Household Life

While the Winders probably encountered some things in Trenton which were new and state of the art to them, to us almost everything about their home life was both different and, in many ways, more difficult.  More convenient access to major cities by train, for example, may have impressed the Winders, but what would have struck us, was the limited means of transportation.  Getting around within Trenton meant walking, some kind of horse drawn conveyance or the recently introduced electric trolley cars.  Daily trains to Philadelphia were wonderful, but there were really no other options for inter-city travel which became more of a problem, the greater the distance.

Typical man's straw hats and high collars 

The limited transportation options helps explain the Winders choice of a permanent address as Rutherford Avenue was within easy walking distance of James R's job at the Delaware Pottery.  Regardless of what he wore to work, there can be no doubt, James wore a hat as to go "hatless" was unthinkable.  From May 15th to September 15th, his head gear would have taken the form of a straw hat, a custom which must have lasted at least into the 1920's as I remember my mother talking about a childhood contest to be the first to see 100 straw hats in the spring.  Whenever James did wear something other than work clothes, his attire was "formal and severe" with "high and stiff collars."

Picture illustrating the difficulties of maneuvering in long skirts

Regardless of the severity of James' dress, he had to have been more comfortable than Mary Ann who wore a "dress that virtually swept the street."  So long were women's skirts that the "brush binding" had to be repaired every few weeks from the damage done by dirt, water, ice and everything else found on streets and sidewalks full of horse drawn vehicles.  The full length dress covered layers of underpinnings at the bottom of which was a corset using whale bones to "distort the female form into an hour glass shape."  Women always wore their hair long and covered out of doors with a wide brimmed hat.  Completing what had to be an incredibly uncomfortable costume was a high choking collar and cuffs which like the hem of the skirt were always getting dirty.

Typical women's hats around the turn of the 20th century

Mary Ann and her daughters, as they got older, had plenty of opportunity to get their cuffs dirty.  If the Winders followed a typical household routine, the week began on Monday with wash day.  Clothes were put into soak the night before with washing beginning early the next morning, sometimes with a goal of having the wash on the line before breakfast.  Tuesday was then devoted to ironing with irons heated on the stove and applied to shirts, linen collars and cuffs as well as women's and children's clothes.  Washing and ironing probably revealed items needing mending and Wednesdays were devoted to both repairs and sewing new items.  Typically women's and children's clothes as well as men's shirts were made at home.

Standard dress for 1890's couples

After three days of ongoing activity, Thursday was supposed to be a mid week rest day although there were still meals to prepare.  Refreshed by the "day off," Friday was probably Mary Ann's heavy cleaning day.  Rooms were usually thickly carpeted and had to be broom swept after the furniture was dusted.  Sweeping thickly carpeted floors may, however, have been, an easier task than dealing with kitchen and porch floors which were scrubbed by hand.  Kitchen stoves also needed attention in the form of polishing in anticipation of Saturday's big task - baking.

Helroy's "teas & c" business started in Trenton about 1899, given their British heritage, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the Winders became regular customers

In a typical 1890's American household, all bread and pastries were baked at home which took most, if not all, of Saturday.  Sunday was theoretically a day of rest, but also usually meant guests and extra cooking.  Lack of refrigeration meant families had little in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables from late fall to early spring.  Instead people consumed  a great deal of starch from pies, donuts, potatoes and hot bread, the resulting lack of vitamins made people more sluggish and vulnerable to increased health risks.

While Worcester is further north than Trenton, it's doubtful anything in their experience prepared the Winders for two snow storms that hit Trenton in the first two weeks of February, 1899 leaving 34 inches of snow and paralyzing the city - based on newspaper accounts, James W could have easily found extra work shoveling snow from city streets or the railroad

  In an age before penicillin and other antibiotics, many illnesses were potentially lethal.  Major concerns included influenza, typhoid, diphtheria and scarlet fever.  Fortunately, as far as we know, the Winders avoided any major health issues of this type.  As the millennium approached the Winders had spent a decade adjusting to their new world and most likely they were optimistic about the beginning of the new century.

