Harding, Charles R.
Autobiography, 1807-1869
manuscripts -- American Antiquarian Society

[Harding was minister and temperance advocate. Because he traveled a good deal, his autobiography provides descriptions of conditions throughout much of New England.]

Chapter XXXIX
Commercial andf Agricultural Changes

. . . I have witnessed great changes in the way of trade and transportation, producing a complete revolution in the Agricultural, and Commercial world. When I entered into active life, there was not a rod of railroad in all the land. All travel, was either on foot, by private teams, or by the plodding stage coach. All transportation, excepting what was done on the streams by rafts, flat bottom boats, and other craft, was by teams. In most of the county towns, there were from one to three merchants, according to the amount of trade. They usually went to market only twice in the year,--in the spring, and in the fall, they would be gone from six to fifteen days, according to distance and amount of trade. Many farmers living from twenty five, to one hundred and fifty miles from the city, would go themselves once in the year. They usually went in the winter, drove two horses, and went in companies, of from two to a half dozen. They took their pork, butter and cheese, and perhaps some of their neighbors, they took their food for the journey, in the shape of baked beans, roast or boiled meat, brown bread, cheese, etc. etc. usually enough to supply them till nearly, if not quite home again. They also took grain for their horses. They would be gone from five to fifteen days, as the distance, and traveling (sic) were.

They would stop at night, with hotel keepers, who provided for this kind of travel. After their teams were cared for they would carry in their pails, call for a mug of cider, and take their supper. Then they would sit around the fire, spin their yarns, and drink hot sling and then retire. In the morning [they would] take their bitters, call for cider, and eat their breakfast, as they did their supper. Then settle their bills, get ready, and go on their way. One day is an illustration of every day. At market they would sell thier (sic) load and purchase thier (sic) years stock of groceries, molasses, sugar, tea, coffee spices, salt, cod fish, etc. etc., always taking good care to fill their keg with new rum, and then turn toward home in the same manner they came. They were usually a jolly set of fellows, and their Boston trip was the only pasttime they had for the year. The trade of the merchant, was almost entirely barter, farmers who did not go to market, disposed of their produce to him, which mostly consisted in pork, butter, cheese, beans, and grain, in exchange for such articles as they needed out of his store. To transport this to market and bring back the goods needed, required another class of men, called teamsters, who usually drove from four to eight horses, and would be gone from two to four weeks, according to distance and traveling, never driving faster than a walk. When at market they discharged thier [sic] load, where, the merchant, for whome (sic) they teamed, had arranged, and loaded up with molasses, sugar, salt, tea, coffee, etc. putting on a few boxes of dry goods, and a crait (sic) of crockery, and then wend their way home. They recieved (sic) in money enough to meet thier [sic] expenses on the road. The rest due them, in orders on the store. With these orders they met their mechanical bills, and supported thier families, and indeed barter was the curency (sic) of the times. So one hand washed the other, and each labored to support the other. These teamsters were usually a very philosophical class of men. They took things easy, rain or shine, snow, or mud, were all alike to them. If they broke down, they righted up again and went on. They were very friendly, often doubling thier teams to help over bad places. Lumber was also an article of trade, this was drawn to rivers, and rafted down to market, by a class called raft-men. The rivers were also navigated, by flat boats, which were urged up the current, hundreds of miles by oarsmen, keeping near the shore, with long poles. There were certain places of rapid water, some of them several miles long, at these places a class lived called swift water men, whose only business was to help by these places. Slow and tedious, was the journey and hard the work, but no body thought, of being discouraged, or of complaining.

