World Turn'd Upside Down

Volunteer for CWT's Park Day!

2012-02-07T09:30:00.001-05:00

March 31st is the Civil War Trust's Park Day where volunteers help clean and fix up battlefields and other historic sites.

Some of the big battlefields will be participating, such as Cedar Creek, Antietam and Gettysburg but there are a lot of smaller sites participating too. Pennsylvania only has two participating sites but Virginia and Tennessee have a lot participating.

This really is a great time to help out your favorite site, especially since many sites are significantly underfunded. Each site has different jobs to be done from landscaping and cleaning to locating and identifying graves.

Click here for a list of participating sites.

A lot of visitors really does take its toll on historic sites. The sites really do appreciate having a lot of extra hands to do work that needs to be done. You can bring tons of friends and make a really fun day of it.

Anyone planning on participating?

Civil War Boy's Jacket Pattern from Godey's Lady's Book

2012-02-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

When I went to Antietam, the museum there had a tiny Zouave jacket worn by a musician during the battle. It has fabric covered decorative buttons on the red patterns and was sewn with white thread.The coat was small, it was almost sad to think about the boy wearing it.

I found a very similar jacket pattern in Godey's and wanted to offer the pattern to my readers with children.

I was going to wait to post this until I had it drafted to correct shape and proportions but school has been extremely busy again and it doesn't seem like I'll have a chance to do it for a while. So far I have the back proportioned out correctly but am working on making the front armholes a comfortable curve. My drafting skills are terrible so I am sure someone else could have this drawn out quickly.

A Letter of Introduction: Dispatches from Company 'Q'

2012-01-30T10:57:00.000-05:00

I have the pleasure of introducing my readers to a new blog by a seasoned blogger and writer, Jeff B. of the 2nd Delaware Volunteer Infantry. He's currently writing a Civil War based blog that focuses on the military side of reenacting and history.

For those of you who do not know Jeff, he is a Northern cousin of my Southern Civil War persona. In his real life he is a photographer, artist and writer. He has always had an interest in history.

He just started reenacting last year and is still learning but is anxious to share his knowledge with newer recruits. He has been doing a lot of good research and I expect to see some great contributions in the future.

His blog was half intended to be a companion blog to mine, covering the areas of reenacting that I don't cover as often, but I have no doubt that it will stand on its own. it's nice to think of them as "sibling sites."

Dispatches from Company 'Q.'

*****A word of caution to my younger and lady readers: My cousin Jeffery has been spending much of his time around soldiers and has picked up quite a few ungentlemanly habits, such as foul language. Please skip his blog if it offends you.

Please check out his blog and don't forget to snag his blog buttons:

Marching to the Beat of a Different Drummer

2012-01-26T09:07:00.001-05:00

"Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he wasmade. Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperateenterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it isbecause he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears,however measured or far away." - Henry David Thoreau

I am a big Thoreau fan, even if he is considered one ofthe biggest lazy bums in American history. Thoreau, generally remembered as therecluse who lived in a shack in the woods, who everyone studied back in 10^thgrade English class, is rarely remembered for anything else.

Thoreaudid move to a cabin in the woods for 2 years of his life; he built his ownhouse, grew his own food and perfected the art of cheap entertainment. He wrotethat his goal in moving to Walden Pond was to live an experiment in simplicityand introspection but, it was also a place to give him time to write a book andescape local gossip. At the time, he could not hold a steady job and had littleluck in relationships and was mourning the death of his brother.

Despite popular myth, he was not a hermit. He had frequentvisitors to the cabin such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Alcott family and eveninvited people to stay with him. Many people mistakenly think that he was beinghypocritical by having guests and accepting food from others. However, his goalwas not self-sufficiency in its entirety but an attempt to demonstrate how farsocietal norms deviated from the necessaries of life. He showed that a man canlive working one day a week and enjoying the remaining six, which was his goal.While not having a tremendous impact during his lifetime, his works went on toinspire many influential people, like Mahatma Gandhi, specifically, Civil Disobedience.

Everyonce in a while I will pick up Walden.Many of his thoughts ring true, even if they are the ramblings of a societalreject. Perhaps living a “solitary life” really did give him the wisdom hesought. I was particularly enthralled with the quote above recently. I have afew friends who recently feel that they are behind the societal norms in theirlives. Some are behind in school, some are behind at work and some are behindat love. I myself thought that it was awful when people would ask me the inevitablequestion, “So, when are you getting married?” only to realize that it’s adifferent kind of awful when people stop asking as if you've "peaked." :D

Ifeel that this generation, and succeeding ones, has an increasingly difficulttime with society’s timeline for we see everyone’s timelines plastered on theinternet (thanks social networking.) We see practically everyone we’ve evermet, graduating, getting married, having children, succeeding in all parts oflife and feel discontent with ours.

Wealso live in a world where few things are what they seem. We compare ourselvesto the mirages we see. We don’t see what goes into making a beautiful actress.We look at her and feel inadequate. We don’t see the make-up or airbrushing. Wehear a singer and don’t hear the digital enhancement. We just wonder why we’reoff. There are many naturally beautiful women and amazing musicians but wespend a lot of time filtering fact from fiction.

Itis the same on a personal level for us. Facebook, blogs and websites erect animperfect cloak upon the lives of others, leaving only glimpses of perfectlives through the holes. It is hard peeling truth from the lie which we areshown.

Weshould follow our “own drummer” despite naysayers and gossips or what we think everyone else is doing. The world hastaken to measuring success and happiness by money because it is an easyuniversal standard. But money is a poor indication of happiness. Everyone hastheir own goals, dreams and standards of success. The “good life” of one man ina prison sentence for another, so why do we place these men on the samemeasuring tape?

This post is dedicated to my friends who should enjoy life as each journey is different and they are not comparable. Make choices that are right for you.

Riddles for Colonial Children

2012-01-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

From the "Seven Bridges of Königsberg" problem to modern day Sudoku, problems, riddles, conundrums, and puzzles have been entertaining people for centuries.

In 1778, the successors of John Newbery's bookshop offered the public "Food for the Mind: or, A New Riddle Book," assuring its readers that this book would be up to the standards of John Newbery's publications. John Newbery had been the leading publisher of children's books. Books specifically for children were relatively rare at the time.

The riddles in this book are intended to be read by one person to another person or group as the images give away the answer. Imagine, children playing with their siblings. :D The riddles aren't amazingly clever and some lines are added just to fit the rhyme schemes.

If the author thought the picture was unclear, the answer was written as in this example, "eyelids."

Unfortunately, the author didn't identify this one with words. This one is a complete puzzle to me. Maybe it will be really obvious to someone else. I have a couple of theories of what it might be, but don't want to tarnish fresh eyes.

These riddles seem like they would be fun for colonial children to read to each other in the schoolyard. I remember having my friends and I playing puzzle games at recess in elementary school. This is one of those times when you realize that human nature changes very little from generation to generation even if the situations seem completely different.

Trip to Antietam

2012-01-17T09:47:00.001-05:00

This past trip, I finally got to visit Antietam. It was my first time going and although it was very windy, we still got to see everything we planned to. I was very excited to finally get to see this battlefield, as it was a battle that my Civil War ancestor fought in. He was in the 124th Pennsylvania which fought there only six weeks after enlisting.

We took with us an excerpt of a journal from a Sergeant in the 124th, Charles Broomhall. He was in a different company from my ancestor but their experiences were probably similar. The boys in company D are familiar local names. In fact, I work at the house of company D's 1st Lieutenant.

The journal, while probably based on a real journal, reads more like memoirs and may have been in the process of being prepared for publication.

For September 17th 1862, he wrote:

" At the commencement of the battle at day dawn, our boys had been listening to the stray shots on the edge of the 1st named woods called the East Woods, the rebels had come through the corn and deployed pickets on the edge of the East Woods. Our pickets were deployed in the edge of this woods, consequently, at daylight the two picket lines found themselves face to face and that caused the suddenness of the onset. Our brigade was about æ of a mile to the right and rear, and our regiment was brought up to near the clear sod field first spoken of while shot and shell went fluttering over our heads like partridges for sound. We were soon formed in line of battle at right angles to the turnpike and also at right angles to the lines which were doing the fighting, about 700 yards distant. A good number of wounded were now passing to the rear and this was the first sight of battle we had seen and the blood also, and it shook the nerves of some of the boys. The shells crashing through the trees and fluttering overhead as well as the musketry in advance of the left, all contributed to mark the time, and place, fixed in one's memory forever. We now advanced to the edge of the cleared field adjoining the cornfield. There we halted for a few minutes, our right resting on or a little across the pike and in a small grove. Here old Gen. Mansfield rode up to Gen Crawford who was within a few feet of me, and told him to hold this woods as we were hard pressed on the center. Fine old man that was the last I ever saw of him, as he was shot a few moments after, but we advanced with fixed bayonets across this open field on the cornfield, with a great hurrah, and as our regiment was a large one compared with those of a year old, the rebels got out of that corn in a hurry across the fire into a field near J. Miller's barn and into the woods a little further to the South, but they had been roughly handled before we got to this part of the field we now advanced into this cornfield and were halted. Our company was among the rebel wounded. We got the order to lie down. I was so close to the rebel wounded, one in particular, that I had to separate myself from the company. One man was moaning and asking for water. Ben Green gave him some, had to pour it down him. I hadn't a drop in my canteen. The poor fellow said he was from South Carolina and had been forced into the war. He died while we laid there."

Taken from in the Sunken Road

His journal is very interesting and descriptive, especially his details about the physical landscape. Not having seen the field before, I would never have believed it was so hilly. Broomhall elaborates " We marched over a most circuitous, rough, hilly road," which was an understatement. It was chilling reading his account. The battlefield is small but well worth the visit. It seems insane that any fighting could have taken place there at all.

A larger excerpt of his diary about the battle of Antietam can be read at History Lost and Found. It was transcribed by Carolyn Ivanoff.

Trip to Gettysburg

2012-01-12T22:47:00.000-05:00

This happens to me a lot: Sometimes I have so much fun, I have nothing to write about. At first, this may seem counterintuitive but thinking deeper on it, it makes a lot of sense. If you are too busy having fun, you are not thinking about how you are going to write about the fun you just had.

We all know people who are good storytellers, who can make the mundane seem extraordinary. You know that person who can write about something with such imagination and passion that you'd believe that the thing that they just did was the most interesting thing in the world? You might even wish you were with them. Until you remember that you were with them and it was really boring. I'd like to call this the Facebook Effect, as this seems to be the case with a lot of the content on Facebook, but I feel I've been harsh to Facebook as it tends to unfairly represent all social media. Many sites refer to this "everyone is having more fun than me" sensation as the "fear of missing out."

This is the opposite of that. This is when you experience and learn so much that you don't even know where to begin. You have so much to say that words fail you. In time, I'll be able to sieve my experiences and write about them, but right now, I am overloaded with Civil War bliss and can't think of anything to write. Normally when this happens, I just post photos.

I finally got to do some of the historical stuff I have been wanting to do. I visit a lot of historical sites during the summer, but most of the time, it is while reenacting. Reenacting is fun, but sometimes I really just want to see the historic sites and learn about the history. There is something very special about standing on the ground where something momentous took place.

Yesterday and today, Andy and I did the full tour of Gettysburg. It is always raining when we go and we have never been able to visit all of the things we'd like to see. We normally do the "quick and dirty" tour and leave. Yes, it was raining today, but we decided we'd do it anyway. :D Gettysburg is normally a lot of fun, but we very much enjoyed getting to see much more than we normally do.

P.S. Just so this post doesn't unfairly represent our experiences, I leave the following disclaimer:

It was cold. It was raining. I slipped on a rock near Spangler's Spring; hurting my ankle, knee and pride. Our hotel was renovating. We locked our keys in the car (and lost the spare.) We had numerous camera troubles, in particular places of personal interest, such as the monument dedicated to the regiment that Andy's ancestors were in. We spent a good 40 minutes in the muddy woods looking for a rock formation. Our directions to the hotel were wrong. :D

Stealing History

2012-01-07T10:50:00.000-05:00

There is a new, awful news story in my sidebar. I'm afraid that I am going to have to make "Stealing History" a regular installment on here. First there was E. Forbes Smiley, the thefts from the Wisconsin Historical Society then Lowry, now we have this man pictured at left.

On December 15, this man stole $7,000 worth of Civil War relics from The Battles for Chattanooga Museum at Point Park, Tennessee. This man opened a glass display case and stole a small display frame containing original belt buckles.

Not much is known about the thief, although the theft was caught on camera. There is a $1,000 reward. You can view a video of the theft here.

Many museum thefts can be solved because the artifacts taken are generally one of a kind and memorable to people who frequented the museum. The belt buckles stolen here will look little different from other Civil War belt buckles, as they were mass produced. The video is surprisingly clear, hopefully someone will be able to identify the thief before the buckles disappear.

Unfortunately, this will keep happening again and again as museums are underfunded and understaffed. Few museums can afford extra security or to track down missing objects. History pieces are poorly protected and fetch high prices as almost every history lover is also a personal collector.

Confederate Prices "What a Dinner Cost in 1864"

2012-01-04T09:35:00.001-05:00

When reading primary sources from the Civil War, people of the time often mention the prices of various items. Many times you can feel their astonishment such as Kate Cumming, a confederate nurse who admitted in her journal that while at a wedding she saw a gown made from Swiss muslin and could not help but wonder about the price, "The article was very scarce at present; the last I heard of cost fifty dollars per yard." She also tells of items so scare that they could not be had at any price.

However, it is very hard to put these prices into comparable terms. The blockade seriously affected the supply of many items including fabric, medicines, books, and foodstuffs. When these items became available, the prices could be high or low depending on area and scarcity. Frequently, items would be available in pockets. Milk might be available in one town and scarce in the next and the prices reflected the supply.

The type of money also was reflected in the prices. Confederate money fluctuated frequently. Union money was more stable, but when traveling in the south, some people were hesitant to accept it.

What could $13 a month army pay buy?

- 8.67 pounds of cheese ( $1.50 a pound)
- 130 apples ( 10 cents a piece)
- 52 oranges ( 25 cents an orange)
- 13 small pies ($1 a pie)
- 17.3 pairs of wool socks ( 75 cents a pair)
- 6.5 bottles of bad whiskey, ($2 a bottle according to William McCarter in My Life in the Irish Brigade.)
-156 Cartes de Visite ($1 per dozen at the cheapest in Philadelphia, according to West Philadelphia Hospital Register published in 1863.
- 3.54 "dates" with a lady of the night (3 for $11 according to Hugh D. Cameron of the 3rd North Carolina Cavalry as stated in The Story the Soldiers Wouldn't Tell by Thomas P. Lowry.)
-Soap, candles, coffee, flour, tea, and sugar in the South? Priceless.