Life in Trenton in the 1890's

There is little doubt the Winders chose Trenton because of its thriving pottery industry.  They were hardly the only British family, indeed hardly the only one from Worcester, to make this move and living in a city with a significant number of fellow immigrants may have facilitated their acclimation to their new country.  Any such support was helpful as the 1890's were not the easiest years to begin living in the United States.

South Broad Street, Trenton around the turn of the century

Only a year after their arrival, the Panic of 1893 brought on the worst depression since the country's founding, a time one historian described as "hideous," with major wage cuts.  Fortunately it appears the pottery industry didn't suffer too severely.  Fortunate indeed as there was no government safety net available to those who lost their jobs.  Having lived in the workhouse, James R was no stranger to financial hardship and surely didn't want to repeat the experience.

Offerings at 1892 Trenton Grocery Stores 

What did the Winders find as they settled into life in Trenton? If they read the Trenton newspapers on June 1, 1892, they would have found controversy surrounding high speed electric trolleys (18-20 mph) which had just killed a young child.  Coffee cake was for sale at 25 cents for a 4 pound cake which they could wash down with a root beer at 14 cents a bottle.  If James and Mary Ann were looking for an affordable family outing, a strawberry and ice cream festival was scheduled at the YMCA for 10 cents admission.  If there was any inclination to experience their new country's national pastime, the Trenton and Solar Tip Clubs were scheduled to play the "greatest game of the season" at 4:00 that afternoon with 15 cents general admission and a grand stand seat for 25 cents.

Potential amusement opportunities for the new Trenton residents 

How quickly James W was introduced to base ball is unknown, but by 1896 he was actually a substitute on a new base  ball club.  This was just one by-product of what was clearly a formative decision for the 14 year young man.  Less than a year after he arrived in Trenton, on April 23, 1893, James was confirmed into the Episcopal Church at St. Michael's Chapel (later Grace Church), a mission of historic St. Michael's Church on Warren Street.  The church was located in east Trenton, not too far from Southard Street, supporting the idea the family lived there for a while after their arrival.  By 1894, however, the Winders had moved to 300 Rutherford Avenue, almost two miles from the church.

Modern view of Grace Church property - the congregation relocated to Mercerville

James didn't allow the distance to stand in the way of his involvement at Grace Church even after his mother and Edith joined far more convenient St. Michael's in 1898.  By that point St. Michael's Chapel had become an independent parish called Grace Church.  While the exact timing isn't clear, during this period, James also made a life long friend in the person of Alfred, or, Alf Blake who was baptized there as an adult in 1895. Both James and Alf were active in the church's Young Men Association and at a banquet in December of 1895, James followed in his father's footsteps by singing a solo.  Important as all of this was, even more significant were church sponsored coed events where a young woman named Mary Proctor was frequently in attendance.  James was also apparently taking part in some kind of educational programs because in 1899 samples of his architectural drawings were on exhibit at the Trenton Art School.

St. Michael's Church on Warren Street in Trenton

Little is known of Edith during the 1890's, other than her 1898 confirmation, she doesn't appear on the public record.  According to census data gathered many years later, she completed one year of high school.  Aged 10 in 1892, Edith probably went to school in Trenton for the first half of the decade along with sisters Elsie and Florence who were in school throughout the 1890's.  Like their schooling in Worcester, the Winders would have found elementary school in Trenton focused on the basic skills of reading, writing and math, reportedly little science was taught through 1895.  Reading material most likely came in the form of McGuffy's Readers which were introduced in 1851 and received their fifth and final revision in 1901.

McGuffey's Reader

History was the subject where Edith, Elsie and Florence would have experienced the greatest cultural shock.  Centered on the American Revolution, the British were the "stock villains" of lessons that created "a prevailing anti British strain in American thought."  Given the heavy proportion of British immigrants living in Trenton, this may have been modified in the city's schools.  Of the three sisters, Elsie had the most formal education, completing the 10th grade.  Florence, for whatever reason, emulated her older brother by leaving school after the sixth grade.  This was not at all unusual, reportedly only one out of 10 boys/girls of high school age where actually in high school.

