Candles in Colonial America

Elaine Marie Cooper

      I will never forget the great Northeast blackout when I was eleven or so. It was an event that forever made me deeply appreciate Thomas Edison’s light bulb invention.

Doing my homework at my bedroom desk that long-ago November evening, the lights began to flicker. I thought it was just my lamp bulb, but when I walked out to the hallway, the light there was flickering as well. Within moments, everything was dark.

Those of us who were home already (it was about 5 p.m. on the East coast) scrambled to find every single candle we could find: Decorative pillars, wax Santa Claus figures, formal tapers—no vestige of paraffin and wick was safe from our discovery.

We lit up each candle and the wondrous feel of bygone days illuminated each corner of our 1860’s Massachusetts home. It was magical. And the best part was, I didn’t have to finish my homework because it was so dark!

What was a unique and inconvenient experience for my family that night was, of course, the norm in Colonial America. Candles then were a necessary commodity that provided the only source of illumination in homes that were not just dark—they were pitch dark. No outdoor street lights were around to help someone’s vision. The only other source of light was the hearth, which burned all day and night. 

The very first in-house lighting in the northern and southern colonies was provided by pine knots (called candlewood) from fat pitch pine. These chunks of wood produced wonderful light but messy tar residue and a lot of smoke. Thus they were usually placed in the corner of the hearth on a flat stone. The saying was that a wise farmer would be better off starting out a winter without hay than a good supply of candlewood.

As the numbers of cattle increased in the colonies, farmers began saving the tallow residue from the animal fat to make candles. These waxy stalks were highly prized, not just for their usefulness but because of the difficulty in producing them in the first place.

The process of candle-making involved setting up two large kettles over the fire in the hearth. Fireplaces in Colonial homes were enormous, sometimes as long as eight feet.

Within each kettle they placed water and tallow, then candle rods were strung with long wicks for dipping into the heated mixture. It is said that the best tallow fat was a combination of both sheep and beef fat. As the wicks became coated with the blend, they were then set to dry on long poles set across two chairs or other support devices. To enlarge the candles, the coated wicks were alternately dipped and dried, until they were the proper size. 

It was an all-day ordeal as the women transformed the bare wicks into the source of light that brought illumination through the long winter nights. The annual candle-dipping usually created about 400 tapers. 

No wonder Colonial women used their candles sparingly. 

In Jack Larkin’s The Reshaping of Everyday Life: 1790-1840, he describes illumination in the home:

During the day, Americans depended on direct sunlight entering through windows or open doors. They read, sewed, or did other close work near windows, and moved their tables and chairs to follow the sun around the house.

At night, most Americans walked in darkness between the flickering fire and the ‘feeble circle of light’ that Harriett Beecher Stowe remembered, made by “the dim gleam of a solitary tallow candle.”

Candle Box

Some colonists enjoyed the scent of bayberry candles. This required huge numbers of berries—about fifteen pounds of berries to make one pound of wax—and was impractical for most households. When the berries were boiled, a waxy substance floated to the top and was skimmed off. The wax often softened at high temperatures so did not keep well in summertime. 

Keeping the candles safe from mice who were lured by the scent of fat, posed an additional problem. Many colonials used candle boxes high up on the wall to keep the critters out. And of course, mice-catching cats were also helpful in the cause. 

One colonial home I toured in Massachusetts provided a cat door for the family feline to go out or come in at will. 

While today I love candles for the romantic atmosphere they create, Colonials regarded the soft light as a necessity and, at times, likely wished it was brighter for certain tasks like sewing. 

But I’ll never forget the excitement of the Great Northeast blackout in my childhood. It transformed my home back to colonial times and made me both grateful for electricity, yet long for the serenity and simpler times of the past.

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that recently released: War’s Respite (Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. Love’s Kindling is available in both e-book and paperback. They are the first two books in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. 

Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She penned the three-book Deer Run Saga and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies including the 2019 Chicken Soup for the Soul. Scarred Vessels, a novel about black soldiers in the American Revolution, will release in 2020. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

The Colonial Housewife’s Lot—and Book Giveaway!

Colonial housewives obviously didn’t have all the labor-saving devices we women have today to help us maintain our households. Not only do we have refrigerators and stoves, dishwashers and washing machines, vacuum sweepers, and numerous other appliances, we also have hot and cold running water in our houses and enjoy the comforts of central heating and air while doing our. Today we’re going to take a look at the lot of the farm woman in colonial times. So lace up your stays, put on your bedgown and petticoats, tie on a fresh apron, and for the next few minutes slip your feet into the shoes of a colonial woman managing her domain.

