Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

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PIONEER HISTORY OF INGIHAM COUNTY

the day I was one year old they moved to the farm of the picture
into a very bad old log house with an old leaky shake roof and a
stick chimney big enough for a good fat Santa Claus to come
down. There was a stone hearth all around the fireplace and one
andiron, a stone serving for the other. Father used to put on a
great back log, then a fore log with small wood filled in and the
fire was fine, but we had often to turn with faces then our backs to
the fire for alternate warmth.
In those days people made holes for the cats to go in and out
close to the floor. One time four or five Indians, one a little girl,
came to the house for something to eat. Mother gave them each
a plate and they sat down in the grass to eat. After eating the
little girl came and peeked through the cat hole, perhaps wanting
more. They were very shy in their ways, and would always come
quietly to the door and open without knocking, and I can remember looking up at an Indian inside the door as the first we heard of
him. The last I will mention was a girl, perhaps seventeen, who
came in and sat down in a chair near the door, never speaking a
word. She had on a red dress which for trimming had white shirt
buttons sewed about an inch apart all round the bottom of it.
In those days of pioneer poverty Santa Claus never came down
our chimney but once that I can recollect, but, Oh! the joy of that
day when we each found a primer which cost one penny, a
handful of raisins and two sticks of candy in our several stockings.
Hiram's sock was stretched very wide at the top and he found
besides the things already mentioned a school book, a philosophy.
One of my birthday presents was a third reader which gave me
as great pleasure as though not something we must have anyway.
At another time a necessary school dinner basket served as a present, and of this I am certain, the present day child surfeited with
toys does not know the happiness we did with our few.
All I have written was prior to our moving into the house in the
picture. I do not know how many years we lived in it, but we
lived in a new frame house when the picture was taken and the
chimney and window shows the unoccupied state. But I am glad
the flowers show so beautifully. Father, mother and five of the
ten children are gone, and those remaining getting so old that
"the western hills half hide the sun, and evening bells ring memory's song." HATTIE E. RIX SIMS,
Daughter of Hiram and Emily Rix.