LAUNDRY DAY IN THE 1880s by Linda Hoover

 

In the second book of my Heart’s Desire series, Heart’s Promise, Jacob and Julia move to Iowa and buy a farm half a day’s wagon ride from town. Living that distance away required farm families to have a large vegetable garden, fruit trees and the animals needed to sustain them. This was about to be an intense learning experience for socialite, Julia, who confessed on their way west that she’d never been in a kitchen before, and the only thing she knew about gardens was that flowers grew there. They were in Iowa only two weeks before Julia confessed she needed help. Their nearest neighbor’s daughter volunteered to stay with them and teach Julia how to be a farm wife.

One of the most labor-intensive things women in that time period had to do was laundry. Water had to be carried in and poured into kettles to heat on the stove. Once it was hot, it went into large wooden tubs. But before they could wash the clothes, they had to have laundry soap. In Julia’s case, they had to start from scratch. She got out the two biggest pots they had and measured out a gallon of water into each. She poured five pounds of sal soda, or washing soda, into a pot along with one pound of borax. One pound of unslaked lime went into the other pot. Both were brought to a boil then emptied into one of the wooden tubs. Eight more gallons of water went in with the hot mixture. After a few stirs, it was left to sit overnight. That was the base for the detergent.

The next day, they made the soft soap by cutting four bars of soap into slivers and boiling it with two pounds of sal soda and three gallons of water for ten minutes. Next half a pint of the soft soap and half a pint of the base, and four more gallons of water were added. They now had four gallons of detergent to work with. The rest of the base got poured into crocks to use for future batches. Now the white clothes were boiled and the colored clothes were scrubbed against a washboard. A wringer attached the wash tub to the rinse tub. Julia cranked the handle as the clothes were fed one at a time through the wringer to the rinse water. The clothes went through the wringer again before they were hung on the line.

While researching laundry detergent I found that for a number of years now a lot of people want to make their own. The ingredients were pretty similar to each other. The link will take you to the Frugal Village website where you can see a recipe for Duggar’s Laundry Soap.

https://www.frugalvillage.com/threads/duggars-laundry-soap-recipe.111389/

                                                                                

Inventors made steady improvements, but the things they came up with still required manual labor to make it work. It wasn’t until 1907 that Thor came out with an electric washing machine. Other brands soon followed.

An excerpt from Heart’s Journey

As Julia continued to explore their new home, she saw a room off the kitchen with three large wooden tubs leaning against a wall. A contraption with two rollers and a hand crank stood propped in a corner, while several large crocks with lids lined a wall. A freestanding cupboard stood opposite the tubs along with a large wicker basket and a table with a cloth bag full of wooden pegs. She would need an explanation for these items.

 

Buy Heart's Journey            

About the Author

Linda, a retired librarian, lives in west central Ohio with her husband and grandson. An avid reader and writer since childhood, she began her publishing career writing columns and a middle-grade serial for the South Charleston Spectator. She writes Fun, Faith-Filled Historical Romance. Her desire is to entertain, but more importantly, to encourage readers with God’s faithfulness.

You’re invited to visit her website. Browse the pages to learn more about her and her books. Stay in touch when you sign up for her newsletter. You’ll receive a free novella as a thank you.

https://lindahooverbooks.com

Women in Journalism – with Giveaway – by Donna Schlachter

 

Pexels.com Maryam Alruiwaie

In keeping with a recent release, Dianna’s Dilemma, in which the heroine is a journalist with the Colorado Springs Weekly Gazette, I thought I’d do some research into women in journalism through history. And boy, was I surprised! 

Women have been involved in newspapers in America since colonial times, when newspapers were often operated as a family affair. The gentle ladies worked alongside their fathers, brothers, or perhaps husbands to not only gather the news stories, but also to typeset and print them. Sometimes, a woman inherited the business from her husband, maintaining not only the family income but their legacy to pass along to their children. By the 1800s, women often were relegated to the more genteel sections of the paper, including birth, marriage, and death announcement; engagements; social events; reviews for the theater; and ultimately, to gossip columns meant to transmit news in the nicest of ways, of course. 

The following is a sample listing of women journalists, citing instances of important firsts in bold: 

• Elizabeth Timothy (ca. 1700-1757) – first woman publisher on record in US, inheriting the South Carolina Gazette when her husband died. • Mary Katherine Goddard (ca. 1738-1816) – printed and distributed the first official copy of the Declaration of Independence. 

• Cornelia Walter (ca. 1813-1898) – first woman editor of a newspaper in US 

• Ida B. Wells-Barnett (ca. 1862-1931) – part owner and editor of Memphis Free Speech 

• Eleanor Patterson (ca. 1881-1948) – editor and publisher of Washington Herald in 1930. 

A. Scott Duniway (Oregon Encyclopedia)

 

In a speech given regularly to interested audiences in 1897, Abigail Scott Duniway listed female journalists who influenced her life and encouraged her to persevere in what was commonly considered a male bastion. One of her earliest memories was of a small weekly publication called Lily which was the product of Mrs. Amelia Bloomer, after whom the costume is named. 

Miss Duniway held such women in high esteem, and the article referenced below in the Resources section is a veritable who’s who within the publishing industry itself. The women named were not on the sidelines or relegated to menial positions on their newspapers—these were editors, publishers, owners, and true journalists. She shares their struggles and stories, including the one about Mrs. Leslie who, after her husband died, leaving their paper in debt, assumed her husband’s first name, Frank, borrowed $50,000 (an exorbitant amount in the 1880s) and went to work. In less than two years, she’d repaid the debt. 

