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1980.04.28b page 1

“Another bad day”: The Diary of Henrietta Eugenia Vickers Armstrong

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What must it have been like to live in Thomasville at the brink of the Civil War? Here at the History Center we have the transcript of a diary written by a young woman over the year of 1861. This diary not only gives us insight into this question but also paints a vivid picture of life in South Georgia and how it was about to drastically change. Follow along as we explore the world from Henrietta Armstrong’s point of view in this blog series!

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Introduction

Henrietta Eugenia Vickers Armstrong (1843-1912) was born in Thomasville, the third youngest of four children born to James M. (1810-1849) and Anna E. Miller Vickers Sr. (1821-1905). By the time of writing her diary, Henrietta had already known the pains of loss: her older sister died right before her birth, her father died when she was six, and her baby brother, James Jr., died when she was 15 after he drowned in the Ochlocknee River.

Despite these hardships, there were good times too: in 1850 her mother remarried and had another son just a few years later. In 1858 Henrietta married Aneas Armstrong, a member of the United States Navy and plantation owner. At the age of seventeen, she was in charge of overseeing the family home: a job which included nursing, clothing, and directing the work of sixty-seven enslaved laborers. Within a few weeks of beginning her diary, Henrietta’s older brother had his first child, a daughter he named Henrietta Eugenia after his sister.

On the note of family, Henrietta had an extensive extended family made up of several VIPs of the time period. Her father’s first wife was Mary Polly Jones Tooke, the mother of Henry Harlowe Tooke (a seasoned clerk in the Thomas County court) and Frances Amanda Tooke (the wife of James Lindsey Seward, a member of the United States House of Representatives before the Civil War and member of the Georgia Senate.) Henrietta’s brother, Pleasant Nixon Vickers, was married to Ann Ponder Theus whose mother was part of the Ponder family. They are known in Thomas County for the Ephraim Ponder House (her uncle’s home) on Dawson Street and their enslavement of the Flipper family, including Henry Ossian Flipper.

Through her husband, Henrietta was connected to the Armstrong family of Bibb County which included his father, a plantation owner and Major General, and Aneas’s eleven brothers and sisters. Several of his brothers became high-ranking naval officers for the Confederacy. One of his sisters married the Florida Secretary of State, Frederick L. Villapigue, who was instrumental in orchestrating Florida’s secession from the Union. Henrietta’s family was well-connected within Georgia and Florida society and government, affording her family many opportunities that were not available to the average citizen.

Unbeknownst to Henrietta, a dark period in American history, and her own life, was about to begin. On January 19th, the State of Georgia seceded from the Union. Several other Southern states followed, leading to the creation of the Confederate States of America and tipping off the American Civil War. A day after Georgia left the Union, Henrietta wrote in her diary:

“We are out of the ‘Union’ at last, thank God. I hope the abolitionists will suffer for what they have done.”

Unfortunately for Henrietta, her family would be swept up into the ensuing war with dire consequences for some members (but you’ll have to wait for another installment of this series to find out who!).

Over this year, we will follow along with Henrietta and the Vickers-Armstrong family as they dealt with the turn of events that marked 1861 as the start of the Civil War. Learn about her family, her daily life, and the ins-and-outs of being the wife of a plantation owner in Southwest Georgia. Despite how much life has changed in the 164 years between now and the time of Henrietta’s diary, many aspects may feel familiar to our own lives and give us a peek into the Thomas County she experienced.

Piney Woods Hotel - 1895 - Menu

Recipes from the Vault: A Night at the Piney Woods Hotel

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Every so often, the museum receives a donation that includes a cookbook or recipe card. Sometimes the recipes are familiar comfort foods still served on many Thomas County tables. Others… well, let’s just say some recipes are best left in the past. This series highlights some of those recipes: from the classics to the experimental. If you try any of these recipes, successfully or not, let us know what you think!

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Happy New Year! And to start off your New Year right, why not take a note from the past when putting together the menu for your next dinner party? Today we have a menu card from January 27, 1895 at the Piney Woods Hotel. Take a look to see what was served to the fancy guests of yesteryear. Can you identify half these dishes? Or have ever eaten any of them yourself? Let’s dive into this menu and see what recipes you might (or might not) consider trying out yourself. And in the immortal words of the Barefoot Contessa, if you can’t make the ingredients yourself, “store bought is fine.”                                         

First up is Lynn Haven Oysters. These are a specific oyster found in the Lynnhaven River in Virginia. They have a long history with English and American settlers in the New World and are favored for having a light, fresh taste that isn’t too fishy. If you want to put some on your table, simply place an order through the Lynnhaven Oyster Club: a package of 50 costs only $42.50!

Next on the menu are soups: Clear Green Turtle au Madere and Cream of Chicken Princess. At the time this menu was written, turtle soup was all the rage; especially in Southern coastal areas where sea turtles were easily found. That is until they weren’t. The craze for turtle soup contributed to a major decline in the sea turtle population in the first half of the twentieth century. It is now illegal to hunt sea turtles, a protected species under the Endangered Species Act, so if I were you, I’d stick to the cream of chicken soup.

Throw some olives and celery on the table as a palate cleanser or festive decoration as your guests will probably need to save room for the upcoming dishes.

Since you missed out on a seafood option with the turtle soup, how about some Fresh Lobster Pattie a la Cardinal? This recipe calls for only the best: lobster, lobster eggs, and black truffles. Those last two ingredients, along with several others, go into the sauce that creates the “Cardinal” part of the recipe’s name. If the cost hasn’t dissuaded you, I suggest looking up the recipe yourself. If you aren’t a lobster fan, how about the Boiled Kennebec Salmon in Sauce Diplomat? The recipe calls for many of the same ingredients as the lobster above, just substitute the lobster with very salty salmon and add a white sauce with the lobster eggs and black truffles mixed in. While you’re at it, pair the salmon with some light cucumbers and a side of Parisienne Potatoes, France’s round buttery answer to the French Fry.

Hopefully, you aren’t full yet as we’re only half-way through the menu! Next, we have Fried Chicken a la Maryland; Diamond Back Terrapin en Caisse, Club Style; and Queen Fritters, Vanilla Flavor. Unfortunately, this is not the Maryland Fried Chicken you can find on Jackson Street, but instead a fried chicken fillet covered in a white gravy and a side of bananas – yet it may be the easiest to prepare from this grouping. As we said earlier, turtles are illegal so the Diamond Back Terrapin will have to go on the metaphorical back burner. Lastly, we have Queen Fritters – a fancier version of cream-filled donuts.

As roast ribs and duck are fairly self-explanatory dishes, let’s skip to the Roman Punch to help us wash down those first few courses! This drink is made similarly to today’s mimosa but with a twist: add lemon juice alongside the orange juice and champagne and top the mix off with a healthy dollop of light and fluffy meringue. Serve over ice, preferably from a punch bowl.

After that palate cleanser, it’s onto a Saddle of Venison in Currant Jelly alongside lettuce in French Dressing (or salad as the kids would say). After that come a multitude of recognizable sides: boiled potatoes, stewed tomatoes, mashed potatoes, spinach, and rice. Oyster Plant is another name for Salsify Root, a plant native to Southern Europe whose flavor is described as somewhere between oysters and artichoke. In our case, the plant was likely sauteed in butter. Sweet Potatoes, Georgian Style is similar to Sweet Potato Soufflé, often still seen on many Southern tables during the holidays.

Finally, we reach the desserts. Queen Pudding is made from a little cake of breadcrumbs and eggs topped with jam and meringue, although this recipe uses a Sherry wine sauce instead. The Mince Pie on the list is most likely the fruit-only version we are more familiar with today rather than the more Dickensian meaty variety. Port Wine Jelly is just as it sounds – a jelly made from Port Wine. The dessert section fills out with coconut pie, strawberry ice cream, and assorted cake (probably leftovers from another meal). The menu is rounded out with the nineteenth century version of a charcuterie board of fruits (raisins being separated for some reason), nuts, crackers, and cheese all topped off with a cup of coffee.

If you have reached the end of this blog and are still upright and not overwhelmed by the thought of slogging through a dinner at the Piney Woods Hotel, congratulations! This Sunday dinner menu reads more like a food challenge at a fancy restaurant than fare for a modern dinner party. But, for fun, why not try one or two of these recipes the next time you have guests over. Preferably, friends who enjoy a good gastronomic adventure!

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Problems with Peter: The Peter Dekle Letters: Religion

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Here at the History Center, we like to supply our collections department interns and volunteers with interesting projects that illustrate what life in Thomas County’s past was like for her citizens. We have many letters, records, diaries, and documents that give sneak peeks into the daily lives of people who were more like us than we may realize.

One of our interns, Kayla Reeves (who recently attained her bachelor’s degree in history from Florida State University), was tasked with transcribing a collection of letters from Private Peter Dekle (1836-1863) to his wife Susan Dunbar Dekle (1839-?) of Thomasville. Peter’s letters span from April of 1862 to August of 1863 when he served in the Confederate Army in Company F of the 29th Infantry. For most of his military service, Peter was stationed around Savannah but was later sent to North Carolina and Mississippi before he was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga. After several months, he succumbed to his injuries; however, the whereabouts of Susan following her husband’s death are currently unknown.

Here’s what Kayla had to say about Peter and his letters to Susan:

“As a drafted soldier, Peter did not generally discuss ideological reasons behind the war in his letters, rarely mentioning secession or even regional animosity. However, Peter’s letters provide valuable insight into the experiences and mentality of an average soldier, demonstrating themes of homesickness, despair, adventure, and adjusting to the general monotony of camp life.”

In this blog series, Kayla explores some of these themes with excerpts from Peter’s letters. Please keep in mind that Peter was writing in the language and attitudes of his time which we now consider to be racist and prejudice.

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Religion

In one of his letters, Peter mentions efforts to evangelize some of the soldiers and notes the varying morality of different soldiers in the regiment.

“precher [preacher] Danels are preaching in camps to knight [tonight] at this time while I am writing, Moat Stephens are going to be Baptiesed [Baptized] tomorrow evening. he joyened [joined] the Church last knight [night]. I wosh [wish] the whole regiment were prepared to go in the water with him.

Peter does not frequently elaborate on his own religious beliefs in his letters besides common phrases like “God-willing” or “God bless”; however, from the context of this passage and what we know of his family, he likely considered himself a member of the Baptist Church. In this excerpt, one can see that Peter views Christianity as a positive force in the camp.

But the presence of Preacher Daniels did not entirely prevent immoral behavior from happening. Peter continued his letter by condemning the behavior of his fellow troops in the camp, stating,

“if they were [baptized] they would not be so much meanness going on in some are gambling, sum cursing, sum dancing while sum are praying. any thing you want to see you can see it in camps. I have seen so much going on untill I am nearly worn out at the sight of a man. if this war last two years longer the soldiers will no more cere for there soles [souls] if they had none. I have bin [been] beat so bad in meenness [meanness] until I have got ashaimed [ashamed] of my self and quit it”

Even Peter admits falling prey to sin alongside his fellow troops, though through what means he does not say. Granted, his ideas of sinfulness (gambling, cursing, and dancing) might seem rather tame to our modern eyes. In light of this, we need to take Peter’s condemnation of his fellow troops with a grain of salt as his idea of a den of iniquity is a bit stricter than what we might imagine.

TCA Art Hallway (3)

Letters to Santa

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By this point in the month, you’ve probably been inundated with commercials and advertisements everywhere for the hottest kids’ toys of the year. From bikes to Legos to dollhouses that are large enough to need their own address, the toys seem to get bigger and fancier with every passing year. And with the advent of online shopping, Santa’s job to bring out the presents has gotten easier than ever.

But what about the children of the past? What did they wish for? Look no further, for here at the History Center we have Letters to Santa Claus from Dixie, a book filled with letters to Santa from over a hundred years ago. Compiler William Warren Rogers describes the book best:

“The letters to Santa Claus that are featured in the following pages were written by children who lived in Thomas County, Georgia, in the first quarter of the twentieth century. They capture the timeless spirit of the Christmas season and remind us of a simple and innocent time… These letters became a much-anticipated feature in the Thomasville Times-Enterprise during the holidays.”

So while Santa has been called upon to deliver presents for over a hundred years, have children’s demands really changed that much over the years? Yes. And no. The starkest contrast to children of today comes from the number of children asking for fruits and nuts as part of their wish list – nearly every child included this message with some throwing in a request for candy as would be more expected today. How many 10-year-olds will ask for raisins from Santa this year? Few and far between.

In terms of presents, while the details have changed, the nature of the requests remains the same. Dolls, trains, bouncy balls – while not as sophisticated as some today – remain a staple of childhood wishes. Some wanted toys that let them mimic the adults around them, from toy stoves and brooms to tend the house to electric sawmills (which sound like a good way to lose a finger) for building a house. Take a look at the Walmart kids catalog and you can easily find modern day equivalents from the Creative Chef’s Bakers Kit by Little Tikes to the Richgv Kids Tool Set with 42 pieces that will inevitably get lost by the next day.

And while Santa is on the task of giving, the children of then, much like some we hear of and know today, were considerate of the wants and needs of others too. Many then asked Santa not to forget their siblings or family members with one even thinking internationally with his concerns for children in World War I-torn Belgium. Today’s children are even more connected with global events – who knows what they might ask Santa to take to children across the world in need?

