Aristocrat of the Old South
From: boatrokr@hotmail.com
The "Aristocrat of the Old South" made me laugh. The Master spent his days entertaining guests and riding around the neighborhood? The Missus "didn't need" to work in the kitchen?
That's not what I read in letters and diaries of the period. Perhaps the very, very wealthy did this - but most men did the same back-breaking work on their plantations as the servants did. They spent their days riding and supervising the workers all over the estate, at the very best. My family worked in the fields alongside their servants, especially the children. They all knew how to pick cotton, shoe a horse, and run the mill.
The women made most of the clothes for all everyone, black and white, on the place, cared for the sick (black and white), and worked in the kitchen beside the cooks. Some taught their children.
Everyone was busy, from sunup to sundown.
This carried over into the following generations. I never saw my grandmother without some needlework. She said it was habit, for when she was growing up it was considered lazy and irresponsible for a lady to have idle hands. She said it wasn't unusual for them to take their knitting along when they called on neighbors and relatives; they could be doing something useful while they visited.
Grandma passed her art of multi-tasking to me. She taught me to embroider, and I still can't just sit down and watch tv without working on something at the same time.
What a wonderful letter. The truth we never hear from the writers of false history and those that report it.
ReplyDeleteTerry
Fla.
Yes and that is Helaina who is part Indian. She was at the Hunley Ball in 2004 and has stayed at Dixieland before.
DeleteSummers with grandma, canning, making jellies and jams, knitting for the coming winter, darning and mending, and if I was lucky, sitting under her old Singer sewing machine working the treadle when her sciatica flared up. She taught me to work, and enjoy the fruits of my labors.
ReplyDeleteif I was lucky, sitting under her old Singer sewing machine working the treadle when her sciatica flared up.
DeleteWonderful memories.
my dad and grandad were sharecroppers near nahunta nc and i helped all thru my youth till i went in the corps not cropse mr pres my main job when i was six was to hand the tobacco which we said baccerthe men to the left working at the baccer truck ,the small sled in the picture the women is working at a tyeing hrse tying the bundles of baccer the men are handing her to the backer stick sittin onthe horse my aunt louise and my granny were the fastest tyers in the community and were in great demand.after the baccer was tied it is put in the stack to the left then when it is all put on the stick the folks would climb up in the barn there are whats called tier poles which the backer sticks rest on in the barn sort of like a big ladder in the barn the topman would climb up in the barn to the top a straddle the tier poles one foot on each pole as wide as a man can spread his legs you knew you were growing up when you could go up in the barn below the topman was the middleman he stood on the teirpoles below the topman then the bottoman on the floor of the barn and a man handing the sticks in from the outside the stick would go from hand to handoutsideman bottomman to topman and then the stick would be set on the teir polesand a course when the baccer was cured the reverse had to be done.it was hot sweaty work and a course the baccer had sand on it and the sand would get all over you and the baccer gum from the baccer would stick to you well i like this site a bunch so thank you brock your friend truckwilkins
ReplyDeleteThank you for the description. I have 2 barns with one original and found one bundle in it which I have hanging over my desk.
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