1. Why did Pilgrims sometimes
place old shoes within the walls of their homes?
Answer from "A
Tale of Shoes by Robert William III pub. Nutmeg Gratings, Connecticut
4/18/98 pub. Mayflower Newsletter, Utah 5/1998"
When John and Elizabeth Creeden of Plymouth purchased their home on Sandwich
Street, they knew treasures might be lurking within the walls of the 17th
century house. They have found clay marbles and broken dishware and five
unmatched shoes, worn and scuffed and simple.
Historians believe shoes were placed within walls, under the floors and
within chimneys of the house to ward off evil spirits and ensure good luck to
the occupants. Concealing shoes is an age-old custom, undertaken in secrecy,
and so shrouded in silence that historians were not even aware of it until the
middle of this century.
Its origins date from pagan customs of death and sacrifice, and while
contemporary man might laugh at the thought of a shoe warding off evil, there
are rare incidents of people hiding shoes in walls today.
June Swann, a British historian, has been documenting cases of concealed
shoes since the late 1950's; and she has come across about 1,600 shoes in
England, United States, Australia, Russia, Turkey, and China. She attended the
annual meeting of the Honourable Cordwainers Company at Plimoth Plantation in
late October, and she told her story:
Rusty Moore, master shoemaker at Plimoth Plantation, said the custom of
placing shoes in the walls date from the Middle Ages and was a family
tradition. Historians have also concluded the custom is an outgrowth of the
earlier practice of sacrificing animals or infants within a new building as a
sort of blessing. But why shoes? Because the leather is the skin of an animal.
"Shoes", said Moore, "were valuable in the olden days; folks could only afford
one pair at a time. Those found are usually worn completely away."
2. What were the crimes in Plymouth Colony
that were punishable by death (name at least four).
Starting with the most severe form of crimes, the 1636 compilation of laws
listed the following capital offenses, for which one could be punished by
death (PCR 11: 12):
- "Treason or Rebellion against the [per]son of the King State or
Co[mmon]wealth either of England or these Colonies."
- "Willfull Murder."
- "Solemn Compaction or conversing w[ith] the divell by way of
witchcraft conjura[cion] or the like."
- "Willfull [and] purposed burning of ships [and] howses."
- "Sodomy, rapes, buggery."
- "Adultery to be punished."
However, the inclusion of "Adultery" in this list was qualified with the
words "to be punished," which made it essentially a non-capital offense, and
it was handled as a non-capital offense throughout the period of the Colony (PCR
11: 12; Powers 1966: 300).
3. The first Annual Meeting of the Alden
Kindred of America was held on September 11, 1901 What dark historical event
took place a few days before the meeting?
On September 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shot by an anarchist,
Leon Czolgosz, at the Temple of Music in Buffalo, NY. He died on
September 13th, two days after the meeting. During the meeting the
following resolution was adopted:
RESOLVED: We the American family of Alden, sprung from the great
Pilgrim of that name, are here in reunion assembled, at Avon, Massachusetts,
this eleventh day of September, 1901. And,
WHEREAS: Our hearts are deeply pained at news of a dastardly attempt
upon the life of our well-beloved President, William McKinley.
Therefore, be it
Resolved: That we hereby extend our sincerest sympathy to the
President in his suffering, and to his family in their affliction, together
with our earnest wish for his speedy and lasting recovery. And be it
further
Resolved: That we express our undying abhorrence of the
perpetrator of the foul crime, from the effects of which the President
suffers, and for all his ilk in thought or deed, holding them to be no less
than traitors to that Liberty, whose name they profanely mouth, and whose
establishment was at so great a price of our fathers' blood. And be it
Resolved: That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded by the
secretary of this meeting to the private secretary of the President.
At the meeting the following year the secretary read a letter of thanks
from Mrs. McKinley for this resolution.
Source: Alden Kindred October Quarterly, 1927.
4. What famous Alden descendant uttered the statement
sometimes heard even today, "The vice presidency is not worth a bucket of warm
spit."
John Adams. Adams took office on April 30, 1789. He
served as vice president under Washington for eight years. The office, which
was intended to provide a head of government in case of the president's death,
did not suit the spirited Adams. He regarded the vice presidency as unworthy
of his abilities, calling it "the most insignificant office that ever the
invention of man contrived."
Adams did exert some influence by casting tie-breaking votes in his role as
president of the Senate, the newly created upper house of the Congress of the
United States. In 20 such votes, on a variety of issues, Adams consistently
supported Washington's policies. He helped to decide on U.S. neutrality in a
new war between France and Britain and the adoption of reprisals against
Britain for interfering with American shipping. He also supported financial
measures proposed by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton.
