By Erna (Rosa) Henry
I have been asked to write a story on pioneer living and have also been asked to take for my principal characters my grandparents, known to everyone as “Uncle Frank and Aunt Fanny Rosa.” I would like to go back and take the life of my grandfather from the time of his birth in Genoa, Italy, and carry on through his pioneer days and up to the time of his and my grandmother’s death.
This is a story of a young Italian boy who left his home in Genoa at the age of 12 to come to America and who later became one of the first pioneer settlers in Reynolds County near the town of Ellington.
On Oct. 7, 1818, a baby boy was born to Franklin and Elizabeth Rosa in the city of Genoa. This Italian couple lived in a chateau with high stone walls around the estate with a heavy iron gate. No one could enter without permission. Being the first-born son, he was named Franklin Rosa the 2nd.
There were other children born to this couple but young Frank, being the eldest son, received special attention, because, in Italy, at that time, the eldest son in each family upon reaching the age of 12, must be turned over to the Italian government to be schooled and trained for the Italian army. The Rosas were most opposed to this and were determined to keep young Frank out of the army. They were a very wealthy family and had outside connections. Franklin Rosa Sr. got in touch with a friend in London, England, who agreed to take young Frank and care for him. The father contacted a friend in Genoa who agreed to help slip him out of Italy.
Mr. Rosa bred and raised thorough-bred horses, so this friend was to ride one of these horses up to the stone wall and get young Frank. His mother with much hesitation packed his little suit case and inside she placed a small Italian Bible which young Frank kept all his life until his death. It is now in the hands of one of his youngest grandsons.
At the midnight hour this friend rode the horse up to the back of the stone wall and young Frank’s father handed his son over the wall, with directions to get him to London. They rode all night and somehow got young Frank across the English Channel and to the family friends in London. As he was only 12 years of age, he was a very scared little boy. He stayed in the home of this friend for several years.
One day at the age of 14 he was working in a restaurant as a bus boy and a man approached him and told him the queen wanted him to be brought to her palace. Young Frank was scared and did not want to go but his boss told him he did not dare disobey the queen’s order. He was so scared he dropped all the dishes and broke them but he went along with the man.
When they entered the palace, the queen, seeing how scared he was, said, little man, don’t be afraid, I’m not going to harm you, I only want to talk to you. I hear you can play the organ beautifully.'” He assured her he could indeed play the organ. She said, “I am going to be married in a short time and would consider it a great honor if you would play at my wedding.” He felt much better but told her he did not have clothing suitable for a queen’s wedding. She assured him that would be taken care of and told her orderly to take him and fit him up with the best clothing he could obtain. This he did and young Frank was so happy that every spare moment he had he practiced to play at the queen’s wedding.
When the great day came, he dressed up in the royal clothing. The Queen sent her carriage for him, and what-a carriage it was: He was taken to the palace and took his place with the other musicians. When the wedding march began, young Frank played as he had never played before. He wanted so much to please the queen. After the wedding was over, she again sent for him. He thought she might be displeased with his playing but he had done his very best. When he entered her presence, she reached out her hand and said, “Come here, my little man, you played marvelously,'” and placed some money in his hand. He assured her he did not play for money, that just being able to play at a queen’s wedding was pay enough, but she told him it was just a token of her appreciation. Again, she sent him home in her carriage. He was a very happy little man and that was a great day for him and he never forgot it.
He began to pick up every odd job he could get as he was saving his money. He was home-sick for his family and, after saving until he was 18 years old, he decided to return to Italy to see his father, mother and brother and sister. He had many ups and downs getting to Italy, but when he got home, they were all so very happy, but this happiness was of short duration for the Italian authorities found he had come home, and again they were going to take charge of him. But again, the father, at the risk of never seeing his son again, got him back to London with instructions to get him to America at all cost. He was now 18 years old and the year was 1836. In a few months he boarded a sail boat for America. That was the only transportation at that time.
They were only at sea a time when a severe storm came up and blew them off course and they were lost at sea for some time. Their food and water were running short and the last 10 days they only had one cracker and a glass of water each day and they almost starved, but they finally landed at New York harbor very weak and hungry. The first thing they did was find a place to eat.