There was another class of great service, called drovers, who went through the community, and purchased all the fat cattle the people had to dispose of, promising to pay when they returned from market. They would be weeks in collecting a drove, then two or three men, with a boy, would start it on toward Brighton market. It would take days to reach there, and much of the fat of the herd would [be] wasted in traveling. When there, they would dispose of their cattle, and returning by stage, would pay up. So the farmer got a little money. This would be acted over, and over, the history of one year was the history of many. Another feature of the times, the habits of the people were very domestick. I can recollect when there was not a factory in all the country. Women spun and wove their own cloth, and a class called cloth dressers fitted it for use. There was no cotton, linen made from flax, by women's hands, was the shirting, and sheeting of the day. The wants of the people were few, and usually well supplied, luxuries they did not need, and of course did not pine for them. Take one thing more, the manner of communication, between businessmen and friends. A mail twice a week was a luxury, most towns had but one, and the cost of postage, [for] a letter [sent] under thirty miles, six cents, over thirty, and under one hundred, ten cents, and so on up to twenty five, and as communication was slow, and expensive, and money hard to be obtained, there was but little correspondence between friends. A friend only fifty miles away might die, and be buried some days before we would get the news. This would look cruel now, but no one thought of complaining then. Intelligence was slow in getting along, no daily papers, and but few weeklies, the results of an election in a state, would not be ascertained for weeks, and the transactions of Congress, would not reach the people until they were almost an old affair. But I must say, I think that generation were as contented with that state of things, as this is, with the present.

It is about forty years since the idea of railroads began to be talked, but it was treated by the great mass of the people with merriment. "A railroad over these mountains." "A railroad to the moon, as soon." But they were a success in England, and men would talk about them, yet sneers and contempts were the only response from forty nine out of every fifty. But the talking went on, and by and by the books were opened, money was subscribed, and a charter obtained from the Legislature, yet it was still regarded by many as a chimera [hallucination] of a disordered brain. But the experiment was tried, it worked well, and it began to look as though they might be pushed in every direction.

Now the farmers of our country, especially, were terribly excited, it would bring nothing but ruin, it would displace coaching, and teaming, horses would be worth nothing, no demand, no use for them, hay and grain, would be unsalable, produce a drag, and disaster the sure result. So they croaked on, but the enterprise went forward, they were extended farther, and farther, no mountain too high, no valley too deep, no river too broad. They pushed back into the interior, they came nearer and nearer our doors. They connected states, and friends long separated were almost in handshaking distance. But the strangest feature of the whole picture was ruin did not come, all the predictions of croakers had failed. Horses instead of depreciating in value went up in price, hay and grain instead of being a drag, were higher than ever known before, and farmers found that whatever they had to spare, was ready cash, at prices higher than they ever dreamed of asking. Everything went to the rail, and reached market before it decayed, all was fresh and ready for sale. The merchant could go to market as often as he pleased, and he away from his business, but a short time, and his goods reach their destination before they were antiquated by delay, or soiled by age. Thus has the railroad completely revolutionised the Agricultural, and the Commercial world. It has brought friends into almost the same neighborhood, and by the rapidity with which the mails are carried we are kept familiar with each other and as the rate of postage, has been reduced next to nothing, we are enabled to live in the sympathy, and embrace of each other. I have lived to see what the stagecoach did, what the teamster did, what the farmer did for himself, what the raftsman did, and what the drover did, done, to a very great extgent, by the rail road, quicker--easier, cheaper, and safer than ever before done.

Another thing I have witnessed. Startling changes in the mechanical and manufacturing market.--Factories have sprung up in multitudes, both Cotton and Woolen, home and domestick manufacture have given place to the Cotton and Woolen mill. Great improvement has been made in tools and implements of husbandry, the mowing, the raking, the reaping--the spreading--the pilching--and the threshing machine--have all come into use, to aid the farmer in his heavy toil. Stoves have been invented, in my day, of every conceivable (sic) pattern--for cooking, for warming houses, and churches, the old fireplace has been exchanged for something cheaper, and far more comfortable and convenient, and instead of shivering, while we worshiped (sic), in houses colder than barns, we now have warm, and delightful places of prayer. Thus are the burdens, and expense of living, greatly lessened, by mechanical ingenuity--

Early Western Electric Sounder

The Telegraph has also come into existence, strengthening itself in a network over all the civilised (sic) world, connecting nations, and countries, and like a living messenger waiting to speak, to every inhabitant, so wherever you stand you are in speaking distance of every civilised nation under the sun. All, All, these changes, and many, of which I shall speak, have been wrought since I have looked out upon this world.