Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay ColonyDow, George Francis
History
Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Dow, George Francis
Massachusetts -- Social life and customs -- To 1775
Hawthorne's description of what is said to have taken place on that
occasion is too vivid a picture to be overlooked. He relates that
Captain John Hull was appointed to manufacture the pine tree money
and had about one shilling out of every twenty to pay him for the
trouble of making them. Hereupon all the old silver in the colony
was handed over to Captain John Hull. The battered silver cans and
tankards, I suppose, and silver buckles and broken spoons, and
silver hilts of swords that figured at court--all such articles were
doubtless thrown into the melting pot together.
The magistrates soon began to suspect that the mint-master would
have the best of the bargain and they offered him a large sum of
money if he would but give up that twentieth shilling which he was
continually dropping into his own pocket. But Captain Hull declared
himself perfectly satisfied with the shilling. And well he might be,
for so diligently did he labor that in a few years, his pockets,
his money bags, and his strong box were overflowing with pine tree
shillings.
Then Samuel Sewall, afterwards the famous Judge Sewall of the days
of witchcraft fame, came a courting to Hull's daughter. Betsy was
a fine and hearty damsel and having always fed heartily on pumpkin
pies, doughnuts, Indian puddings and other Puritan dainties, she was
as round and plump as a pudding herself.
"Yes, you may take her," said Captain Hull, to her lover, young
Sewall, "and you'll find her a heavy burden enough." Hawthorne
describes the wedding and the costumes of the contracting parties
and their friends, and Captain Hull he "supposes," rather improbably
one would think, however, "dressed in a plum colored coat all the
buttons of which were made of pine tree shillings. The buttons of
his waistcoat were of sixpences and the knees of his small clothes
were buttoned with silver three-pences ... and as to Betsy herself,
she was blushing with all her might, and looked like a full-blown
peony or a great red apple."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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