Courtesy Historic Sites.DC Preservation

Another important first in the world of journalism was Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first black female journalist in North America and first female journalist in Canada—and much more. Born in 1823, she spent her life helping others through education, the law, journalism, and anti-slavery efforts. She served as co-editor of Canada’s first anti-slavery newspaper, the Provincial Freeman, and she published several pamphlets and articles in Washington DC newspapers. Another item of note is that she is recognized as one of the first black female lawyers in the US, earning her degree in 1883 at the age of 60. 

In my book, Dianna Dewalt is assigned to cover the inauguration of the town of La Junta, Colorado, which actually occurred in 1881. Several real life characters and events are key points in the story, including the reason antelope are still on the town’s official shield. You can learn more about the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3SCZFTZ 

And if you enjoy this story, you might like to check out the rest of the multi-author series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K7FP3SJ 

Giveaway: Leave a comment and enter a random drawing for a print (US only) or ebook copy of Dianna’s Dilemma. Please remember to cleverly disguise your email address so you don’t get spammed. For example: donna AT liveybtheword DOT com (Note: no email address, and I can’t enter you into the drawing) 

Resources:

https://guides.loc.gov/c.php?g=859127&p=7407249

https://asduniway.org/%E2%80%9Cwoman-in-journalism%E2%80%9D-circa-february-september-1897/

https://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/35

 

About Donna: A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 50 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. 

Connecting online: 

www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!

www.DonnaSchlachter.com/blog

Check out previous blog posts at www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com and www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor

Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter

Books: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-schlachter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=donna+schlachter

The Adams House, a Modern Marvel and yet Abandoned

By Kathy Kovach

Adams House Museum, Deadwood South Dakota

Sitting on a prime piece of land, four parcels to be exact, is Deadwood, South Dakota’s crowning architectural glory. The Adams House. Many articles had been written about it in its heyday. One local newspaper reporter wrote: “When completed the residence will equal in point of beauty anything of its kind west of Omaha.”

Harris Franklin was a Jewish immigrant who had become successful through wholesale liquor and later diversified into cattle, gold mining, and banking. He, his wife, Anna, and his son Nathan moved to Deadwood in the Dakota Territory in 1877. He purchased the aforementioned land and commissioned Jewish architect Simeon D. Eisendrath to design their new home.

Bells not located in Adams House

Built in the elegant Queen Anne style, it included wonders such as central heat and plumbing, with hot and cold running water. Electricity powered the home, and servants were summoned with electric bells. The most modern addition was the telephone. Gorgeous oak trim and stained-glass windows adorned the house, as well. When the Franklins took residency in 1883, they were truly the talk of the town.

The first social gathering in the elegant home was for their son who married Ada F. Keller on September 14 the year they moved in.

Anna Franklin later hired a Chicago firm to redecorate her house a mere three years after moving in. Soon, her health failed, and on January 10, 1902, she died. Three years later, Harris sold the house to Nathan and Ada for a token $1.

Deadwood, South Dakota

Nathan Harris continued his father’s legacy as a successful businessman and, on two different occasions in 1914 and 1916, was elected mayor of Deadwood. He and Ada raised their only daughter, Anna Mildred, in the stylish home. At some point, Mildred moved to New York, along with her grandfather Harris, and by 1918, Nathan and Ada decided to relocate there as well to be closer to their daughter and his father.

Enter William E. (aka W.E.) Adams and his wife Alice who bought the house for $8,500 in 1920.

Tragedy struck several times under the new occupancy. Five years after moving in, Alice was diagnosed with cancer. Even so, she traveled to California to visit her daughter, Helen, who was pregnant. While Alice was there, she died. Helen went into premature labor, also perishing along with the baby girl. W.E. was distraught as he had also lost a daughter thirteen years earlier. All alone now, he donated $35,000 to Deadwood to create the Adams Museum to honor his family.

Adams Museum

Sometime afterward, the 73-year-old W.E. married 29-year-old Mary Mastrovish Vicich. They had only been married seven years when W.E. succumbed to a stroke and passed away. Mary couldn’t stay in the house after the death of her husband, and she vacated the premises suddenly—it’s said she thought it was haunted—leaving everything intact, including music sheets on the piano and cookies in the cookie jar.

The house was closed up for fifty years.

Finally, in 1987, the house was bought and restored. By 2000, it was opened to the public and everything, including the cookies, was just as Mary had left them.

To see the elegant home at 22 Van Buren Street in Deadwood, South Dakota, one would never know the tragic history. However, the daily tours apprise visitors of happy and sad times within the walls of the Adams House.

Celebrate with us! 

To celebrate reaching 3 Million views, HHH is hosting a HUGE giveaway of over 60 books in 18 prizes, so there are many chances to win! One grand prize will consist of 10 books, two readers will win a second prize containing 5 books, and there will be 15 winners of a third prize containing 2 books each. There are several ways to earn entries, such as following, or commenting on the HHH blog each day. Thank you for being part of the HHH community, and best wishes in the giveaway!

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ce16d9c612/?

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother, though much too young for that. Kathleen is a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

Website
Blog With A Giggle
CraftCinema

Facebook