Carpetbags and Portmanteaus by Zina Abbott

Originally, as people traveled, they carried knapsacks, bindles and other loose bags as they walked or rode horses. However, as travel and migration patterns expanded, people needed a means to pack a larger quantity of their belongings—something more portable than carrying large items in a wagon or cart.

By 1596, the Oxford English dictionary added the word “luggage.” The word meant “denoting inconveniently heavy baggage” and came from the verb “lug.” However, it was not until the 19th century that travel became prevalent enough that new means of carrying personal belongings—particularly on trains—began to make their debut.

In my most recent book, my heroine does ship some heavier things ahead using a small travel trunk instead of a shipping crate. However, she needed to be able to carry most of her belongings by herself in containers durable enough for travel, and suitable enough to protect her clothes and other items. She chose two.

1860s style carpetbag

The first item was a carpetbag—considered essential for any discerning female traveler.

 Made from carpet material, they came in a variety of colors from subdued to flamboyant. 

1850s carpetbag used by traveler from New Z

Some, made of leather, actually more closely resembled small portmanteaus.

In fact, carpetbags were widely used throughout the nineteenth century due to their relatively lighter weight, their durability, their relatively lower cost, their flexibility—which allowed its owner to stuff an unimaginable amount of clothing and personal items inside—and its ability to be locked, which provided a small measure of security from casual snoopers.

 

The second item she chose was a portmanteau. Similar to what many today think of as a suitcase, a portmanteau is defined as a large trunk or suitcase, typically made of stiff leather and opening into two equal parts. One did not lay it flat on one side and pull the top half up, as in suitcases developed at a later time. One set the bottom on a surface and pulled the two side halves open at the top—more like to today’s duffle bags.

Here is another definition from  Raymond Malewitz, Oregon State Associate Professor of American Literatures: “A portmanteau is an old-fashioned suitcase with a hinge in the middle that can hold equal amounts of luggage in its two storage compartments.”

Is a portmanteau the same as a valise? A valise is defined as “a small piece of luggage, usually made of leather, that can be carried by hand, used to hold clothing, toilet articles, etc.; suitcase; traveling bag.” Often, valises were cylindrical in shape. Although they could be carried by hand, they were originally designed to be carried behind the saddle of a horse. The operative word here is “small.” Generally, a valise was not as large as a portmanteau.

To see an example of a cylindrical valise from earlier times, please CLICK HERE

 

Here is an excerpt from Jocelyn’s Wedding Dilemma:

             Jocelyn jostled her carpetbag and the portmanteau outside—the portmanteau being wretchedly heavy due to her having packed her lap desk. She noticed the eastern sky already turning a faint gray. Still too dark to see clearly, she hoped her eyes adjusted enough to the dim light so she did not trip over her feet. Setting her baggage on the back stoop, she faced the house as she noiselessly eased the door closed.

            “Miss Wolcott? What are you doing out so early?”

            Upon hearing Homer’s soft voice behind her, Jocelyn jerked upright and grabbed the handrail on one side of the stoop to keep her balance. Licking her lips, she slowly turned and descended until she stood on the ground. “I was unaware you started your day this early, Mr. Cottingham.”

            “I seldom leave our apartment so soon. Mrs. Cottingham started boiling water for tea. However, she’s out of biscuits—the kind you call cookies. She sent me to the kitchen for the supper rolls left from last night plus a jar of jam to get us by until time for our breakfast.”

            “I see.” Jocelyn’s stomach rumbled. That does sound good. “Please don’t let me keep you. I’ll….um…”

            “It appears you plan to travel somewhere, Miss.” Homer studied the carpetbag and portmanteau.

            “Yes. I decided on a surprise visit to…family.” Jocelyn bit her lip. She knew her words were deceitful, yet not exactly a lie. At least, in a week or ten days, they would be truth.

