Renee Hamilton Presents “Stories We’ve Heard About Early America – Truth or Myth”
Renee Willingham Hamilton, State Registrar for the Tennessee Society Daughters of the American Revolution (TSDAR) entertained the members of the Martha Dandridge Washington Chapter (MDW), National Society, Daughters of the America Revolution (NSDAR), at their Eighth Anniversary in February by quizzing them on some commonly held “Stories We’ve Heard About Early America – Truth or Myth.”
Many of us have heard the explanation for the dearth of clothes closets in colonial homes. Because the homeowners were levied a closet tax, they chose to forego clothes closets. MYTH! The real story goes back to the 14th Century when homeowners often had a small room where private business was conducted. They called that their closet. (Maybe that is why Christ admonished believers in Matthew 6:6 (KJV AD1611), “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet…” The Lord was not telling us to kneel between the overcoats.)
Who hasn’t heard the nursery rhyme, “Good night; sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite”? Many of us thought that “sleep tight” referred to the rope beds that needed to be tightened periodically so that the bed did not sag to the floor. MYTH! In colonial times the word tightly meant well-done. Therefore, when Mama and Papa said “Sleep tight,” they really meant “Sleep well.”
Have you ever known anyone who was “mad as a hatter”? Due to the use of mercury in the construction of felt hats, hatters breathed in the toxic fumes and suffered from mercury poisoning. TRUTH! Mercury was used in the process of making felt hats, and mercury poisoning led to hallucinations and delirium.
State Registrar Hamilton challenged the MDW members with 14 stories; seven were truths and seven were myths. With a mischievous smile on her face, the guest speaker admonished her listeners the next time they heard one of those curious statements to judge it by the measures of logic, proof, and contradiction.
Following the presentation, everyone enjoyed refreshments prepared and served by Scrapbook/Pressbook Committee Chair Sherline Morgan, Member Barbara Morgan, and Chaplain Glenda Roach.
For information about the DAR, contact MDW Registrar Karen McFarland at (865) 258-8670 or Regent Janet Guyett at (865) 712-8782.
MDW Honorary Regent Jane Chambers, New Member Cristin “Brianna” Bryan Lowery, Regent Janet Guyett, and TSDAR State Registrar Renee Willingham Hamilton participated in the 8th Anniversary Celebration of the Martha Dandridge Washington Chapter (MDW), NSDAR.
