OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 108A
                                                                                               
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Darlene E. Kelley
http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374
April 27, 2008
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Historical Collections of Ohio
And Then They Went West
Know Your Ohio
Tid-Bits -- part 108 A
Pioneer Living on the Western Reserve
by Darlene E. Kelley

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Part 108 A


The dwellings of the Pioneers of the Western Reserve outside of the rude
bark or brush shack, consisted solely of the log cabin. 

The log cabins were generally 12x14, or 14x16 feet in size, built of
logs a foot or more in diameter, laid up like the cobhouse of the
children, except being notched at the corner so the logs laid close
together, the spaces between the logs were filled with the wooden wedges
or else plastered with stiff clay. The roof was covered with
clap-boards, or long shingles, riven very thin, and about sx fee long,
held on by weight poles placed on each tier, a ridge pole in the center.
The floors were made out of puncheons, split of the logs, and roughly
hewn with a broadax. Doors were made of heavy puncheons, crossed and
cater-cornered by other strong timbers; the hinges were wooden ones made
of a  heavy and tough material. The door was secured by one or more
heavy cross bars. The windows were made by sawing out one or more logs,
making a small hole which was covered with slats and oiled paper.
Bedsteads were made from tough dog-wood poles, with only one, or at the
most, two posts; the bottems made from woven elm bark or tough hickory
slats.. Chairs were usually three-legged, made to fit the inequalities
of the floor, and were only rude puncheon benches. The cupboard was made
by driving wooden pins in the logs and laying boards upon them. The
table was a rude frame covered with puncheons.

If a cabin possessed a loft, the floor was made by loosely laid
puncheons, and was reached by a ladder, sometimes from the outside,
somtimes from the inside; if tere was no ladder, wooden pins were driven
in the logs at one corner of the cabin; a sure if not an easy way to
reach the loft.
The fireplace occupied the greater part, if not the whole of one end of
the cabin. This was made of rough, or undressed stone, laid up in
mortar, but more usually stiff clay; the chimney was compossed of the
same material, or in some instances, of sticks laid crosswise and well
plastered with clay, both inside and out.  A lug-pole was across the
inside of the chimney,on which to hang the chain, or if the chain was
missing, a rough iron-wood hook was in the reach of all. Some cabins,
and later, all, were fitted with the iron trammel and hooks, on which to
hang the iron kettle or mush pot. In some families one iron kettle
served alike for brewing the mint tea, crust, corn meal, or acorn
coffee, for frying the meat, boiling the potatoes, or even in which to
bake the corn break or Johnny-cake. The capacious fire-places would take
a log of almost any thickness and from six to ten feet in length. The
front and back log was  heaped with smaller and quicker burnng wood. In
winter time, if the roomwas large, there was always danger of freezing
on one side, while you roasted upon the other.  

Over the chimney was set a pair of deer-
antlers, on which hung the goodman's rifle, powder-horn,and bullet
pouch. Sometimes the rifle rested on wooden pins driven in a overhead
joist. From the joists hung bunches of dried herbs, little bags of dried
fruits, pumpkin, sacks of nuts, slabs of bacon, jerked venison, or
smoked hams and bunches of dipped candles. These candles made  by
dipping candle wicking, twice the length of the candle, and hung across
a small round stick very close together. Then they are
dipped into a kettle of melted tallow. This process leaves a thin
coating of the tallow around the wicks. This process repeated until they
are of required thickness. Many of these candles can be made in an
evening.

The spinning and carding wheels, the flux hutchell and the quilting
frames, when not in use were usually found in one corner of the room.

The soap of the Western Reserve pioneer
had to be made by himself or family. The wood ashes were leached, the
lye obtained was boiled with refuse fat in large iron kettles until the
soap was of proper consistency.

The " soap-boilings." the " hog-killng," the 
" log-rollings." the "wood -choppings" and the " quiltings," and a
little later on, the 
" corn-huskings," and the " parin' bees" were red letter days to the
young people. Days full of excitement, of jolity and good fellowship, of
feasting and merriment. Among these amusements, consisting half of hard
work and half of play, and must not be omitted, the " Cabin-raisings."
Men and boys would cheerfully walk miles to attend cabin raisings, often
returning after night, through the woods with their lighted torches of
pine knots or hickory bark. 

There were no " masses or classes " in those days, the rich and poor
dressed alike, and were on an equality.
The clothing of men consisted of homespun, or deerskin hunting frocks,
and pants made of buckskin . The women attired alike in their homespun
of their own manufacture.

The early settlers of the Reserve were a rough, hardy, intelligent set;
they believed in a God, in good order and education. They were always
ready to start a church or a school, and to help each other on any and
every occasion. Books were scarce, but the Western Reserve boy did not
think himself a man until he at least mastered 
" the three R's." The early Reserve teacher was usually from the best
blood and talent of the New England States; they were far, very far
above the average in ability, and many of them rose to state or national
renown, and in later years, we find man of our wisest lawyers and
statesmen laying their heads together, calling up old reminiscences of "
keeping school and boardin' round." and talk of the warm chimney
corners, of the suppers of mush and milk, or Johnny-cake and jerked
venison; of the settlers robust, rosy daughter, toward whom they cast
"sheep's eyes." of the old fashioned spelling school and the walk home
with the girls; of the country singing schools and of the jealous swain
in the gay wamus, of the first love that only survived one school term;
of the long winter's night in cabins, lit by only the fitful glare of
the burning fire; of nightly feasts of hickory, hazel, butter and
walnuts, of doughnuts and cider, of fun and frolic, of hunting tales,
and of those more fierce and pathetic, the stories of border Indian
warfare.

In some localities log rollngs were of common occurenace, every settler
having one or more each year. Settlers came from miles around. Oxen ad
axes, hand spikes and muscle were in demand. The logs were cut, hauled,
and heaped into great towering pyramids. The boys and girls piled the
brush, started the fires, and danced around the burning piles, as much
play as work, and as much work as play, but all with joyous hearts and
willing hands.

Later on came the stump pullings and the stone picking, the burying of
hardhead boulders, which caused many of backaches caused by this kind of
work.

Then were the " woodchoppings" and the 
" Quilting bees, " where everybody, old and young, would go; the men
with their axes and teams, te women with teir 
" good things " for dinner or supper, and also with their needles and
large motherly hearts. Some old lady, or widow or lone woman or
superannuated couple would get wood enough to last them all winter, and
quilts and warm things enough to keep the cold and frost out of doors
when they belonged. These were the good old days, the days in which
people did not lve for themselves alone, but for their neighbors; the
days when people did not preach " Love thy neighbor as thyself," but
they did more, they practiced it, lovingly, kindly, but earnestly and
effectively.

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Continued in Part 108B