The prices above are generally from Northerners, traveling in the South. Due to the shortages and the inflation of confederate currency, it is very difficult to put an amount on any goods. Dolly Burge, who was living in Georgia wrote in her diary in November of 1864 that she "Paid seven dollars a pound for coffee, six dollars an ounce for indigo, twenty dollars for a quire of paper, five dollars for ten cents' worth of flax thread, six dollars for pins, and forty dollars for a bunch of factory thread." Burge was originally from Maine and was used to the prewar, northern pricing. We gain the best comparison of Confederate to Union in "five dollars for ten cents' worth of flax thread."

There is a really interesting summary of the inflation in the Confederacy from 1861-1865 at Confederate Inflation Rates. This site has a chart that shows the purchasing power of a Confederate dollar throughout the war.

New Year's and Time Balls

2011-12-31T09:31:00.000-05:00

As the end of the year approaches, we are all busy preparingfor parties and New Year’s resolutions. At 11:59, we’ll look to Times Square (or watch it on TV) and anxiouslywatch as the ball begins to drop. But what are we really watching? What startedout in 1907 as an advertising ploy has become a national tradition.

The Times Square Ball was erected in December of 1907 toadvertise for The New York Times. It has been dropped every year since exceptfor 2 years during WWII due to mandated blackouts. The ball has been remade 6 times since thefirst dropping.

While dropping a ball seems like a bizarre custom to ustoday, it seemed obvious to the creators in the 1900s who were familiar withreal time balls (also known as signal balls.) Time balls, wooden balls held onpoles above tall buildings near bodies of water, had been used since 1829 tohelp seamen calibrate their marinechronometers and watches. Marine chronometers of the time were imperfect andneeded to be reset each time in port to keep navigation calculations correct.

A popular time ball, erected at Greenwich Conservatory in1833, dropped daily at 1 pm to a sea of waiting ships. It became the standardfor time. Time balls in the United States dropped at 12 PM. 5 minutes before thehour; the balls were raised half way to signal the hour was approaching. When the hour struck, the ball was released. Many seamen would stare at the balls, waiting for the drop, like we do today counting down to the new year.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a fun and safe celebration tonight.

Virtual Christmas Tour of Longwood Gardens

2011-12-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

A few days ago, a friend took me to Longwood Gardens to celebrate the end of the semester. I am a native Pennsylvanian who lives about 30 minutes from Longwood Gardens; but I haven't been there since I was little. For some reason, we tend to write off the places that we are close to as nowhere near as exciting as those places farther away. :D

I wish I could have wrote more, but it's Christmas. I hope all of you have a good holiday and enjoy the photos.

"Kiffle" Recipe: A Christmas Pastry

2011-12-19T19:38:00.001-05:00

Kiffles seem to be a Pennsylvanian take on a traditional Hungarian pastry called "kiflis." A kiffle is a triangle shaped piece of dough rolled will a fruit filling, baked, then topped with powdered sugar. Typical fillings include apricot, poppy seed, lekvar (prune,) nut, and raspberry. This pastry is virtually unknown in my section of Pennsylvania but is widely known in the Lehigh Valley. It seems as though, these popped up some time in the 1980s and have traveled the area by word-of-mouth and recipe swaps until they became a ubiquitous Christmas pastry in the area.

I got these recipes from Andy's Aunt Linda, who is known as the best kiffle maker in his family. She graciously taught us how to make them on Saturday and they really are delicious.

The Recipes

Apricot Kiffles

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb Butter
- 1/2 lb Margarine
- 16 ounces Cream Cheese
- 4 cups Flour
- 4 cups Apricot Filling

Mix all ingredients together, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, cut the dough into 8 equal parts. Remove one piece and place the others back into the refrigerator. Roll 1 piece into a ball, then roll out thin on a floured surface. Spread 1/2 cup of filling onto the dough, leaving a half of an inch gap at the edges. Cut into 12 pieces as if you are slicing a pie. Roll up each piece and bake on parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes on the bottom rack and 7 minutes on the top rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar directly before serving (optional.)

Combine all ingredients.

Mix with hands.

Spread with filling and cut like a pie.

Roll each piece up

Bake, sprinkle with powdered sugar, enjoy!

For the Nut Version:

Ingredients:

-1/2 LbButter

-1/2 LbMargarine

-4 cupsFlour

- 2 EggYolks (save whites)

-1 ½ cupsSour Cream

Filling:

-4 cupsGround Walnuts

-3 cupsSugar

-2tablespoons Cinnamon

These are made the same as the apricot ones except that the egg whites are spread on the dough and the nut mixture is sprinkled on top.

They are surprisingly easy to make, and the nut ones look really pretty. I hope everyone is having a good holiday season so far! I can't believe the month is almost over.

Colonial Christmas Cookie Recipe

2011-12-15T14:01:00.002-05:00

This is technically a Federal Era Christmas cookie recipe but as with most recipes, it was most likely baked prior to when Amelia Simmons wrote her book American Cookery in 1796.

At this time baking cookies was not associated with Christmas. Cookies were just a part of traditional celebration fare and there are few denoted recipes for Christmas Cookies until the 1830s. Christmas was the beginning of the holiday season that lasted until "twelfth night" or January 6th. Many of the traditions now associated with Christmas were originally a part of New Year's celebrations of people in the 1800s such as cookie baking and gift giving. New Year's cookie recipes from the 1800s are far more prevalent than Christmas ones. The recipe before this one in the book was just titled "Cookies." This recipe is generally accepted as the first American Christmas cookie recipe ever printed.

This recipe will make a truly hard cookie. But, as the recipe says, they soften up after 6 months! :D

Amelia Simmons' Christmas Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

-3 cups Flour

-1/2 cup Sugar

-1 1/2 sticks Butter

-1/3 cup ground Coriander Seed, powdered
-1 teaspoon Pearl Ash (use modern Baking Soda)
-1 Cup Milk (you may need more to make the dough pliable)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream butter into sugar and coriander seed in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients until it forms a pliable dough. Roll out dough to 3/4 of an inch and use a knife or cookie cutters to make shapes. Bake on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes.

I am thinking this is probably a good batch of cookies to make Christmas tree ornaments out of. They would probably smell delicious hanging with some gingerbread cookies. This cookies pictured at the right were made by Miss Elisabeth at Reflections & Adventures of a Muser for their Christmas festival at the beginning of the month. It was a lot of fun and we made lots of yummy Christmas treats.

The End is Almost Near!

2011-12-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

Really! Finals are almost over and I can't wait to post about all of these things I've wanted to post about! This semester has been the worst and I really can't wait until it is over!

I have included an image of what college students look like at 1 am studying for finals. :(

I am so excited to finally be able to clean the house, read books that aren't for classes, research, and write again!

The good news is that the torture ends December 16th! I look forward to hearing what everyone has been up to!

Colonial Rules for Children

2011-11-30T10:00:00.001-05:00

A Pretty Little Pocket-book was one of the first books published that was specifically for children. It was published by John Newbery, who pioneered children's literature in the 1700s.The book teaches the alphabet using rhymes and includes a lot of images.

The book includes a curious "letter" from "Jack the Giant-Killer" (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame) to instruct children to behave well. Even then, "favorite characters" were used to teach children valuable lessons.

The book came with a red and black, stuffed ball or "pin cushion" that was used as a behavior tool. If a little girl was good, her nanny or mother was supposed to put a pin on the red side of her pincushion if she was bad, on the black side. When the girl got all 10 pins on the red side, it was recommended that the parents gave the girl a penny. The "ball" was the same as the pincushion but was called a ball due to gender norms of the time.

Lessons found in A Pretty Little Pocket-Book:

Rise Early in the Morning. Pg. 16

Keep themselves clean. Pg. 16

Study and learn their lessons. Pg.16

Apologize for wrongs. Pg. 16

Not to swear or tell lies. Pg. 16

Say their Prayers. Pg. 19.

Rules for Behavior

“Make a Bow always when you comeHome, and become instantly uncovered.” Pg. 98
“Never set in the Presence of thyParents without bidding, though no stranger be present.” Pg. 98
“If thou art going to speak to thyparents, and see them engaged in Discourse with Company, draw back and leavethy Business until afterwards ; but if thou must speak, be sure to whisper.”Pg. 99
“Never speak to thy Parentswithout some Title of Respect, viz. Sir, Madam, &c. according to theirquality.” Pg 99
“Approach near thy Parents at noTime without a Bow.” Pg. 99
“Dispute not, nor delay to obeythe Commands of thy Parents.” Pg. 99
“Come not into the Room where thyParents are with Strangers, unless thou art called, and then decently ; and atbidding go out ; or if Strangers come in while thou art with them, it isManners with a Bow to withdraw.” Pg. 99
“Quarrel not nor contend with thyBrethren or Sisters, but live in Love, Peace and Unity.” Pg. 100
“Grumble not, nor be discontentedat any Thing thy Parents appoint, speak or do.” Pg. 100
“Come not to the Table withouthaving your Hands and Face washed, and your Head combed.” Pg. 101
“Sit not down until thou artbidden by thy Parents or other Superiors.” Pg. 101
“Be sure thou never sittest downuntil a Blessing be desired, and then in thy due Place.” Pg. 101
“Ask not for any Thing, but tarryuntil it be offered thee.” Pg. 102
“Find no fault with any Thing thatis given you.” Pg. 102
“Speak not at the Table ; if thySuperiors be discoursing, meddle not with the Matter ; but be silent, exceptthou are spoken unto.” Pg. 102
“Eat not too fast or with greedybehavior.” Pg. 102
“Eat not too much, but moderately.”Pg. 102
“Eat not so slow as to make otherswait for thee.” Pg. 102
“Make not a Noise with thy Tongue,Mouth, Lips or Breath, in eating or drinking.” Pg. 103
“Lean not thy Elbow on the Table,or on the Back of the Chair.” Pg. 103
“Blow not thy Meat, but withPatience wait until it be cool.” Pg. 103
“Throw not any Thing under theTable.” Pg. 103
“Frown not nor murmur if there beany Thing at the Table which thy Parents, or Strangers with them, eat of, whilethou thyself hast none given to thee.” Pg. 10

A Pretty Little Pocket-Book Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy, and Pretty Miss Polly. With Two Letters from Jack the Giant-Killer as also A Ball and Pin Cushion; The use of which will infallibly make Tommy a good Boy, and Polly a good Girl (1787.)

Thanksgiving Letter from an African American Civil War Soldier

2011-11-24T02:01:00.001-05:00

Francisco Goya, 1787

Civil War soldiers often wrote home about how much they missed the holidays that they used to have at home. Thanksgiving, while not an official national holiday, was still celebrated by many Americans. On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation, at the urging of Godey's Lady's Book editor Sarah Josepha Hale, making a national holiday of Thanks. After the proclamation, it was widely celebrated by the troops.

David A. Demus of Franklin County, VA to his wife Mary Jane Demus on November 25th, 1863:

"mi Dear Wife

I take this optuity to in form you that I am Well at presn and I hope Whean thes fu lines reach you tha ma find you i the best state of healte I receve yor letter on the 25th of november i Was hapey to hear frum you and I did not Car how smole the letter Was Jest sow I got Wone but you Cant tell how sweat it Was to me to get it fer I Wod like to hear frum you ever day If i Cod get it but i must tell you of the grate time that We had on theank giving it Was the best day that We ever had sinc i lefte home..."

Read the full transcription at The Valley of the Shadow: Valley Personal Papers

In this letter, Demus describes the festivities of the day: a greasy pole competition, a blindfolded sack race and men playing ball. Sack races and ball playing are still common festivities today, but greasy pole competitions seem to have lost favor.

Climbing a greasy pole was a very basic form of entertainment. Typically a pole would be erected with a prize at the top and then greased to make it difficult to get the prize. These poles would be erected by the wealthy, although the wealthy typically did not take part in trying to climb them. Climbing the pole was for the poorer classes and the wealthy enjoyed watching the climbers. Legs of mutton, slabs of bacon, jewelery and clothing were common prizes. Climbers were typically young boys, servants, freed or enslaved African Americans, street urchins, and the poor. They were very popular in the 1860s, Edward VII of Wales even had a greasy pole at his wedding in 1863.

The competition may seem barbaric, but for a young servant girl, it could be her chance to own a dress as pretty as her mistress' so many people attempted the climb as the draw of the prize was typically very tempting. In Demus' case, the prize was a pair of trousers with $13.00 in the pocket, a good sum as it was as much as a white soldier made in a month.

Harper's Magazine gives a good description of the technique of greased pole climbing "The first who attempt the ascent look for no honor; their office is to prepare the way, and put things in train for their successors: they rub off the grease from the bottom, the least practicable part of the pole. In every thing the first steps are the most difficult, although seldom the most glorious; and scarcely ever does the same person commence an enterprise, and reap the fruit of its accomplishment. They ascend higher by degrees, and the expert climbers now come forth, the heroes of the list: they who have been accustomed to gain prizes, whose prowess is known, and whose fame is established since many seasons. They do not expend their strength in the beginning; they climb up gently, and patiently, and modestly, and repose from time to time; and they carry, as is permitted, a little sack at their girdle, filled with ashes to neutralize the grease and render it less slippery."

I hope everyone has a very good Thanksgiving!

Phrenology: Victorian Entertainment

2011-11-18T20:07:00.000-05:00

Phrenology is the study of lumps on heads to determine personality traits. While, producing giggles from us today, phrenology started out as a scientific discipline determined to link scull size and shape with brain function. A German scientist, Franz Joseph Gall is typically credited with starting this branch of study in 1796 which he termed "Cranioscopy."

He started writing "The Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System in General, and of the Brain in Particular, with Observations upon the possibility of ascertaining the several Intellectual and Moral Dispositions of Man and Animal, by the configuration of their Heads," in 1809 although it was not published until 1819. The theory was never widely accepted by scientists but had a significant following and was extremely popular with the general public in the early to mid 1800s. It also saw a revival in the early 1900s. While many people were believers, others considered it a fun parlor game.

The Bronte sisters, Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Herman Melville, used phrenology references in their works or were believers. A Phrenological examination of Charlotte Bronte can be found here at Phrenology.org.

