When Christmas wasn't legal in America

Did you know America’s earliest settlers didn’t celebrate Christmas? The pilgrims (as history refers to them) may have ushered in the first Thanksgiving, but they were not fans of Christmas. The pilgrims were Separatists. They were much more conservative than the Puritans who want to purify the Anglican Church. Instead, the Separatists desired to start a new church that followed the Lord in a stricter fashion. They shunned anything related to paganism.

Separatist and Puritan ban the celebration
December 25, 1620 found the pilgrims frantically building shelters against the harsh winter. They had only arrived days earlier, resting only on the Sabbath. The following decades showed no inclinations to recognize the day. Both the Separatist and the Puritans who founded Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 banned Christmas celebrations.
Their reasons were both theological and moral. They believed Jesus was born in September rather than December.  Historically, December  25 was  on or near the Roman festival Saturnalia, the celebration of their Sun God, Mithra. Pope Julius I in 350 ADE supposedly chose that day to celebrate Christ’s birth to substitute a pagan ritual with a holy day. Naturally, neither the Separatists nor the Puritans desired to associate the birth of their Savior with the celebration of a pagan god.
Most Christmas celebrations in Europe went beyond a church service. Another thing that bothered our early settlers. There was much drunkenness, partying and debauchery, things they believed drew attention away from holiness, one of the pillars of their faith. Cotton Mathers, a leader of the Puritan church in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, identified those vices as playing games, cards, dancing, gluttony, and other things. That list doesn’t sound dissimilar to how we celebrate today to family game times, entertainment and overeating, except we might add football watching to the mix.

Cotton Mathers Getty Image

Vote out as a National Holiday, banned and fines
Christmas as a celebration was removed as a national holiday in England in 1645 due to a large Puritan influence in Parliament. Although it was unofficially celebrated after the workday was over. And religious services were still observed.
New England colonists banned any form of celebration in the 1600 and 1700s. Fines of five shillings, a hefty amount for most citizens, was levied against anyone who took the day off from work or was discovered feasting. The Puritans continued to ban it well into the 19th century.
Changes came slowly
As our country grew and new colonies formed, immigrants from other countries brought their Christmas traditions with them, both religious and secular. Benjamin Franklin wrote in his Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1739 regarding Christmas: “O blessed Season! Lov’d by Saints and Sinners/ For long devotions and even longer Dinners.”
During the Revolutionary War, Christmas was associated with England’s tyranny by many colonial New Englanders and was treated as any other day. George Washington and his men claimed a decisive victory on December 25, 1776, over the Hessian soldiers who were sleeping off a very drunken Christmas celebration.

 Even after America won their freedom, the Senate assembled on Christmas Day 1797, as did the House in 1802. Again, most of the thirteen colonies still carried on business as usual.

St Nicholas Poem and Alabama
By the mid-1800s celebrating Christmas gained popularity. Clement Clarke Moore’s Poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, published in New York in 1823 to much success shows the shift in acceptance of non-religious celebrations. Alabama was the first state to make Christmas a legal holiday in 1836, other states soon followed.
Massachusetts was the hold out. Businesses and schools stayed open through the 1850s, although the attitude was changing. Finally, President U. S. Grant declared Christmas a national holiday in 1870.
Christmas continued to change.
Along with making Christmas a national holiday came the adoption of many Christmas traditions from other cultures as our country spread from coast to coast. There are still groups today who don’t celebrate Christmas, not all for religious reasons. And unlike those in the past who were judged for celebrating, these groups are given the freedom to ignore the holiday if they desire.
Were you aware of the history behind Christmas as a holiday in America? What’s your favorite part of Christmas?

Cindy Ervin Huff, is a multi-published award-winning author. A 2018 Selah Finalist. She has a passion to encourage other writers on their journey. When she isn’t writing, she feeds her addiction to reading and enjoys her retirement with her husband of 50 plus years, Charles. Visit her at www.cindyervinhuff.com.
 

