Feminine Objects from the 1800s

The Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society has a large collection of over 2500 objects collected and donated by our residents since we opened in 1935. We went through our archives and brought out pieces from the 1800s to include in the new exhibits that have opened recently.

A Dough bowl from Rosegill Plantation dating from the early 1800s is one such piece. This wooden vessel was used to hand kneed flour, water and yeast together to make bread dough. Its high wooden sides insulated the proofing dough from cold drafts and allowed it to rise evenly. Bread was a basic diet staple, and this bowl would have been used daily by Rosegill’s enslaved kitchen staff to make rolls and breads to augment the wild fowl, fish, and game eaten by our earlier county residents.

A Birthing Chair is another piece with a long history. Most babies were born at home in the 1800s. Our wooden seat was carved and designed to keep the mother in an upright position during labor for gravity to help with the delivery process. Birthrates in Antebellum Virginia at that time would have seen the average mother deliver 7 babies during her life. Christ Church Parish marriage and christening records show that many white women married two and three times, and some had up to 12 children. Many enslaved black women endured forced reproductive labor to increase the assets and financial profit of their enslavers. As such, a large percentage of mothers were separated from their children when the older children were sold to another plantation. Historical records show mortality rates were high during this century, with many mothers and children dying during the birthing process.

These two objects give an interesting perspective on our modern 21^st century lives. And that is the main asset to studying history. Looking backwards to gain an understanding of how far we have progressed as a society and community, educates us as we make decisions today.