by Larry Keech, descendant of the Trefethen Family
This article is inspired by my digitizing and detailed editing of the diaries of Supply Foss Trefethen (1856-1910). He lived in the north part of Rye, was a man of many skills including house building, and was very active in Rye town affairs. He also worked at the Navy Yard in the 1850s and 1860s. An excerpt from his diary of this historical epoch is included in Alex Herlihy’s new history of Rye. The complete diary may be viewed on the web site of the Portsmouth Athenaeum. The early part of the diary is in journal form and is the most detailed record we have of daily life in Rye in the 1800s.
Back in the 1800’s a simple trip to Portsmouth for food and hardware could be quite the ordeal. The winter has reminded people of the inconvenience of snow and ice as well as brutal cold. Many people today don’t realize what that may have meant back in the pre-industrial era.
The average Rye Navy Yard worker would get up at around 4:30 in the morning and stoke the fire to warm the house. His wife would also be up at that time preparing an early breakfast, and both would be doing a number of chores prior to the work day. Now, in the winter, if there were heavy snows, no truck plows or salt trucks would be running by to clear your road. It would be done by the locals with oxen dragging a log on an angle much like a road grader. Each area of town had assigned groups for their particular area.
To go to Portsmouth, it was around 3 to 4 miles and they had to pick the best and safest way to travel. If the road was icy, would they risk their horse slipping on the ice and going lame or damaging their wagon wheel from the ruts? If the snow was just right, they could use a sleigh. Once they left in 15-degree weather the trip to Portsmouth from north Rye could take an hour.
Now in town I doubt you would find great parking and what would you do with your horse? Most likely a livery stable would work, but at extra cost. The guys going to the Navy Yard had an additional trip across the Piscataqua by boat or on foot if the river was frozen. The Yard opened at 7:00 am and they would have to work ten hours to 5:30 pm. This meant that they were traveling home in the dark and cold. When getting home the horse would have to be tended to and additional chores done.
So, the next time you have bad weather consider that it could be much worse.
