HELLO ALL; I hope you will forgive ONE more Washday story. This is a story of my great grandmother Bessie LITTLE COURTRIGHT. Her husband Charles Henry Courtright's father was born in Wilkes Barre, Luzerne Co, PA. My grandmother, their daughter, Pearl used to use Warsh, Rinch, and You'ins--just for the kids there. Charles's grandmother was a Klinetop also b in Luzerne Co, PA and she spoke very broken English. Her language was German. Below was written by Delce Courtright Copeland, my grandmothers sister. My grandmother was dead at the time of this writing so I have none of these types of writings except for the stories she used to tell me when I was young. I wish she would have told me more, but I usually got to sit with the grownups if I did not talk, that is how I heard the stories--so I could not ask questions. One thing my grandmother always said, was that their house was so full of love, laughter, and music, greatgrandmother played a mean piano, and ggrandfather played a wicked violin(my grandmothers words). They had 9 children, two who died by the age of one. They raised their family in Payne/Noble Co, OK and were in the first land rush in IT(as children though). Great Aunt Delce's Story: "It's Monday of any week, that means washday. Rush to get breakfast over and the dishes washed and put away. Put beans on to cook for dinner. Strip the beds of sheets, there is probably only one pair to a bed. While Mother is doing these "small" chores one of the kids, or two if they are small, is out at the old pump filling a wash tub full of water. Then mother builds a fire under the old black cast iron kettle which is filled with water.(MY NOTE--IT IS HARD TO PICTURE MY TEENY TINY LITTLE GGRANDMOTHER DOING ALL OF THIS). The order of the day from then on: If it is warm weather the wash tubs and the old wash board is placed under a tree. Clothes to be washed are in assorted piles according to color. The sheets or white things are washed first. Using a cake of homemade lye soap, you wash on the rubboard hoping you don't scrape your knuckles.(that hurt's) You rub on the board, rub generously with lye soap up and down, until it is really clean. No spots! Wring it out and place in tub of rinse water. (MY NOTE--THEY MADE THEIR OWN LYE SOAP-ANOTHER STORY) When the first rinse tub is full, the clothes are rinsed up and down, wrung out and put in the kettle of hot water which has cut up lye soap in it. Then while boiling, a stick(usually an old cut off broom handle) is used to stir the clothes, from the boiling water with this same stick. They are put in a tub of cold water. The soap is rinsed out again, wrung out and placed in a tub of bluing water. This helps keep the white things white. Then you rinse again, put in a basket carry to the clothes line and hang up to dry. Then you start again on the other "batches" of clothes. Changing water when the one is no longer deemed to be clean enough. The men's work clothes are washed last because they are the darkest and dirtiest. Things that need starch, such as dresses, dresser scarves, men shirts, etc, are taken into the house. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford "Faultless" starch you use that. Otherwise a starch is made of a little flour and water cooked on the wood stove and weakened down, according to the amount of stiffening wanted in the garment. These are hung on the line. The men come in from the fields for dinner. At our house it was usually the beans and homemade bread or corn bread, if there is time. Maybe something from the jars in the cellar pickled beets, canned peaches, pickles from the pickle barrell or some homemade sourkraut from a large crockery jar. The beans are seasoned with salt port or ham. All in all it's a very good meal. Then it was the dishes and back to the old rub board. The other clothes taken off the line and folded and put away. The sheets are put back on the beds. The starched pieces are brought in and put in a pile. You fill a bowl full of water and dip your fingers in the bowl and one at a time sprinkle the clothes to be ironed. Then roll each and put in a bushel basket. Then it's time for supper. Eggs to gather, wood to be brought in, chicken's to feed, go to the pasture and bring in the cows, and the lamps to be filled with oil. The mem feed the livestock and milk the cows. Then after the dishes are washed someone brings out the violin or harmonica. We sing and dance around and have a little fun. Then the kids gather around the dining table and study. It's the end of another wash day. Tomorrow we iron with the old flat irons heated on the stove. I remember often I was in in my own home years later thanking God for my electric iron and now I thank God for my automatic washers and clothes dryers and especially for dacron and polyester. I have more wash days but I still have time to bake a batch of cookies or a cake(using a cake mix), watch a favorite TV program or just sit and think about "THE GOOD OLD DAYS." Signed "Delce (Courtright) Copeland"(sister to Pearl Courtright Clancy) and daughter of Charles Henry Courtright and Bessie Little Courtright. I hope you enjoyed my little treasure, (it is that to me). Sincerely Carolyn Leverich Atkinson / email: catkinsn@ecity.net 1602 York /In replying send copy of our correspondence. 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