Bruce County Memories - Letter from home: chickens, geese and pickles
Jane and Sebastian Kirstine had five girls and three boys. They lived on the South Line, Brant Township, the family farm since 1850.
After Sophia and Lybina Kirstine moved to New York and became interior decorators, their sister, Margaret, wrote with news from the farm.
Lybina Kirstine (left) went to New York with Sophie and became an interior decorator
Here is Margaret writing from home on Nov. 14, 1905. “Ma” is Jane (Hoar) Kirstine, “Lydia” and “Bina” (Lybina) are sisters, and “Bassie” is brother, Sebastian Jr., who married Mary Jane McPhail of Carrick in 1907. (This is from the 1987 Yearbook of the Bruce County Historical Society.)
“My Dear Sisters:
“Now girls, I will try and tell you what we are doing. Ma has had a cold and considerable rheumatism. She has her soap made and has been with the chickens and geese. We sold another lot of chickens before Thanksgiving and two geese, about 125 pounds altogether at 10 cents a pound, and today, Lydia and I picked four more geese and churned, and tomorrow, we are going to pick another lot of chickens and that will nearly finish up the chickens. The other geese are scarcely fat enough yet. The old hens have never laid any eggs this fall, only a couple of them — a grist of them will come to their end before very long.
“Bassie sold the old black pig and those three white ones a couple of weeks ago, and he took out the five-pound lambs last week. He killed one, so we have been living on lamb since the beef ring stopped. The old white pig has 11 little pigs, not Kathleen, hers are growing fine and Bina, those I was feeding are getting good big fellows. The cattle are all in the stable over a week ago.
“We had a snow storm as bad as any storm in the winter and everything was glad to go in. It lasted three days. We have had cold and wet disagreeable weather for the last three weeks. Saturday and Sunday, it cleared up and we thought we were going to have Indian Summer but Monday, it commenced snowing and in the afternoon, was freezing and snowing like 60.
“You were asking about the roots. We have most of the turnips out, took in a load yesterday morning, tops and all, and it was like the time you girls took up the potatoes, washed them when you got to the spring. Well, we did not wash the turnips but we had our clothes to wash, you never saw such mud! I went back for some onions, some that were green never got ripe, and then helped Lydia and Bassie and it snowing and blowing and wet at that. Surely, we will have a few fine days yet!
“We hope to have a couple of loads of carrots out, scarcely anybody has their turnips up yet. Ma took in the cabbage on Saturday. They were not very good, and I took up the beets, some of them as big as your finger and the turnips beets you could eat one in a bite. We have never touched the garden since you left. Yes, Lydia did do a little but not much. The bushes were never touched.
“Lydia is busy mending a shirt for herself tonight and Ma is knitting her a pair of mitts, she is at the thumbs now. I knit myself a pair, I finished them last week. You asked me if I have done any sewing, very little except a little mending. I have never finished my red waist, will some of these days. Mrs. Riley gave me enough material for two shirts but have not got them made yet.
Visiting in Toronto about 1890, Sophie and Margaret Kirstine
“Bassie has been trying to plow and has a lot to do yet if the weather is favourable and Lydia does the chores and I — well, I try to keep things tidy. Lydia whitewashed the cellar and I cleaned and whitewashed the fruit cellar, it is all nice and clean.
“You asked about the tomatoes. We had a fine lot and such a lot of them got ripe. I made a nice lot of ketchup and governor sauce. I wish you had some of it. Have you eaten your cake yet? We had a piece of ours on Lydia's birthday and it was very good. Is your jam keeping all right? The grapes were no good, the frost caught them about a week too soon.
“Bassie was back to see Mary Jane McPhail Sunday afternoon and I don't know what she gave him but I am sure it was Monday morning when he got home. I think she will soon have him pickled.
“Your loving sister, Margaret”
Margaret Kirstine (right) and her husband, George Fleming, in Hanover after they were married, 1909
The brand new fifth edition of Norman Robertson’s book, “History of the County of Bruce,” is available in the stores listed on our web site,
www.brucecountyhistory.on.ca, or by E-mailing Bill Stewart,
willstew@bmts.com. It is also available at these book stores: Bruce County Museum in Southampton, Treasure Chest Museum in Paisley, Holst Office Supplies in Walkerton, Little Blue House Café/Gallery in Tiverton, Hamilton's Toys and More in Kincardine, Berford Street Books in Wiarton, Shops at 84 Main in Lion's Head, and Readers' Haven Book Store in Tobermory.
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