Historical encyclopedia of Illinois . e slow mails were among the trials whichthe pioneers and their families were called uponto endure. Perhaps nothing was harder afterleaving home and friends than the long weeks ofwaiting to hear of loved ones left behind andtheir life at the old familiar places. In thesedays of 18-hour trains between New York andChicago, it is diflicult to comprehend the slow-ness of the mail service by boat and to the lonelines of crude and isolated sur-roundings in a strange land, there was addedthe ordeal of no news from former scenes, itis no wonder there was
Historical encyclopedia of Illinois . e slow mails were among the trials whichthe pioneers and their families were called uponto endure. Perhaps nothing was harder afterleaving home and friends than the long weeks ofwaiting to hear of loved ones left behind andtheir life at the old familiar places. In thesedays of 18-hour trains between New York andChicago, it is diflicult to comprehend the slow-ness of the mail service by boat and to the lonelines of crude and isolated sur-roundings in a strange land, there was addedthe ordeal of no news from former scenes, itis no wonder there was homesickness. Postagewas more of a consideration then than now. Tothe East it was 25 cents; to Dayton, Ohio, 18%cents; to St. Louis, 6% cents. There were noenvelopes. The sheet was folded, fastened withan individual seal, or a common wax wafer, andthen addressed. The women of the pioneer households in OgleCounty followed a round of duties that inreluded much laborious work, long since givenover to outside agencies, by means of which. HISTOEY OF OGLE COUNTY. 617 the wives and daughters of to-day are relievedof a great deal of drudgery. The log house wasusually 16 by 18 or 20 feet in size, and con-sisted of one room with a large open fire-placeat one end, with the crane and Dutch oven. Thelatter was a covered pan, in the use of whichfor baking, coals were placed above as well asbelow. About 1840 the ten-plate stove cameinto use, and later the cooli-stove. Neither wasreceived with universal favor. The second floor of the cabin was a low loft,which was reached usually by means of a lad-der ; sometimes by a narrow open was the sleeping room for all the ventilation was perfect, the air being ad-mitted freely between the logs and beds were often of rude construction, some-times having but one post, the three other cor-ners being made by inserting nails in holesbored in the walls. The light was from a home-made tallow candle. The settlers wife l
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