Cherishing Her Heart
Dianna Pilson takes on a new identity as Susan Sullivan after escaping from the asylum her  unsavory ex-husband put her in. She heads west with Fredrick Sullivan, her late father’s valet, pretending to be his daughter. They arrive in the small-town of Cooperville, Kansas where Fredrick has kin.  Becoming a simple woman of a lower class is challenging. She has no domestic skills, but her new Papa and his family are right there to help and keep her safe. Changing herself is much harder than she imagined, but far better than a lifetime in an asylum.
 

Monty Summerfield, a wealthy businessman, moved to Cooperville  to start over after his unscrupulous partner blew up the mine they owned with him in it. Assuming Monty was dead he  stole his identity and even his mail-order bride. After Ernie’s death, Monty has worked hard to regain his good name. Content as a bachelor he focuses on building his business interests and helping the community. Then Susan Sullivan steps off the stagecoach. He’s captivated by her, but can he risk his heart and scale the walls she’s built around hers.
As danger lurks from Susan’s past, and Monty steps up to help, can she trust him? Will their only solution lead to a happily-ever-after or bring on more trouble?

Available February 2025 Grab this link to preorder.

Benjamin Franklin and the 'Fugio' Cent Coin

 By Mary Dodge Allen

Benjamin Franklin, oil on canvas, Joseph Duplessis, National Portrait Gallery

Have you ever heard of the Fugio cent?

It is the first official circulated coin of the United States. It has also been referred to as the Franklin cent because he designed the coin.

On April 21, 1787, the Congress of the Confederation of the United States passed a resolution approving Franklin’s coin design and authorizing the production of a one cent copper coin.

Fugio cent, front

On the front of the coin, the word ‘Fugio’ (Latin translation - “I flee” or “I fly”) appears on the left edge. The image of the Sun at the top with its light shining down on a sundial signifies the passing of time... as in time flying by all too quickly.

The motto “Mind Your Business” appears at the bottom. But its meaning is not “mind your own business,” as in refraining from gossip and meddling. Franklin was a successful statesman, inventor and businessman, and he believed that to achieve progress, people must use their time wisely and work diligently toward worthy goals. This motto is a reminder to keep focused on your own goals and business without wasting precious time.

Fugio cent, back

The back of the coin displays thirteen chain links joined together in a circle, representing the original thirteen states. The motto “We Are One” appears in the center. 

(After the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, the motto on U.S. coins became “E Pluribus Unum” - Latin for “out of many, one.” This motto is also found on the Great Seal of the United States.)

Did you know there was a scandal involved in minting the Fugio cent?

When the United States was in its infancy, the monetary situation was chaotic. Continental paper currency had collapsed in value, and all through the 1780’s there was a pronounced shortage of genuine gold, silver and copper coins in circulation. Under the Articles of Confederation, both Congress and the states were authorized to mint coinage, to help alleviate this shortage.

Enter... James Jarvis. He owned a thriving mint operation that produced copper coins for the state of Connecticut.

In April 1787, when Congress authorized the printing of the copper Fugio cents, Jarvis used bribery to secure this valuable government contract, which authorized him to produce 300 tons of copper coins.

Congress loaned him 30 tons of copper to begin the operation, with the agreement that he would use his coinage profits to repay the government for the copper loan. Soon after securing the government contract, Jarvis traveled to Europe in search of more copper supplies. He left his father-in-law, Samuel Broome in charge of the mint operation.

In violation of the contract, Broome used most of the copper provided by Congress to continue making Connecticut coins called “coppers” because these lighter weight coins were more profitable. Over the next several months, Broome made no effort to use his profits to pay off the government’s copper loan.

After receiving no payments for the copper, Congress finally canceled the contract in the summer of 1788, and Broome left in a hurry to join Jarvis in France. After more than a full year of production, his operation had minted less than 400,000 Fugio cents. This may sound like a huge number, but it was a far cry from the number of coins that should have been produced from 30 tons of copper. Clearly, Broome had used most of the government’s copper to produce Connecticut coins.