Mark Twain disdained the theory and believers. In in his 1906 autobiography he admitted to going to a renowned phrenologist under a false name and receiving an examination and chart of his characteristics. He then went back to the same phrenologist months later under his real name. He admitted the second chart expressed his personality rather well but that it looked nothing like the first chart that he got.

The Basics of Phrenology from Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million (1857):

Makes you want to grab a pair of forceps and measure your head, doesn't it? This sounds like it would be a fun party game for a Victorian themed party.

A Short History of Chester County, Pennsylvania

2011-11-15T09:45:00.000-05:00

Image of William Penn from LOC

If you look at the link bar under my banner, there is a new page link "A Short History of Chester County." This is part of a paper that I had to write for school. It's not the best paper and jumps around, due to the removal of nonessential information that I had to add to meet the requirements of the paper. It should be interesting to people who live in the area.

I initially intended to expand upon these excerpts to make this work more meaningful for the historic sites in Chester County but have been very busy lately. This information is still interesting when trying to place a historical building into a context. In the future I may expand this to include some historic sites in Chester County and 18th and 19th century farming practices. Most of the additions will be focused around the Pratt House.

For those of you interested in the Pratts, here's a sneak peak:

In 1774, tax records report thatJoseph Pratt:

Had 180 acres of land.
Had the most horses in Edgmont at 5.
Had the most cattle in Edgmont at 8.
Had the most sheep in Edgmont at 12.
Had 1 servant. 5 other men in the township had 1 servant and 1 man in the township had 2 servants.

Hope you check out the Short History of Chester County and enjoy!

The Rebel Yell

2011-11-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

A quick post before I go off to take a midterm. Smithsonian put out a video of Civil War veterans giving a rebel yell in the 1930s. It was years after the war and the men were much older, but it still gives us a pretty good idea of how it sounded.

I once was lucky enough to have an older gentleman demonstrate the yell for me. Clearly he was not a veteran of the war himself, but in his childhood he frequented veteran conventions. He said that the veterans in his town taught the young boys how to do it and that the young boys had great fun sneaking out at night and using it to cause a ruckus.

I wasn't sure if he was doing it correctly, because he was elderly but I remember that it had breaks in the sound, just like in this video. At the reenactments I've been to, the Rebels typically make it a "rolling yell" with no distinct breaks in the sound.

Click the link below to view the video:

What Did the Rebel Yell Sound Like?

How to Make Civil War Period Corset Ties

2011-11-04T09:30:00.008-04:00

"My! I'm so uncomfortable; I've broke my stay-lace, and I have not got another. You couldn't lend me one, Betsy, could you?" said a young woman to her next-door neighbour, as, early one morning, they were both cleaning their door-steps.

'No,' replied Betsy, 'I haven't got a spare one; butthere's the boy we get our matches and black-lead from; I dare say he'll get you one in a jiffey.'" - Hogg's Weekly Instructor, 1845

Been looking for period laces for your corset? Or laces for your shoes or boots? You're in luck because they are very easy to make. I've been meaning to replace those awful modern shoelaces I've been using to fasten my corset.

During the 1850s and 60s, laces were made by machines but making laces was a cottage industry for frugal families. Poor girls in charity institutions were taught to make them as a way to make a bit of money and stay laces and boot laces were popular street vendor items.

Cast on three stitches.

Slide the stitches to the right end of the needle.

Knit into the stitches normally. Slide the stitches to the right of the needle.


Repeat until you reach the necessary length and cast off.

Stay lace made with crochet cotton.

Boot and shoe laces were made exactly the same way. This lace can also be used for creating frog fasteners as most modern frog style fasteners are made from synthetic materials. There are numerous instructions available for knitted laces and it is pretty much a universal pattern. In modern times, we call this an "i cord."

Tintype

2011-11-02T11:57:00.000-04:00

We got our tintype in the mail. I wish I would have thought to take off my apron. Andy doesn't like the fact that he isn't wearing his glasses and the fact that his blue eyes look white. My sister says that I didn't get the "angry stare" down. :D

I recommend getting an image taken although it is expensive, it was a lot of fun and didn't take as long a time as people say it does. The whole process is long, but the taking the image is done in a few seconds. It's a long exposure time by modern standards but not unreasonable.

It Should Not Snow in October

2011-10-29T12:21:00.001-04:00

This will be a very quick post as I should get rightback to working on that crazy project I have for school that I am tired ofdoing/talking/thinking about. I know that everyone I know is tired of hearingabout it. Believe me, I wish I could have a life again and spend time with myfriends and family.

To clarify, this project was advertised by the professorand previous students as the project that will make you cry every night andhave a mental breakdown. Well that isexactly what it is, so thank you for systematically planning depression intoyour students. It’s been a real joy. You have removed the ability for me to getanything done due to this anxiety that makes me want to do nothing but sleepand cry all of the time.

But no one has time for sleep or crying so we areall insomniac zombies roving around campus pumping shots of espresso into our RedBulls. (Alternatively, I hear that another popular drink is “double brewed”coffee, where one uses coffee instead of water to make coffee.) Although I don’t drink anything but water, Iwas advised to pick up a caffeine habit for 2 weeks. :D The class has a "happy hour" planned the minute class ends on the 9th. I'd rather just sleep.

ThingsI look forward to once this project is dead and buried (November 9^th2011):

-Cleaning theHouse. Yes, the house is absolutely disgusting and I wish I could clean it.I would probably get more work done if I just cleaned it because it is verydistracting. I should really do laundry too.

-Spendingtime on my other assignments. I have a lot of other big assignments butthis one is huge and has been head butting the other assignments out of the wayso that I am turning in a lot of subpar papers. I feel like telling myprofessors: “I promise you, I’m not stupid.” Anxiety is killing my brain to thepoint that I can’t think of names, dates, places and simple words when I needthem. Professors who know me know thatsomething is wrong but those who don’t know me probably just think that I amstupid.

-Going out ofthe house. I have been confined to the house and the library. I have acollection of errands I need to go on and no hours to go. Even more, I’d loveto get to do something fun. Not havingany fun makes living pretty crappy and probably feeds the unending cycle ofanxiety.

But back to snow, I am in earnest need of getting tothe library and am not sure it will be possible with this storm.

Snow on the skylight in the kitchen.


Snow in the back yard.

I know I should look at this as a time to relax and do something not school related, but I have so much to do that I constantly feel guilty when I am doing something not related to this project.Sorry about the quality of the photos, the lens on my camera got dirty at Cedar Creek so the photos are coming out a bit smeary until I figure out how to clean it.

MAR AAS Conference at Princeton

2011-10-25T09:53:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to attend the conference on "Human Rights and Social Injustice in Asia" held by the Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies which was held at Princeton University last weekend.

The Mid-Atlantic Association for Asian Studies, is a chapter of the Association for Asian Studies which was founded in 1941 with the goal of increasing understanding between the United States and Asia.

One of the speakers was Gyan Prakash, author of Mumbai Fables, a history of the city of Mumbai written in vignettes. I am currently enjoying the book and will write a review of it when I am done. Unfortunately, I missed his presentation due to classes but am told that it was excellent.

Some of the panels I attended were "Human Rights of Women in India," "A Philosophical Conversation on the Meaning of Life and Death," and "Comparative Philosophy of Religions." They were all very interesting and it was very enriching to be able to be part of the discussions. We saw presentations from two West Chester students about Eastern and Western philosophy that were very interesting. One explored the meditation traditions of Descartes and Shankara and the other arguments for the existence of God by Averroist philosophers. (Sitting in on the philosophy panel gave all of the history majors a bit of a chuckle just as if the philosophy majors sat in on some history ones.)

We spent a good deal of time when we weren't at the conference exploring the campus and town. The campus was very pretty especially with the fall leaves. We explored the local stores and hangouts and ate dinner together at Mediterra. We ate outside the restaurant and the setting was beautiful but I do have to admit that the food must have been above my palate. I thought the menu was scant and the food rather plain. We did have a great time, good company overshadows a lack of good food.

Us students and our professor.

I am glad that I am back I have tons of schoolwork to complete and many mid-terms to study for.

The Valley of the Shadow and other Civil War Diaries and Letters

2011-10-21T09:25:00.002-04:00

"April 26.

Been busy making knapsacks for rebel troopers. Ladies here cutting out and making uniforms for the Churchville Cavalry Company. Work at Odd Fellow's Hall early and late. Mr. Arnold was formerly a tailor and helps night and day. " - Alansa Rounds Sterrett of Augusta County, VA

The Valley of the Shadow project started out as a book entitles In the Presence of Mine Enemies. The research that went into the book is so interesting and useful that it has been digitized for the world to access. It contains Civil War Era letters,diaries, newspapers, census records ect. from Franklin County, PA and Augusta County, VA. It includes documents from men, women, soldiers, and gives a very well rounded account of both Counties. It is completely searchable and a real joy to peruse.

"June 23, 2863

The Reb's have been cutting up high. Sawed down telegraph poles, destroyed the scotland bridge again took possession of the warehouses & were dealing out flour by the barrel & mollasses by the bucket ful--They made people take them bread--meat--&c to eat--Some dumb fools carried them jellies & the like--Not a thing went from this place." -Rachel Cormany of Franklin County, PA

Visit the site here: The Valley of the Shadow

Other sites that archive Civil War Era letters and diaries:

-Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War :These letters are from Newton Robert Scott a Private in Company A, of the 36th Infantry, Iowa Volunteers, to his friend at home, Hannah Cone.

-"My Precious Loulie...": Love letters of the Civil War: These letters are digitized as part of the Special Collections of Virginia Tech.

-The Civil War Archive: Letters Home from the Civil War: This site contains submitted letters of soldiers from both sides of the conflict.

-Letters About the Civil War: A few collections of letters.

-Letters from the American Civil War: Scans of letters and envelopes. This is great if you want to examine envelopes, writing materials or handwriting.

I love reading old journals, diaries and letters. It's not only a window to the past but a window to one soul. It really makes you think about the generalizations we make in history. Life is more complex than that and we shouldn't lose sight of that even if we are trying to make information more palatable. Hope you enjoy the links and the Valley of the Shadow project. I personally think that it is like an early birthday present. :D

**Note: I really am hating Blogger's new image viewer. It doesn't let you zoom and puts all the photos on a black background. If you would like to view a picture the old way and zoom in, left click on the image and click "open in new tab."

Gone With the Wind: Cedar Creek Reenactment 2011

2011-10-18T16:24:00.002-04:00

Whew! Was this a tiring event. While it was not as cold as previous years, it was windy! So windy that tent poles were flying and hats were impossible. Our tent collapsed, and we had to pile stuff on it to keep us from sailing away to Yankee camp.

I had so much schoolwork to do that I really should not have gone but felt that I really needed to take a break and was looking forward to seeing reenacting friends that I don't normally get to see. Unfortunately, I didn't see any of them! We were camped in a spot that we had never been camped in before and it seems we were all scattered when we are normally pretty close together. I also spent quite a bit of time writing a paper, that I will post about in a few weeks. :D I didn't get to see the battles but I saw a little bit in passing.

So I didn't host the annual Cedar Creek Tea Party/Get Together that I normally try to. I had no time to bake or plan and just had to accept it. In the future I would love to collaborate and make the tea a bit more of an official event. That way I can share planning and people can bring dainties they like. The Cedar Creek Tea party was started to give ladies something to do while the men are off drilling and to foster relationships with other groups. It's unfortunate that as groups we tend to stick to ourselves and not plan time to hang out with other groups.

The stars on the battlefield are always really beautiful. The stars are so dense and numerous. You can practically see twice the amount of stars at night than you can see here. It is a late event too so the skies tend to be clear and bright. The event was sandwiched between two meteor showers so we could see a few meteors here and there.

We finally had our tintype taken! I can't wait to see how it turns out. When we get them in the mail, I will post them. The photographer was about to take the photo, when a group of cavalry ran through right behind us. We were lucky, he didn't remove the cap yet.

Overall, we did have fun and I'm glad that I went.

Guest Post: Mrs. J and Miss J from Artful Trillium

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

Mrs. J and Miss J are a Christian mother-daughter team who make homemade cards that are inspired by their ancestor's antique quilt designs. Their card designs are very cute and could easily be adapted for a lot of different occasions, such as birthdays or weddings.

"Growing up we heard a lot of antebellum stories. My aunt had quilt top designs for Southern Belles that she passed down to me. I made some changes to the designs so I could use them to put on the front of cards. My daughter and I printed some off for coloring with color pencils. I made others almost like paper dolls and cut patterns from scrapbook paper, handmade paper, fabrics catalog and from stiffen fabric, gluing them together then placing on the card fronts with other embellishments. For some we made up stories of what inspired us to make the card front.

This is the link to the set of Southern Belles cards and patterns: http://artfultrillium.blogspot.com/search/label/Southern%20Belle"

They make their patterns available online for free at their blog Artful Trillium.

They do ask that you consider making cards for Operation Write Home®, which is an organization that collects homemade cards and send them to soldiers overseas so that they can write home to their families. It is hard for some soldiers overseas to get cards to write home so they appreciate it very much. Be sure to visit their blog and take a look at their beautiful paper sculptures and cards.

I Feel Like I Made the Wrong Choice

2011-10-10T09:30:00.002-04:00

The first year was fun; it was just like high school. Thesecond year was fun too. The third year started to get irritating and now Ihave no life. The more I think about it,the more I feel like I made the wrong choice by choosing college. The assignments are arbitrary buttime consuming, the class material is nothing new and some of the students arefrequently as informed as the professors. It’s unnecessarily stressful andmeaningless and primarily a business.

I want to be a researcher, but I feel college has poorlyprepared me for this occupation. In an effort to make us more “well rounded” ithas limited our usefulness. Instead of developing a collection of skills thatmay be useful in the history field we are practically turned into one-trick ponies. Our degrees are so limiting when they shouldbe opening opportunities for us. I amdisappointed that a history degree does not even touch on archiving, artifactconservation, transcription, or writing history. Shouldn’t we be prepared for things we mightencounter in history-based occupations? Insteadwe have to pay extra money and spend more time to develop these skills in otherways.

Not only do I spend a majority of my time on meaninglessschool related tasks but I see all of the things that I can’t do because Ichose college instead. I wish I had more time to spend with my family andfriends. I see the beautiful works of art, costumes, and writings of my friendsand wish I just stayed home. I do these things when I can, but it is slowgoing. I feel like I am never accomplishing anything and have nothing to beproud of. College is pretty monomaniacal; I wish I could develop my othertalents and explore my other interests too.

