Month: May 2025

“Go down this street and turn left at the cooperage.”

This was a perfectly sensible way to give directions before the advent of street signs on the corners — or named streets. Nearly every town would have a cooper, many had more than one. After all, the demand for barrels, tubs, and buckets was steady and sure.

Farm products and factory items of all sorts were packed into barrels for shipment on wagons and boats. Sending sugar? Vinegar? Nails? Cloth? Pack it into a barrel and seal it up tight. Quick as you tapped the barrel head or bung into place, the goods were protected from rain and other hazards on the journey to the customer.

This reproduction of a cooper’s shop displays the type of items this villager made and sold.

In the sweet historical romance, Stitching a Dream, a cooper lives next door to the dress shop. Mrs. Fox is one of many ladies who brings her wardrobe concerns to Polly Black and Abigail Clark. Click on the link below to find a fuller description of the book. https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

Tobacco smoking has diminished in recent decades due to the known and publicized health consequences.

However, my ancestors–and possibly yours–tended to smoke tobacco in pipes. I can imagine the scene now.

The mid-19th century farmer works hard all day. When evening chores are done he wants to relax, perhaps enjoy fine weather by sitting on the porch or stoop. I can picture him sitting on a bench, leaning against the house wall, and lighting a pipe of precious tobacco. A time to chat with his wife. Watch the fireflies dance in the yard. Or study the sky. A ritual to finish his day and clear his mind for sleep.

This collection of parlor items from the second half of the 19th century includes a very fancy pipe. This would have been stored in a safe place, not carried in a coat pocket, and used only at home.

The male characters in New Dreams, a clean & wholesome historical romance, smoke an evening pipe. They smoked at home and in taverns. Picture half a dozen men discussing newspaper articles, drinking beer, and smoking pipes.

More than pipe smoking happens in New Dreams. Follow the link to learn more about this story of Deutsch immigrants. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

“Good morning, students.”

“Good morning, Mr. Hopewell,” the students of Elm Ridge school responded.

“First question: who can tell me the name of the President of the United States?”

A slim girl with dark hair in braids stood. “Mr. Millard Fillmore, sir.”

Can you imagine a school day beginning with this dialogue? Think back to 1851 and put yourself in the fictional village of Elm Ridge, Illinois. Steamboat whistles, church bells, horses’ hoofs on dirt streets, and people calling out to friends are the primary sounds. Your schoolroom is filled with English speaking students from ages five to fifteen.

Like many children, Joseph Black is a reluctant student. However, after he struggles through a period of bullying, he settles into the routine.

Joseph and his mother live at an intersection of American and Deutsch culture. You’ll find them, and their new neighbor, on the pages of the sweet romance, Stitching a Dream. Follow the link for more book details. https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

When you live in a small house (or apartment) all space is important. Have you considered a corner cabinet?

This piece of furniture, with concealed shelves below and often with either glass doors or open shelves above, served many modest homes in the 19th century.

The best, sometimes the only, tableware took pride of place where a visitor could admire. Plates, cups, bowls enough to accommodate the household with perhaps a few extra for guests. Flatware was stored in either a special box or a drawer. The space below was filled with other kitchen necessities — tinware and utensils.

In the sweet historical romance, Stitching a Dream, the seamstress Polly Black has a corner cabinet in her new living quarters. Due to a recent fire, her furnishings are few, but she keeps enough dishes to serve a full meal to a guest. Follow the link to this peek into 1851 Illinois.

https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh