HLRGazette Archives

Wood County History

By LOU MALLORY - Chairperson, Wood County Historical Commission

 County Historical Commission

 The locale for this memoir is the Pleasant Grove Community. It sat on terrain that ranged from rolling to slightly hilly and drained by a few small streams.

The upland soil was very sandy loam with clay subsoil with alluvian soil in the low lands. Timber was mostly of the hardwood variety. The streams and woodlands made fine hunting and fishing grounds.

Most farmers in the early days had old single or double barrel nuzzle-loading shotguns for small game and perhaps the old cal-and-ball single shot rifle for larger game. To load either of these, gun powder was poured in the barrel first from a measuring horn. Then paper wadding was packed in with the gun rod.

Each of these guns had a small hollow iron tube on top at the lower end of the gun barrel. A cap was put on top of the tube. When the trigger was pulled a let fly back, it set fire to the power and thus fired the shot.

When land was cleared, the farmer would set aside a sufficient amount of timber to be used a fuel for the home for a long period of time. Then he would select the timber needed for fences and farm buildings. Logs were cut in eight foot lengths then split into the proper size for rails used in fencing. If needed, logs were cut in shorter lengths for making boards used in building barns and other buildings on the farm.

If any logs remained that the farmer did not need, they were piled and burned. Sometimes, if the farmer had a great many logs to pile, he would give a "log rolling" and invite his neighbors to come help pile the logs.

The wives of the man who helped were also invited. In many cases, the farmer's wife would have a quilt in a frame and all the ladies would pitch in help quilt. A fine meal with a good variety of food was prepared and the guests enjoyed a noon hour feast. These events were enjoyable and a free neighborly act.

Farm methods in the early days were crude, slow and tedious. The number of acres one man could cultivate was few and the income was very small. The power used was one mule or one horse. The tools in use were small and could cover only a modest amount of ground.

For these reasons, most farms were small. In cultivating new ground, trees roots posed another hazard. When the plow hit a root, he could be thrown from the plow or the plow handles would hit him in the stomach.

At Christmas, farm work was suspended for one week so that everyone could enjoy a rest and celebrate the holiday. On Christmas Eve, carolers would come in group and visit the farm homes. One essential ingredient was a quantity of eggnog on hand to give the singers.

The carolers would arrive ringing horns and cow bells. They were usually invited in to sit at a table loaded with eggnog, pies, and cakes and told to eat and drink as much as they pleased.

Health and medical services were, of course, scant in the early days. Various illnesses and deaths would not happen with today's medicine and drugs. One part of the health hazards faced by early settlers was that windows didn't have screens to keep out disease-carrying flies and mosquitoes. Typhoid fever was among the most dreaded diseases. Doctors did not receive the long period of training they receive today and prescription drugs as we know them did not really exist. Caring for the sick and basic nursing was done by family members who did what they could aided by kind neighbors.

Snake bites were not uncommon and most settlers had ways to deal with these. One involved tying a piece of string above the bite, opening the bite to drain the venom and using the warm flash of a freshly-killed chicken to pull more venom out.

Apparently, this procedure also involved pouring whisky down the throat of the unfortunate victim to deaden the pain!

Most early farmers planted an orchard of different varieties of fruit trees in order to have an ample supply to fruit for the family to eat. In season, fresh peaches and other fruits were enjoyed. A portion of the fruit was also dried and stored for the off-season. Some canning and preserving also took place in many farm house kitchens to provide year-round nutrition.