Northern Ireland, rich with fertile land proved a perfect place to farm and raise livestock. The conditions imposed on the inhabitants was less so. William Bell (1777-1839) and Flora ? (1781-1856) 3X great-grandparents were from Fermanagh, Ireland and William an Ulster Scot. My 2X great grandfather Hugh Bell (1809-1866) and his wife Susanna Dunbar(1806-1898) were both born here at the turn of the 19th century. Their lives would have been such that we today could only imagine. Childbirth During this era in Irish history childbirth was risky. Women generally birthed eight to ten children of which one in three survived the ordeal. Another third of those died within the first year. Such was the case for Hugh's siblings if indeed siblings there were. With regard to Susanna, we no little of her ancestry. One of the greatest banes for people was sanitation and hygiene. Water contamination plagued the lives of the populace and infections were rampant. Religious fanatics believed torment and suffering borne through birthing was part of their philosophy allowing women to accept the perils of pregnancy and childbirth. Penal LawsThe Penal Laws were, according to Edmund Burke "a machine of wise and elaborate contrivance, as well fitted for the oppression, impoverishment and degradation of a people, and the debasement in them of human nature itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of man." In Ireland, Penal Laws (Na Péindlíthe) were a series of laws imposed in an attempt to force not only Irish Roman Catholics but also Protestant dissenters (such as Presbyterians) to accept the reformed denomination as defined by the English state established Anglican Church and practised by members of the Irish state established Church of Ireland. All remaining penal laws were finally repealed by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland by the Government of Ireland Act 1920. These laws were repressive and kept the common people under the control of the British. Irish Rebellion, 1798 In 1798, a decade before Hugh's birth a group of Irish revolutionaries started an uprising with hopes to create an Irish Republic. Not unlike the American Revolution they sought religious freedom and independence from Britain. At the time most Irish were Roman Catholic and suffered discrimination from the British. The battle was no match as the Irish pikes were no match for the British firearms. Even when the French stepped in to support the Irish the clash failed. This caused the elimination of the Irish Parliament uniting Ireland further to Britain. Childhood Children did not afford the opportunity of being children in Ireland during these years. There were many expectations, even among the wealthy. Hugh and Susanna both rural children would have meant greater responsibilities would have befell them. Parent were harsh and demanding on their children in these burdensome times. Even young children would have been expected to help with the livestock and harvest the crops. If they lived in villages they would have been expected to help their father with his trade. In the case of Hugh, this would have meant learning the trade of weaving and market gardening. This would prepare them to follow in their fathers footsteps in whatever trade he might have been versed. In the case of Susanna, she would have more than likely learned the skills to run the house. Some did become seamstresses and stationers, but most like their mother's were trained for housework and motherhood. The few toys they might have had would have been tops or dice. Any spare time would have been spent roaming the Irish countryside. Education During the Penal Laws passed in the late 1600's formal education was almost nonexistent especially for Hugh and Susanna's parents. They were from a class of individuals with little time other than working and sustaining life. Life would eventually become more important during the lives of children born after 1800. One-room school houses housed the children for classes. Manned by once school teacher, the younger children played while the older students received instruction in Greek, Latin, writing and music. Supplies such as pens, paper and ink were rare so the children learned by rote. Hugh would have left Ireland early in his life but according to my research Susanna remained in Ireland until she was twenty. Hygiene Until the 1800's hygiene was not considered as important. After that bathing became more regular, especially when plumbing and electricity came into play. Soap made from animal fat, lye and wood ash was used to wash clothing as well as for bathing. It is unlikely Hugh and Susanna ever experienced indoor plumbing in Ireland and possibly not even when they moved to Ontario. Oral hygiene was also changing once toothpaste and toothbrushes came into play. The first toothbrush of a more modern design was made by William Addis in England around 1780 – the handle was carved from cattle bone and the brush portion was still made from swine bristles. In 1844, the first 3-row bristle brush was designed. The development of toothpastes in more modern times started in the 1800s. Early versions contained soap and in the 1850s chalk was included. Betel nut was included in toothpaste in England in the 1800s, and in the 1860s a home encyclopedia described a home-made toothpaste that used ground charcoal. Clothing During the lifetime of Hugh and Susanna the fashion was evolving on a constant basis. In Ireland the men often had close beards and moustaches. Women form fitting-fitting clothes as the time passed. Hats and bonnets were worn out of doors to protect them from the elements. As a young child the laundry would have been done on a wooden-frame washboard using the soap described above. Diet We all are aware of the diet of potatoes the Irish had and how it came to their demise. A working class family of two parents and four to six children ate approximately five tons of potatoes per year (five pounds per day). Boiled in a pot on an open fire and served with milk it was their mainstay. Perhaps Hugh's family being also market gardeners were able to add other vegetables they cultivated into their diet. Meat was a rarity and usually consisted of pork or mutton. Both Hugh and Susanna left Ireland before the the devastating "Potato Famine" of 1845 to 1852. Household Hugh's home life may have been less than luxurious in these days before electricity, but his parents and grandparents certainly would have seen Hugh enjoying some comforts not possible a few decades prior. Across Ireland, traditionally small, timber homes were being joined by more multi-room brick houses, which helped keep families warmer and drier in the cold, damp Irish weather. Both thatch and tile were used as roofing materials, with a chimney and stove serving as the main sources of heat. At bedtime, straw mattresses had mostly given way to more comfortable feather beds, especially among the wealthy. Of course, as with any other period in history, these household improvements came slower to the poor and working class people that Hugh knew, as many still lived in very rough conditions more akin to the 1700s. Transportation During Hugh's lifetime, new modes of transportation made long-distance travel possible. Canals and railroads quickly became the main forms of transportation for travelers as well as agriculture and manufactured goods. For those who decided to travel over seas, the development of new steam-powered ships made crossing the Atlantic easier than ever before. Hugh would have walked to get around most of the time, but horses, buggies, and wagons were also common, though wealthy individuals could often travel greater distances than the common people.
Once in Canada where distances were greater a horse and wagon would have been the transportation of choice. END OF PART 1
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Stephanie Bell-Boissonneault"When researching Family never leave a stone unturned, not even a pebble." Archives
July 2023
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