Young Frank was all alone in a New World. He spoke Italian fluently of course and had mastered the English language quite well so he had no communication problem. While eating he began to think here, he was a young man all alone in a New World with no friends to turn to, no place to stay and only a few dollars. He decided then and there to find work. “So, he asked the proprietor of the restaurant in which he was eating for a job. He told him the only skill he had to offer was working in the restaurant at what ever there was to do. He offered to work for his room and board and a very small salary. He was hired and that was his first job in America but it was at least a way to earn a bare living and he was thankful for it. As time went on, he found better work but still kept helping out at the restaurant for his room and board.
Now his greatest wish was to become a United States citizen. He was 20 years old when he applied for his citizenship papers. He was told to study for tests and examinations which he did, and when he was 21 years of age in 1839, he got his citizenship papers. That was a great milestone for him. He felt that he had accomplished a great thing. He then made a vow to own his own home in America and one he could be proud of. He began to branch out and find better jobs. He made friends easily. He was small of stature with dark hair and piercing black eyes, and he had a kind word and ready smile for everyone. To know him was to love him. He always found some good in everyone he met.
He finally went on a hunting trip with some friends which ended up down in the Ozarks. He loved the trees, mountains, rivers, and wildlife which was so plentiful and made up his mind to make a home for himself here and did not return with the other hunters, but settled near the little village of Barnesville which is now Ellington. This was around 1852 and he was 34 years old.
He worked at whatever he could get to do. He drove an ox cart for W. M. Copeland to and from St. Louis hauling merchandise for Mr. Copeland’s general store. He took loads of fur, tobacco and whatever he could find to St. Louis when he went for supplies.
He was very lonely, so he began to look around for a help-mate. He found and fell in love with a little brown-haired black-eyed girl by the name of Fanny Jorden. He was 18 years her senior but age was no barrier for they were two people in love, so on March 19, 1854, they were married. They each had a potential of looking ahead, and they began their married life with the feeling that tomorrow would always be a better day than the day before.
They began their pioneer life by applying for homestead rights. They had to do much improving of their land and build some kind of home on it to prove their claim. This they began to do but about that time the War between the States broke out and he was taken in the army and this slowed them down for the time being. But his young wife kept the home fires burning and tried to keep the little home together They had many hard times and disappointments but they never gave up.
Every time he could slip out of the army for a day, he made his way home to see his wife. They were very much in love. Frank had given Fanny a new muzzle loading rifle and it was in the home. One day he slipped home for a little visit and a neighbor rushed in and told him the bushwhackers were on a rampage killing, burning and destroying. He knew if they found him, they would kill him so he took the new little rifle and told his wife where he would hide it in a hollow log. He had been gone only a short time when the Jayhawkers came. They asked his wife where he was and she told them she didn’t know. They ordered her to fix them something to eat. She was very scared but she did as she was told. They ate and then ransacked the house taking whatever they wanted, poured out her milk and other provisions. She was afraid they would burn the house. They did not do this but they did set the surrounding woods on fire. She just knew the new rifle would be burned and as soon as it was safe she ran up the hill and found the rifle in the hollow log. It was on fire and had burned a big place on the stock of the rifle. She brought it home and hid it under the house. Life went on day after day until the war was over and Frank could return home.
I shall call them “Uncle Frank'” and “Aunt Fanny'” from now on in writing as everyone knew them by these names.
As soon as. the war was over W. M. Copeland again began to rebuild his business for when the war came along, Barnesville was completely destroyed by fires except for one house. Uncle Frank again drove the ox cart for W. M. Copeland to St. Louis and back. It took three to four weeks to make the round trip. The roads were very rough and he could only make the trips in the spring and summer, as they had to sleep out under the stars while on the trip. At night he would keep the fire burning all night to keep off the wild animals. Amidst the scream of the panther, the howling of the wolves and coyotes, the barking of the foxes and all the other night sounds he would finally fall asleep, only to be awakened at the break of dawn by his faithful old dog’s low growl telling him danger was lurking near.