(This experience with a dishonest private mint operation likely persuaded Congress to establish a national mint four years later, in 1792).

What is a Fugio cent worth now?

In 1788, the Bank of New York acquired a keg containing thousands of the newly-minted Fugio cents and stored the coins in its basement. They sat, forgotten, until they were discovered in 1856. At that time, the coins were placed in cotton bags, stored in a vault and forgotten again. They weren’t rediscovered until the mid-1920’s. 

Bank of New York Building, 1922, Irving Underhill

These Fugio cents were found to be in mint condition, and hundreds of them were given out to clients as interesting keepsakes. It wasn’t until the late 1940’s that Fugio cents began attracting the serious interest of collectors and the American Numismatic Society. 

In 2022:

A circulated Fugio cent reportedly sold for $1,575.

An uncirculated Fugio cent sold on eBay for $3,500.


What was it Ben Franklin said about a penny saved?

Contrary to popular belief, he never said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

Pages from Poor Richard's Almanack, undated (Public Domain)

In the 1737 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack, Franklin wrote: “A penny saved is two pence clear.”

And in terms of the Fugio cent...  “A penny saved is worth $3,500.”

________________

Mary Dodge Allen is the winner of a 2022 Christian Indie Award, a 2022 Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida, where she has served as a volunteer with the local police department. Her childhood in Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, sparked her lifelong love of the outdoors. She has worked as a Teacher, Counselor and Social Worker. Her quirky sense of humor is energized by a passion for coffee and chocolate. She is a member of the Florida Writer's Association, American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers. 

Website: www.marydodgeallen.com

Mary's novel: Hunt for a Hometown Killer won the 2022 Christian Indie Award, First Place - Mystery/Suspense; and the 2022 Angel Book Award - Mystery/Suspense.

Click the link below to buy Hunt for a Hometown Killer at Amazon.com:

Hunt For A Hometown Killer: A Novel: Allen, Mary Dodge: 9781952369704: Amazon.com: Books

 

Link to Mary's Spotlight Interview:  Mary Dodge Allen Author Spotlight EA Books

 

The Right to Bear Arms: Second Amendment

 I’ve never owned a gun in my life, nor ever shot one—except for a toy. But I am a firm believer in the Second Amendment which states: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. So what was the necessity of being allowed to keep weapons? As believers in God and in the sin nature of man as taught in Scripture, the early Americans understood the need for self-protection. They had only recently been under attack from the soldiers of England’s King. When might the next round of attacks come from an enemy either domestic or foreign? In the same vein, what if an intruder threatened the life and well-being of one’s family? Does not an American, or any person, have the right to self-protection? These are, sadly, very real scenarios that many have had to deal with. In recent years and with the development of sophisticated rifles, the question of types of guns has come to the fore. Which ones should be allowed and which should be banned in order to prevent mass shootings? These are certainly questions to be discussed and decisions need to be made.

But to ban all weapons is in direct opposition to the spirit of the United States Constitution.

The conflict seems to partly rest in the humanistic belief that man is basically good. For those who believe in good vs. evil, the answer is more basic: Good will triumph when evil is restrained. 

 

 

Elaine Cooper’s most recent novel, Scarred Vessels, is a finalist in the 2021 Selah Awards Contest. Her novel, Love’s Kindling is the second-place winner in Historical Romance for the 2020 Selah Awards. Like many of Cooper’s books, they focus on the era of the American Revolution. She has authored several historical novels, a non-fiction memoir, and has been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. Although not a current resident of New England, Cooper’s heart for history was birthed there and continues to thrive.

IT'S ABOUT TIME

Several years ago, I was writing a time travel novel. Because I had two timelines running simultaneously, I needed to outline them so I kind of knew what was going on and when. My heroine got trapped ninety years in the past and had to solve a murder before she became the new victim. 

In the present, the hero was trying to figure out how to get her back before the murder. He went over to his best-friend’s place to do the math. I had their conversation all figured out until his friend said, “I assume you’ve figured Daylight Saving Time into your calculations.”

