Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 24 August 2003 Vol 2 Issue: #30 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Last week I announced that the summer had ended, for we sent the Grandchildren home to their parents because school was starting. I noted all week that loaded Vans and Pickup trucks were lined up outside of the dorms at local colleges and tech schools. Reports from around the country were much the same, except a report from Chris in Curtis, Nebraska, stating that one could distinguish Nebraskans returning to school for they were using horse trailers for moving. :) This led me to the topic of resourcefulness. Not only Nebraskans stand out in that department, but all Americans ... it is a good ole American trait! When the times get tough, the tough get going. This leads me to the fact that economic depressions and wars cause shortages, which causes people to look for substitutes. A friend of my Father's youth was Michael V DiSalle who once said, "The only way to keep food prices down is to ‘keep them down on the farm' ...." There was more to that, but I want just to emphasize that when the chips are down we as a people "make do". It wasn't only that gal in "Gone with the Wind" that when needing a new dress used the drapes. Mike DiSalle was once Mayor of Toledo, Ohio, Governor of Ohio and under Harry S Truman's administration, the Director of Price Stabilization. I was reminded of him when I found the newspaper report of a speech President Truman gave in honor of Mr DiSalle's retirement from Washington. My own youth was spent during the 1930s — a time when we recycled roller skates into 2x4 home constructed scooters. And, Christmas presents were new socks and sweaters. As boys and girls we thought it devilishly clever of us to make ink from berries ... Grandma and the Aunts canned elderberries, but we mashed them and dipped our pen points in the juices to write each other letters. We used the missile end of 22-bullets to write notes. What a dull gray mark they made. We experimented with chunks of coal from our coal bins. We weren't so clever after all. Since then I have learned that in the Southern State during and after the War Between the States that these were common items because that War caused shortages. The South had no or very few paper mills and inks were also imported. In a recent garage sale, I saw a sliced peach pit necklace strung together with a shoe lace. One very much like it can be found in museums. When all the valuable jewelry was sold off to finance the WBTS, women turned to slicing peach pits and stringing the pieces together to be worn as necklaces and bracelets. The Boy Scouts of America with their motto of "Be Prepared" prepared us to utilize what we had. Tin can cups. Gourds made into ladles, dippers, cups and/or bowls. We were taught how to whittle wooden spoons and knives. I was never much good at making forks though. Again, this was not really new skills. When folks were driven from their homes because of "visiting" armies, they also used skills to furnish these items of every day life. When the weather turned real cold, carpets were used as blankets. Soap is a mixture of lye, water and grease. A method of making lye is to filter water through a hopper filled with wood ash. This lye produces a very soft soap. To harden the soap, salt was added, [if available]. Another soap was produced by 12 quarts of water, 5 pounds of unslaked lime, and 5 pounds of washing soda that had been dissolved in 12 quarts of water. Mixed, it was left to sit for half-a-day to a full day. What clear liquid was poured off, and to this was added 3 and a half pounds of rendered grease and three to four ounces of rosin. After an hour of boiling it is poured out to cool. When meat fat was not available, cotton seed oil was substituted. Ferment Irish potatoes, grated green con and wheat bran. Skim off the surface and use the remaining solution to starch your clothes. We all know flour and water paste. How about glue from the gum of a Georgia peach or plum tree? Teeth were cleaned with crushed charcoal, or salt, or soda, or arrowroot. Tooth brushes were made from tree twigs, but I liked the licorice root, chewed until it was "broomed". When Barb and I were first married I saved every nail and straightened the out to be used again, as my Father and Uncles before me. Screws were saved to be used again and again. Even to this day my workbench is filled with coffee and peanut cans full of nuts, bolts, nails and screws. During the Civil War iron was most scarce so iron products were saved and reused and reused. Thanks to our ancestors writing to each other of their successes in utilizing substitutes for things they lacked we have a very rich heritage. Most of these things mentioned can be found in old letters and diaries. They are fascinating reading. I'm sure that you have heard of "twice turned". When dresses showed to much wear, they were "turned" — the material was rearranged, such as the top forming the bottom, with new added trim to form the "new" dress. Often dresses were "twice turned". When dresses couldn't be used any more, that material which was still usable was made into shirts for men or boys or quilts or braided rugs. Nothing was wasted. As leather became scarce, shoes needed to be conserved. In order to save wear and tear on shoes the "house slipper" was popular. They could be worn indoors and made from such things as old carpet, braided cloth, etc. The tops of old worn out boots were made into soles for less demanding wear about the house or home. Leather gloves were scarce, so were made at home from materials such as flannel. However, they could also be knitted or crocheted from yarn. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Im researching any pictures of Margaret Jones (1823-1901) JP genealogy website: http://www.ancestry-web.com/