The Eckley Oral History Project

Used as a front room [?] bedroom by her + husband (till 1939) (crossed out writing - Used by her + husband) the double bed was facing the [c? or s?}hair way on the W wall. A (crossed out writing - vanity table) "buffet" [sideboard table]* (crossed out writing - with a mirror in the middle) was on the E wall. 2 chairs were there. Holy pictures were on the wall: Sacred Heart Sacred Heart of Mary St. Joseph Infant Jesus At first, there was plain boards. Later, carpet rags were put around the room, from door way to N wall. Walls were papered, ceiling was cloth Windows in both rooms had window shades Later, they got curtains (lace curtains) These she made herself. Kitchen window was a small 6 - pane window. There was a stoop porch there when she moved in. Husband Joe found some boards & built the present structure, in the 60's.

The present kitchen was built in 1950 by Joe, as was the indoor bathroom + washing machine room. * This is now in middle room. See photos, 8/10/72

Angela Varesano Date (?) Anne Timko [???] [??] - 12:30 pm. 7/26/72

[??] remedy ( bracket down next two paragraphs )

Used black salve [Ointment of [??] , 20% ] to draw pus from a wound that has festered. This deep [??] wound open [??] it heals right, that [?] so it heals from the bottom upward. [?] to get it in drugstores in Freeland.

[??] wound, to draw the pus [?] bread in the milk warmed on [??] apply like a polultice + bandage it. This will draw out the pus + help it heal.

Some people use to used grass from the garden - a kind of feathery weed They use to wet it + squeeze with fingers to soften it + get the juice out [??] right on the wound + bandage it. The [?] to heal it.

Flax seed poultice was also used. Remembers her daughter Anna [ ? ] getting hurt at playground on sight of [??] - her nose was bleeding + head wash[?}. The girl was about 3 years old. The girl complained about her hand the day she was supposed to be in the school Christmas play; the compl[?} was on her finger, which became infected. Anne took her to the [?] the day after Christmas

Doctor said to put on a flaxseed poultice . Her hand blistered. Her hand was swollen up to the elbow, + went up to her shoulder. ( words crossed out) [??] + her brother took the child to [?] for treatment at the doctor's he [?] wet turkish towels on arm [?] to help keep swelling down and gave a prescription for a drug [?] for some medicine. Child was in hospital for a month. If the [?] was a boil or a little cut, the poultice would have helped but not for a big infection. Flaxseed poultice: (underlined) Cook flaxseed in a pan with butter + [?] water, till it gets soft. Used butter in there so it wouldn't stick to the wound. Then apply it to the festering wound, directly. This way, if there's something wet then the wound doesn't close up from the top + seal in the pus; it heals from the bottom up + the pus comes out. When the top closes + the bottom isn't healed up. Use it when the infection is bad or serious, so it needs to be drained by a doctor. Then bandage it on. Change it when the[?] is getting dry + the poultice is drying out.

Colic(underlined) Used to [?] chamomile [?] brewed up in a tea for newborn babies who had a colic. Sometimes gave it to them because it was good. Sweetened with sugar. Sometimes added saraway seeds, too, because that was good for pain. They loved it, because it was sweet. The grown ups didn't take any.

(This next paragraph is crossed out) Remember when there was a girl she went to the house of George Matwak's mother, the mother [?]

Summers Her mother-in-law had a pow wow [?] in to deal with Joseph's father. But she didn't believe in him. The pow wower asked for a drink before he started. The treatment included breathing on the man, who was almosst paralyzed. It didn't help and she didn't believe in the pow wower. It seems the man had (crossed out word) a stroke or several strokes. [Joseph was [?] husband.] Her father-inlaw was [?] that way for a long time.

Folk remedy (arrow pointing up and down) Castoria was given to the kids when they had colds, this was to keep them regular. ["Keep" the bowels open] You'd give them warm milk + keep them in bed. 1 teaspoon was the dose a (day, crossed out), as needed; they used to like it beuase it was sweet.

Foods Within 3 years had a 5 1/2 month strike + 5 1/2 months again, it was like 1 full year of not working. This was in the 20's. There was no income- the people had to grow food in garden + can it - "putting the stuff up." The materials to preserve it was available - vinegar, sugar, spices. Vinegar - for chow chow + pickles sugar - added to everything Ketchup added spices, Ketchup (?) For ketchup. used beer bottles + put in bought corks, for storage. Later on, used to wax them - that didn't help, The stuff used to spoil sometimes, if the seal was loose, Later, got a capping device that capped the bottles by hands. This was before the 20's. Ketchup Cook peeled tomatoes - that had been sliced or pieced, till they got soft enough to come through a seive. Then put it through a sieve + cook the mass. Add salt to taste, sugar, pepper + ( atl lined through) spices,( cloves with a line through it), Put (?) spices by put in cinnamon directly, (? lined through) but allspice + cloves, ground, in a piece of cheesecloth, twist it up +

Used to make jelly from apples, + peaches, later, made from peaches + pineapple, also banana jelly with pineapple.

