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(JCJ 2/1/1950) - Reminiscenses of Mannsville in the 1880's, by Mrs. Anson Hurd
I was born in Mannsville in 1872 and lived there until I was about 16 years of age. I attended the public school and the
Methodist church near the school. At that time there was some sort of a porch on the west front of the entrance to the church
where the girls would spend the noon hour. There was a log shed for horses where the boys would play and a large ground for
baseball and other sports. Children were taught to go to church and Sunday School in those days.
I remember some of the ministers, Rev. Caton, Rev. Eugene Waugh and Rev. Mr. Kellogg with I believe a son Curtis and 2 daughters;
Rev. A.E. Corse with a son Dudley and a daughter, and Rev. Charles H. Walton. There was always Christmas exercises, the program
opening with the Lord’s Prayer by Willie Cox, a deaf mute.
Mrs. Ira Bettinger was my 1st Sunday School teacher. I have her picture taken on a tin type, also several little cards upon
which are printed verses to commit and recite the following Sunday. My next Sunday school teacher was Mrs. Orange B. Robinson
and I have a little vase she gave each as a Christmas gift to her 5 pupils. Of the 5 in the class, Nellie Wheeler Carter,
Edith Parker and myself, are living. Hattie Withington and Flora Near, having passed away.
I will try and give some of the business enterprises: There was a tannery operated by Hamilton Root and brother Hannibal;
the latter also had a shoe shop; the building standing where Staplin’s lilac park now is. John Freeman had a wagon shop.
John Hughes operated a tin shop. D.E. Hurd had a drug store and after all these years it has lately come into possession of
Leonard Odell he buying it of Duane Loucks. George P. Clark and Ira Bettinger had grocery stores. There were barber shops,
two or three. Sidney Claflin worked at clocks and watches. Ed. Lester had undertaking rooms. R.W Huested had a photography
gallery and kept silver and jewelry as a sideline. Mannsville had a grist mill. Ben Webster and son Frank kept the village
meat market. I have their recipe for sausage. Samuel Stearns had a harness shop later operated by Eugene Wheeler; blacksmith
shops were operated by Cook, Balch and VanWormer.
E.L. Stone had the village cheese factory where my father, Maxcy Washburn, made cheese for 13 consecutive years. Andrew Wheeler
practiced law; Augustus Baker was a justice of peace; Gilbert Gardner was the proprietor of the village hotel, later owned
by C.B. Gibeau, who also kept a livery. There was also the Hanchett Tavern south of the village near the railroad. J.E. and
Albert Jackson operated a bakery and specialized in taffy candy at the Sandy Creek Fairs.
Several dressmakers were established in the village, among them being Mrs. Ella Lewis, Mrs. Gaylord Brown, Mrs. Martha Brown
and Mrs. George Lucas. Huggins & Beebe kept a hardware store. Benj. Dumon gathered up eggs. William Grow of Lorraine came
very week after eggs, which he limed. Mrs. Dumon raised canary birds to sell. Guy Harris had a cider mill. Mrs. W.E. Saxe
kept a ladies’ dry goods and fancy goods store. Mrs. Flora Remington and Mrs. Henry Gardner were milliners. Joseph Pooler
had a milk route, also drew whey to the customers. In this day the old whey vat would have been condemned.
P.P. Martin and son Eugene kept a dry goods store; W.E. Baldwin, a bookstore and notions. Jason Bettinger peddled homemade
yeast bread. Ed. Hines carried mail to and from the depot, later it was carried by Herb Balch. Bassett Bailey was the local
dentist with no painless extractions. I recalls Drs. Merrill, Jacobs, Hibbard, Washburn, Hitchcock and Severance.
Stewart Plummer kept an apiary.
Mannsville had 5 churches: Methodist, Congregational, Baptist, Disciple and Seventh Day Adventist. Today, only the two former
churches are used for worship. Several years ago the Baptist Church was made into a tenant house.
George Dealing and the Hoxies bought and dealt in fur. Prof. Hayden of Adams came and gave lessons on the piano. Mrs. C.F.
Haven also taught music. Mannsville boasted of a fine concert band. Every summer they had an excursion down the St. Lawrence.
I recall taking the trip when my parents went, about 1879 or 1880, on the Steamer Maud.
Carpet weaving was an occupation as most every one had rag carpets. Mrs. Ruth Harding, Mrs. Alice Hurd, Mrs. Gaylord Brown,
Mrs. William Hoxie and Mrs. James Plummer, all did weaving on a large scale. IN those days the pack peddlers were plentiful.
Later they used a horse-drawn cart. Tin peddlers, Tilden & Holden’s carts, also the hand organ grinder with a gaudily
dressed monkey, reaching out for pennies, was a common occurrence. And living near the railroad, plenty of tramps were seen.
Every little while as a child I remember Sophronia Leisure making trips on foot, picking up any scrap of rag or paper.
Deacon Wheeler of Adams used to come on foot and get subscribers for the Jefferson County Journal. And no doubt there were
others who had business in that village. John Millard peddled milk from his farm on Woodpecker Lane. In those days the farmer
did the work without electrical appliances. No milking machines. No milk inspectors to bother. Not many phones, no radios,
autos, or movies to take up time. No antique buyers as at the present time.
Many of the old landmarks are gone. The cheese factory was taken down and some of the lumber made into a home on North Main
Street, Adams.
The doctors used horse and buggies. There were not many operations and not many hospitals or trained nurses. Babies were born
at home. All funerals were held in the home or church. There were no married licenses, no stork or wedding showers; the facts
were mostly kept secret. There were many donations and socials for the ministers. We went to school and received our learning
from books. Basketball, football and other sports did not count as it does now. We did not have to ride in a school bus but
wallowed in deep snow to school. No snowplows to clear the roads early in the morning. If a holiday came on a Saturday or
Sunday, the next day did not count as it does now.
No bobbed hair or short dresses. Old ladies wore dresses to the floor. No nylons. Children had long woolen home-knit stockings
and sensible high shoes, hoods, warm underwear. Not as many wore glasses as in the present. Did not see many flashlights,
lanterns and kerosene lamps were used.
People ate plenty of johnny cake, buckwheat cakes made with yeast, salt rising bread, plain cake and cookies, boiled cider,
apple sauce and they were really healthy. Today the hospitals do not have accommodations for so many people have to go. The
doctors are overworked with many new diseases to combat.
Mannsville will always have a warm spot in my heart. Most of the near and sear ones are there in Maplewood Cemetery.
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