Last week’s article described the typical 18th century bedstead in the New Hanover area as being high posted and curtained. Additionally, the master’s bedroom was on the first floor and received some heat from the stove room next door. It must be remembered, though, that in all likelihood, only propertied landowners slept in such a bed. It is probable that many people slept in far more humble beds or even no beds at all.
As the country became more established and prosperous, the new, larger houses often had two stories of living space, so the old style design with a first floor Kammer was abandoned.
During the 19th century, the half-high posted bed came into use. As the name suggests, the posts of that bed were shorter and the curtain was gone. Also, in the beginning of that century, the chest of drawers or “drawer” became necessary bedroom furniture, replacing the painted blanket chest, and in the latter part of the 19th century, the washstand with bowl and pitcher set became part of the farmer’s bedroom furnishings along with another chair or two. The bowl and pitcher set was never really used in most farm bedrooms; it was just part of the decor.
Children, especially boys, were welcome additions to the farm family, if for no other reason than to help with the work. Children slept two or three to a bed. Four small children slept in one bed if three lay the conventional way and the fourth lay across the bed below the feet of the other three. Hired men slept in the house, sometimes in a bed of their own or with the boys.
Chamber pots under the bed for night use seem to be a later 19th century innovation. Alan Keyser, the source of the information for this article, writes: “These pots were apparently either seldom used during the 18th and early 19th centuries, or they were only of minor value, for they seldom appear on estate inventories. [However], John Biwighouse’s 1811 inventory from central Bucks County lists ‘2 chamber pots; 1 shilling, 9 pence.’ Some people kept the chamber pot on the attic stairs just inside the attic door rather than under the bed… One woman observed that location was fine in all seasons but summer. It was at that time that one ran the risk of encountering wasps on the dark attic stairs.”
Since the newer style houses no longer were built with a first floor Kammer, the Rohrstub or piperoom on the second floor became the master bedroom. In this room, the warm stove pipe from the kitchen stove below helped to take some of the chill off the room. Interestingly, sweet potatoes, a common 19th century New Hanover crop, were kept in this room. The dry climate by the stove pipe, neither too hot or nor too cold, suited their storage. In our house, the bottom step of the stairs leading to the second floor was broken from, the story goes, the woman of the house trying to bring the empty sweet potato barrel down by herself. It slipped from her grasp and tumbled only to break the bottom step in landing. The story goes that she had repeatedly asked the men to bring it down, but that just didn’t happen.
A look now at the bedstead and bedding might be in order. The 1734 estate inventory of Johannes Schneider of New Hanover, Philadelphia County (New Hanover didn’t become a township until 1741) lists the components of the bedroom of the immigrant generation: “four feather beds [ticks] with the civirings and 3 boulsters and 2 loose civirings and five sheets all belonging to two bedsteads [bed frames].” Incidentally, Johannes Schneider was the ancestor of one of New Hanover’s largest and most successful families. His grandson, Jacob, built the large brick house, now abandoned, on the Swamp Pike at the Minister Creek.
Another immigrant: “Johann George Muller arrived here several weeks ago on August 13, 1750, and on the trip from Philadelphia to Goschenhoppen two packs with beds fell off the wagon and until now he has not been able to learn anything about them. The one is a new fustian [half cotton, half linen] upper bed and bolster. The other is of twill [a kind of weave] and has a case of plaid linen. They were both packed in cloth. He needs them for winter.”
Continue reading next week for part three.
The Historian is produced by the New Hanover Historical Society. Call Robert Wood at 610-326-4165 with comments.