 

Jocelyn’s Wedding Dilemma is now available for sale and at no additional cost with Kindle Unlimited. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-portmanteau

https://www.mimimatthews.com/2019/04/28/have-carpet-bag-will-travel/

Le Moniteur de la Mode, 1876, No. 1348 Toilettes de Mme Morison, RP-P-2009-3650

https://www.travelandleisure.com/style/travel-bags/history-of-suitcase

https://www.hussarsaddlery.com/valises-and-portmanteauss

Helen & Me, the journey continues

Post by Doris McCraw 

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

I recently had the opportunity to speak on the subject of Helen. It was liberating to speak about a person I  was passionate about instead of being Helen in a costume.

You may ask why this was liberating? When you are speaking as a character you can only speak about what the person would possibly know. It's like writing in first person. 

When you speak about someone you can add all the extra details, the people who knew them, what they thought of them. Even though I am not a fan of making assumptions, in the case of Helen, I feel I can make some educated guesses.

For example, Helen used to go out riding in her carriage on Sunday mornings. I've been studying her for over twenty years and while she may have had a twinge of hurt at what people said about her not going to church, I feel confident in saying she preferred her worship to out in the outdoors. Her love of nature would make this a safe assumption.

I feel privileged to have spent so much time with this amazing woman, even though centuries divide us. Even today there are pieces I want to explore. One example, her mentor Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson was said to be a stoic. Did this philosophy rug off on Helen? I shall be exploring.

For those so inclined, I would enjoy having you subscribe to my newsletter, which is free (for now) Thoughts and Tips On History

Until Next Time,

Poetry Inspired by
Helen
Amazon

Doris

Nineteenth Century Heating in North America by Zina Abbott

About four years ago, my husband decided his days of cutting wood for our woodburning stove were over. It took three years plus a few months to use up or stockpile. After a few weeks of shivering next to an electric oil-filled radiator-style heater, for our Christmas and anniversary present, we invested in a pellet stove. We still heat with a flame generated by wood, but the technology has moved into the twenty-first century.

For my current work-in-progress, I needed a means for a snoopy mother to be able to eavesdrop on her children. The children soon learned how Mama seemed to know things, and they took steps to prevent being overheard. This carried forward, even when they both grew to adulthood. My first thought was Mama listened at a vent as sound traveled through the heating ducts. During the time of my story, was that even possible? Here is what I found about home heating, particularly in North America.

Medieval kitchen

Fire has been a primary source of heat for centuries. It is hard to believe it was not until the twelfth century that the chimney was invented. Before then, most fires for both cooking and heating were on an open fire or, inside a structure, a hearth beneath and a hole in the roof to draw smoke outside. With a chimney came the fireplace with a firebox and hearth and often a mantle.

 

Courtesy Virginia State Parks

Through the end of the seventeenth century, the fireplace remained the primary source of heat and cooking. However, once Europeans arrived in North America, they discovered many regions winter weather could be much harsher than where they came from. Necessity is the mother of invention.

1744 – Benjamin Franklin invented the “Pennsylvania Fireplace.” It included a grate to burn wood, sliding doors to control draught, and required a fourth of the amount of wood compared to a fireplace. It would be housed inside a large fireplace or used free-standing in the middle of the room as long as it was connected to a chimney. It became widely popular in North America.

Rumford Fireplace

1795 (about) – Anglo-American physicist, Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, as part of his investigations on heat, developed the Rumford fireplace. The back wall of the firebox is one-third the width of the opening to reflect more heat into a room. Also, its streamlined throat reduces turbulence, allowing smoke to be carried away with minimal loss of heated room air.

 Early 1800s – the potbelly Franklin stove evolved from the earlier Franklin stove.

During the majority of the nineteenth century, wood provided the primary source of fuel for fireplaces, stoves, and other forms of heating devices. Especially east of the Mississippi River and most of its tributaries, wood was plentiful. It was the English who primarily brought the fireplace technology to North America. German immigrants brought the iron stove for heating living spaces.

1820 – 1830 – Coal became increasingly popular as a fuel, particularly Anthracite, or “hard” coal.  Adams explains, coal was quickly becoming a dominating fuel type. Stoves that could burn either wood or coal became popular.

