Early Farm Life in Bureau County, Illinois, and ... - New Page 1

Clothing
Quote by William C. Davis
Farm or country women often wore coarse homemade garments or whatever was
available: hardly glamorous.
But, on the other hand, examine the apparel worn at weddings. The women’s dresses were
fancy, and apparently any flowers held by the brides were made of paper, especially in
winter. The grooms suits typically looked pressed and neat, with shiny shoes/boots, but in
other pictures, the men’s shoes looked clearly worn.
Plumbing (and the Privy)
Quote by Eric Sloane
“Wallpapered and curtained, discreetly embowered at a considerable distance from the back
of the house, was the privy. It was not regarded with the petty humor that surrounds it today,
but was taken as seriously as the design of a bathroom is today. The familiar crescent shape
cut into these doors originally designated the building as being one reserved for ladies, for the
moon was always regarded as being female. The sun being regarded as male, it was once
used as the design on the doors for gentlemen”.
Wells and Windmills
Quote by William C.Davis
“The steady breezes of the prairies made windmills ideal, and as the decades went on, more
and more refinements were made in commercially manufactured machines so that tens of
thousands of them could be sent west, sold through mail order catalogs, for sums as little as
$25. With nothing more important than water, it was money well spent”.
Unknown home
Jacob Pinter and Family circa 1902 – see
windmill behind the trees
Chapter 8 Page 20