He would get up with the sun and go on day after day until his trip was over, All the settlers were very anxious for him to return as he brought things such as sugar, coffee, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pepper. Sometimes, if lucky, he would bring bolts of flannelette, chambray and lawn (JR note: cloth similar to linen?) for making dresses and many more articles, whatever he could find. Everyone for miles around turned out for a day when the ox cart came in.
Between these trips Uncle Frank and Aunt Fanny worked to improve their little place. Picture, if you can, a quaint little two-room log cabin snuggled deep in the foothills of the Ozarks, with tall virgin pines and large oak trees with big limbs reaching out in the distance like long arms making a deep shade from the hot summer sun. The little cabin faced the west, over-looking the little valley of Logan Creek. To the back and east of the cabin the hill was lined with wild dogwood. The wild honeysuckle and witch hazel gave off a fragrance as if you had uncorked a bottle of expensive perfume. Truly this setting would have graced the easel of any artist, The cabin had two rooms with short stairs reaching up to the attic, which was used as spare sleeping space.
The large fireplace had a rock chimney reaching from the ground up through the roof of the cabin. Inside the large fireplace had a wide spreading rock hearth that kept the fire from burning the floor. The fire-place had a large mantle or fire board and an iron rod running across with hooks to hang pots on while cooking. Aunt Fanny cooked on the fireplace all through the winter months. In summer Uncle Frank made an arrangement like the modern barbecue pits with a piece of metal on top for her to cook on for, at that time, there were no cook stoves. To bake her cornbread. Aunt Fanny raked up a bed of red-hot coals and set her iron skillet on them, poured her mixture in and placed an iron lid on top and put hot coals on top. In a few minutes she had a pan of corn bread fit for, a king. She baked biscuits and cakes the same way, only not so hot. It was hard but it was the only way so she never complained.
They kept working and hoping and on July 5,1861, they got their homestead papers and they were very happy. Uncle Frank had also traded for some more tracts, so on July 6, 1861, he filed on these three additional homestead rights. They were very proud of their little spread. Now that the cabin was done, they needed furniture. There was no place to buy furniture so Uncle Frank built their bed, no springs or mattress, just plain board slats. Aunt Fanny made a slip out of bed ticking and shredded corn husks very fine and stuffed the slip full of these, they were a little noisy but very serviceable. As soon as she could raise geese, she made feather beds which were much more comfortable. He made a dresser with a mirror on the wall, made a table and chairs out of hickory with woven hickory backs and bottom which were very sturdy, and, at that time, behind every table was a bench. Uncle Frank made this bench. He also made a wooden cupboard for dishes and this was about it, but they got by and were very happy. They raised all their own food. The ground was very rough so Uncle Frank had to clear it out. He made a colter and with the colter and the ox team they broke the ground and planted all the seeds, A colter was a large piece of wood with two handles and just one long straight plow blade bolted on. For a harrow a V-shaped piece of wood was used with large railroad spikes driven through to make the teeth for smoothing the ground. Sometimes, if the ground was too rough, they used a brush drag (the older folk will know what I’m talking about). All planting was done by hand, and the summers long and hot and the winters hard and cold, so they had to prepare everything they could during the summer to be able to live through the winter.
There were no brooms or mops. Everyone raised their broom corn and made their brooms and mops. They took a piece of wood one inch thick and about 10 or 12 inches long and bored holes about one inch in diameter and soaked corn husks in water to soften them and pulled these through the holes. The knot end of the shuck kept them from pulling out. So, when it was full and dressed it made a wonderful mop.
They made their own soap. They had what they called an ash hopper: a large trough shaped like a V and all the ashes from the wood fires were put in there and each day Aunt Fanny would pour water on these ashes. The water would drain through and come out in a little trough at the bottom. This lye would drain into some kind of vessel and was poured into a large iron kettle until full. A fire was made under the kettle and it was boiled down until it was strong enough to eat up a feather, then fat scraps and old grease was put in. As long as the lye ate up the fat, she kept adding it. When it no longer ate up the fat, she boiled it to the desired thickness, then let it set over night. Next morning the soap was ready to be cut into bars and laid out to dry. It certainly got the dirt out but was very hard on the hands and face.