Then I think of all of the things I can’t do because I havestudent loans. It is my goal in life totravel and do volunteer work. But, by the time my student loans are paid off, Iwill probably be too established in one area to pick up my life and movefrequently.

Many people talk about the great experiences that they hadin college but I haven’t had a particularly enriching college experience. Ialso think that if I had $5,000+ to spend each year on great experiences, Iwould wager that I could probably come up with some pretty enrichingexperiences. I do love history and researching but did I make the right choice?These sacrifices are the things that no one ever tells you about and unfortunately, I won't know for sure whether I made the right choice until years after I graduate.

***The photos were from a recent trip to Valley Forge National Historic Park which was part of a college assignment but was welcome because it gave Andy and I some time to hang out and spend some time outside, which college hasn't been allowing a lot of time for.

How to Make Corn Husk Dolls

2011-10-04T10:45:00.001-04:00

At work I got the rare chance to try my hand at the Native American craft of corn husk doll making. The English were first introduced to dolls made out of corn during an 1585 expedition in Virginia. It seems that the English preferred rag dolls but that corn husk dolls were numerous among many Native civilizations.

Soak the husks for 5-10 minutes to make them pliable.

Make a stack out of four husks and tie a string around the husks around an inch from the top.

Divide the husks into two sections, with two leaves on both sides.

Fold one side over.

Tie a string around the bulge to make the head.

Cut a piece of husk in half longways. Roll it up and tie both end up to create the arms.

Lift up the front two husks and insert the arms in.

Put the husks back down.

Tie a string under the arms to hold them in. From this stage you can vary the doll in many ways. if you cut the front husk a little smaller than the rest, it will appear that the doll is wearing an apron. If you cut a vertical line from the bottom of the dress up to the bottom string, you can tie off "legs" and make a boy.

Watercolor painted by John White on his expedition to Virginia in 1585. It depicts a little girl playing with an English doll, which was part of a series of trinkets given to the Native Americans that Sir Walter Raleigh's men encountered. It was reported that all of the the Natives were "greatlye Dilighted with puppetts, and babes which wear brought oute of England."

I Miss Fall

2011-09-30T00:55:00.002-04:00

Fall is my favorite time of year, I love going up north and taking photos of all of the leaves in their brilliant glory. The reds, the oranges and the greens look like they just flowed out of the paintbrush of a master artist. I love the clear air, apple cider and the wood burning stove smoke that rustles in the leaves up above. It is cool enough for fuzzy sweaters but not so cold that you can't enjoy yourself outside. It is the perfect time for stargazing. The skies are clear and there are two meteor showers this October. Unfortunately, like last year, Fall has been so rainy that the leaves may all fall of the trees before they get a chance to change.

I thought I'd post some of my favorite photos from falls in the past. A virtual fall, if you will.

I hope this season is just as beautiful as past seasons. I've bought myself a new palette for my paints and I plan to document it this year. I just love looking at it; it is pretty and white. My others are stained from pigments being left too long and bad cleaning practices. I almost don't want to dirty it. Of course I will. :D

Facebook :(

2011-09-26T09:30:00.003-04:00

I will no longer be checking my facebook. I have hatedfacebook since its inception and was hoping it would fizzle out before I had tomake one. Unfortunately, I did end up having to make one so people withoutblogger could follow my blog. It was fun for a while and I made a lot of newfriends, mostly reenactors from units I would never have met in person and forthat I am happy I signed up.

However, it’s just getting annoying now. This siteenables superficial relationships. You are in everyone’s lives without being inanyone’s life. It provides human interaction on your terms, friendships withoutany real investment. It lets you feel connected while not really being connectedat all. The experience is more important than documenting it in detail so yourfriends will think you have such an interesting life. (I’m betting you knowpeople who do this.)

I want to keep my relationships meaningful and my activitiesmeaningful and there is nothing meaningful about scrolling through 1,000 photosof someone’s vacation, especially if you are not involved enough in their lifefor them to even tell you they are going away.

I will check out people’s photos but only if they mentionthem to me personally. You know my phone number, you know my e-mail, you knowmy blog; you know how to get in contact with me other than through facebook.

I’d really appreciate it if you would. I know everyone is busy. I am busy, which iswhy I want to make my relationships as meaningful as possible. I’d rather spendan hour with friends than 1,000 hours on facebook. I know this means that I won’tknow what you are doing every hour of the day. I’m looking forward to notknowing, so we’ll have lots to talk about when we see each other!

I’m not deleting my facebook account, but Iwill only be checking it once or twice a month. I much prefer blogs because they give an overview of your activities, not a micro detailed timeline of your life. I get to see your photos and hear your thoughts and feelings. I love reading my friend's opinions, beliefs and ideas. It's much more stimulating than "[Insert vague status update here that will prompt people to ask about something you're dying to tell everyone.]"

Civil War Shetland Wool Shawl

2011-09-23T10:05:00.000-04:00

I am currently working on a fun knitting project that uses a very simple pattern but a pretty complex stitch. It's not that the stitch is particularly hard, but if I mess up once, the whole pattern is ruined and it's really difficult to figure out where I messed up. Once I find the offending stitch, it is almost impossible to rip out the other stitches and get them back on the needle in the correct places.

It's getting to be that time of year where wool on your lap is a toasty welcomed companion. My knitting list is growing. I should stop looking at everyone's beautiful knitted things before my hands fall off.

I love the Civil War era wraps that I have but now I'm starting to eye up some pretty shawls. I normally walk around my house in the winter wrapped in a small blanket, folded the the shawl above. I've been fooling with the idea of making a shawl that I can wear around the house as well as at reenactments. (I really think someone with more fashion influence than I needs to bring shawls back.) This pattern is simple enough but uses different stitches to make pretty patterns. It is probably gorgeous when made and I am thinking of adding it to my list. It is folded over do it will be twice as warm. But first I have to finish the garment I am working on.

The item I am currently working on uses a very open stitch and I am afraid it will be too open to be warm. It is a gift so I can't post much about it yet but I really like how it looks so far. I am very happy that I have something to be excited over because this semester is really sucking the life out of me. (Yes, it's pretty sad that I am looking forward to 3 minutes of knitting here and there throughout the week but at least it is something and I'm not running around full of stress like I have been in previous weeks. :D)

When I am done the three big projects that I have this semester I vow to sit and knit to my heart's content. I am a pretty slow knitter so I usually only manage one or two knitting projects a season. Unfortunate, knitting takes so long and there's so many other enjoyable hobbies.

Civil War Bread Recipe

2011-09-20T08:12:00.001-04:00

I meant to make this a tutorial, but didn't think it entirely through. While my hands were covered in sticky, partially kneaded dough I decided that I should take a photo of it and realized that I had no hands to do so. So, this is a very photo light tutorial.

During the mid-1800s, bread was a stable food. Like today,there were many different types of bread and bread mixtures. Cornmeal, rye,potatoes, rice, hominy, buckwheat and other variant ingredients were used tomake different kinds of bread. Most of these breads had a base of wheat flourand a smaller proportion of another type of flour or ingredient.[1] Bread was thought to be unhealthy when warm;so many books advised waiting a day before eating.[2]Breadwas available for purchase at bakeries but many houses still made their ownbread. Bread was also being manufacturedby machine at this time.

[1] The Complete Confectioner (Philadelphia:J. B Lippincott, 1864), 143-154.

[2]Mrs. Beeton’s Dictionary, 45

The recipe I used was from Mrs. Hale’s NewCookbook that was published in 1857. It was for "English Rolls."

Ingredients:

-8 Cups Flour

-1 Pint of Warm Water, which should be between 105 degrees and 115 degrees, or you will kill the yeast.

-3 Tablespoons Yeast, The fast acting kind is fine. If you use period liquid yeast, omit the pint of warm water.

-2 ounces of Butter, softened

-1 teaspoon Salt

- Enough water to make a dough that does not stick to your hands.

Instructions:

Add the yeast to the water and let sit for a few minutes. Put flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast liquid and the butter, mix with a spoon, then with your hands until the dough is well mixed. Knead the dough for about 5 -8 minutes (this may be easier in two smaller batches.) Form the dough into a ball, place in a clean bowl and cover with a warm, damp towel and place under a lamp to rise. When the dough doubles in size, about two hours, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and punch the dough down. Divide the dough in half and in half again until you have 12 lumps of dough. Form the dough into roll shapes and arrange on cookie sheets, leaving space in between rolls to let them rise. Cover the rolls with a warm, damp rag and let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes. Score the rolls with a serrated knife or razor blade. Bake in an oven preheated to 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. They do not get very brown, so be sure to make sure they don't get too hard.

If you are curious about what ways to shape your bread. Round loves with crosses on the top were popular as well as bread baked in tin loaf pans. Here are some loaf examples:

A traditional style of bread baked in a tin loaf.

This style of loaf was popular in England but not in the U.S.

An illustration of the Bread Riots. Look at all the different kinds of loafs.

For more reading, The English Bread Book by Eliza Action in 1857, is a very good start. For different kinds of American bread recipes try, The Improved Housewife, published in 1855, particularly pages 125- 128.

A Whole Pint of Yeast? A Definition of Mid 19th Century Yeast

2011-09-14T09:34:00.002-04:00

Many Civil War Era recipes call for a lot of yeast. While the proportionsseem ludicrous to us, there were many liquid based forms of yeast that are nolonger used anymore. While much of their yeast was still in the liquid form, theydid have cakes of yeast and dry yeast also; therefore, many of these recipesrelied on the cook to know which kind to use given the proportions in therecipe. During the 1850s, yeast was used in cakes and confectioneries as wellas in bread. Today we tend to think yeast gives a sour flavor and prefer toonly use yeast in bread.

Here is a recipe for yeast that is easy to make today. It was reprinted inGodey's Lady's Book in 1860 but was featured in many publications before that:

"How to Make Yeast

Boil one pound of good flour, quarter of a pound of brown sugar, and alittle salt in two gallons of water, for one hour. When milk-warm, bottle itand cork it close. It will be ready for use in twenty-four hours. One pint ofthis yeast will make eighteen pounds of bread."

Other recipes at the time suggest that you allow the yeast to cool beforebottling, leave some room at the top for froth, and to not cork it too tight.

Some recipes that call for yeast (liquid and not):


From The Art of Cookery by John Mallard, 1836


From The Improved Housewife, 1851

From Mrs. Hale's New Cook Book, 1857

From the United States Cook Book by William Vollmer, 1856

There will be a continuation of this post sometime later this week. This yeast is something I might try when cooking over an open fire. I feel strange letting things boil for hours on a modern stove top. I would like to try it though because different kinds of yeasts have different tastes and I would love to get the flavor of things as close as I possibly can.

Researching Consumes Your Life!

2011-09-12T09:45:00.000-04:00

I haven't been posting as much lately because I've been busy with homework and I've been doing a lot of research for my cookbook! For those of you that don't know, my future cookbook is a Colonial American cookbook but I am including sections on cooking techniques as well as a good bit of history.

What a complex topic! As soon as one question is answered, hundreds of others pop up. I am not one to stop researching until I have *exhausted* all sources of information. Like many books, not all of the research I have already will fit in one book. I'm working on ways to fit a lot of information in a small amount of space. Also, I know a lot of people are interested in the minute details of all of this but many just want the overview, so I have to try to include or exclude enough information to please both.

German

On top of this, I am not limiting the recipes to just English recipes as lots of other groups were in America at the time. Although the minority, many of these groups had their own cultural dishes that have avoided inclusion in many books on the subject due to the fact that they were not written in English.

Dutch

Just in Pennsylvania we had Swedes, Dutch, German, Welsh, Scots, Irish, Native Americans, and African American as well as English. Although these groups made up the minority, certain areas consisted entirely these groups, such as Germantown. I feel that these recipes would be helpful for people to get a fuller picture of New World foodways.

A Colonial Recipe for the Poorer Classes

2011-09-08T10:07:00.001-04:00

Most of the Colonial Recipes that we still have today were recipes written for the upper class. Cookbooks were generally written for people who wanted to cook the recipes that they had tasted at fancy dinner parties hosted by the wealthiest ladies in town. Even though cooks, and in some cases servants, wrote cookbooks, they were intended for the wealthy using ingredients that the wealthy had ample access to. This recipe was intended to be an inexpensive meal that would make meat go farther, especially among the poorer classes or in places with little meat.

Jonas Hanway, who recorded this recipe, was a British philanthropist who recorded his displeasure with the way that many English people cooked, claiming that they were wasteful. He suggested that people make economical meals instead of meat heavy, extravagant ones.

This recipe was probably similar to ones used in taverns and other establishments that tried to feed a lot of people in the cheapest way possible.

Ingredients:

- 18 Cups Water
- 1 Pound Beef, cut into pieces
- 2 Cups Split Peas
- 3 Potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped
- 3 ounces Ground Rice (not the same as rice flour)
- 3 Large Leeks, cleaned and sliced
- 2 Heads of Celery, cut into pieces
- Salt to taste

Instructions:

Put the sliced meat in a large pot, brown for about 8 minutes. Add the water, Split Peas, Potatoes, and Ground Rice and let boil 2 hours then add Leeks, and Celery. Let simmer for 10 minutes and salt to taste.

Making Homemade Pizza

2011-09-05T20:30:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, I have never made homemade pizza before. I've made tiny pizzas on pitas and pizzas that you take home and heat up, but I have never made a pizza with a real made-at-home crust.

Up until now, I was really spoiled. I had tasty $5.00 pizzas very close to my house. But the shop closed down and now the only pizza shops around serve horribly thin crusted, bland tasting pizza-like oddities for over $10.00. (When I say thin crusted, I mean thin crusted! We bought one with 1/2 a centimeter crust.) Not that we get pizza very often, but on occasion, we just crave it. Last time we went to the beach, we ordered the most delicious pizza. The crust was good the sauce was so good we were considering sneaking into their backroom for the secret recipe. Anyway, this had us craving pizza and with nowhere to get it, we decided to try it for ourselves. I put baby portable mushrooms on my and my mom's side and Andy put green peppers and sausage on his. It turned out very yummy, not quite the pizza we had at the beach, but better than any pizza around here.

The Dough:

- 1 cup of Warm Water (105°F-115°F)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dry Yeast
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 3 1/2 Cups Flour
- Olive oil for brushing over the top.