Crackers and coal - basic necessities in 1892 Trenton

Although James R and Mary Ann may not have liked some of the content taught in the Trenton schools, they probably very much appreciated the fact that it was free.  That was only one cultural change for the Winders, other differences from England were a taboo against aristocracy, a strong belief in the separation of church and state and no class stratification or at least nothing like what they had left behind.  While they were, no doubt, still adjusting to their new country, they hadn't cut all their ties to England as in the summer of 1895, Mary Ann took Elsie and Florence to Worcester for several weeks.  Most likely James W and Edith couldn't go because like their father, they were working.  By the end of the decade James W. was an apprentice and Edith was a brusher in a china factory.   In the next post, we'll take a closer look at what their home life might have been like during this period.

A "Kairos" Moment

If Shakespeare knew "small Latin and less Greek," my knowledge of the latter language is best described as minuscule.  I do, however, know two Greek words, "kairos" and "chronos," both of which mean time, but in very different ways.  "Chronos" is the regular pattern of time from minute to minute, hour to hour and so on, in other words routine time.  "Kairos," however, refers to historic moments because what happens is life changing.  In a family history, it's hard to imagine a more "kairos" moment than emigrating more than 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean as the Winders did in 1891-92.

The Majestic - ship taken by Mary Ann and the Winder children to the United States 

As far as I know, nothing was ever recorded or passed on about that experience so all we can do is speculate.  In the case of James R. and Mary Ann, it was a conscious decision, most likely a joint one so whatever doubts or anxiety they experienced, it was at least part of doing what they thought was best.  For James W., Edith, Elsie and Florence, it was a different situation.  At six and three respectively, Elsie and Florence were probably too young to know what was going on and the move most likely had limited impact.  In the cases of Edith (10) and especially James (13), it could have been a very difficult time.  Both of them had to have had friendships and other relationships which were about to be irrevocably severed.  James was in his last year of school and may very well have been thinking about where he was going to work in Worcester. It's possible they experienced harsh words from peers who were staying in Worcester and saw the Winders leaving a form of rejection or abandonment.  No matter how positive they may have felt about the impending move, it had to have been a major adjustment.

James Winders (underlined in red) listed on the Majestic's passenger list 

It appears James R. went first, possibly as much as five months earlier.  That left Mary Ann, a single parent with four children, to manage the family affairs, make whatever arrangements remained for the move as well as working full time.  Most likely the Winders didn't own their home so there was no real estate transaction to worry about.  Decisions did, however, have to be made about what to take to America and how to dispose of the rest.  Some of the latter items may have gone to Mary Ann's family and/or James' mother, although it's also possible they needed to sell their furniture to raise money for their new home in Trenton.  Finally it was time to go and in early May of 1892, Mary Ann, the four children took their eight suitcases boarded a train in Worcester heading towards Liverpool.

Mary Ann and daughters on Majestic's Passenger List 

Once in Liverpool, they boarded the Majestic, which was to be their floating home for the week long voyage across the Atlantic.  Exploring the ship along with the adventure of an ocean voyage may have appealed to James and Edith.  One hopes for their sakes, but especially for Mary Ann and the two little ones, it wasn't too rough a passage.  In any event on May 19, 1892, the Majestic reached New York harbor.  As they were taken from the pier to the immigration center on Ellis Island, they may have marveled at the relatively new (1886) Statue of Liberty.  Although not as impressive as the statue, the three story immigration facility was even newer, having opened on January 1st so the Winders were among the 450,000 people who passed through Ellis Island during its inaugural year.  Without any language barrier (at least theoretically) and a father and husband already in the country, the Winders probably passed through Ellis Island relatively quickly and took a ferry to Hoboken or Jersey City.