Where did that come from? I certainly hadn’t thought about Daylight Saving Time (DST). One of the things I love about writing is that my characters often surprise me.

I jumped online to do a quick search: “When did DST start?”

A simple question.

But not so simple of an answer.

If asked who invented Daylight Saving Time, what would your answer be? A lot of people would say Benjamin Franklin. He is credited for inventing it. But did he? Let’s take a step back through time. (Pun intended.)

Ancient civilizations had a strange relationship with time. They divided the daylight hours into twelve equal parts. So, in the spring, those parts (or hours) got progressively longer (one could get more done in an “hour”), and in the autumn, they got shorter (less done in and “hour”). The Romans used water clocks and had different scales for different months. At one time of year, an “hour” could be forty-four minutes and at another seventy-five. Sounds like higher math to me. 

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote a satirical essay on how the Parisians could save money and candles. He suggested the daylight could be better utilized by rising one hour earlier in the morning. No mention of altering time or changing clocks.

The “invention” of DST came much later by two British men almost at the same time, scientists George Vernon Hudson and builder William Willett. In 1895, Hudson proposed changing clocks two hours in October and back in March. It didn’t catch on. Ten years later, he suggested it again, but this time changing clocks ahead twenty-minutes each Sunday in April and then reversing the process on the Sundays in September. That meant changing clocks eight times a year. Twice is more than enough for me. 

Though Britain didn’t embrace this idea, in 1908, residents of Ontario, Canada were the first to utilize DST. Several other locations in Canada followed suit. 

On April 30, 1916, Germany and Austria began Daylight Saving Time to save resources during WWI. Other European countries quickly jumped on the time-saving bandwagon that same year; Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, Tasmania, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and Britain. In 1917, Australia and Newfoundland joined the DST crowd. 

DST was formally adopted in the U.S. on March 19, 1918. The law also set standard time zones. 

Yes! I had my answer. 

But . . . 

Because of its unpopularity, Daylight Saving Time was revoked after the war. The federal government left it up to states and localities to decide if they wanted to utilize DST or not. Some states like Massachusetts and Rhode Island kept DST as well as cities like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia (a.k.a. “City Time”). But this meant, some cities would have DST but not the whole state? So, you could be in one time standing in one of these cities, but take a step to the left outside the city limits and you suddenly time traveled an hour. 

None of this helped me. I still didn’t know if the part of the country my story was set in had DST or not. Nor if the town I modeled my town after did or not. I was left scratching my head. 

Then along came WWII and a standardized Daylight Saving Time was instituted year-round from February 9, 1942 to September 30, 1945 and called “War Time.” 

From 1945 to 1966, Daylight Saving Time was once again a free-for-all left up to each individual location to decide. Each different place could choose not only if they would have DST but when it would start and stop. This caused a lot of confusion for the TV and radio broadcasters as well as transportation like trains, buses, and commercial flight schedules. Transportation and broadcasting companies had to publish new schedules every time a state or city started or stopped DST. 

There was even a thirty-five-mile stretch of highway from Moundsville, W.V. to Steubenville, Ohio where a bus driver and the passengers passed through seven distinctive time zones. Seven! 

So, if a train left Chicago at two o’clock and traveled fifty miles an hour in any direction for fifty miles, what time would it arrive? Um . . . two o’clock? Did Scotty beam it there? I’m confused. I never liked those train math word problems. 

On April 12, 1966, the U.S. federal government signed into law the Uniform Time Act. Whew. Finally, some sanity. More or less. Hawaii and Arizona don’t participate in DST, but the Navajo Nation in Arizona does while the Hopi Reservation, which is surrounded by the Navajo Nation, doesn’t. I would be all kinds of time challenged there.

On March 5, 2018, Florida passed the Sunshine Protection Act, keeping them on Daylight Saving Time year-round.