Put the water into a measuring cup,(make sure it is of temperature or you will kill the yeast like I always do.) Add the yeast and honey and stir it a few times. When the sugar dissolves, add the salt. Put the flour in a medium-sized mixing bowl and make a well in the center of it. Pour the yeast mixture into the well. Stir with a wooden spoon until it is too hard to mix, then use your hands. You may need more or less flour, keep adding it until the dough does not stick to your hands. Knead about 5 minutes. When done, roll it into a ball and brush olive oil over the top to keep it moist. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit under a lamp to rise for 1 hour. (I got this tip from Jodi at Curious Acorn. Before she told me that, I was always letting my doughs rise in crazy places.)

The Sauce:

- 15 ounces Crushed Tomatoes
- 1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
- 4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, Chopped and Smashed.
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt
- 1 teaspoon Rosemary

We mixed this together and let it sit while we rolled out the dough. The rolling pin that we have is useless, you are supposed to fill it full of water and freeze it to use it and it has never done anything but leak onto my dough. We've been using an old fashioned soda bottle, which worked surprisingly well.

The dough works best if you turn up the sides a little at the ends so the toppings don't fall off while cooking. I forgot to do this, but most of the toppings stayed put. We cooked the mushrooms and the sausage before baking to remove excess juice. Cover the dough in a thin layer of sauce, leaving a one inch border around the outside edge.

Add cheese and other toppings and bake it in a preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. We don't have a baking stone but the pizza still turned out yummy on an oiled metal tray.

I know making pizza is probably very old to many of you but it was a lot of fun. We don't normally eat pizza very often so it was a fun yummy treat and I expected it to be a lot harder considering the vast amounts of horrible pizzas out there.

Common Mistakes that New Researchers Make

2011-09-02T09:30:00.001-04:00

Thanks to the digital age, primary documents are quickly becoming available to anyone who wants to access them. Unfortunately, a growing issue that is a result of this accessibility, is that people who have never researched anything before are unknowingly sharing unsound research with others. It is great to have so many people interested in evaluating history for themselves without the lens of a historian but there are some common pitfalls that new or amateur researchers make.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

-Not doing enough research and making theories. Some people find one piece of evidence for something to support a claim and end their research. One piece of evidence is not research; it is a piece of data. Research is the culmination of a lot of evaluated data. (See next mistake.)

-Finding one source that gives evidence for something without evaluating the source. When one researches thoroughly, they find evidence and spend a lot more time studying the source of the evidence. How common a view would it have been? How widely spread was the publication? Did the author have any ulterior motives? Does the information only pertain to a certain area, religious or political group, or country? Was the piece supposed to be satirical?

-Having a firm hypothesis and making the research fit the hypothesis. This includes not including research that would negate your thesis. Ethical researchers will make note of the evidence that goes against their theories as well as the evidence that does. This is so readers can evaluate the source documents themselves and see if they agree with a researcher’s conclusions. Good researchers use “working hypotheses” which can change when new information is uncovered. Good researchers must be willing to change their views. There is no shame in being wrong but there is shame in trying to skew research to fit a hypothesis.

-Ignoring research done by others. It is very important to be cognizant of the research that others have done on your topic. It is not good manners to ignore the hard work that others have done before you and it is silly to present your research to your field if you have nothing particularly new to share. Your research should build on or negate the works of others as well as introduce new information, if possible. Reading the works of others alerts you to resources you might not have find yourself and keeps you up to date.

I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I notice most and remember doing myself. I am very much a supporter of amateur historians because they typically research things that are very interesting that don't tend to get a lot of professional attention. I like to encourage people to try their hand at research if they are inclined because local history and material culture tend to only get attention from amateurs and it is some of the most interesting history to learn about. But we have to keep the research well founded, bad research gives amateur historians a bad reputation.

This Thing Called Sleep

2011-08-31T20:05:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a neat post but; unfortunately, school has kept me so busy that sleep has become this amazing novelty that is better than anything I can think of.

However, I am taking a bunch of classes that I am actually interested in! That has never happened before. I am taking a class on the history of Pennsylvania and on the Revolutionary War period. I do have a ton of interesting reading but it's still a lot, even if it is interesting.

I'm really aching to write a post. I have a whole bunch of interesting ideas and no time to write. I'm sure after the first few weeks things will settle down and I'll be able to write a proper post. In the meantime, I look forward to this thing called sleep which is so glorious I am recommending it to everyone I know. :D

Is anyone else feeling this stress?

Book Sale Woes

2011-08-26T09:50:00.004-04:00

Dear lady at the book sale with the book scanner,

I know buying books cheaply and reselling them is your livelihood. I was enjoying my day, casually looking through the used books at the library sale. I never buy more than 5 books and the books that I buy aren't exactly big money makers. In fact, that day I was just looking for a replacement 4th Harry Potter book for mine that promptly fell apart the first time I read it. I just want you to know that I very much appreciated you constantly raging toward me, like a reaping machine, throwing books every which way and pulling books practically out of my hands. Your reaching across me numerous times at the sale was welcomed and I hope you found everything you were looking for. You must have because I saw your 7 large bags of books stationed around the sale. I also liked the way you almost attacked that lady who saw a book in one of your bags and thought that it must have been available.

I was wondering if you noticed that other gentleman with the book scanner? The one that realized that the likelihood of any of us casual book shoppers picking up a particularly valuable book was close to nil. He waited until us other shoppers moved until he started scanning in an area. In fact he didn't touch me at all during the whole time I was there. He even watched me pick up the books I wanted and let me pass, with a smile.

As a bibliophile, I just love relaxing and looking at the lovely $1.00 offers at book sales. I am not a person who buys more than they can read. In fact my budget for the sale was $5.00. Thanks for making my relaxing day perusing gently used books a nightmare. I had heard of your kind before but had never personally witnessed them. I want to thank you for demonstrating to me what I can only term as "Book Sale Rape." Rape is not funny but I feel it is the word that most accurately described what you were doing. (Yes, I had to make up a term for your actions.)

I just want you to know that I did get the Harry Potter book that I was looking for. I know it retails for a whole $0.01 online but liked the book enough I sprang a whole dollar for it. Especially since I like to support the library.

Sincerely,

The girl with the suede bag that you complimented before you shoved me out of the way.

Has anyone else seen this happening? I am lucky in the fact that I tend to like books that no one else finds interesting and are pretty worthless in terms of resale value but are worth much more in knowledge value. Another good reason to love the Classics. :D I know this post was a little bit cheeky, but I have noticed this is a growing trend and have even heard that these people are banned from some sales during peak hours. While I am personally unaffected because of the books I like to read, I am sure others are frustrated with not being able to find books at sales because of this practice. Also, a little bit of courtesy to other shoppers wouldn't damage the "haul" too much either. I am very glad that the libraries are befitting from this practice but it really is a sad sight to see for people who love books.

Reenacting Safety

2011-08-24T09:28:00.001-04:00

These storms we've been having! The thunder last night was rolling and constant. I was lying in bed, looking toward the window and couldn't help but think of artillery fire. None of my family could sleep, so we sat up and watched the lightning storm together. There is a reenacting event this weekend that part of our group is going to (Andy and I are taking a reenacting break.) I have been at events in the past where people could have seriously been hurt but "hardcore-ness" or "this is what they had to deal with" has gotten in the way of many people taking necessary safety precautions.

Heat-Related Problems:

I think heat exhaustion is one of the most common reenacting maladies. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 154 people were treated for heat-related illnesses at the last reenactment of First Manassas. But it happened then too: "Our men now and then fell down exhausted. If there were any cowards, they had a good excuse," wrote Frederick Frye of the 3rd Connecticut Infantry on July 30th, 1861 of his troops.

There are actually many heat related problems, including heat cramps, syncope, exhaustion, and stroke. The first three can be treated in camp but heatstroke is a medical emergency.

If you:

-Start to feel sick to your stomach
-Have been drinking a lot, but can't urinate
-Stop sweating when you should be sweating
-Faint

Start to rehydrate by drinking a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda per quart. The person should then take a trip to the medical tent. It is generally advised to not do any further physical activity after you've become sick, so if you are feeling slightly sick in the morning: sit the battle out. Don't let anyone convince you that you are "letting them down" or "they need the numbers," when it could turn into a medical emergency.

A mixture like this can easily be kept in a small period correct jar or poke sack and poured into a tin cup or canteen as a precaution. Make sure to keep an eye on other reenactors, especially on hot days or when marching. If nothing else will persuade you to take necessary precautions; remember, if you go down with heat and EMTs have to treat you, they will cut right through your meticulously researched, expensive, time consuming clothing to save your life. (It's ridiculous to have to put it into these terms but it is actually the only thing that will convince some people.)

Cold-Related Problems:

Cold-related problems include hypothermia and frostbite. These problems normally only occur at events that are later in the year, high in the mountains, or near a body of water. Sometimes events can be sizzling hot in the day and freezing at night. If you get to the point of hypothermia, it is a medical emergency. According to The Civil War Battlefield Guide by Frances H. Kennedy "Many of the Union wounded froze to death in the no man's land between the lines," during Fredericksburg in December of 1862. Not many winter events include camping but some do, such as the Bath-Romney Campaign in January.

The best thing to do to prevent cold-related injuries is to pack a change of clothing and extra blankets, even if these things are kept in the car. Always take an extra blanket, even if you think you won't need it. You never know if one of your blankets will get wet or if it will turn out to be a lot colder that everyone anticipated. Also keep a spare change of socks in a dry place.

Some "reenactor" tips for cold events include carefully warming up a stone near the fire, wrapping it up in a blanket, and using it as a heating pad for your feet at night. Also carefully putting hot liquid in a tin cup and holding it helps warm the hands. Keep in mind cuddling for body heat like real Civil War soldiers did; some guys would rather freeze, I know. Many people prefer to sleep "taco style" which is folding your blankets so you have one side of the blankets under you and the other part over top of you.

Rain/Thunderstorms:

Rain is a common reenactor nuisance. One would think that we would all be better prepared for it. While there were rain umbrellas in the 1860s, I have yet to see an accurate reproduction one. Coats designed to repel rain did exist but I have not seen a reproduction one either. A good photo of Thomas Jackson's coat can be seen here. Also for civilians, oiled-silk capes existed for rain and some wools are water resistant. Oiled-silk was also used for water-proof dresses.

Most storms are small and can past without harm, but violent storms can be dangerous. Make sure that your wood pile is covered with a ground cloth so that you can cook once the storm is over and that your tent stakes are firmly in the ground as wet soil can loosen them. Some people dig a small trench around their tent to direct water away from it but it is not possible or allowed at some events.

If there is lightning at an event, the best thing to do isto get a hotel room or sleep in your car. The last place you want to be duringa lightning storm is in an open field with metal flag poles, cooking equipment,rifles, ect. Metal on the ground doesn’tnormally attract lightning strikes but can direct ground currents. Make surenot to touch metal during a storm with lightning. This is hard with rifles intents. Some people may dismiss the danger of lightning storms, but if the thunder is within 10 miles, find another place to stay. (To see how far away a storm is, count the seconds between when you see a lightning strike and when you hear the thunder. To see the science behind this see my post here: How Close are the Guns?)

Lightning will strike the tallest object in an area and thenspread out along the ground. You do not want to be too close to the tallestobject in the area to be hit when the energy travels along the ground and youdo not want to be so far away that you become the tallest thing in the area. Last Gettysburg reenactment, lightning injured 5 reenactors during an early morning storm.

I think this post will be part of a series on possible safety issues we might encounter in the field. Hopefully I won't have to cover gun safety as it should be drilled into everyone's heads. I hope everyone was safe and enjoyed that last event, even with those terrible storms.

No Internet

2011-08-22T23:20:00.001-04:00

It's true, I have no internet and i have a nice long post written up and no way to post it. I am writing this post up on my Kindle. Those of you you with Kindles know how ludicrous this is. It really is terrible being so disconnected from everything right when school is starting up and information can only be had online. I am enjoying my time offline by catching up with my reading. Hope all is well with everyone and I hope to catch up with everyone soon.

It's School Time Again

2011-08-17T11:17:00.000-04:00

School will be starting up again, and even though it has been rainy, the weather is starting to feel like Fall. I have been cramming to finish books I have to read for my new classes, which has been difficult as I have a lot of personal reading I'd like to get done.

The problem with assigned reading is, even if the book is good, it still has been "injected" into your reading list instead of getting there "organically." :D Those books on my list have to fight for their position on the "to be read" list and they can be carelessly shoved out of the way by an assigned book.

I've been busy trying to get all of my school things together and out of the way before the stress of classes starts. I still have a lot of school stuff to buy and my temperamental internet hasn't been working because of all of the storms. A lot of people do "spring cleaning" but I always do my heavy cleaning right before classes start so I don't have as much distraction from my work. My schedule this semester is kind of crazy and it seems I will be spending more time traveling to class than in class. Right now is a hectic time for everyone but I can't wait to see everyone in the next coming months.

P.S. I am pressing "publish" before my internet decides to stop working again.

Meteor Showers of 2011

2011-08-13T11:37:00.001-04:00

I sat up last night and this morning trying to catch a bit of the Perseid Meteor shower that peaked early this morning. The full moon was too bright to see much this year, which was disappointing. The Perseid Meteor shower is known for producing up to 60 meteorites an hour and is always a great one to watch. My first year of reenacting, we had a couple of good events where meteors brightened the sky at night. Lately, even if they did, most of us are asleep long before and miss them.

Meteors are frequently called "falling stars" but they really are just debris left behind by comets. The debris granules can be the size of a sand grain or as large as a boulder and are known as meteoroids until the reach the Earth's atmosphere and heat up. The trail that the meteorite follows through the atmosphere is a meteor and if a meteor doesn't burn up and hits the Earth, intact, it become a meteorite.

Here is a list of the showers over the next few months. Most will not be as spectacular as the Perseid but can still make for a fun night of stargazing.

October:

8th-9th, Draconids- Only a few meteors an hour.
21st-22nd- Orionids- up to 20 meteors an hour. Known for "fireball" meteors.

November:

17th- 18th, Leonids- Best known for it's 33 year cycle. Harriet Tubman saw this shower back in 1833 and thought it was the end of the world. That year the shower was so big it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of meteors shot through the sky an hour. Yearly, about 20 meteors can be seen an hour.

December:

13th-14th, Geminids- Normally one of the best ones to catch. The meteors of this shower are known for their bright hues.

**Note: Both of these images are of the Leonids Meteor Shower which gave a spectacular show in 1833 and again in 1866.

25 Things You Didn't Know About Me

2011-08-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

This meme is about as old as the internet but I have never done it and I thought it would be fun.

