Time Was

Recipes for the Holiday season

Published by admin on Mon, 11/28/2022 - 12:30pm

When I was little I read about the various holiday dishes that appear in tradition Christmas stories. Many of them were strange to me.
Since then, I have taken the time to find out just what those wonderful holiday dishes were about. Here are tradition recipes for some historical favorites as well as some traditions from my own family.
First we have Plum Pudding. In Charles Dickens Christmas Carol everyone waits for the pudding to “boil.” I was confused, as the pudding I had known was served cold. Here is a traditional recipe:

December 1922, not all merry and bright

Published by admin on Mon, 11/28/2022 - 12:22pm

One of the terms used to describe the 1920's is “roaring.” It means that things were going “swell” and “everyone was happy.” But were they? While going through the Wilmington Advocate that month, I found very little substance locally.
It was all who visited who, and who was who's guest, etc. But the national scene was a whole different matter. Set the wayback for December 1922.
Ironically, the first major news story of that month was a public invasion of the United States Capitol building.

Just how bad were they?

Published by admin on Tue, 11/22/2022 - 10:22am

Just how many times have we looked at the history of saloons in Braidwood. Answer, a lot. But today I am looking at them in a different way.
I have a tendency to lump them all together as places where trouble was a constant, and violence was common. I decided to look at the record of individual saloons to prove my point of view.
We start with the saloon of John Tracy. Tracy was born in Ireland and had seven children with his wife Anney, including a pair of twins.

High hopes for the holidays

Published by admin on Tue, 11/22/2022 - 10:13am

The music is starting, the Black Friday ads are everywhere, and we have had some snow to remind us that Christmas is right around the corner, in case the kids in your family haven't already done so.
Today is the first in our series about Christmas through the years in Wilmington. We start in a year of war.

Grab your partners, it’s time to dance

Published by admin on Tue, 11/15/2022 - 10:39am

Today we are looking at the social occasion known as the dance. I don't see a lot of them happening these days. But the dance in the 19th century was the primary way for guys and gals to meet, and if you were lucky actually touch each other is a socially acceptable way. Strike up the band, the dance has begun.
The first ethnic groups to come to Braidwood were from the British Isles. So it is no wonder that the first mention of the dance I have is the following from January 13, 1872: “Four dances in Braidwood on Robert Burns' birthday, the 25th of January.”

Tavern Tails, a good tail is never wasted

Published by admin on Tue, 11/15/2022 - 9:32am

I expect most of my readers have been in a local establishment that serves alcoholic beverages, when some one comes in and buys the house a drink, or more rarely the owner of the establishment feels particularly chipper and buys a round for all. It's usually a pretty good time after that.
But of course, as long as there have been saloons/bars/taverns this has been the case. The following day, the previous evening seems to be a bit hazy. But not in this case. Today we go back 183 years ago in Wilmington when one such evening is fully documented.

In the Main, Wesley's early pioneers

Published by admin on Tue, 11/08/2022 - 1:03pm

In this day and age, doing one thing in the same place for 60 years seems impossible. People who have accomplished this, tend to be totally unremarkable people taken on the whole.
However, even unremarkable people should be remembered. Today we look at an early Wesley pioneer, Chester Main.
Chester Main was born in 1819 in Palmyra, New York. We know little about his early life, but in 1845 he married Tamar Coon and soon after started for their new home in Michigan, which at that time was considered the “Far West,” and the journey a long one.

This and that and a few other things

Published by admin on Tue, 11/08/2022 - 12:13pm

As most of you know, I get most of my research from local newspapers. I transcribe everything, because I never know when it might be important.
But some little blurbs just are never used. Poor little things just sit there and never get printed. Well today is the day when I share these little bits with you, along with my commentary.

The poor of the Will County Poor House

Published by admin on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 12:00pm

During the holidays the famous Charles Dickens story, a Christmas Carol is everywhere, with everyone and his brother playing the role of Scrooge. We see the familiar Bob Cratchit in jeopardy of losing his job, and then what was to become of his poor family.
They would have to be sent to the Poor House. But that was in England, surely in this country there was no such institution. Wrong, not only was there a Poor House, known locally as the Poor Farm, but it continued operation well into the 20th century.

November 1922, let's hit the road

Published by admin on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 10:08am

About this time of year, we start thinking about Christmas and that big present, you know the hottest rage - maybe a new phone with all the latest stuff, a huge flat screen with automatic links so you never have to budge from the couch, or how about a new computer? Well, things don't change, only the toys do.
The new toy of November 1922 was the automobile. There was even a column in the Advocate titled “Automobile Notes.”