In the end, I did like I usually do in all my fiction, I made it up. After all, the town was fictional so its time could be as well. If anyone is wondering where to get my time travel story, sadly it’s caught in a time warp and hasn’t been published yet but hopefully at some point in the future.

Or the past?

Isn’t history fun! 


NEW RELEASE: “Holly & Ivy,” my historical romance novella in A BOUQUET OF 

BRIDES COLLECTION, takes place in 1890, in Washington State. It’s about a young woman who accompanies her impetuous younger sister on her trip across the country to be a Christmas mail-order bride and is helped by a gallant stranger. 

#BouquetOfBrides #ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. She has five titles releasing in 2018; "Holly & Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection in January 2018, Courting Her Amish Heart in March 2018, The Widow’s Plight in July 2018, Courting Her Secret Heart September 2018, & “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in MISSAdventure Brides Collection in December 2018. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-three years and two cats. She has three adult children and one incredibly adorable grandchild. Find her online at:
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Do You See What I See?

Don't you love the new look? And aren't you glad that you have adequate vision to enjoy the fancy fonts and snazzy new title of our blog? Kudos to those who made it all happen.

Carla Stewart here. I’m recovering from cataract surgery, and for the first time since second grade, I have perfect distance vision. It’s almost miraculous to me, but I am grateful that with corrective lenses through the years I’ve been able to live a near-normal existence (minus the fear of deep water and losing my glasses in the depths of the ocean and minor things like that).

Since all I’ve focused on (pun intended) for the past few weeks is vision, I’ve been drawn to learn about the evolution of glasses and what people did who had impaired vision. I was surprised by how long seeing aids have been around. Here’s a quick history (short since eye strain with the computer is still bothersome):

4 BC – 65 AD – Roman tragedian Seneca used a glass globe of water as a magnifier to read “all the books of Rome.”

Middle ages: Monks used glass spheres as magnifying glasses. Most historians credit Italian monks or craftsmen with making the first eyeglasses – two small magnifying glasses set in bone, metal or leather mountings that balanced on the bridge of the nose.

16th Century Eyeglasses - Wiki Commons

Salvino D'Armate is most often credited with the invention of the first wearable eye glasses around 1284. The convex lenses could correct both hyperopia (farsightedness or inability to see things up close)and presyopia (age-related inability to focus on near objects). Lenses to correct myopia (nearsightedness where near vision is clear but objects farther away are blurred) didn’t come into being until the beginning of the 1400’s.

13^th Centurey Venetian glass blowers also produced reading stones of solid glass that were put in hand-held frames made of horn or wood (similar to magnifying lens today).

There is debate over whether the first sunglasses were developed in the Far East or the West. The Chinese used colored glass for adornment and because they believed in its magical powers, but credit for the first use of colored corrective lenses goes to James Ayscough from England in the 18^th century. Modern sunglasses as we know them were invented by Sam Foster in 1929, who marketed them commercially (Foster-Grants, anyone?).

Benjamin Frankin, inventor of bifocals

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin developed bifocal glasses. He was getting old and was having trouble seeing both up-close and at a distance. Getting tired of switching between two types of glasses, he devised a way to have both types of lenses fit into the frame. Bifocals with the sections fused together were not invented until 1908.

In the 1800s eyeglasses were considered evidence of old age and infirmity. Women, in particular, preferred to wear spectacles only when they were needed. Those who could afford it found hand-held designs such as the lorgnette to avoid having glasses on their faces.

Faberge Lorgnette, Tsaritsno Musueum, courtesy of Wiki Commons

These “trendy” lorgnette glasses were developed around 1780 from scissor spectacles and had a single long handle. In 1830, a French manufacturer designed a hinged bridge with a spring, which allowed the eyeglasses to be folded.  Lorgnettes became so popular during the mid to late 1800s that manufacturers placed them into various objects including mechanical pencils, fans and even an ear trumpet.

Monocle with Gallery, Wiki Commons

A monocle is used to correct or enhance the vision in only one eye. The circular lens usually had a wire ring around the glass that could be attached to a string or wire which was then connected to the wearer's clothing to avoid losing the monocle.