Original wooden buildings at Ellis Island which were brand new when the Winders arrived there

It's pleasant to imagine a family reunion when the ferry docked, but James R's job plus uncertainty about the exact time of arrival may have made that impossible.  With or without James, Mary Ann and the children eventually boarded a train for the last leg of their journey to Trenton.  While New Jersey was no where near as heavily settled 121 years ago, the landscape was more cluttered than the area around Worcester.  Throughout the train ride, Mary Ann, James and Edith must have been filled with anticipation and questions.  Would they like this new country?  What was Trenton like?  How did it compare to Worcester?  James and Edith probably also wondered how difficult it was going to be to make new friends with James also concerned about where he would find work.  Once they finally arrived in Trenton, they went to their new home, most likely a temporary arrangement at 41 Southard Street where James R was boarding.  Perhaps they even went by the new electric trolley cars,  traveling at what seemed to some the excessive speeds of 18-20 mph.

 Trenton, New Jersey 

How did Trenton compare to Worcester?   First of all, their new home's 1890 population of 57,458 was about 1/3 greater than Worcester's 42,908 total in 1891.  Interestingly both cities would take part in a national election in 1892 with Grover Cleveland unseating incumbent Benjamin Harrison as President while back in England, William Gladstone was winning his last term as British Prime Minister.  Whether it was national politics or local events, the Winders would have greater news access in Trenton with its two daily newspapers, compared to the more limited offerings of Worcester's weekly papers.  If sports news was of interest to the Winders, they had exchanged cricket, football (soccer) and quoits for base ball (two words in the 19th century).

Modern view of 41 Southard Street (right side of building).  James R. boarded here in 1891 and the whole family may have lived here temporarily in 1892

Mary Ann and the children, especially Mary Ann, had probably had enough traveling for a while, but they certainly weren't isolated in Trenton.  All told there were 13-15 daily trains to New York and Philadelphia, similar to the 13 trains from Worcester to London, but both American cities were closer than their British counterpart.  While population, communications and travel differences were all important, of far greater significance were cultural differences and economic issues which we will look at in the next post.

At School and Play - the Winder Children in Worcester

In addition to working at Royal Worcester Porcelain, James and Mary Ann spent their last 13 years in England raising a family.  James W. Winder (1878), their first born, received all of his formal education in Worcester while next in line, Edith (1882), probably attended school for six years before the family's departure for the United States.  At the other end, it's safe to say Florence (1889) didn't attend school in Worcester and that third born, Elsie (1886) at most had two or three years of infant classes.  Other than some odd or part time jobs, it's unlikely any of the children worked in Worcester so their lives in England are centered on their education and other childhood activities.

James William Ricketts Winder about 1881

While there may have been family outings to parks or the countryside, it's safe to say the streets of Worcester were the Winder children's primary playground.  Danger from cars and other motorized vehicles wasn't a problem, but they had to be watchful for horse drawn vehicles.  Like children ever since there have been children, Victorian urban youth used their imaginations to transform an ordinary street into a play ground.  Lamp posts became cricket stumps for impromptu matches played with a piece of wood for a bat and a ball made of paper and string.  Similarly sidewalks shared with pedestrians became the scene of games of tag, leapfrog, blind man's bluff, hop scotch and jump rope all of which were popular with Victorian children.

Edith May Ricketts Winder and James William Winder about 1883

From what we know about the Winders, indoor activities most likely began and ended with music.  Pianos became affordable during the second half of the 19th century and singing in multiple forms was, no doubt, part of long winter evenings at home.  James and Edith learned to read in Worcester and there was no shortage of reading material which varied greatly in quality.  Apparently aptly named were the "penny dreadfuls" which offered drama and excitement in serial form at an affordable price.  James was probably well acquainted with the "Boys of England" stories which featured "upwardly mobile heroes" in stories of "patriotism, violence and adventure."

Some of the content in the "Boys of England" stories apparently raised some Victorian eye brows which led to the "Boys Own Paper," adventures written and edited so as not go glorify criminals.  At the higher end of the spectrum were books that remain juvenile classics today such as Treasure Island, Little Women, and Tom Brown's Schooldays.  James and Edith may have been a little young for these books, but I'll admit to a fantasy of James R or Mary Ann reading Treasure Island aloud to their children, a scene repeated in Wayne, New Jersey some 50-60 years later.  Although an American book, Little Women, was especially important because it made women's lives of "great moment."  Tom Brown's Schooldays was also a ground breaking work as it popularized the school story.

