By MISS MARY MINERThere is little to say that has not already been said this evening, regarding primitive days in this part of Clinton county. All have family records and histories of Chazy written by different people. Family genealogy is not of much interest save to those who are connected with the family. I infer that the object of this entertainment (not speaking of the financial part) is mainly to speak of the families who were here during the early part of this century, from what country they came, and some reminiscences of their lives.
My knowledge is limited, as mv father went from here when he was quite young. I remember some things he told me when I was a child, which were of great interest to me then. My grandfather, Clement S. Miner, came from Edinburgh, Scotland, and settled with his parents in Connecticut. I think he must have come here previous to the war of 1812, for he enlisted in and served during the war as fife major. My grandmother Miner's maiden name was Lydia Dominy Her father, Captain John Dominy was a sea captain. He was by descent, Holland Dutch. His parents living on Long Island, he made a visit to this part of New York and purchased a fine farm on Point Au Roche. He was considered a wealthy man in those days. An incident occurred during the war, when grandmother was a child. The British soldiers were passing the house and her father told the children to get on their knees under the window, so as to prevent being killed, if the soldiers fired into the room.
After the marriage of my grandparents, they came to Chazy, bought and lived on what is now called the McCollough place, south of Chazy village. The old, yellow frame house, which is row standing on the place, was built by my grandfather. It must be near seventy-eight years since the house was erected, There were nine children in the family, eight sons and one daughter. Out of that large family only two sons are living, Augustus, who resides on Point Au Roche, and Luther whose home is in Portland, Oregon. After a time my grandfather bought a farm on what is called " The Ridge," moved there with his family, where he and his wife remained until their death. John Miner, who died about five years ago, was the only son who could come back and remain at home. .My father, Edwin D. Miner, died in Cloverdale, California, inl887. He sang bass in the Congregational church choir in Chazy, when only] sixteen years of age, and was a member of this church, as were his parents and one brother.
To show the energy and endurance of the boys of sixty years ago, I will mention one instance, and it is one of the many traits in my father's character, of which his daughters are very proud. Part of' the farm owned by my grandfather Miner. after he moved from the village, was purchased from a tract of land owned by John Law, who was a large land owner in different states, (or perhaps some of them then were territories), and whose home was in Salem. New York. Grandfather Law dying suddenly and grandfather Miner still owing something on his farm. some effort had to be made to pay the debt to the Law estate. My father, then a lad of 17 years of age, but strong, said he would go south, work and pay the debt. Please bear in mind that the distance from Chazy to Washington county was greater then, considering duration of time, than it is now from here to Pacific Coast, and attended with about half as much expense. The means to defray the expense of such a journey was a thing to be considered, especially where the family was large. My father said be would walk the distance. His brother Henry, who was only about two years younger, took him in winter, as far as Elizabethtown. After a tearful good bye, the young brothers parted; my father's first going away from home to stay and among strangers, with the prospect of a long, tiresome journey of about 160 miles before him, and one dollar in his pocket to pay for lodgings and breakfast, (which were very cheap then, compared to now),and a lunch prepared by his mother for other refreshment.
How many boys of today would be willing to leave a good home and undertake to walk such a distance, rather than take the money and ride? He reached his destination a tired, homesick boy, but received a warm welcome; remained and paid the debt, afterwards applying other money justly earned for an education. After finishing school he accepted a position in W. H. Myers' store in Plattsburgh, I think he was employed as book-keeper, finally going to New York and buying goods for Mr. Myers. He married Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of John Law, of Salem, N. Y. Afterwards he went into the mercantile business there with his brother Henry. The firm known as E. D. & W. H. Miner.
One of the customs related to me, when I was very young and which excited my interest, was the mode of riding on horse back, when a women would place one child in front of her on the horse, and hold another in her arms. Later on a wagon was purchased.. I think two or three families used to come to church in one conveyance for I have been told it used to be said when a wagon holding twelve or fifteen children stopped in front of the church. It was called "The load from The Ridge."
There is quite a difference too in the way of ]inflating houses now, and the way they were lighted years ago. We touch a button and our houses are lighted by electricity. They used tallow candles except on grand occasions, when wax ones were lighted. The tallow candles were made by hanging candle wicking over smooth round sticks, (the latter treasured from year to year as if they were gold), then the wicks were dipped in hot tallow and the ends of the rods placed on stools until the tallow became cool, then the dipping was repeated until the candles were the size desired. The process lasting a number of days. Stores were not is accessible as at the present time and goods were very dear. Women came to houses and wove material to supply the family for some time. BIankets and bedspreads were also woven. In this age of conveniences and improvements in machinery, we cannot boast of doing things with greater dispatch, than one instance, which I shall mention. It my not have occurred in this town, but probably in the county. A man going to the war needed a new suit of clothes, and it was necessary to have them at once. Within forty-eight hours from the time the wool was on the sheep's back, the man was wearing the clothes. The shearing, carding, spinning and weaving having been done in an almost incredible time, by t number of dexterous hands.
Preserving and drying fruits preceded the glass and tin cans of today. Fruit was cooked with sugar pound for pound, and put away in crocks. Let us tike a look into the kitchen of sixty years ago. We call see rings of golden pumpkins hanging on long round poles; driven into the ceiling. Around the sides of the kitchen we can see apples strung on cords attached to nails. Another look and you see bunches of green and ripe peppers, put up to dry, and no housewife in olden times, thought her Larder complete without a barrel of cider apple sauce. The usual flavoring was sticks of cinnamon.
They did not consult a physician then as much is we do now, for they went to "Mother Nature" and laid in a supply of different herbs, for all symptoms of disease. Evidently the parents in the early period of the country, had not heard of, or dlid not believe that the system undergoes a change every seven years, for every mother did not consider she had discharged her duty to her children, until they were exposed to whooping cough, measles, and mumps, and no child had the blessing of earth, until he had been through a siege of these maladies to prepare him for future health and happiness.
The pioneers of this century and their children in old Clinton County, were a happy, moral, God fearing people. The determination and sturdy constitutions inherited by them from ancestors across the sea, are characteristics that few of us possess. Taking all into consideration, it is a question which were and which are the happier people, they of the old, or we of the new.
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