By the end of the 19th Century, more people wore their eyeglasses everyday, and the pince-nez became popular. This inexpensive spectacle was French for "pinch nose," and was imported to America after the 1850s. Pince-nez have no temples, but fit snugly on the bridge of the nose.  Their popularity increased when political figures such as U.S. Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge wore them regularly.

Pince-nez

Eyewear has come a long ways in two thousand years, and while contact lenses and new technologies have made vision better and better in the last half of the twentieth century, I can’t help but ponder what my life would have been like in the middle ages. Would I have been relegated to stumbling around, bumping into things or even be considered an imbecile because of my vision impairment? Thankfully, I live in modern times and have the latest technology at my fingertips. Now, if I could only remember where I put my readers, I’d have it made.

Do you wear glasses? How has that impacted your life? Leave a comment on this blog to be entered for one of the exciting giveaways that Heroes, Heroines, and History is doing this month to celebrate our new look. See details on the Rafflecopter link below for ways to enter multiple times.

Carla Stewart is the award-winning author of five novels. With a passion for times gone by, it is her desire to take readers back to that warm, familiar place in their hearts called “home.” Her newest release is The Hatmaker's Heart. In New York City’s Jazz Age, a naïve, but talented young hat designer must weigh the cost of success when the rekindled love with her childhood sweetheart is lost and her integrity in the cutthroat fashion world is tested.

Learn more about Carla at www.carlastewart.com 

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Swept Away by .... Brooms!

Susan F. Craft

Stoves didn’t exist during colonial American times. Women cooked outside over an open fire or in huge fireplaces in the kitchen. They prepared meals using reflector ovens and pots hanging from chain, hooks and cranes. Wood was carried in for the fire, and the ashes had to be carried out, which made for a messy job. So, as with most things, necessity became the mother of invention. Voila, the broom came into being.

     Colonial American brooms, called beson (pronounced bee-zum), consisted of bundles of twigs tied together and attached to a handle. Cordage used to tie the broom was made from hemp and flax. Rougher fibers were used to make the cordage. Other crude brooms were made of reeds, grasses, small twigs, branches, and corn husks but didn’t last long, requiring frequent replacements.

     As with many other inventions, Ben Franklin had a hand in broom making. He found a seed on a broom that a friend brought him from France for dusting his beaver hat. He obtained some of the broomcorn seeds in Hungary, which he planted and which grew into tall corn-like plants with a flowering brush of stiff fibers.

     Broomcorn, which had been cultivated in Asia and Africa since ancient times, became a novelty for gardens in Philadelphia. The first recorded broom, comprised of sorghum fibers, was made in 1797 by a man in Massachusetts, Levi Dickenson.

    

The planting of broomcorn and broom-making grew into an important industry, and for more than a century, the American housewife considered a good broom a prized possession. Brooms came in many sizes and for various purposes--floor brooms, outdoor brooms, whisk brooms, brushes, and pot brooms used in the kitchens to clean away dust, debris, and ashes from fireplaces.

     Shakers who lived in Watervliet, NY, began their broom-making businesses around 1798 and are credited with inventing the flat broom. They recorded that Theodore Bates of Watervliet examined the circular bundled broom and determined that flat brooms would move dust and dirt more efficiently. The bundles were put into a vice, flattened, and sewn in place.

    



From the Pioneer Broom Shoppe



By 1820, Shakers had developed machinery to improve the quality of brooms and discovered that wire was an effective way of securing the broom handles. Settlers throughout the Appalachian region blended their skills and crafts. Although brooms were manufactured in Massachusetts and sent all around the country, there were isolated Appalachian communities that carried on the traditions of the old ways well into the early 1800s.

    Susan F. Craft is the author of The Chamomile, a Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance award winning Revolutionary inspiration romantic suspense.

     The site for Susan's blog, Historical Fiction a Light in Time, is http://historicalfictionalightintime.blogsot.com