They also raised their own sheep to make wool for yarn. Aunt Fanny washed and cleaned the wool, then corded and spun it to make the yarn. She made all the socks, caps, gloves, sweaters and whatever else was needed. She also spun fine yarn and made what they called linsey and wove that for blankets etc. It was quite scratchy but very warm.
Uncle Frank was still making trips to St. Louis with his ox cart hauling hides, tobacco and whatever he could find to trade. He took it to Lamoreaux and Anderson Trading Post in St. Louis. While he was gone Aunt Fanny stayed home and sometimes, she could get a neighbor to stay with her, as he was gone three or four weeks on each trip.
At that time the Indians were on the loose. They would come by in covered wagons, the men riding and the women walking and begging tobacco and anything they saw that they wanted. They were crazy about tobacco. They would sometimes make camp right across from houses where they could see whatever was going on. People were afraid to go to sleep at night for fear they would break in. The settlers were always glad when they passed on their way. There was one tribe called the Gypsy tribe. They took anything that wasn’t tied down. There always was one who was a fortune teller and if you went to have your fortune told it was better not to take any money with you or you would come away without it, and you would not know when they got it. They were real pests.
Then there was the country peddler. He always walked and carried a very large pack on his back. He had scarves, socks, pins, needles and sometimes yard-goods, tablecloths, elastic and whatever else he could carry. When night came along, he would stop at a settler’s home and stay overnight. He always paid for his night’s lodging with some of his trade goods.
Each time Uncle Frank came back from St. Louis all the settlers came into town to see what he had brought. They saved up their eggs to trade for sugar, coffee and many more needs for the home.
There were no “lazy bones'” around in those days. If there was someone who did not support his family, he might wake up some morning to find a bundle of switches laid at his door. He knew that meant to either shape up or ship out and he usually went to work.
There was little recreation. In those days, people would gather at some settler’s house on Saturday and pitch horseshoes, shoot marbles etc. The women would get together to make quilts. They helped each other.
It was a custom at that time for each settler to burn around their little spreads to keep forest fires from burning their homes. Quite often Uncle Frank and Aunt Fanny would take their hickory made chairs out under the tall pine trees and the wide spreading oak and see across the valley a line of fires on the ridge where some neighbor settler was burning a protective ring around his home. The scream of a panther, the howl of a wolf or coyote or the barking of foxes made them realize they were all God’s creatures struggling to live in this world.
Uncle Frank split the boards to chink the cabin and split the rails to fence around their little homestead. When the cabin was built the logs were cut from the virgin timber and hewn out by hand. They were almost as smooth as if they had been sawed by a mill.
As time went on, they planted an orchard with all kinds of fruit and nut trees and a variety of berries. Aunt Fanny loved flowers and around the cabin planted Rose of Sharon, Wisteria, Peonies, old fashioned Holly Hock, Roses and many other kinds of flowers. They took great pride in their home and made it as attractive as possible.
They canned all their fruit and vegetables and dried apples, peaches and pumpkin. Their way of preserving root crops for the winter was for Uncle Frank to dig three separate holes, one for apples, one for turnips and one for potatoes. He lined the bottom of these holes with straw and after storing the crop covered them with another layer of straw, then a layer of cloth and another of boards covered with dirt. They could only get food from these holes when the weather was warm enough to prevent the freezing of the vegetables. Their method of keeping cabbage Uncle Frank would plow a deep furrow, pull the cabbage and turn it, head down in the ditch which had been filled with straw and then turn the soil back over the ditch. When they wanted a nice dish of slaw all they had to do was go pull a head out of this grave.
They would start at day-break and work until dusk. All planting was done by hand and all wheat and grain was cut with a scythe and put in bundles and made ready for the threshing machine. Each farmer helped the other and the women would all go together to cook for the men.
They raised hogs and made their own meat and lard. Each family usually had a cow for milk and butter so little outside food was bought.