Victorian Infant School Alphabet

If Tom Brown's Schooldays was of interest to the Winder children especially James, it was the kind of schooling he would never experience.  By the 1880's school was mandatory for all British children through the age of 10.  Most children started at 3 for two or so years of infant school.  Some children began at 18 months in what was obviously a day care like environment.  With Mary Ann's parents running a pub and James' mother and father operating a shop, each of the Winder children probably spent some of their early years with their grandparents while James and Mary Ann worked.  After two-three years in infant school, children ages 5-7 were grouped by ability for further schooling in anticipation of an exam which would evaluate their fitness for the first standard or grade.

Victorian Writing Lesson

All told there were six to seven standards grouped by age although students had to pass an exam to advance to a new standard.  These exams were more than a means of evaluating student knowledge since test results along with attendance determined the level of government funding.  By the time James and Edith were in school, the curriculum had been broadened beyond the three "R's" to include geography, history, object learning, singing and needle work.  Interestingly singing was a grant subject, that is a source of funding based upon test results.  Handwriting was taught for the right hand only.  Although my mother was educated in 20th century Trenton, she had a similar experience as she was forced to learn to write with her right hand even though she was naturally left handed.

Victorian Inkwells

School days ran from 9-12 and then 2-4 with students going home for dinner during the two hour noon break.  This was probably done to facilitate working class schedules since men (and women) would come home for the big meal of the day at that time.  School vacations took the form of two weeks at Christmas and Easter, six weeks at harvest time plus Whitsunday Monday and Tuesday.  In addition Thursdays were reportedly half days.  Discipline was reportedly very strict and enforced by severe corporal punishment which apparently didn't stop boys from being boys as the below article indicates.

Article from Worcester Journal of April 6, 1889 illustrating the boys at St. Peter's School's capacity for mischief

Direct provision of education was not considered a government responsibility until late in the Victorian period so alternative providers  met most of the need.  Since about 1810 one of the largest was the Church of England which funded schools from a combination of sources including the results based government funding mentioned earlier and fees charged to the families.  Education was not free in England until after the Winders left so James and Mary Ann paid school fees for James and Edith both of whom attended St. Peter's Church of England School in Worcester.  Contemporary newspaper accounts indicate the school was highly regarded, earning an "excellent" rating in 1889.  By 1891 as the Winders were preparing to make their exit, there were 900 children in the school and a cornerstone had been laid for a new building.  Over crowding  in the existing facility was attributed to "excellent management and teaching."

James W. Winder and "The Boy's Complaint - Worcestershire Chronicle, March 1, 1890

Although the evidence is limited both James and Edit appear to have been good students.  In 1891 Edith received a prize for punctual and regular attendance while her older brother was recognized both for attendance and drawing.  More importantly from James' standpoint, he was twice chosen to perform before an audience something Victorian teachers reserved for their "brightest" students.  As part of an 1890 program, James recited "The Boy's Complaint" and shared in a reporter's accolade that "the recitations were given with remarkable intelligence."

Edith Winders' attendance award - Worcester Journal, February 7, 1891

A year later in what was, intentionally or not, a farewell performance, James played a leading part in an operetta called "The Congress of Nations" presented by the boys of the school at a public hall in Worcester.  In addition to a chorus of 300 boys and 70 others dressed in the costumes of various nations, the operetta featured James Winder, who along with Philip Miles "divided" the role of the professor.  Once again James performance was highly praised to the point he and some others "received special marks of approval from the audience and were loudly "encored."

James Winders in "The Congress of Nations" - Worcester Journal, January 24, 1891 

One hopes James, Mary Ann were present along with three proud grandparents.  James at that point was 13, well past the school leaving age of 10, but still in school in one of the high standards.  Skilled workers tended to keep their children in school to 13-14 before it became mandatory.  It seems fairly certain James and Mary Ann were trying to help their children have as much education as possible.  It is to be hoped that whatever else James learned at St. Peter's School, he understood the importance of being flexible because he and his sisters were about to be highly tested in that regard.