1. I have recorded in Elvis’ RCA studio in Nashville, TN.

2. I have gone over a waterfall without a boat, like they do in movies. You will scratch your back up, but it is worth it.

3. I crave “normal” knitting patterns. Making historical items is fun but working with 100% wool is expensive and limiting.

4. I held a baby chimpanzee once.

5. I used to like Harry Potter this much:

10 points to anyone who questioned that this ended.

6. Fall is my favorite season and Halloween my favorite holiday.

7. I love to cook but my family will not even taste anything that I cook.

8. Andy and I don’t know when our anniversary is. It’s sometime in September about 4 years ago. Around September 26th or 27th each year, we pick a day on the weekend that is good for both of us and celebrate on that day.

9. I think Valentine’s Day is stupid but I celebrate it anyway. It gives Andy and me an excuse to spoil each other rotten.

10. When I can’t sleep, I read the Federalist Papers.

11. I don’t like fiction all that much. 90% of what I read is nonfiction and the rest is Harry Potter (just kidding.)The rest tends to be classics. I do read a few children’s historical fiction books so I know what the children I teach have read about the Colonial and Civil War time periods.

12. I love thunderstorms, they are so relaxing.

13. Sometimes I read Cotton Mather’s, The Wonders of the Invisible World and am too scared to sleep. Scary stuff:

a. “For Instance, John Cool: testifi'd, That about five or six Years ago, one Morning, about Sun-Rise, he was in his Chamber assaulted by the Shape of this Prisoner [Bridget Bishop]: which look'd on him, grinn'd at him, and very much hurt him with a Blow on the side of the Head: and that on the same day, about Noon, the same Shape walked in the Room where he was, and an Apple strangely flew out of his Hand, into the Lap of his Mother, six or eight Foot from him.”

b. “VI. Samuel Gray testifi'd, That about fourteen Years ago, he wak'd on a Night, and saw the Room where he lay full of Light; and that he then saw plainly a Woman between the Cradle, and the Bed-side, which look'd upon him. He rose, and it vanished; tho' he found the Doors all fast. Looking out at the Entry-door, he saw the same Woman, in the same Garb again; and said, In God's Name, what do you come for? He went to Bed, and had the same Woman again assaulting him. The Child in the Cradle gave a great Screech, and the Woman disappeared. It was long before the Child could be quieted; and tho' it were a very likely thriving Child, yet from this time it pined away, and, after divers Months, died in a sad Condition. He knew not Bishop, nor her Name; but when he saw her after this, he knew by her Countenance, and Apparel, and all Circumstances, that it was the Apparition of this Bishop, which had thus troubled him.”

14. I never spell check the titles of my blog posts which is why a lot of them have huge spelling errors. I type them fast and forget to check them.

15. I love books to the point it was necessary to switch to ebooks because I honestly did not have room for any more.

16. I am a vegetarian.

17. My favorite food is “Noodles and Spinach” made by my grandmother. It is pretty much macaroni and cheese with spinach and sweet onions in it.

18. I don’t believe college degrees mean much in terms of ability to do a job. There are plenty of intelligent, competent, creative and talented people who never went to college.

19. I am addicted to Chinese Food, especially steamed vegetable dumplings. I love “trashy American” Chinese food as well as traditional.

20. I think corsets are comfier than bras. Which is why I think it is hilarious when people put on a corset and declare “I can’t breathe!” like they do in the movies.

21. I believe in doing what you love now, instead of waiting for recognition. a. You might not be a famous clothing designer now. But you are a clothing designer, don’t wait until you are well known to start designing clothing or you never will. I also don’t think you should title yourself as an “aspiring clothing designer” when you actually are a clothing designer by definition.

22. I love animals, especially bunnies.

23. I don’t really like watching movies. When I do watch movies, I have to be doing something else or I get incredibly bored. I normally knit, sew, draw or write.

24. I didn’t feel that this blog was established, until the day I found out that other sites stole material from it.

25. I dislike it when blogs supply their own music that plays automatically. If you have more than one blog open, this gets really annoying as you scroll to find the little off buttons to turn all of the music off. It is even more annoying if you are listening to your own music already. I think it would be cool to have a music widget there, with your favorite songs to read by that allows your readers to click and listen to your playlist if they want to.

26. I found out I am allergic to peanut butter while I was writing this list and had an allergic reaction which closed my throat. (I’m okay!)

If you think this was fun, do it on your blog, or in a comment on this blog. It’s fun to get to know everyone!

How many calories did they eat in a day in the 1860s?

2011-08-08T12:38:00.000-04:00

This very unscientific study was inspired by rumors I have heard about the caloric intake of people during the 1860s. It is almost impossible to figure out an exact number due to the high levels of variety. Tastes, preferences, food availability, costs and personal habits can make a huge difference in the amount of food consumed.

This list was printed in a British book for housewives and was intended to give new housewives an idea of how much food to buy per person. It is a very rough guideline. It does not take into account slight variations in amount such as it is recommended to buy 1/2 pound of sugar for a person but in a family of two, one person may eat 1/4 of it and the other 3/4. It also could vary depending on the different varieties of food, 1 pound of chicken has less calories than one pound of beef.

If there was a difference in the caloric counts of different articles, I picked an 1860s appropriate variety with a median caloric count.

1/2 pound Sugar (white)
1/2 pound Cheese (cheddar)
1/2 pound Butter
1 quart Milk (Whole Milk)
8 pounds Bread
6 pounds Meat (3 pounds Chicken, 3 pounds Beef)
1 gallon Beer (for a woman) 7 quarts for a Man
Potatoes

The totals came to 18,250 calories per week for women which comes out to 2,607 calories per day and 25,162 calories per week for men or 3,594 per day.

These totals seem pretty decent, considering the amount of physical labor that many jobs back then required and the amount of walking that people did. Obviously, no one was eating exactly like this and the totals don't include vegetables, fruits, baked goods, ect. However, I feel it is a good guideline for the items in a common diet in Britain at the time, especially since the high calorie items listed most likely made up the majority of the diets then. It is also interesting to note that a large percentage of the calories came from drinks.

( Besides finding out this information for the 1860s, I would love to be able to do a real study of Colonial caloric intake, as I am constantly bombarded with the "fact" that people ate around 6,000 calories a day in the winter. While possible, I feel that would be a ridiculous amount of food to preserve. However, if the people who say this really mean that people "consumed" 6,000 calories a day, including high calorie drinks such as cider and beer, this seems much more possible.)

All in all, this was just for fun and should be taken with a huge pile of salt. The foods listed and the amounts of food given probably give us a better picture of what an 1860s diet looked like than anything else.

**Note: The image at the top is from The Photographic History of the War in Ten Volumes (Vol. 8) by Francis Trevelyan Miller and Robert Sampson Lanier from 1911.The list is from Warne's Model Cookery and Housekeeping Book, published in 1868.

Andy's New Civil War Trousers

2011-08-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

Andy needed some new pants this reenacting season after another soldier exclaimed that the patches on his old pants "drew the eye places he shouldn't be looking at." :D

I like to sew but I do not sew that often because of the cost. I also can't rationalize having a wardrobe of clothing devoted to reenacting. So Andy and I wear our stuff until we really can't anymore. Then I get to sewing. I do have to admit, I do not have problems sewing dresses, but trousers really like to torment me.

Maybe my next pair will actually have a watch pocket. Every time I attempt to sew one, I spend many hours and waste a lot of fabric before I let him know that there "will be no watch pocket."

I used a mix of antique buttons and new bone buttons. I would have used all new buttons but I had a lot of antique ones in my sewing box.

I kind of wish I just left the lining white. This was a scrap of left over fabric from the very first reenacting shirt I made him. The shirt matched the lining of his hat and he liked it a lot. Recently he lost his hat and had to buy a new one and caught on fire while wearing the shirt. (He was okay, but there's a funny story there you should ask him about if you see him.)

I tend to like trousers with buckles on the back and haven't decided if I am going to add a piece to the back yet. The buckle look nice but is not as comfortable to sleep on. I still have to put on the buttons for the braces but I need him to model them for me to do so.

This is a pretty lightweight wool that I originally purchased to make a sack coat out of. It is a little thin for pants but he will be wearing them in the summer and they are civilian pants and not standard military.

I was really excited to get this fabric because the weight is much more similar to what museum sack coats are made out of rather than blanket wool which some people mistakenly use.

Sometime this year, I hope to get a new dress that is a little nicer than the two I have now. Both my dresses are dirty old work dresses and I'd like something to be able to wear to nicer events.

1858 Peterson's Mantilla Pattern

2011-08-03T11:57:00.002-04:00

In the 1850s, mantillas were lightweight, short capes with hoods. They were outerwear meant for Fall and Spring and were frequently made out of lace or silk. If plain silk was used, mantillas were typically richly decorated with large pleats, ruffles, lace and ribbons.

This particular mantilla is made of silk, had a ribbon closure, an embroidered muslin collar and is decorated with a goffered flounce that is accented with braiding.

It seems like the perfect, simple project to make considering some of the reenacting and other period events will start getting a little chilly soon.

This was a strange illustration to have in the magazine as the diagram requires editing to make the mantilla look like the back in this illustration.

The pattern has sharp curves unlike the illustration. The square-cut fronts is what makes it a "Bournous Mantilla."

This is a diagram for an embroidered collar that was featured in the same issue of Peterson's Magazine. These collars were typically embroidered with white thread on a white background but some were done in entirely black. The collar for the mantilla should be equally decorated.

This is an illustration on goffered flounce. The pleats were usually 4 or 5 inches deep.Mantillas were a high-fashion item and were trimmed to excess.

If you plan to make this mantilla, keep in mind that it should not be lined with a heavy material or quilted. The square cutouts are supposed to land on your bent elbow and the back point should about 5 inches below your waist. Hopefully, I will enlarge the diagram and give everyone an idea on how many inches each part should be. It would be a nice, light covering to wear on your way to a ball.

The Perfect Working Space

2011-07-30T12:04:00.001-04:00

Many times I find myself thinking "If I only had a desk that was aninch shorter and a big comfy armchair, I would be able to write more," or" I can't possibly sew so much until I have a permanent spot where peoplewon't keep moving everything." Many people have an image of what theirperfect working space will look like: the space where they will finally get allof their work done. Possibly, theperfect working space will have a large ornate antique writing desk and largewindows that look out onto a breathtaking vista. This space will inspire andallow you to do work. It is the perfect space and it is a perfect lie.

Had your perfect working space ever materialized, you might find thatit wasn't the perfect working space. One thousand new problems wouldmaterialize there. The windows might be distracting or the room too spacious.It is very hard to build the perfect space. This is why this type of perfectworking space is false.

The perfect working space is the space where you actually get work done. Youmight already know this space or have yet to find it. But the important thingis to not wait for the perfect space to do work. If you wait for the perfectspace, you will never accomplish anything.

Many people have accomplished a lot in places that are perfectly averageplaces. J.K. Rowling found that her perfect working space was in cafes. Thomas Mannliked to write in a wicker chair with an ocean view. It doesn’t matter whereyou work as long as you get work done.

Some tips on being productive especiallywhen working space is less than desirable:

Keep well stocked.

Even if your working space isn’t perfect, make sure you have everything youneed before you start. It is frustrating to have to stop working every fewminutes to find more paper or some scissors.

Keep a schedule.

Depending on your situation and work you may have to plan to do work earlyin the morning, late at night to variable. Just make sure you set time aside towork. Make an appointment with yourself and don’t break it. It might be from “6AM to 8 AM” or it might be “45 minutes a day.”

Work toward goals.

Set little goal and big goals. Little goals help break down a colossal taskinto smaller, more manageable bits.

Take breaks.

Make sure you take breaks to prevent boredom and alleviate pain. Typing onthe computer, sewing, painting ect. for a long period of time can make workingmore difficult. Breaks help keep you refreshed and focused.

Easy English Colonial Dance: The Hessian, Dance Diagram and Music

2011-07-27T11:20:00.005-04:00


A Hessian Soldier

This is a part of a program that a friend and I have been putting together for work. We will be teaching a colonial dance: "The Hessian."

Hessian soldiers were German soldiers who were hired out by their government to England. They were known as "Hessians" because many of them came from the state of Hesse-Kassel. England stationed these soldiers in America to keep the peace and later to fight the Patriots in the Revolutionary War. They were known for their brutal killing techniques and weaponry.

There is a grievance about them in the Declaration of Independence: "He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation."

The Hessian is a very simple dance so anyone can do it. Colonial dances were set to a particular tune, normally of the same name as is true with this one. Below is a music clip and the instructions for the dance. In the diagram, circles represent the men and squares represent the ladies. This type of dance could be danced in groups of four or with numerous groups of four, lined up in lines.The partners travel through the dances and eventually dance with every other couple. Keep in mind, if you are dancing in a line, one or more couples may be "out" during a rotation, but they will soon be back in.

Step 1: This is the starting position of the dance. The menare on one side of the line and the women are on the other. The men are facingthe women.

Step 2: The first gentleman offers the second lady his righthand and they make a complete turn and return to their starting positions.

Step 3: The second gentleman offers the first lady his righthand and they make a complete turn and return to their starting positions.

Step 4: The first gentleman stretches his right arm acrossto the second lady who does the same. Simultaneously, the second gentlemanstretches his right arm across to the first lady’s. From above, the arms willform a cross. Together, everyone turns in a circle to the right. (From abovethe figure will look like spokes of a wheel turning.)

Step 5: The first gentleman stretches his left arm across tothe second lady who does the same. Simultaneously, the second gentlemanstretches his left arm across to the first lady’s. From above, the arms will forma cross. Together, everyone turns in a circle to the left until back in startingpositions.

Step 6: The firstgentleman will offer his right hand to the first lady, who will do the same.They turn in a circle to the right one time. The first gentleman should be inthe first lady’s starting position and the first lady should be in the secondgentleman’s starting position.

Step 7: The first gentleman and the first lady turn to theoutside of the group and walk down behind the second couple. When the firstcouple gets 75% of the way down, the second gentleman offers his right hand totake the second lady’s right hand and leads her one step to the front. Thefirst couple takes the position that the second couple has just vacated.

Step 8: The first gentleman will offer the first lady, his both hands and they will make one right turn so that both the gentleman and thelady are on the side that they started on.

Step 9: While not a physical step, the couples changenumbers. The first couple becomes the second couple and the second couplebecomes the first couple and the dance is repeated until the song ends.

Please watch the video to hear a pretty boring rendition of the music. Imagine the melody played on the harpsichord or by an orchestra.

