and curse the man who called him a coward. She told of a man named Draper who was writing a history of the area at that time, and she encouraged her cousin, my great+ grandmother, to assist her in "restoring the good name" of their ancestor in their accounts to this Mr. Draper.

Can you imagine living during those difficult times? When the threat of Indians attacking your home was very real? When wars were fought hand-to-hand with swords and horses? When you only bathed maybe twice a year? When it was commonplace for families to have 13 children and babies often died?

I'll include some other stories I uncovered in a future post. Meanwhile check out the following:

My daughter sent me these interesting tidbits:

• George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are "limbs," therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, "Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg."

• As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year (May and October)! Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term big wig." Today we often use the term "here comes the Big Wig" because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.

• In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was used for dining. The "head of the household" always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this chair during a meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the "chair man." Today in business, we use the expression or title "Chairman" or "Chairman of the Board."

• Personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a result, many women and men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another woman's face she was told, "mind your own bee's wax." Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term "crack a smile." In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt . . . therefore, the expression losing face."

• Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and dignified woman as in "straight laced". . . wore a tightly tied lace.

• Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the "Ace of Spades." To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren't "playing with a full deck."

• Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to "go sip some ale" and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at different times. You go sip here" and "You go sip there." The two words "go sip" were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term "gossip."

• At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in "pints" and who was drinking in "quarts," hence the term minding your "P's and Q's."

• One more: bet you didn't know this! In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem...how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round indentations. However, if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys." Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." (All this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you.)