1833 – Eliphalet Nott invented the first base-burner stove for using anthracite coal. 

1834 – Dennis Olmstead was the first to use the term “radiator” in a patent for a heat exchanger which then radiated heat.

1840s – The White House and Capitol building were outfitted with steam heating systems in the 1840s.

1855 – The heating radiator as we know it was invented by Franz San Galli, a Kingdom of Prussia-born Russian businessman living in St. Petersburg. by the late 1800s, the technology made it way to North America. To lower costs and expand the market, companies, such as the American Radiator Company, promoted cast iron radiators over the previous fabricated steel designs.

The use of boilers, radiators, and steam or hot water to heat homes became more popular after the Civil War. Large commercial and public buildings often used steam, but most homes were equipped with lower pressure hot water radiators because they were considered safer.

1883 – Thomas Edison invented the electric heater.

1885 – Coal became the most predominant source of fuel to generate heat. Carts and later trucks would deliver loads of this fossil fuel to basements around the world for the next fifty years or more.

1895 – Ernest Bryant and Ezra Smith, two businessmen, shared their plans for an  furnace using riveted steel for the heating surface with David Lennox. Furnaces at that time were made of cast iron, which tended to warp and crack after extended use, causing smoke and coal gases to escape into houses. After the three signed an agreement, Bryant and Smith lost their financial backing. Lennox took over their patents and reworked their design. He then successfully marketed the natural convection furnaces under his own brand name.

1919 – Alice Parker patented a central heating system. Prior to that, a lack of electricity for fans meant that heat was transported through the ducts by the process of natural air flow. With the addition of an electric fan connected to a network of ducts, a furnace could supply warm air more uniformly throughout a house.

Unfortunately, this research answered my question regarding whether or not being able to listen through the ductwork of a heating system was possible, even in the upscale houses of the 1870s or 1880s. The answer was no.

 

Jocelyn’sWedding Dilemma, the second book in the series, The Matchmaker and the Mother-in-Law, is currently on pre-order and scheduled for release on March 5, 2024.

To find the book descriptions and pre-order link, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://archive.curbed.com/2017/11/30/16716472/old-house-fireplace-coal-stove-history-heating

https://shiptons.ca/a-brief-history-of-home-heating/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumford_fireplace

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Lennox

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiator_(heating)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stove

https://www.presbyteriansofthepast.com/2020/03/20/eliphalet-nott-1773-1866/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliphalet_Nott

Helen & Me

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (c) Doris McCraw

Over twenty years ago I received a request to 'portray' Helen (Hunt) Jackson for a tea that the historical society was having. Of course, I said yes and then over the next month researched her life and sewed a costume to match the time period. That was necessary because they were having a period fashion show.

That quick burst of research has led to a lifetime of study. However, that initial performance was one that has stayed with me.

For one thing, while social, Helen focused on her writing. She had also come to Colorado Springs for her health. I decided that the most important part of being her was to focus on her 'hobby' as she called it. So while speaking with the guests I spoke of coming to the region, how the beauty was to be cherished,  and the importance of seeing the Indians as humans. 

Photo (c) Doris McCraw

That may sound strange today, but in the 1800s that was not the case. I hadn't had time to dig deeper, but it was enough to make Helen's point. 

The other thing I learned was Helen was strong in her opinions yet had no problem changing them if she felt it was important to do so. I think that was the biggest part of my desire to find out more. Here was a woman of strong opinions who herself was a contradiction. 

I hope you will continue to join me as I share my lifelong journey with and as Helen.

Amazon

Until Next Time: Stay safe, Stay happy, and Stay healthy. 

Doris

Being a Writer vs a Regular Person by Zina Abbott

I am a writer. Even before I wrote American historical romance, I wrote grievance files as a union steward. I wrote family history and other short stories before that. 

The photo of the older woman in front of a computer on the above is not me. However, if she was dressed in a T-shirt or sweatshirt, and her hair was more mussed and auburn (okay, salt-and-red pepper, heavy on the salt), she could pass. However, I have not been writing much since I published my most recent book on December 8th, almost a month ago. 