Apple jam ( underlined) Cooked apples with skin sliced up in pieces, until soft. Strain through a sieve to get skin + seeds out

Cook again with sugar + cinnamon till done , to right spreading consistency. Had small pint jars cleaned (washed with soap + water + rinsed). , on the stovem so they be hot. Pour it in boiling. Melted hot was ( parafiin) by put in pan on coal stove in back. Pour it on jam + seal it - a layer of 1/4 inch or more Layer should be in neck of jar. (?) Jars (in margin)

Jars (underlined) - used with zinc lid that screwed on. Washed + ( s + w) + boiled the lids if they were old lids, from the year before. Kept in a pan of hot waater on the stove. Had to use rubber collar - jar rings( underlined) - around the neck, withh zinc lids.

( looks like a hole was punched over the word Recipe) Grape Jelly (underlined)

Crush grapes with hands + cook till soft.

Put thin cloth over a colander: put cloth in collander, then put in grapes, and let juice drain into a container below. Squeeze grapes in cloth when it gets cool.

Used Certo, according to directions, to form jelly.

Also, used pectin powder, from stores, according to directions. Put in sugar to taste _ ( word crossed out) they used to use ( something crossed out) " a cup to a cup". She used more tha " a cup to a cup", since she thought ("it" is crossed out) that made the jelly too ("thin" is crossed out) watery. Boil sugar + juice together, till almost done.

Test it by putting some in a dish + put in refrigerator + let cool so you could tell how thick it was.

When was thick enough, put in Certo + let come to a boil for about a minute.

Bottle it hot. Seal with wax, ie, by pouring melted parafin (?) come out too thin, when used a " cup to a cup" . If cooked longer, it wasn't so clear. If you added more sugar, it would be sugary + when opened, sugar would settle to bottom. If warmed on stove, sugar would dissolve + recombine.

A. Varesano interviewing Anne Timko -3- 7/19/72 Tape 22-2

and they'd go through the water, and I;d just watch them. I wouldn't go. They'd say, come in! No, I'm afraid something's gonna bite me at the feet! AV: Well, these young boys, did they have to clean out the stable, or who? Who had to do that? AT: No, the mother or the father usually did that, you kno, to clean that out. Maybe some of them did, but as far as I remember, they didn't do that. Usually my mother use to take care of that stuff when she was able to do it. Then afterwards, already when she wasn't able, one time she had an ulcer, her leg was so bad she couldn't even walk, so my brother thirteen years old had to even milk the cow then. See, because he had to do it. There was no one else to do it. AV: Why didn't you do it? AT: I was married already, I was in my own home. And my father was gone already by then. So then he was taking care of the cow. We had the touch life around here. AV: Did both the boys and the girls have to help with the berry-picking? AT: Oh, yes. Even the youngest children would go berry-picking. That's the only way you raised some money. And you needed the money badly. AV: Like how young did they make them go out? AT: Well, my brother was seven years old, and he went a distance, after my father died, and he went a distance of I don't know how many miles that was. It was very far out in the woods, like out on the farms we used to go, picking huckleberries. And he was only seven years old. I was twelve, my brother was nine, and they younger one was seven years old. My mother would go with us. And I used to go with our children, too. And they'd get so angry! They didn't want me to go because I made them pick! When John was there, he even come with an attack of appendis, lucky he didn't die. He had an emergency operation that night, he was rushed to the hospital, and had an emergency operation for appendix. And I didn't even know they performed emergency operations. That was 1930. He was fiftenn years old. AV: Well, when the boys got to be more teenagers, then what kind of duties did they have? Anything else that they'd do around to help out more? AT: There usually like, during the summer, huckleberries; after huckleberries it was coal; after coal then you had to pick leaves for, you know, they kept chickens and cows and geese and everything else, well, instead of buying straw they'd go and carry leaves then, you know, to keep that for the bed for the animals. So that kept them busy all the time. They were always busy. And in between they always found a little time for play, just the same like you'uns had in the paper that time when the governor was here, that he was taking over the state - ah, town - and he was saying the way they used to go and ride in the and saw off some lumps of coal and then they'd go and pick their coal, and then they had time yet for sleigh riding. He said they still had time for play! AV: Your father was a miner, right? AT: Yes. AV: He had like a miner's certificate that he was working there? AT: Yes. Oh, they had to have a miner's certificate. They weren't allowed to, you know..... A laborer wouldn't need it. He'd just help the miner. But the miner had to have a certificate, you know, to be allowed to mine coal. AV: Well, was he the only source of income in your family, beside the berries? AT: That's right. And he died, and we were young left, and there was no other income.