Ways to Save Money Reenacting

2011-07-25T09:30:00.001-04:00

Reenacting can be expensive. If you add up the cost of gas for one event, the price of your gear, the cost of food and the price to register, you are talking about a lot of money. Many people are surprised to find out that reenactors are not paid to do what they do and, in fact, actually pay to be there. Most reenactors also buy their own cookware, tents, clothing and other equipment.

Become a Nonprofit. If you haven’t already, make sure your reenacting group is registered as a nonprofit organization so that your clothing, weapons, equipment and gas mileage is tax deductible (save your receipts.)

Focus on one impression. Would a poor farm-girl have 10 dresses? Probably not. Would she really want a new dress? Probably. Wanting what you can’t have? Priceless. Do you know how the guys talk of those magic moments on the battlefield when it “feels real?” It feels real when you sit outside of a ball, just listening to the music because you don’t have a nice dress to wear and your poor farm-girl couldn’t afford a ticket anyway. (If you are poor in the day, be poor at night. If you are a man in the day, stay a man at night. If you portray a wealthy person, make sure you have the money to do so properly and can afford nice dresses, bonnets, jewelry, ect. If you choose to be a wealthy person, it is much cheaper to not have a “farmer’s wife impression” and a “nurse impression” and a “general’s wife impression in addition to it. When you are ready to take on an entirely new impression and after a lot of research, you should have been able to have saved up enough money for it. )

Buy secondhand or trade for things you need. Once you have created a new impression that you like and want to keep, you can get rid of some of the old things that you don’t use anymore by selling them to reenactors that need them and buy things that have already been used. Used clothing has the added bonus of looking like it is worn everyday and not just one weekend a month for half the year.

Do without. Limit yourself to what you bring to an event. It would be nice to be able to bring a dish for anything you might possibly want to cook but it’s costly, not practical and period incorrect.

Learn to Sew. You might spend a little bit making mistakes when learning to sew but the mistakes will pay for themselves when you can make your own clothing. If you are truly a beginner, try to find someone to help you sew something simple to start out.

Try to keep your “gear” to a minimum and sell the rest. In my tent, there is a rule that if something isn’t 100% necessary (dress, shoes, gun, cartridge box) than it must serve at least 3 other purposes. We have a tiny skillet that we use to move coals, dig holes, cook and as my plate/dish. Our 99 cent skillet has replaced a possibly expensive shovel and eating utensil. Less money and less to carry.

Do research then buy at unexpected places. If you study fabrics and research well, you can find cheap, appropriate fabrics at thrift stores and yard sales. Make sure you are very well researched first, though. This works for cookware and furniture too.

Share equipment. This can cause problems so be careful. Hammers, cooking utensils, some clothing can be shared. Make sure you are respectful and courteous to those you share with.

7 Books to Read with Children

2011-07-20T17:48:00.003-04:00

Whether your a mom or a dad, older sibling, babysitter or teacher, these books are great books to read with children. A great benefit of reading along with a child is the ability for discussing the book. You can answer questions, discuss decisions that a character made and whether or not you both think that it was a good idea and what you would have done differently.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Brian's parents are divorced. He goes to spend time with his father but tragedy strikes and Brian gets stuck alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a hatchet. Will he survive?

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

A brother and sister decide that they are taken for granted so they run away from home and take up residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When a mysterious statue, possibly the work of Michelangelo, is sold to the museum for a few hundred dollars, the siblings can't rest until they get to the bottom of the mystery.

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Okay, the appeal of this book might just be the reenactor's dream that this could come true.)

Jessie is a normal 13 year old girl in 1840: she lives with her family, goes to school and has never been far from town. That is, until children start getting sick and her mother tells her a huge secret: the year is really 1996, they live in a historical museum and the owners are holding them hostage and denying them modern medicine. It's up to Jessie to sneak out and find help in a modern world that she knows nothing about.

Anne of Green Gables

Anne is a orphan with flaming red hair and a temper to match. She is mistakenly sent to a brother and sister looking for a boy to help them on their farm. Anne likes to daydream which gets her into trouble at the worst times possible. She doesn't mean to be a bother, but will the family keep her after all the trouble she causes?

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter is an orphan whose parents died in a horrible car accident. He is sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle who hate him until he receives a letter in the mail telling him that his is really a wizard. He finds out that his parents were really killed by an notoriously evil wizard and in the wizarding world, he is famous. He is sent to school where he struggles through schoolwork, makes friends and comes face to face with the wizard who killed his parents.

The Sign of the Beaver

Matt lives with his father on a homestead in the early days of American colonization. His father leaves him to watch over the house while he brings the rest of the family there from the east. Matt is alone and without food when he gets injured, when he is saved by a Native American doctor. A Native American boy, Attean helps Matt learn Native American survival methods in exchange for English lessons. The boys don't like each other but they soon learn to respect each other.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Huck sets out on an adventure, rafting down the Mississippi with an escaped slave named Jim. There is some controversy over the word choice in this book. The book is a period book and clearly a product of its time.

According to US News in 2007, 1 in 4 American adults had read 0 books in the previous 12 months. We need to raise children who become adults who love to read. Children who are read to, learn to love books. Many students' only experience with books is in the classroom where they can link books with negative experiences. Children should associate books with having fun and exploring worlds with the people they love.

Godey's Lady's Book Recipes for July

2011-07-16T21:38:00.001-04:00

We have finally had some perfect weather days this summer. Most of the days this July have just been too hot to want to cook. Godey's Lady's Book was one of the most popular ladies magazine in America during the Civil War. Below are some recipes taken from the 1864, July issue.

SNOWBALLS.-- Place some rice in milk to well ; strain it off ; put the rice round apples pared and cored, with a bit of lemon-peel, a clove, and a piece of cinnamon in each ; tie in a cloth, and boil well. (81)

SCOLLOPED TOMATOES.--Take fine, large tomatoes, perfectly ripe. Scald them to loosen the skins, and then peal them. Cover the bottom of a deep dish thickly with grated bread-crumbs, adding a few bits of fresh butter. Then put in a layer of tomatoes, seasoned slightly with a little salt or cayenne, and some powdered mace or nutmeg. Cover them with another layer of bread-crumbs and butter. Then another layer of seasoned tomatoes ; and proceed thus till the dish is full, finishing at the top with bread crumbs. Set the dish into a moderate oven, and bake it near three hours. Tomatoes require long cooking, otherwise they will have a raw taste, that to most persons is unpleasant. (81-82)

YOUNG CORN OMELET.--To a dozen ears of fine young Indian corn allow five egg. Boil the corn a quarter of an hour ; and then, with a large grater, grate it down from the cob. Beat the eggs very light, and then stir gradually the grated corn into the pan of eggs. Add a small salt-spoon of salt, and a very little cayenne. Put into a hot frying-pan equal quantities of lard and fresh butter, and stir them well together, over the fire. When they boil, put in the mixture thick, and fry it ; afterwards browning the top with a red-hot shovel, or a salamander. Transfer it, when done, to a heated dish, but do not fold it over. It will be found excellent. This is a good way of using boiled corn that has been left from dinner the preceding day. (82)

* A salamander is an iron tool that is heated up and used to brown the top of dishes. When cooking over a fire, a small frying pan or coal shovel can be heated up and used like a salamander.

*Indian corn is not the ornamental "Indian corn of today." Indian corn was edible corn that could come in white, yellow, red or mixed.

RASPBERRY WINE.--Bruise the finest ripe raspberries with the back of a spoon ; strain them though a slannel bag into a stone jar ; allow one pound of fine powdered loaf sugar to one quart of juice ; stir these well together and cover the jar closely. Let stand for three days, stirring up the mixture everyday ; then pour off the clear liquid, and put two quarts of sherry to each quart of juice or liquid. Bottle it off, and it will be fit for use in a fortnight. By adding Cognac brandy, instead of sherry, the mixture will be raspberry brandy. (83)

SPRING ROLL.--Four eggs, one cup of sugar, one cup of flour, half a teaspoon of soda, one teaspoon of cream of tartar, add any flavor to suit the taste. Stir well, and spread thin on bread pans ; bake quickly, and when thoroughly baked turn it out on a cloth, and spread with jelly and roll it up.(83)

*My grandmother used to eat a similar dish when she was a child. She made a plain eggs, spread jelly on them and rolled it up. It is a different taste than we are used to.

Recipes from:

Hale, Sarah Josepha. "Receipts, &c." Godey's Lady's Book. July 1864, 80-84.

Stealing History, Again!

2011-07-13T16:15:00.001-04:00

Landau's Mugshot

I do many more posts on things like this than I would really like to. It's horrible, but yet another researcher has been stealing historical documents from a museum. Saturday, Baltimore Police arrested Barry Landau and accomplice, Jason Savedoff, for the theft of over 60 documents from the Maryland Historical Society. The documents included Lincoln memorabilia, notably a document signed by Lincoln. The current total for the known stolen material is over $900,000.

Landau, is a presidential historian who boasted of his Manhattan home artifact collection that topped a million pieces.

The day of the heist, Landau brought cupcakes for the museum staff, who claimed that Landau and Savedoff had visited the museum previously and had odd behavior. Now the FBI has to discover the extent of the thefts and hopefully recover all stolen material. Landau, like Thomas P. Lowry who was charged for altering a Lincoln-signed document back in January, has a book in the works due for release in a few months.

It is frustrating for historians to not have access to documents because of stuff like this. It is even more frustrating to not be able to find a document because it has been stolen. Unfortunately, original sources have to be referable. It is amazing how easily mistakes can happen in a historical work which are then amplified in future historical works that never checked the original documents. Hopefully, the digitization of documents will help alleviate problems with theft.

Watch a video from the Huffington Post.

Finished Project! Dark Mark Illusion Scarf!

2011-07-11T15:05:00.000-04:00

The scarf at an angle.

I finally got my "Dark Mark Illusion Scarf" off of my needles! It has been one of those projects that was pushed to the bottom of the pile by more time-sensitive things. I still need to add fringe to it and block it. I was thinking about white fringe or red. If I put red fringe on it, I think the scarf will look a little too lizard-like which would look neat but wouldn't be as wearable. I think the white fringe would make it look less Halloween-y.

The scarf, looking straight-on.

The neat thing about this scarf is that when you look straight on it, you can not see the design. But if you are at an angle, such as walking up stairs, the design pops out. The design is from the Harry Potter Movies (which I don't like all that much) but the pattern was fun so I had to make one. I also try to knit a bit more in the summer because if I don't, nothing will be done in time to wear it when it is cold. It is harder to knit in the summer because the wool on your lap does get very warm, in the winter, the extra heat is welcoming.

So, which fringe do you think would look better? I can do all green, all black, a mixture of green and black, red or white. What do you think would look best? If you want to make your own scarf, the pattern is now on Ravelry for free and only took two skeins of wool to make. I used alpaca so it's very toasty to wear. I can't wait for winter now.

Wild Berry Picking!

2011-07-08T20:41:00.000-04:00

Today, I went berry picking with a few friends. The forecast called for severe thunderstorms but luckily, they held off. We plan to make jam, preserve them whole and make colonial wine. The majority of our haul was wine-berries (Rubus phoenicolasius) but we also found a few ripe blackberries. We saw unripe wild grapes, patches of unripe blackberries, tons of walnuts and hickory nuts and even some mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum.)

Wineberry is a species of raspberry which originated in Asia and has since become invasive. This particular type of raspberry was introduced into the U.S. in 1889 and now grows in practically every state in the eastern U.S. They were originally planted for their berries but were later valued for their ornamental use.

Once off the bush, the berries are indistinguishable from older strains of raspberry so we can use them for our colonial treats. In Colonial times, raspberries were used for wines, pies and deserts.

Sometimes the plants would be cultivated but frequently, many plants were propagated wildly by birds. The wild berries were harvested by locals, used in the home or taken to market for city dwellers who could not grow their own.

In her 1837 book, The American Frugal Housewife, Lydia Marie Child recommends that children make themselves useful by picking wild berries for sale in town.

We gathered a lot of berries. It is definitely a task that is a lot easier with a lot of helping hands. The plants are prickly so you have to be careful not to get pricked.

Homework!?

2011-07-07T22:57:00.000-04:00

Map from http://www.oasisafrica.com/Maps.html

Today I opened up my school e-mail (to let the months fly out) and I was deleting the normal spam mail and came across a piece of mail from June 1st. I opened it up, it was from one of my teachers that I will have in the fall. I read through it, noted some important textbook information, and opened the attached message. Turns out that that book is summer reading and I have large project already! Goodness! I was given the topic "Southern Africa."

I may be a month behind, but I hope I can catch up before school starts again. I have a lot of reading and research to do! I admit, I am very behind in my African history: I only know it from a European perspective. The professor's goal was to assign us a region of the world that we might be "weak" in so we all can improve. I am excited for the chance to study regions and cultures that I wouldn't have chosen myself--so far I've been North America, Europe and Asia centered in my studies.

Beach Vacation, Warning: Photo Heavy!

2011-07-05T11:28:00.001-04:00

Last week, my family and I went to the beach. We went up in the Cape May lighthouse, which was built in the 1860s, took a ferry ride, walked the board walks, and collected seashells on the beach. We all had a lot of fun, it's been a really long time since we've gone somewhere as a family.

Me at the beach.

Beach Bunnies. Two different species.

Scattered storms came and went all day.

Andy and I went up in the Cape May Lighthouse.

Andy getting over his fear of heights.

Me at the top of the lighthouse.

View from the top.

Beach near the lighthouse which is home to a lot of wildlife.

My family and Andy going to visit a WWII bunker. We never made it. A thunderstorm struck right at this moment and we had to leave the beach. (Good thing we were down from the lighthouse!)

Stuff on the beach. Looks like a movie set, doesn't it?

Me on the ferry ride.

Birds in the wake of the ferry. I had thought that maybe the ships propellers were leaving behind a trail of freshly minced sushi but Andy told me that the seagulls did that even before propellers were used on boats. Turns out that the ships make an airflow that the seagulls like to fly in. The pull from the boat might also "streamline" seafood into the general area making it easy for them to catch it.

Jellyfish at night off of a fishing boat dock.

Remember, if you are going to win your girlfriend a large stuffed toy on the boardwalk, make sure it fits in the car.

Sailboat on the beach

We normally find seashells on the beach and paint them ourselves as souvenirs of out trips. My little sister painted all of these. I especially love the whale.