Aunt Fanny wove clothing on the loom made by Uncle Frank, and she also wove her own carpets and rugs. The carpet was woven in strips 36 inches wide and as long as the room and then sewed together to a size to cover the floor. It was then stretched and tacked down and made a very pretty and practical floor covering.
Uncle Frank hunted wild game for meat and furs, taking at a time only what they could use as there was no refrigeration. Later the men got together and built an ice house with two walls, leaving a space about 10 to 12 inches between walls which they filled with saw dust. They cut ice off the ponds and creeks in the winter and buried the ice under piles of saw dust. When the ice house was filled, each family that helped could get ice when needed.
It was a rough way of life but it was survival and they loved life. Corn whiskey was cheap, 10 cents a quart. No one got drunk but there were many “moonshiners.”
The nights were very quiet and to the cooing of the doves, the whippoorwill calling underneath the window and the croaking of the frogs on the pond they would fall asleep and be awakened in the morning at the break of dawn by the crowing of the rooster, the neighing of the horses, the mooing of the cows and the bleating of the sheep to make ready for another day.
Uncle Frank did the morning chores and feeding while Aunt Fanny cooked breakfast of country cured ham, fresh eggs, country butter, hot biscuits and fresh sorghum. The aroma of country ham could be smelled for blocks. Then their daily chores began.
There were the country picnics with lemonade and ice cream stands. This ice cream was always made by hand. There was always a swing operated by a horse fastened to a long pole that went round and round. A Mr. Duncan (JR note: my great-grandfather was named Ford Duncan and lived in the same area) always operated the swing with 15 or 16 seats for two. He would lean on a pole by the swing and sing this little song once he filled the seats. Come on fellers, swing your girl, 25 times around the world for the pitiful sum of one little dime.” When the swing went around 25 times you got off or paid another dime. This swing kept running, nearly always full, all day long. Then there was the dance floor. The young ladies with their long full skirts and high-top button shoes and the fellers with their blue jeans and new brogans really knocked the splinters off the old dance floor. Sometimes some young feller would get a little too much moonshine and get rough. He usually wound up being set down and tied to a tree until he sobered up. Everyone brought baskets of good things to eat and stayed all day. Sometimes these picnics lasted as long as three days.
They had what they called protracted meetings that lasted two three weeks and were held under a brush arbor.
Going back to the dancing; there was a fiddler’s seat at one end of the dance floor. One old man would sit up there and if he was given little change, a plug of tobacco and a pint of moonshine he just never quit playing. He never got drunk, just funnier and funnier. Then there was the man who did the calling. Everyone had a hilarious time either dancing or gathering around to watch others dance. Two of the favorite calls were the “Grape Vine Twist’ and Cut a Figure 8.'”
Soon they felt the need for a school. Uncle Frank and Aunt Fanny deeded ground for a school and when it was finished someone said, what shall we call it?” They saw a lone cedar tree standing out in the field and decided to call it the Lone Cedar School.
They also felt the need of a church in which to worship. Again, Uncle Frank deeded the ground. This too was named for the tree, the. Lone Cedar Church. The school and church were built on the ground where Glenn Foster now lives. At that time, they had what was known as circuit rider preachers who came and preached once a month, preaching at other churches on the circuit on other Sundays.
In those days if a young man saw a young gird he liked, he didn’t wait for a formal introduction. He merely went to church and when the service was over, he would line up with other young men just outside the door and when the young girl came out, he would say, “May I see you home,” If she said yes, they would walk off arm in arm, and so on until he got a date. They would either walk home or ride double on horse. Those were the days when the longest way around was the sweetest way home.
After the new church was built and a revival meeting was in progress, there were two lovely old ladies who knew the Lord and wanted to see everyone saved. When the preacher made the altar call, they would start shouting. One of them had six big strong sons and Mom would head for the boys. When they saw her coming, some of them would go out the door and some out the windows. Those who couldn’t get out the door or a window would hide under a bench. One had a peg leg and he was the one who usually had to hide under the bench. The other lady had two young sons and they were usually laughing so hard at the flight of the six young men that they usually got caught in the shambles and Mom got to talk to them.