Colonial hearth

You’ll quickly discover that running a colonial household requires a staggering array of skills. You’ll begin your day while it’s still dark outside, and your first job will be to build up the fire on the kitchen hearth from the live coals you carefully banked beneath ashes the night before. You did remember to do that, didn’t you? Lighting a new fire when yours has gone out isn’t an easy business, and it’s not something you look forward too. But assuming your coals are still glowing, you’ll rake the coals into several piles, depending how many dishes you plan to cook for the day, and add kindling to each to

Spinning yarn

bring up a low flame. A few logs are next, while you ply your bellows to get a proper fire going. It’s important that you know which kind of wood is best for baking or frying and how to correctly gauge the temperature of each of your fires for the dish you’ll prepare over it. If you intend to bake bread, then the bake oven has to be stoked and heated to the correct temperature as well. In the summer you’ll find the heat in the kitchen to be stifling. And, of course, in the winter the outer edges of the rooms, where the heat doesn’t reach, will freeze. So dress accordingly, but be very sure to keep your petticoats away from the fire to prevent a not uncommon tragedy.

Dipping candles

Cooking for the family and managing the kitchen is not the only work you’ll have to do, however. You must also feed the chickens and gather the eggs, churn milk into butter, and make cheese, grind a sufficient supply of corn into meal, and wash the laundry by boiling it in a large kettle over a fire. Of course, there’s always your large garden plant and tend. Then in the evenings you’ll want to spin flax and wool into thread and yarn on the large and small spinning wheels. After dying the yarn, you’ll be able to weave cloth on the loom so you can sew clothing for yourself and your family. And in your spare time you’ll need to make candles! If you have a tin or pewter candle mold, that will definitely speed the task. Otherwise, you’ll have to cut individual wicks, tie them to a stick, dip them into tallow, and let them dry before dipping again and again until they reach the right thickness.

A great resource for learning about the nitty-gritty of daily life in the colonial period is Alice Morse Earle’s Home Life in Colonial Days. It’s fun—and daunting—to read through it and discover what life was really like back then. The following directions for butchering chickens, which would have been the same in the 1700s, come from the 1877 Buckeye Cookbook. I grew up on a farm and well remember my mother killing and preparing the chicken for Sunday dinner the same way—and warning me about removing the gall very carefully!

Colonial Dominique Chickens

“Do not feed poultry the day before killing; cut off the head, hang up by the legs, as the meat will be more white and wholesome if bled freely and quickly. In winter, kill them three days to a week before cooking. Scald well by dipping in and out of a pail or tub of boiling water, being careful not to scald so much as to set the feathers and make them more difficult to pluck; place the fowl on a board with the neck towards you, pull the feathers away from you, which will be in the direction they naturally lie (if pulled in a contrary direction the skin is likely to be torn), be careful to remove all of the pin-feathers with a knife or a pair of tweezers; singe, but not smoke over blazing paper, place on a meat-board, and with a sharp knife cut off the legs a little below the knee to prevent the muscles from shrinking away from the joint, and remove the oil-bag above the tail. Take out the crop, either by making a slit at the back of the neck or in front (the last is better), taking care that everything pertaining to the crop or windpipe is removed, cut the neck-bone off close to the body, leaving the skin a good length if to be stuffed; cut a slit three inches long from the tail upwards, being careful to cut only through the skin, put in a finger at the breast and detach all the intestines, taking care not to burst the gall-bag (situated near the upper part of the breast-bone, and attached to the liver; if broken, no washing can remove the bitter taint left on every spot it touches). Put in the hand at the incision near the tail, and draw out carefully all intestines; trim off the fat from the breast and at the lower incision; split the gizzard and take out the inside and inner lining (throw liver, heart, and gizzard into water, wash well, and lay aside to be cooked and used for the gravy). Wash the fowl thoroughly in several waters (some wipe carefully without washing), hang up to drain, and it is ready to be stuffed, skewered, and placed to roast.”

Whew! That’s a lot of work for one platter of chicken that’s consumed by a hungry family in minutes, not to mention all the dishes the poor colonial housewife had to cook to go along with it and the cleanup involved. The difference in the amount of women’s labor when I was a child compared to what we have to do today, is striking enough. But when I think about the vastly greater work the 18th century housewife had to do—well, I need my fainting couch! As they say, a man may work from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done!

I’m giving away one print and one ebook copy of my newest release, The Return, Book 2 of the Northkill Amish series, coauthored with Bob Hostetler. Everyone who leaves a comment on this post by the end of the day tomorrow will be entered in the drawing—unless you specify otherwise—and the winner will be announced Monday morning. Tell me whether you grew up on a farm or in the city, whether you had chores as a child, and if so, which was your favorite—or not! Also please let me know whether you prefer print or ebook and include your email addy so I can contact you if you win.

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is also an author, editor, and publisher. Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series coauthored with Bob Hostetler, won Foreword Magazine’s 2014 INDYFAB Book of the Year Bronze Award for historical fiction. Book 2, The Return, released April 1, 2017. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. One Holy Night, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story, won the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year Award.

Returning to Colonial America and New Castle Delaware

By Tiffany Amber Stockton


Last month, I introduced you to the heroine from my first published novel. She shared her news about leaving England and joining her parents in America, detailing her fears and concerns about beginning life anew.

We'll continue hearing from her today, where she'll share a little of what it was like arriving on a ship in the New World and all her new life had to offer.

ARRIVAL IN PHILADELPHIA: JOURNEY TO NEW CASTLE

When the ship stopped in Philadelphia, we planted our feet on dry land and bowed down to give thanks to God Almighty for bringing us here safely. Others who traveled with us were not so fortunate. Their lives were not in vain, but I offer a prayer for their families who will learn of their deaths weeks or months from now.

