settle in Tryon was the Mautarde, now known as Muttart, family. Shortly after arriving, the father drowned leaving a widow, seven girls, and three boys. This family dispelled any thoughts of feeble females. The family established a home near where the Jack Nelder family now lives, and, as a former resident recorded, the girls worked like men.7

Farm animals, in addition to pro- viding the pioneers with food, were a source of clothing and transporta- tion. Women sheared the sheep, and then washed, carded, and spun the fleece into yarn. Dyes were made from herbs gathered in the woods and boiled in open kettles on the fireplace. The yarn was either woven into home- spun which was used to provide bedding and clothing for the entire family, or it was knit into socks, sweaters, caps, and mittens. Animal hides were dried, stretched, and tanned; they provided material for boots, belts, satchels, harness and saddles for animals, door hinges, and so on. Hats, worn while working in the fields, were made by the women from wheat straw. Clothing was made by the house wife or the community tailor and handed down from one family member to the next, often being down sized to eliminate worn spots and usually ending its life as part of a quilt on the bed or a hooked mat on the floor. Nothing was discarded; everything was recycled.8

Every housewife knew how to make soap. Two ingredients were needed, lye and animal fat. Lye was made by putting wood ashes in a barrel with a hole in the bottom. Boiling water was poured over the ashes, and a container collected the liquid that seeped throu h. This liquid, lye, was then boiled with animal fat to make the soap. Some housewives continue to make soap which is still relied upon to remove the most stubborn stains.

The first candles were wicks, hand dipped in tallow, hung to dry, and dipped again until they were large enough for an evening’s light. Later this messy process was avoided by using metal candle molds.