Furniture

The homes and practically all of the furniture were made locally because of the difficulty of transporting materials. Their home-made furniture consisted of benches, chairs, tables, and chests. Straight backed chairs and rockers with cane, cow-hide, or deer-hide seats were used extensively.

In the bedroom one usually found a four-poster bed with a tester, which was a canopy over the bed. Under the large bed, there was usually a trundle bed or “roulette”, which was a low bed on casters. At night it was pulled out for the small children to sleep, and in the summertime it was put on the porch or “galerie.” There were holes in each of the four posts so that short poles could be inserted to hold the mosquito bars, which had to be suspended over the sleeping child. In the morning the trundle bed was made up and pushed out of sight.

There was usually a wash stand or “lavabo” in each bedroom. Sometimes these were made of wood, but those who could afford it used marble tops because water did not stain the marble. On the wash stand there was usually a bowl and pitcher, while near it was hung a hand towel of home-made cloth. Shaving mugs with brushes were also used. Hot water was used in the cup, the shaving brush was dipped into it, rubbed on the soap, then brushed on one’s face.

Before clothes closets came into existence, “armoires” were used. The more elaborate ones had a full length mirror on one of the doors. This piece of furniture had two compartments; folded linens and clothes were stored on shelves on one side, and dresses were hung on the other side. No closets were installed because during Spanish taxation, a closet could be considered a room, in which the family would be taxed for.

Because the Acadians were deeply religious, each home had a religious shrine of some sort in the bedroom. Sometimes it was a glass-enclosed cases containing a statue, and sometimes the religious figures were placed on the mantle over the fireplace.

In the kitchen, as elsewhere in the house, the furniture was home-made. The tables were often made of cypress and the chairs were upholstered with hide. Here, near the open fireplace where cooking was done, were black iron pots, of all kinds. In the corner was a “garde-manger” or old fashioned pie safe with originally cheesecloth screened doors. These were used by the early settlers to keep insects away from food. In the kitchen there was also to be found coffee grinders and large pottery crocks.

The larger homes had dining rooms. Again home-made tables and chairs were prevalent. Over the table there may have been a punkah fan, which was a swinging fan attached to a rope that went through the wall, where a small boy on the outside pulled it to drive away flies and fan those who were eating. The dining room sometimes had a sort of china closet called a “vaisselier”, in which better dishes were kept.

 

Early Homes ~ How They Lived