In later years Uncle Frank was a keeper of bees. He had 40 or 45 stands of bees. He always watched closely for them to come out and swam. This one day, it was very hot and Aunt Fanny was doing the family wash on the old wash board when Uncle Frank noticed the queen bee light on Aunt Fanny’s bonnet. He quietly said “Fanny my dear, don’t move, my queen bee just lit on your bonnet.” She said “Frank Rosa, if you think I’m going to stand and let those old bees settle on my bonnet you had better think again,” but Uncle Frank, with a twinkle in his eye and a pat on her back, said “Freeze, my lady, freeze.” Aunt Fanny froze just like a stick, and when all the bees were settled in a ball as large as a half-gallon cup, he gently lifted the bonnet off her head and laid it down in front of the bee hive and the bees marched in and the new queen took her throne and so a new family of bees was formed. No one got a sting and Aunt Fanny finished her wash as if nothing had happened. He sold his honey in Barnesville for 15 cents a pound.
Aunt Fanny always raised her own chickens. She knew just how many she had and each day she was two or three chickens short. She suspicioned the old black cat. This day she was feeding the chickens when she noticed the old cat crouching to spring, which it did and grabbed a chicken on the run. No sooner had it grabbed the chicken when Aunt Fanny grabbed the old cat, marched over to the chopping block and picked up the ax and off came the old cat’s head. Aunt Fanny never quite lived that down.
Aunt Fanny was quite a horse woman. She always rode side saddle (a side saddle was a smaller saddle with one horn on the left side and one stirrup also on the left side). The ladies got on the horse and put her right knee over the horn of the saddle and left foot in the stirrup. That gave her correct balance on the saddle.
Doctors were very scarce and Aunt Fanny became a midwife and helped the doctors many times. Many were the calls she answered late at night. She faced a drizzling rain or blinding snow many times to get to the bedside of someone who needed her, sometimes staying four or five days to help care for the mother and child until they could get other help.
Uncle Frank and Aunt Fanny raised a family of five children, four boys and one girl. George, the eldest, was a farmer on Webb’s Creek; Jasper, a merchant; James and Levi stayed on the home place. James was sheriff of Reynolds County for four years; Caroline died as a young woman.
They lived on the old homestead all their many years. In later life they both retired. Uncle Frank made his own handles for hoes, axes, hammers etc., and evenings they would sit outside the little house, he working on the handles, she sitting with her Bible in her lap and churning. You could hear her humming those sweet old songs, “Amazing Grace,’ ‘When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” “How Firm a Foundation,'” and “How Sweet It Is to Trust in Jesus.” She had a beautiful soprano voice and loved to sing and others loved to hear her.
They were God-fearing people and loved their home and family, their church, their God and country. They faced many heart-breaking events, but not once did they give up. They lived with the thought in their hearts to leave this world a better place than first it was.
They lived at the old homestead all their many years. They both died the same time. Aunt Fanny passed away at 6 p.m. and next morning Uncle Frank went to join her, just 14 hours later. He was 99 years of age and she was 81. Brother Odell preached the funeral. He said that Uncle Frank was a Barnabas and Aunt Fanny a Tabetha in their time. They were laid to rest just across the field from their home in the Old Neely Cemetery in the same grave.
I’m sure if Uncle Frank and Aunt Fanny could come back and you asked them what period of time they would live in if they had a choice they would say, “Give me the good old days where men were men and women were women, when each woman was treated with respect and treated as a lady so long as she was one.”
The life of a pioneer was hard. There were many disappointments and many heartaches, but through it all there was much happiness and sometimes a lot of laughs. They did not know the word quit. They were two wonderful people with a potential of looking ahead and trying to make this world a better place in which to live.
To know them was to love them. They were just merely working the road, making it safe for those coming behind. Roses bloom and fade away but what we do with our lives will live forever, and I believe the memory of these two wonderful people will live on down through the ages.
They were my grandparents of whom I am very proud. I loved them very much. I think I can hear them say, “‘May the Stars and Stripes forever wave and may America live on.”
I hope all who read this will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.