Shippensburg Reenactment 2011

2011-06-30T21:09:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was the Shippensburg Reenactment's 10th anniversary. Known as "March to Destiny" the Shippensburg reenactment is held by the Shippensburg Area Civil War Round Table to highlight the town's Civil War history.

The reenactment is unique in that the whole town is involved. Businesses participate by placing red ribbons on the doors of their establishments indicating to soldiers that they are welcome to forage for goodies on the premises. Saturday's battle takes place on the town's main street and many locals watch from their front steps and windows.The small town has 19th century charm although 21st century items are everywhere.

Sunday's battle takes place on the town's fairgrounds. This makes the battles interesting because Sunday's battle is very different in style and setting to Saturday's battle.

The reenactment is small but enjoyable. There is many things for spectators and civilians to do. This year there were short lectures on mourning customs and food of the Civil War Era. Other activities included an ice cream social, ball, carriage rides, foraging and a parade.

Because the reenactment takes place in the town, the reenactors are free to patronize local businesses. A trip to Shippensburg would not be complete without visiting "Pizza 'N Stuff," an Italian restaurant located on King Street. The food is delicious and the owner and servers are very generous to the reenactors.

We had a great time even though half of our regiment could not attend. The event was fun and relaxing (as relaxing as sleeping on the ground can be.)

Bread-Baking

2011-06-23T11:51:00.001-04:00

I have been having the hardest time learning to bake bread. I don't know if my yeast was bad or if my flour wasn't right or if I was killing the yeast or I wasn't kneading it enough but it has never come out right.

Jodi at Curious Acorn,graciously showed me how to bake bread properly and it came out lovely!

Bread-making Tips:

- Keep your yeast in the refrigerator or freezer to prolong its life.

- Always use a small measuring cup and another cup to fill it. That way you get a better measurement as the flour won't compact as much.

- Knead for the duration that the recipe calls for, it is necessary.

- A regular lamp is enough heat for the dough to rise near.

- Put a warm, moist towel over the bowl to help it rise.

-Putting a metal tray of water in the oven while baking bread helps develop a darker crust.

-Baking on a baking stone helps the bread form a good crust.

It tuned out nice. We used a recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking. It is a different style dough than normal bread but Jodi showed me how to make normal breads too and the difference between regular dough and "no knead dough."

We also looked at a colonial recipe that I am hoping to reduce soon and try to bake. The original recipe calls for a peck of flour (about 225 or so cups) and to bake the dough in five pound loaves!

I Don't Feel Like Writing a Post...

2011-06-19T09:56:00.000-04:00

...but it doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything!

Lately, I think a lot of people have been suffering from don't-wanna-write-a-post-itis. The culprit? I think we've been all doing a lot more than we normally do. I have a thousand things I'd like to write a post on but so much has been going on.

I finally found something to do with those old textbooks that no one wants.

I have been using them as scrapbooks.This is not a new idea, in fact it is hundreds of years old, or a very creative idea but it does solve two problems I've been having. Historically, paper has been an expensive item: frugal housewives have long taken to using their husband's old business ledgers to paste newspaper clippings, recipes, letters, drawings, and photos into to keep them neat and in one place.These scrapbooks are not pretty but they do tell a lot about what people were interested in.

I had a lot of clippings, photocopied pages from old books, and magazine stories lying around. This really ended up being a good solution.

Before I did this I made sure that really no one had any use for these books. The two books I used were an old Political Science book and an old Economics book. They were already outdated by the time the classes were finished, so I couldn't sell them back, I couldn't sell them online, I couldn't even give them away. I felt bad putting them in the recycling bin. I can't believe I didn't think of this before! It really does help keep my notes in order.

Civil War Era Purse Knit-Along Update #2

2011-06-17T11:11:00.000-04:00

It's Friday and that means another Knit-along update. I have only knitted 2 out of my 20 stripes but hope to get a lot done next week at a reenactment. I have decided to stay with the purple and white and plan to line it in bright red silk. I really like the pattern, even if it is a really simple one. The first swatch I made, I definitely was working to tightly and so my hands were hurting from knitting. This time I have kept it very loose and it is much easier for me to knit. For those of you participating, please link your progress on the widget at the bottom of this post.

However today I really need to do a bit of summer cleaning. I still have papers left over from school, books, clothing, ect. collecting in my room to the point that I can't think. I always like to keep a bit of creative chaos in my bedroom but this is too much and it's time for a total cleaning. I don't know how all this stuff collects!

It feels more difficult to simplify when you are required to purchase things for school that you have no use for when school is out. I have a calculator, book bag and numerous textbooks with nothing to do until school starts up in August. Not to mention those textbooks that are useless and no one wants. (You can't sell them back because of a new edition, you can't sell them online, library sales do not want them, thrift stores don't want them, and you feel bad sticking it in the recycling bin.)

Books are also a terrible part of simplifying. I love me books but there really is no room for any more. In my future home, I am going to have to have a library like old-fashioned manors used to have. I never buy fiction so my collection is mostly nonfiction and stuff that the local libraries do not have. I never purchase a book that I know I will never read again or that I can borrow.

I have long considered turning it into a lending library. :D

Civil War Era Purse Knit-Along Update #1

2011-06-14T08:13:00.000-04:00

If you are new to the knit-along, you can work on a Civil War Era knitted purse along with the rest of us! The pattern can be found here. Then everyone has a chance to link their progress to the bottom of this and every update posts which should be posted on Fridays.

I admit, I've been lazy on my knitting. Now that my birthday is over, I'll have more time to work on it. I am thinking of keeping the violet and white but am also considering white and red. I wish I could post a photo but my camera died over the weekend and I have to try and fix it.

Feel free to link your materials or your progress on the widget below.

Update!

2011-06-13T07:24:00.000-04:00

I haven't died. I did go to an event and planned to give a detailed, photo heavy account of the action. Unfortunately, I was stuck in the parking lot the whole weekend directing cars. We had some horrible thunderstorms and we were trying to keep the cars from getting stuck as they were parking on very wet grass.

I was surprised at the number of people who arrived 10 minutes after the battle started and expected a parking spot right up front. In fact, during the battle, we were already in the second overflow lot. Many complained of the long walk. In all honesty, the walk was about 1/4 of a mile. Many ignored the staffers parking cars are parked anywhere they pleased. A few declared that they had "four-wheel drive," in which we responded "but not all of the cars who will be driving after you, do."

So what was supposed to be fun ended up in a conversation about the degradation of American society. Since when can't we walk 1/4 of a mile (note: it would have been a much shorter walk had they shown up an hour or two before the battle) and feel entitled to park anywhere we feel despite the mess we would leave behind to everyone else at the event?

During the event, my camera died, so unfortunately this post has to be without pictures. Despite the cranky people, we still kept high spirits and had fun. It was a very boring job.

Day Trip: the Philadelphia Zoo

2011-06-07T08:13:00.000-04:00

As a child I remember skipping in the zoo, holding my elephant-shaped "storybook key." The key was my mothers from when she was little. You inserted the key into "storybook boxes" around the zoo and the box would play a recording which told information and fun facts about the animal it was in front of. As a child it was a big deal to be able to turn the key for a group of people, especially if they didn't have a key of their own.

I used to love the elephants, the otters and the peacocks that wandered freely. The large foreign plants seemed gargantuan, their leaves being feet above my head, but it didn't stop me from trying to touch them. There was a man-made "tree house", that is a tree with a pathway through it, where children would race their siblings and relish in the labyrinth of pathways and secret nooks.

We went to the Philadelphia Zoo yesterday and it was much different than I remembered it as a child and growing up had little to do with it. The elephants had been sent to other zoos and the "storybook" boxes removed. Many of the exhibit had been updated such as the big cat exhibit which, thankfully, no longer involves lions in barred cages.

The Philadelphia Zoo was founded in 1859 and is the oldest zoo in the United States. Due to the Civil War, the zoo was not finished until 1874. The land is home to John Penn Jr.'s "Solitude." John Penn Jr. was the grandson of Pennsylvania's founder, William Penn.

His home "The Solitude" was erected in 1785 on the banks of the Schuylkill River. The house is one of the first neoclassical homes in America. John Penn was the son of Thomas Penn, one of the men involved in the infamous "Walking Purchase." He was known for being a quiet man who liked to write poetry and stroll through his gardens which later became the land for the zoo. For those of you that like the show, "the Solitude" and surrounding buildings was featured on Ghost Hunters.

The zoo holds more than 1,300 animals including many endangered species. It includes an aviary where the birds fly freely.

I have yet to go on the newer balloon ride. It has always been closed when I went before. This time it was open but Andy is very afraid of heights so we didn't go on. :(

Many people do not like zoos as they take animals out oftheir natural habitats and keeping animals in zoos really does not improvetheir endangered situation. I do like zoos because they showcase animals that Iwould never get to see otherwise. I hate that the animals are out of theirnatural habitats but I think the animals in captivity do a lot to educate andinterest people in preserving the natural habitats of the animals.

It is apparentthat the zoo is trying to fix many problems in the exhibits by combininganimals, giving the animals more space to roam while surrounding them withanimals that they would encounter in their natural habitats. The elephants wererecently sent to other zoos as the zoo did not have enough space to care for them properly and in 1995, the zoo had a fire and 23 animals died from carbonmonoxide poisoning. So zoos aren’tperfect but they do give animal lovers a chance to see many rare animals and are good educational tools.

We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed seeing the animals. Our favorites this time were a new family of orangutans. The mother was covered in a blanket, cuddling her new baby, who didn't want to lay still. The mother looked exhausted as if she hadn't slept in days and the father took a nap on the floor. It was such a cute little family.

Civil War Era Purse Knit-Along!!

2011-06-03T17:56:00.001-04:00

Many people expressed an interest in a knitted Civil War Era purse knit-along. Many thought that June would be the best month for it. I have changed the pattern since I have started planning this, if anyone wants the original pattern, feel free to e-mail me. I found that the "honeycomb" pattern was a little too difficult for some knitters and is almost impossible to fix if a stitch is dropped. I found this simple pattern and am happy that it makes a pretty purse that I think a lot of my readers will be happy with. As with the sontag knit-along, I will put a widget on my blog that allows participating knitters to post their progress every Friday. I understand that June is a reenactment month so will leave the widgets up until the next Wednesday.

The pattern I have chosen is from 1858 is simple and makes a pretty purse. A sample swatch is shown at the left. The purse is pretty on both sides.

I will be posting the instructions today. I tried to make them easy to print. If you would rather have a PDF copy of them, please send an e-mail to TheSailorsWifeSa@Aim.com.

Let me know what you think! I think we'll keep this one going until the end of July. Although it is a tiny purse, there is a lot of knitting to do. The result is very pretty and I can't wait to make one to hold all of my ball items. The cost of the purse should only be $4.00 unless you have to buy needles in which case the total will be close to $9.00. I wanted to make a purse that was affordable for everyone and within the ability of the majority of knitters.

Civil War Era Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

2011-05-30T10:57:00.001-04:00

Macaroni and cheese is a new receipt that my Civil War reenacting group is considering trying this year. We try to find something decent that I can eat as many period meals are meat heavy and I am a vegetarian.

Most recipes for "Maccaroni Cheese" from the period call for "pipe maccaroni" and Parmesan cheese. The closest thing to "pipe maccaroni" today is Bucatini. Ziti or Penne Rigate are more widely available but a bit thicker. In the Hand-book of the Useful Arts published in 1852, "MACARONI is a dough made of the flour of superfine wheat made into a pipe form, as thick as a goose-quill." In a pinch, the noodles from packaged macaroni and cheese today will work, just discard the cheese packet.

Period recipes recommend that the macaroni be boiled in water, milk or a meat broth and the spices for the dish frequently include white pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, mace, and mustard It could also be made in a puff paste and baked or mixed with bits of cooked ham or bacon. It is different from modern "mac and cheese" because it was more of a seasoned butter cream sauce with cheese added instead of the entire noodle being saturated in cheese.

"Maccaroni and Cheese" Recipe from Godey's Lady's Book, 1861

Ingredients:

- 6 ounces Bucatini / Perciatelli Noodles ect.(2 Cups)

- 1/4 Pound of Parmesan Cheese ( 1 Cup)

- 1/2 Cup Milk or Cream

- 1 Tablespoon Butter

- Salt to taste

- 2 dashes White Pepper

Boil your noodles in water with a pinch of salt according to the directions on the box. It normally takes about 9-12 minutes. Once the noodles are soft, strain them in a colander and cut the noodles into pieces about 1 inch long. Place a layer of noodles in the bottom of a small casserole dish. Add layers of cheese and layers of noodles making sure that you end with layer of cheese on top. Add salt and pepper to milk. Pour milk mixture over the noodles, cut up the butter in small pieces and place over the noodles. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. If you want you can add breadcrumbs over the top before baking.

**Note: White pepper was not included in the recipe from the book but is included in a similar recipe in The United States Cook Book which was published in 1856. Also keep in mind that macaroni was an imported good then and definitely not army fare.

There is a receipt for it in Mary and John Spaulding's Civil War Recipes: Receipts from the Pages of Godey's Lady's Book which dates the recipe to 1861. The recipe is for "Maccaroni Cheese" and reads as follows "Boil the maccaroni in milk; put in the stewpan butter, cheese, and seasoning; when melted, pour into the maccaroni, putting breadcrums over, which brown before the fire all together."

I have not found the recipe in the 1861 magazine but have found it in the October issue of 1863. This doesn't mean it was not in the 1861 magazine, because sometimes receipts in the magazine were repeated after a few years. I did find a different recipe for "Maccaroni Cheese" in the 1861 issue which I will include here.

This is the recipe I used above.

Why is this distinction important? Because the recipe has hit the internet for the "150 anniversary" and has been cloned and promoted on other sites as being from 1861. (This recipe is so popular it even has its own facebook page.) :D This is a good example how an error in a secondary source can become multiple errors in the history field. Does this mean that the book is horrible and no one should read it? No. It's a great book that brings a lot of great recipes together for people who can't access the real thing. It is one of my favorite books. But it does point out that you should always check your secondary sources against the real thing before you label something as fact. Everyone makes mistakes, just check to make sure you aren't amplifying a mistake.

Does it mean that the online recipe is not good? Not at all and the recipe clearly states that the author took it directly from the book implying that they did not check an actual copy of Godey's Lady's Book. Their intent was clearly to provide a period recipe for the masses to make and they succeeded. It's a recipe I would make in my kitchen but not in the field. We have to be careful: stating that they "had Mac and Cheese" during the Civil War may mislead the public or new reenactors into thinking it was the same as is today.