Hazel E. Donahue
Born on the Swan Road, Harvey Station, Mrs. Hazel Donahue was the second child in a family of four. She worked for a number of years at Watson's Store and Watson's Lodge, and for 30 years in various positions at the Briggs and Little Woolen Mill. She retired in 1980.Our two-story house had a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and pantry on the main floor. Upstairs there was one bedroom and a large open hallway. Later on, a summer kitchen was added. During the winter the summer kitchen was used as a woodshed and storage. Eventually a cellar was built under the house and the inside of the main house was plastered.
The kitchen was our favourite room. Since this was the warmest room in the house, it was where we gathered. In daylight hours the women of the house did their baking, sewing and mending in the kitchen; evenings were spent with the entire family reading, playing games, or just getting caught up on each other's day.
Our water supply was a well located in the field behind the house. During the dry season we had to carefully ration the water as the well would sometimes go dry. We had to carry our water for baking, washing, and making butter. The livestock was driven to a spring farther in the woods.
When I was a child, my father had ten to twelve cows, pigs, horses, and hens. It was the children's responsibility to milk and feed the cows, collect the eggs and feed the hens, carry in the firewood and water.
We used a hand washer as well as a scrub board on laundry day. The water had to be carried from the well and heated on the stove. Our clean wash was then hung on the outside line to dry in the sun.
Whenever we had a chest cold, Mother would prepare a mustard plaster. A mustard plaster was a paste made out of lard and dry mustard. This paste was spread between two sheets of brown paper. The brown paper containing the mustard plaster was then laid on a piece of flannel which covered the ailing one's chest. The smell was not great but usually the results were.
For infected sores, Mother usually mashed up soap and sugar. This was placed on the sore to draw out the infection.
Hiccups were usually treated with a wee bit of sugar and water.
I attended the Swamp School which was a one-room school with Grades one through eight. At that time there were forty-five to fifty children. This school served a fairly large area in which there were several large families. In the spring and fall we walked to school, while in the winter we snowshoed, or were brought by horse and sleigh.
Our school had an attached woodshed. The wood fires were lit by Smith Swan. Behind the school was the partitioned outhouse. Drinking water was carried in a bucket from a neighbour's.
Everyone had a slate. There were two sizes of slates; one was 6" by 8" for the younger students; one was 10" by 12" for the older students. Slate pencils were bought at the store for two or three cents, depending on the quality of the lead. We would copy our arithmetic from the board onto our slates. The teacher would mark it. After we had made our corrections, we would clean our slates with a rag and some water.
During recess and noon break we usually played baseball, Ring Around the Rosy, or on the rope swings. Occasionally if the teacher were out of sight, the older students would play cards. Cards was a forbidden pastime so a lookout was stationed at a window to watch for the teacher. If by chance they were caught, the deck of cards was confiscated and the card players were reprimanded.
One morning when we arrived at the school, we discovered a band of gypsies were camped in the school yard. We were frightened of the gypsies so we walked on to a neighbour's. The gypsies were kindly asked to move on.
We carried our lunches in shortening cans. Our lunches usually consisted of bread with jam, molasses, or cold meat, and cake. In cool weather, we would bring a bottle of milk.
On Sundays we were limited in our activities. The Day of Rest was strictly observed. We walked the two and a half miles to and from church, morning and evening. Sunday School was usually during the afternoon. No big meals were prepared; only necessary work was performed. The children were not allowed to play games; their time was spent reading or colouring.
I can remember going with my father to Uncle Ed's grist mill. Farmers from the outlying areas would bring their oats and buckwheat to the mill. Sloven wagons drawn by two teams of horses were usually used to haul the grain. As the farmers waited, their buckwheat was ground into buckwheat flour for pancakes and canell which was fed to the pigs. Bread flour was bought in 100 pound bags or barrels. In most families, bread was made fresh daily.
Around three or four o'clock, a sponge was made. This sponge consisted of a yeast cake which had been soaked in warm water, some flour, salt, sugar and lard. Just before retiring, more flour and water was added to thicken the sponge. The thickened dough was put in a large bowl, wrapped in towels or blankets, and placed near the stove. In the morning the dough was punched down and put in the pans. After it had risen again, the bread was baked.
We made our own butter in a churn. A butter cream thermometer was used to check the temperature of the cream - it could not be too cold. A crank churn was used at our place. After churning for ten or fifteen minutes, we would drain off the buttermilk. Sometimes a butter worker, a wringer type of machine, was used for washing out the buttermilk. The butter at this point was washed three times. Salt was then added and worked in very carefully to avoid streaking. The butter was rinsed again before packing in a wooden box. In the summer the butter was yellow, however in the winter, we sometimes added butter colour. We could make fifty pounds in one churning.
Our cream was sold to the Yarmouth Creamery. The finished products were shipped to Nova Scotia and local outlets. The cream was stored in our basements until it was collected by the creamery once a week. During the summer it was collected twice weekly. Sweet cream, the cream that was collected fresh, was used for making ice cream.
The barter system was fairly common when I was growing up. We often exchanged our fresh butter and eggs for groceries, clothing and feed for the animals. Our butter sold at fifteen cents a pound; our eggs at ten cents a dozen. My father purchased a Tip Top Tailor suit from the local store. He paid $5.00 for the suit. We exchanged 100 lbs of butter at fifteen cents a pound for the suit.
In May and June the taxes were collected in parts of the community. When December arrived, the taxes were collected in the rest of the community. This tax money paid the teacher.