Ultimately, the children of then were not too different from the children of today. Though the circumstances and details have changed, the essence of their wish lists have remained the same. Take a look at some of these letters and see if they remind you of any letters to Santa you have seen (or may have written yourself!).

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1915

Thomasville, Ga., Dec. 10, 

Dear Santa:

I am a little girl nine years old. I am in the fifth grade. My teacher is Miss Goff. I do not want much this Christmas. I have the doll you brought me last Christmas, but I want a baby doll with a short dress, a kimono and slippers to match for myself. Bring me fruit of all kinds. Do not forget all the poor children.

Your little girl,

Ernestine Baggs

 

Meigs, Ga., Dec. 10, 

Dear Santa Claus:

I am a little girl 10 years old. Will you please bring me a Bible and a scrap book. I will be so proud of it. And if you have it to spare, bring me a doll cart and please do not forget our little baby brother. He is awfully cute and just large enough to play with toys.

Your friend,

Lois Duren

1916

Thomasville, Ga., Dec. 12, 1916

Dear Santa Claus:

I hope that you have a good time up there. Do you have any rest? What are you going to bring me for Christmas?  I want an electrical sawmill set, then I want anything else. I want you to go to the Belgium children and give them some bread.*

One of your children,

Albert Schwenke

*Albert is referring to the ongoing food crisis that affected the people of Belgium during its occupation by Germany in World War I.

1917

Boston, Ga., Dec. 11, 

Dear Santa Claus:

I am writing tonight to tell you what I want you to bring me Christmas. I want you to bring me a little gun and Santa Claus I want you to tell Mr. Erven MacIntyre** if he has a little gentle pony that would not hurt a little cripple boy, to please keep him a while to ride to school and send it by you. I will take good care of him as long as I keep him.

Santa, I would also like a little overcoat to wear to school, and a pair of gloves. Santa don’t forget my little baby sister. I want you to bring her a baby cart.

Santa Claus, you must not forget me, as I am a cripple boy and I have to wear [leg] braces. Hurry up and come.

As ever yours,

Thomas Roscoe Williams

Route B

** Thomas is referring to William Irwin MacIntyre (1882-1929) of Thomasville. He was an attorney and local historian who also raised horses. Interestingly, Thomas was born in 1914 and would have been only three years old at the time of this letter, making it highly unlikely that he was the true author of this note. Instead, the letter was probably written by one of his parents as many of these letters were. The next letter is another example of this occurrence.  

 

Boston, Ga., Dec. 19, 

Dear Santa Claus:

I am a little boy 2 years old. I want you to bring me a hammer and train and a wagon and some marbles to roll. And please bring me a rubber ball to play with and some candy, apples, nuts, raisins to eat. And don’t forget Daddie and Mamma. I am a good little boy, but sometimes I squeal and holler, although I am not going to do that anymore, but am going to be good.

Your little boy,

Odus Duncan

R.F.D., No. 2, Box 18

 

Meigs, Ga., Dec. 19, 

Dear Old Santa Claus:

Please bring me Xmas a little horn and a little toy pistol and some dogs so I can go “possum” hunting. Also bring me some fruits and candy.

I am your little friend,

David Davis

Coolidge, Ga.,

 

Meigs, Ga., Dec. 19,

Dear Santa Claus:

I am just a little boy. Will you please bring me an air rifle and some shot and a front wheel for my bicycle, and some good story books to read. Also bring me some fruit, candy and nuts. I haven’t got any papa. I help Grandpa work in the shop. I am painting a buggy for him today. Dear Grandpa is old and sick too. Please bring him something nice.

Your true friend at Chastain, Ga.,

Emory Kennedy

1918

Coolidge, Ga., Dec. 4, 1918

My dear Mr. Santa:

I am a little girl living near Coolidge. I guess you will think I am in a great hurry to write you though I know there is too many little boys and girls, and I thought I’d be in time. As I have just lost my little brother I want to be remembered by you to have something to keep me in good heart. Please send me a cup and saucer and a pair of gloves to keep my hands warm as I will soon be old enough to go to school. And also bring me a little vase and a little broom to keep my playhouse clean. I am over 5 years old and I would like to have a little rocking chair. Hoping you will bring me these, I will say good night.

Mabel Moncrief

If you want to read more letters to Santa, check out our gift shop, The Lobby, where you can grab your own copy of this book and revel in the nostalgia of this time-honored tradition of writing to ol’ St. Nick.