Chapter 8: Hope Springs Forth

Christmastide arrived like clockwork. The depression was recovering in the countryside. Tobacco and cotton planters continued to absorb low agricultural prices. The Thompson family had their tobacco plantation, inn, grist mill, rental land, railway bonds, and shares in a steamship company to have the wealth to build a cottage in Newport and take trips to Europe. Brokers found deals up north and in Europe. Distilleries, textile mills, cigar factories, and grist mills churned out finished products sold at higher prices. Nearly half the country’s banks closed, and states were defaulting on their bonds, angering bondholders in Europe. Mr. Thompson took a hit and patiently waited for interest from his railway bonds. He bought out a few farmers and rented out some acres to recover his losses. The grist mill flour was stored for the family and slaves. When he had enough in storage, he sold the rest to dry goods shops in nearby towns. His tobacco was sent to Europe. He chose to rent out his Newport cottage when not there and found an attorney in Newport to accept the payments. A new Building and Loan Association opened in Smithfield at the beginning of December. Two cotton brokers formed a business that offered loans on houses and farms but did not issue banknotes. It sold shares in the business, and each share received a percentage of the profits as interest. I invested $50 and received a loan to purchase 100 acres from a cotton planter next door to open a new distillery. In the spring, I would order bricks from the Smithfield factory, and my family and friends would gather to help build the distillery. I went out with Mabel to show her my new acres, and she admired my plum trees along the creek that I planted. My sister Sarah’s father-in-law would survey the property in the spring to mark the foundations. Papa and I worked on plans for the building, such as where to place the brick firepits to heat the mash and build a storage barn for aging wines and beers. It needed to be near the creek because distilling spirits requires much water. It would take about a year to finish the building. With a hundred and forty acres recorded under my name and the poll tax paid to the county clerk, I would be allowed to vote in next year’s elections. Mabel said she would have an election cake made. Many people seem to be leaving for Oregon Territory, but not enough to decrease the number of U.S. House Representatives. Stories of the Oregon Trail appeared in magazines. One story explained that colored folk were forbidden to reside in Oregon, so no freedmen or slaves could enter the territory. I confessed to Mabel that my distillery building project and my brother's seminary training would drain my family’s savings. It might take a couple of years of profits to purchase the lumber for our house and outbuildings. Perhaps, when my brother finishes his seminary training in another two years, we could become engaged and plan the wedding. Mabel agreed to that. I felt awful making her wait so long. Few men were going to court her now, since she was twenty-five and considered to have lost her bloom and was an old maid. Any eligible bachelors our age would be married by now. I visited my grandmother on my mother’s side and wondered if I should propose to Mabel now to prepare to be engaged for two years. We could have our own chamber in my parents’ house if we were married now. Grandmother said to wait until I started building the house before giving her a proposal letter. I asked her about yellow gemstones for an engagement ring. Mabel likes the color yellow. Grandmother shuffled to her bedchamber and asked me to follow. She sat in a chair and asked me to open her jewelry box.

“Grandmother DuPont, I could not take your jewelry. I can save my money to purchase a new ring when the time is right.” I reacted.

“Dear Michael, I am ill with a weak heart and may not be around for your future wedding. I know Mabel would appreciate a family heirloom for an engagement ring.” she stated.

“Yes, Mama said you were getting weaker with dizzy spells, and Uncle Ellison was moving in to care for you after your fall last week.” I replied. “Here is a yellow ring with two white gemstones. Is it topaz?”

“That is a very special ring. Grandfather gave it to me on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. It is a yellow citrine from Brazil with quartz crystals. You may present it to Mabel when the time is right. Be careful not to spend all your money and hold some back for expenses.” she explained.

“Yes, grandmother.” I replied.

I tried not to weep on the horseback ride home. I showed the ring to Mama and asked what she thought.

“It’s a beautiful ring, and thoughtful of Grandmother to give it to you for Mabel. I think she is right to wait until you have the house construction finished before proposing. We will get by while you build your new distillery. You need income first, then a home for Mabel.” she answered.

I joined the church choir to sing Christmas carols on Main Street in Smithfield. We sold everything we could to make money and pay the rent. I delivered fruitcakes Mama made to the Thompson houses. John Thompson was at home, and I showed him and Cossette the ring from my grandmother.

“Oh, Mr. Tilby, it is beautiful. Mabel will love it.” said Cossette.

“It is very pretty. I know Mabel will wear it with pride. I’m sorry to hear your grandmother fell and needs more care. She is a kind woman and even included Mabel in her will; she asked me to draw one up.” said John.

“What? She failed to mention that. I suppose you can’t tell what she left for Mabel in her will?” I inquired.

