From a Pennsylvania 1920 newspaper- Clam Fritters – 1920 Pennsylvania Recipe Little Neck clams (Wikipedia) Clam Fritters 1 pint of clams 2 eggs ¼ cupful cornstarch ½ cupful of flour ½ teaspoonful of salt 1/8 teaspoonful of pepper Drain the clams after cleansing them; chop, add the eggs, well beaten, and stir in the cornstarch […]
Did you know that “Taken back” is a nautical term. If the wind suddenly changed direction a sailing ship stopped moving forward. It was ‘taken aback’, which was a bit of a shock for the sailors. VINEGAR OF THE FOUR THIEVES: Recipes & curious tips from the past See best-selling books by Donna R […]
A shamble was a bench where butchers used to set to sell meat from. In time the street where meat was sold often became known as the Shambles. (This street name survives in many towns today). However because butchers used to throw offal into the street, shambles came to mean a mess or something very […]
Did you know that…. In olden days, proof of ownership of large animals that roamed freely in the woods was difficult made. The farmers slit or notched their animals ears to identify them. Thus the meaning of the term “Earmarked” WHERE DO I START? Hints and Tips for Beginning Genealogists with On-line resources
She was world famous star, but was very shy, had few friends, drove around in a battered old car, and only spent around a hundred dollars a week of her $7,500 weekly salary. Do you know the name of this famous actress? Here are some additional clues. Her father died when she was fourteen, leaving […]
Many old sayings are also horse racing term. The phrase ‘START FROM SCRATCH” comes from the days when a line was scratched in the ground for a race. The racers would start from the scratch. WHERE DO I START? Hints and Tips for Beginning Genealogists with On-line resources
In olden times, people were very superstitious. They believed that all good in a man was on his right side and all bad was on his left. If you got out of bed on the left side, evil forces would follow you all day long. Most innkeepers had the left sides of the bed against […]
Many old sayings come from nautical terms as is the case with ‘Spinning a a yarn’. Rope was made in ports everywhere. The rope makers chatted while they worked. They told each other stories while they were spinning a yarn. WHERE DO I START? Hints and Tips for Beginning Genealogists with On-line resources
Did you know that…. In the seventeenth century, a person’s social standing determined what he or she ate at dinners. The best and most expensive food was placed next to the most important people. Also, people didn’t tend to sample everything that was on the table, they just ate what was closest to them. […]
In the 18th century it was the fashion to wear white, curly wigs. They were often powdered. The wigs were called wool possibly because they resembled a sheep’s fleece -if a wig slipped, one could have the “wool pulled over their eyes”