I spent the first two weeks after publication working heavily on marketing--both for my own books and for the three multiple-author series for which I was then writing. After, with Christmas only a few days away, I started acting like a regular person, not an author with obligations and deadlines. Even my title on this blog header is in a different, more wonky font than my usual "Western" font. I told myself, as soon as Christmas is over, I'll start writing. Then, it was I will start right after New Year's Day. Another week is almost past and other than a few necessary multi-media obligations, I'm still in "regular person" mode--not writing my next book.

Maybe not entirely. Even though I have not been writing, I have been doing author-y tasks. One of my first, which I tackled New Year's Day (After watching most of the Pasadena Rose Parade) was to copy and paste to save for my records how I did as far as sales and royalties for the year. The above, which I shared on my newsletter, shows my ten top books in relation to royalties earned. I was pleased that one of my 2023 publications, Lauren, which had not been out quite a year, placed in the top ten royalty earners.

The all-time top ten as far as Kindle Unlimited page reads pretty much matches the above, except Lauren scooted in front of Otto's Offer and Diantha.

However, it was a different story when I looked at royalties earned by sales--both ebook and print. The smaller covers in front represent the royalties from sales. The books that surprised me were my own little trio of romances for Train Wreck in Jubilee Springs--Two Sisters and the Christmas Groom, Kate's Railroad Chef, and Nathan's Nurse. They did really well on sales. After 2017, I have been the only one writing for the Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs series. I had considered pulling those three books (published in the end of 2019 and early 2021) and put them into a stand-alone series. After reviewing this data, I realize it needs to be done--soon.

Only Kendrick, my most popular book, held the same position on both charts.

I also identified my second top-10 most popular books based on royalties earned--in other words, books number 11 through 20. A Shopkeeper for Christmas surprised me. Then again, I used it often as a promotional book, often at a reduced price. It all added up. Three of my Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs books--Dead Set Delphinia, Aaron's Annulment Bride, and Bargain Bessie, have been around since 2017, and all have done well. I was pleased to see another of my 2023 books, Elise, in my top twenty.

Even though these were not "writing," having this information helps me as a self-published author know what I need to focus on more during the coming year.

Other non-writer tasks that felt like I was being a regular person (but not really):

I have an older Windows 10 computer that I nurse along because (in case you cannot figure out from the graphics you have seen so far, just in this post) I enjoy doing graphics. I have a 1998 Microsoft photo-editing program that they stopped making in 1999. It will work on a 64-bit machine, but nothing higher. When it comes to 64-bit computers, I do not think they are making them anymore. I will not go to Adobe Photoshop because I HATE that program. I guess I have been using Microsoft products for so long, the logic used by Adobe makes no sense to me. I do not find it intuitive or user-friendly.

Therefore, I regularly--especially after a year has ended--back up my computer on at least two external hard drives and delete non-working files, especially the large image files. All my folders with images and research documents for blog posts? Backed up and gone off my computer. All my "snippet" record of receipts for paid bills? Same. I keep this machine clean so my photo-editing works better. Before I did this, I backed up the entire computer--system and all--on a third back-up drive. It takes time--lots of time. However, my computer is working much quicker and more smoothly.

I decided to prepare my writing income and expense files for 2024. I backed up 2023 on all three drives, and I will do taxes on my other computer (my "writing" computer).

Then there is dealing with all the emails. I get them all year, but this time of year, with all the stuff everyone has been trying to sell, they feel personal--like a personal affront. I am getting to this blog post late because I spent over four hours clearing emails. Well--true confessions--that and following my usual "down the research rabbit hole" tendency. 

 

 

Example. Ancestry is advertising their six-month subscription on sale again. I finally decided, since it is not as convenient to go my local family history center where I can access it for free, I needed to sign up. It is a business expense. Yes, I expect to use it for family history. Yet, as part of my usual book research for some projects, I also love to look up census records, etc. Need the 1880 census records for Sonora and Copperopolis, California? I've got them. With access to Newspaper.com and Fold3 as part of the subscription--both excellent historical research sites--I decided the cost was worth the expanded version. 