Philadelphia reminded me a lot of home, with its cobblestone streets, carriages, women and men dressed in fashion and the children running to and fro, carefree. Although we were not among those in the poorer parts of the ship, our health still suffered greatly. We could not tarry long, however, as we had to make our way to New Castle, where our new life awaited. After securing horses and a carriage for our belongings, we began our journey into the Three Lower Counties.

We mostly walked. To carry our gear—tools, tents, and food—we had a large, heavy wagon pulled by a team of strong horses. The road through the woods was sometimes just a path that we had to clear of trees. We helped the horses by pushing the wagon as they strained up long, steep hills and by guiding the team across streams and rivers. It was very important that everyone worked together, and we traveled with a small assembly of 9 others. At night, the we found a comfortable camping place near a spring or clear creek. Everyone had jobs, and Mar cooked meals over a campfire—the chicken was especially delicious.

We slept in blankets on the ground under the stars, sometimes putting up a tent. One of our group slept in a hammock that he strung between two trees. After breakfast, the journey continued. We met interesting people along the way: innkeepers, millers, or farmers from whom we bought grains, hay for our horses, and food. Most of the people we encountered spoke English or German, so we had no difficulty communicating. As we got closer to our destination, we saw more and more people and the area became more populated nearer New Castle.

I look forward to our new home and feel the excitement of beginning life anew here. I only pray it will bring Papa the great success he seeks.

A NEW FRIEND AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

The ships arrive and depart from the bay, all with some place to go or bringing new people and supplies to town. I am sitting on the banks as I write this, wishing for something more than the life I now have. Do not misunderstand; this life in the Colonies has been one of adventure and surprise, but I cannot help but long for the familiar days of my life in England. I was comfortable then. I knew what to expect out of the people there. I had my place, and my future was all but guaranteed.

Now, working in the candle shop Mar and Papa own and living in the quarters above the shop, I find I long for more. There are many other residents here in town who are near my age, but they seem to have a life that is so foreign from my own. I try to get involved, but I find that I simply do not see things from the same perspective as they. I am learning, though, thanks to Kaariana, a young girl I would have to consider my greatest friend here.

She came into the shop a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to join her for a refreshment on the town green. After receiving Mar's approval, I left. We quickly found much in common, despite our different backgrounds, and she has been a constant companion every since. We do almost everything together. I must admit that her presence has made the lonely days much more bearable.

As we begin to head into the summer months here, I find the weather to be quite different than it was back home. Mar has had to purchase lightweight fabric for new clothing, and we often leave our windows open abovestairs to release the oppressive heat that gathers at the higher levels.

I still long for home, but each day here is lessening that desire. Perhaps I can find comfort in this new life. Papa and Mar wish I would try. For them, and for me, I shall.

CANDLE MAKING

Today, Mar showed me how to blend the wax we dip to allow for a multi-color display when the cooled wax candle is carved. The entire process fascinates me. There are a certain number of dips that must be made in each color for the blend to be completed successfully. Then, the wax has to cool to a certain temperature in order for the second color to be added without melting the previous layer.

Kaariana came calling after she had completed her studies for the day. When she observed the work Mar and I were doing, she wished to assist as well. Together, we accomplished three times more than I had alone. Papa took our cooled wax to another table in the back of the shop for carving. Kaariana and I were both fascinated by the result when Papa put his knife to the soft wax.

The curls began at the top as he sliced through the various layers, shaping and molding the carvings back against the original wax piece. Sometimes, the curls would be a completely different color. Other times, it would be a mixture of several colors. Each candle was unique, and we received the highest payment for these.

It is a good thing Papa selected this shop location. The front window is protected from the sun's heat by the large maple tree in front. Because of that, we are able to display our finer candles for all to see. Townsfolk come at all times of the day and early evening, and we have had some requests for specific needs.

I love this work, but I admit. Kaariana makes everything more enjoyable. She cannot replace my dear cousins, but her smile and mischievous nature are a welcome respite against the young gentleman who come calling or the pretentious boars who attempt to impress me with tales of their accolades. Thanks be to God I am not yet of the age where I need be considering this, but Mar tells me it will not be too much longer.

Pray that times passes slowly, for if the young men here are any indication of my options, I would prefer to remain with Mar and Papa.

Now it's YOUR turn:

• What one thing surprised or fascinated you about the journal entries today?
• How long do you think it would take you to make friends in a new place?
• Do you easily make friends, or does it take you a while to warm up to new people you meet?

Next month, it's a showcase of Colonial New Castle and why I've chosen such a fascinating town as the setting for my upcoming 3-book series for a new publisher. Have a blessed and relaxing Thanksgiving and I'll see you in December!

---

BIO
Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an award-winning author and speaker who has partnered with Nerium International in the anti-aging skin care industry, helping others look younger and live better. She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one girl and one boy, an Aussie/retriever mix named Roxie and and Australian cattle dog/Corgi mix named Timber. She has sold fourteen books so far and is represented by agent Sandra Bishop of the TransAtlantic Agency. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.