Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day, and, though it's late, I thought you all might like to glance at a few of our moms (and grandmoms, and great-grandmoms, and so on) from years ago. And let's think about the way most of them had to do laundry. 

I look around my own kitchen right now and see my dishwasher, my microwave, my stove and refrigerator. As my food cooks this evening, I also have the AC blowing in my face, and my fans are stirring up a hurricane.

My own mother actually did wash clothing in the spring, at least for a while--and I'm not referring to the season here; I'm talking about the sort of spring you find in the woods, where the water seeps (or sometimes gushes) out of a slope.  Considering what people had to do just to appear somewhat clean, is it any wonder that they changed only their detachable collars but wore the same dress or shirt more than one time?

doing laundry in 1901

Anyway, here's laundry in the 1880's:

And, at the bottom of this post, look at all these mothers, and remember that, if they themselves didn't scrub clothes by hand, their mothers or grandmothers probably did.

I've included a couple of links for you to glance at while you relax in comfort in your kitchen and the dishwasher chugs along.

http://www.oldandinteresting.com/history-of-washing-clothes.aspx

http://www.dishwasherrequired.com/laundry-in-victorian-times/

Maggie Petty Mayo Sweeney Skinner, widowed 3 times

Agnes Smith Pilgrim, mother of 3 daughters

Amanda Mott Tolbert

Elizabeth Culbertson Tolbert, mother of 10

Molly Davidson Tolbert, parents from Ireland

Lillian Luke Tolbert, who died at 22

Lucretia Wells Alawine, lived through the Civil War, had a baby murdered later

Maggie Evaline Skinner Alawine, mother of 16

Cecile Tolbert Alawine, mother of 7

Rosa Claughton Luke, mother of Lillian

Ælfwine