 

Then, also part of the offer, I could add four others to my subscription. I added hubby, two daughters, and a daughter-in-law. Then, I had to text each of them to tell them so they did not think the email they receive is advertising spam and delete it. I was too late with hubby, but we recovered the link to his account. All little tasks like this take time--non-writing time.

 

After I paid for Ancestry, my "research rabbit hole" tendency really kicked in. I had to get on and check my own DNA results--again. They had a update, including a new feature of traits they projected based on my DNA. Have freckles? Yep, I have plenty. Hair color red? Yep. Well, it was auburn, but still... It even predicted I like the taste of cilantro. The only conclusion it predicted I don't agree with is that I am not more of an extrovert. I see myself as more of an introvert.

It was research, yes, but a very "regular person" type, not much writing done there.

Then another non-writing activity I worked on was developing a new cover design for a personal series I plan to write starting this year. I promised it at the end of Sabrina. That was another reason I needed to clean up my computer hard drive--so my photo-editing program for this project would perform more smoothly.  I keep finding great multiple-author series that interest me, so I have made several other commitments. I must work my own series books around them.

Unfortunately, as much as I enjoy designing covers, I do not find it to be as intuitive as it seems to be for other cover artists. Either that, or I am more critical of my own work. Instead of spending 2-3 hours and ending up with a cover I am pleased with, I will spend possibly twice that long to get to something I like fairly well. Then, I come back to the project a few weeks--or months--later and work on it some more. I might to that two or three times before I get a cover I decide is the final-final. Some of my covers I've been pleased with, some not so much.

So far, I like how the current cover I'm working on is turning out. I am not ready to share it yet. I plan to have my cover reveal on my next newsletter. 

So, what would I have been doing if not writing this blog post after spending hours clearing emails? I would have been quilting. It is for a friend--a fellow quilter who regularly donates lap quilts to the local nursing home. She is having health challenges. So, it was time she received a quilt.

Two days ago, after completing the main quilt design, I tore my entire house and storage building apart looking for sashing material. For non-quilters, "sashing" is the wide fabric strips that frame the main quilt design. 

My friend and I have different tastes in fabrics. I like muted colors. Autumn colors. Colors that look like they came from the swamp. She likes light, bright, and cheerful colors--lots of florals. Often over the years, when I came across fabric remnants that were her style--not mine--I gave them to her. So now, when I needed something for a quilt intended for her, nothing I had in my stash worked.

Yesterday, instead of doing what I am doing today, I went to my local Jo-Ann's Fabrics. That was a mistake. I found something I thought might work. However, this Jo-Ann's is in the process of being closed for business. They had whatever fabric remained on a bolt on sale for 70% off if a shopper bought at least six bolts. I checked every bolt of quilting fabric, and after I settled on my choices, I spent a fortune. When I got home, I decided the fabric I originally picked out for the sashing did not work. None of the rest of the fabric worked, either, because they were colors and designs that I like.

Off I went to Walmart. I paced back and forth along the single partial aisle that held quilting fabric. Several times, I perused their limited selection. Nothing looked right. I avoided the reds, because I do not have much red in the body of the quilt. Finally, the red with yellow and white daisies yelled, "Hey! I'm bright! I'm cheerful! I'll make good sashing for your quilt." I bought two yards. 

All day that project took. Unfortunately, by the time this regular salt-and-red pepper-heavy-on-the-salt person returned home, she was too tired to quilt or do anything else.

Just as soon as I finish the quilt and give it to my friend, I will get over thinking like a regular person, and I'll get back to my writing schedule. Soon. I cannot put it off much longer--I have deadlines looming.

If while reading this post, you saw any covers of books you have not yet read and would like to learn more, please CLICK HERE to find the link to my Amazon author account. 

Also, if you do not receive my newsletter, but want to sign up in time to get in on my cover reveal for my own series, please CLICK HERE.