“No, but I can say Mabel must marry you to receive the inheritance.” John answered.

I attended the Thompson Christmas Ball and a supper party Cossette hosted. I danced with Mabel on both occasions. The Thompson inn held an assembly, and I danced with several ladies, including Mabel. We celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my grandparents’ farms. I gave Mabel a cameo brooch from the Smithfield jeweler. He said he carved it from a seashell. I also purchased a pearl necklace for my mother. The jeweler said the pearls were from the Persian Gulf in Asia. For Papa, I purchased the finest hunting rifle called a Hawken Rifle that I knew he would appreciate. Muzzle-loading flintlock rifles were giving way to muzzle-loading percussion cap rifles. On New Year’s Eve, Grandmother DuPont had a dizzy spell, and Uncle Ellison guided her to the bedchamber before another fall happened. The doctor was called, and she had pneumonia. I visited Mabel on New Year’s Day to give her a book by Charles Dickens I found at the dry goods shop. I confessed my concern about my grandmother and wished I could marry sooner. Mabel assured me she would wait for me, and my future income was more important than a rush to marry before my grandmother died. A week later, my grandmother died, and she left Mabel a topaz brooch to wear on her wedding day to me. I locked it and her engagement ring in my cash box. Mama purchased mourning attire, and my sisters wore it for six months. Mama had to mourn for a year, and at six months, went into half colors.

I finalized the survey of the land for the foundations, and several family members helped build the brick walls with mortar. I moved into the cabin the planter’s tenant had left behind. I thought of altering it into a hog shed once my house was built. I mapped where I wanted the house to go near the road to plan out the barn, granary, root cellar, chicken house, outhouse, tool shed, wagon barn, carriage house, stable, icehouse, spring house, corn crib, and smokehouse. Sarah’s father-in-law surveyed the land to help select the best spot for the house and gardens. As winter melted into spring, I planted a vegetable garden on two acres near the cabin. My family and employees came out to plant hops, grapevines, rye, barley, wheat, and corn. Mabel and her family came by for a social call and dropped off peony cuttings from their garden. By the time the flowers flourish, we will be getting married. They left for Lynnville to shop on Main Street and look at the new European fashion plates. My sister Maggie May was confirmed at church, and Mama made her a new gown. Unlike my sisters, she stayed behind to help Mama and cousin Patty. She had her eye on a church member who was two years her senior and worked on his father's farm of four hundred acres. In May, the Thompson family left for Newport.

1842 brought the publication of Charles Dickens' American Tour, mostly up north. Matthew wrote that he met him when he visited Richmond the year before. Dickens was appalled by slavery, so it was a good thing he didn’t travel further south. My property was surveyed and planned, and we got to work on my new distillery building. Stone by stone, we built the foundations, then brick by brick, we built the walls, the firepits, and storage rooms for ingredients. Once the outer walls were completed, we started on the wood roof and built the storage barn. We stopped only to harvest the grain and vegetables. The grapes were taken to Papa’s distillery to be made into wine and for Mama to make jam. I figured out how much wine would be made with my grapes to add that to my share of inventory for sales. I removed the grapes for Mama’s jam to include a payment for my wages. I would receive the money for my inventory sales, and profits from Papa’s distillery were split with Jacob Thompson. I enjoyed the church socials and picnics in addition to monthly assemblies at the Thompsons’ inn. I paid for my helpers with food and coins they were grateful to have.

I joined the Grain Farmers Alliance, paying dues to be part of the union that owned cooperative seed and implement stores connected to grain elevators in the county. Members purchased seeds and rented farm machinery at cost. The union negotiated better prices with brokers transporting grain. Election Day was exciting, choosing our assemblyman to send to Raleigh. I voted for the first time, presenting my title deeds for owning a hundred and forty acres of property to be added to the voting register. I cast a Whig Ticket Ballot. I opened my new distillery, which was a magnificent one-story building along Eagle Creek, and we had a grand celebration with dancing in the autumn. I decided to host a Christmas Eve dance to invite all my friends and family. Papa failed to host a grand dance in his distillery due to a lack of funds to support his family. Mama didn’t host supper parties due to the need to economize on expenses, with adult children leaving and hiring workers for the distillery, who were mostly family or neighbors. Instead of a party, Papa gave the workers Christmas Eve off with a dollar bonus. The Thompson family returned from Newport and joined the party. The planter and farmer from whom I bought land were also invited. After the party, I showed Mabel the markings where all the buildings were planned to be and where I planted her peonies for the flower garden that I was planning for her. Daffodils, tulips, and irises were planted this fall. When she became cold from the wind, I walked back to the distillery.