Essex in 1785

A contemporary of Samuel Griffin’s grandsons, who grew up in his grandfather's house, wrote the following description of life in Essex in a history written concerning the Castle family. The Castles were contemporaries of Samuel Griffin. Their farms shared a common boundary. “Our fathers, tried in the fires of the Revolution, which had consumed their substance, were men of nerve and great physical power. They came here to make a home. We have heard and read of their privations, sufferings, and destitution in the first years of their life in the woods; how that many of their rude cabins were without doors and without floors; how the storms beat through their roofs and wild beasts howled around their dwellings at night; how scanty their wardrobe and still more scanty their furniture; how a kettle or two a few pewter plates, and wooden trenches, two or three knives and forks, and some three-legged stools and a straw bed in the corner constituted their household articles; how, worse than all, they would not have any bread for weeks and but a scant supply of meat.” “ Their faming utensils were clumsy, their clothing homespun and course, but durable The men wore tow shirts, striped woolen frocks and leather aprons. In the winter they wore shoes, excluding the snow with woolen leggings, fastened down over the tip of the shoes by strings. Boots were rare; surtouts or overcoats were rarer still. Tea and coffee were almost unknown. Corn, beans and barley broth were in constant use. Hasty-pudding and milk was the standing supper. On the Sabbath for lunch, instances were not wanting when men carried in the pockets a few cold boiled potatoes.”------ The Griffins arrived some 10 years after the first inhabitants that are described in the above monograph. My guess is that circumstance had probably improved somewhat.-------------- Hasty Pudding; ¾ cup maple syrup, 1/3 cup water, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup brown sugar. ½ cup cream, ¼ cup butter, 1 tsp vanilla, raisins or walnuts. Combine syrup and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, measure sifted flower. Add baking powder and salt, butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. Poor into greased casserole. Sprinkle with raisins or nuts. Pour boiling syrup over batter. Bake in moderate oven for 35- 40 minutes. Serve warm with cream.