Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Five Generations Scanning 170 years

Great Uncle Gene Ray Edds took the boys to the grave of their Great Great Grandparents Aretus Huston Edds 1838 – 1894 and Mary Jane Edds 1847-1922. Aretus drove a Huckster Wagon. Today the term Huckster is a pejorative, but it wasn’t always. In the 19th Century, a Huckster was an essential trading pipeline for rural country folks who might only go to town a few times per year. He would load his wagon in the city with items like bolts of cloth, boots, hats, tin-ware, wooden boxes, brooms, toys, spices, horse liniment, soaps, writing paper and house wares, then head deep into the country. For payment, he would take cash, or in-kind trades - crocks of home-churned butter, fresh eggs or even live chickens, which he would deliver back to town for resale.

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