Old time Peddlers. Life wouldn’t have been the same without em. They were the savior of many a pioneer. These rambling itinerant ole men who walked, buggied, rode, and automobiled their way to far flung doors into the lives of their customers brought delight, socialization and were a light bulb for the isolated.
The old time predecessors of the fuller brush man or Avon calling Lady brought more than their goods of ice, hardware, household staples, thread and a multitude of vital commodities. They brought news, adventure stories, and gossip. They carried the social connections from other communities and brought the necessity of life to the lonely settler and a reminder that they weren’t alone. The peddlers brought friendship and a connection to the world outside of the isolated one room cabins.
The early country peddlers roamed the countryside. Their wagons loaded with this or that; often with that vital horseshoe nail, or thread color or the splurge of stick candy, only to be enjoyed once in a blue moon. Creaky covered wagons peddled crockery and enormous stoneware and were trusted by all. The wagons were often homes for the weary, entertaining peddler. Seldom did they enjoy the comforts of their own shack with a shed for the horses.
If one was close to the coast or a large river or lake; there was the fish peddler. They carried dressed fish on a bed of cracked ice covered with old blankets. The meat peddler was usually a butcher or farmer with a knack for butchering. He sold fresh meat from farm to farm. Both of course did their business near settlements or cities.
The rarer peddler was the backpack man with a little of this and a little of that. He roamed the countryside and often could be seen much farther afield than the meat and fish peddler.
In the more settled areas came the Spice man – no not a band, though they sound like one – but the Watkins, Raleigh and Ness men. These aromatic wagons sold the finest spices and flavoring extracts. Additional merchandise consisted of home remedies such as Syrup of Figs, Syrup of Pepsin, the multipurpose salve for cow’s udders and the all-time important wonderful smellin remedy – horse liniment.
Many mysterious peddlers were viewed as exotic wayfarers with their swarthy skin and worldly outlandish accents. These traveling grocery stores brought geography lessens to knowledge thirsty youngsters who dreamed of faraway places. They were real people who provided a tangible service and added color to an otherwise drab life and to our country’s history.
It just wasn’t a wagon or backpack that carried food and staples; it was a way of life for these nomads. They carried with them a special something – a certain kind of joy. Peddlers often performed a service that is still alive today, only in a different format. At times they acted as a matchmaker or marriage broker. Roaming the countryside they were aware of who needed a spouse and those who were looking for a different way of life, or an outlet to exit their current situation, or just someone.
Peddlers were salesmen, an old friend, a traveling newspaper and someone with whom politics, planting, plowing or the demise of a neighbor could be shared. They presented their wares with pride and a flourish of a true showman. Display cases were a veritable color of brightly labeled green, yellow, and brown bottles.
Every successful peddler gave the impression that the current customer was his top priority. He kept items usually bought by the lady of the house on hand and calculated when they might run out. The greatest fear of a peddler was his customer might run out of his particular good and open the door to his competitor or the customer would commit the grievous sin of ‘store bought’.
Peddlers carried “packages of bandages, salves, liniment, and menthol to nurse the walking wounded and ward off the doldrums of winter depressions.” He carried the healing balms to soothe both man and beast and even the home remedy dreaded by every child alike – cod liver oil.
Another peddler in the settled communities during the hot summer months was the burly Iceman. Huge blocks of ice were nestled in layers of straw. A small ice block was chipped from the larger blocks, grasped by ice tongs and hurled over the broad shoulders of the Iceman, protected by a piece of rubber, to be hauled to the customer’s ice box.
Ice deliveries waned as fall set in and winter made its appearance. But winter was a busy time for the Iceman, That’s when he endured the cold to cut the huge blocks of ice that were stored in ‘Ice Houses’ covered in straw. The Iceman’s life was not an easy one. They had to be strong to lift and carry the ice. It was common to slip in the customer’s homes in puddles left by an overflowed ice pan. The winter offered more danger. The men had to contend with losing their footing while ice cutting and falling into the icy water.
The Iceman wasn’t the only regular visitor to bring service to the doors in the ‘city’. The Milkman was a most important fixture across the country. Old milk wagon horses were cherished as they knew the route by memory and generally could walk the route without assistance.
The pack peddler was one of the last of a dying breed. He was vital to households until the mid-1920’s. To a housewife whose neighbors were miles away and maybe visited the nearest town once a year; the peddler was an important event. If you lost or broke a needle or needed a button; the peddler was a life saver. He brought not only the goods so desperately needed, but the gossip and community news that were needed just as much.
Friendly farmers might invite them for a meal or to spend the night in the barn. Isolated families who saw no one but their own families for days on end were excited for a new face and someone new to talk to.
Some peddlers were diversified while others specialized. One might only carry medicines while another tin ware or musical instruments. Then there were those that carried no goods, but peddled their skills. Cobblers and tinkers, scissor grinders, harness makers/repairman, carpenters and cabinet makers all traveled the country side. As times became more affluent and luxuries could be had; along came the portrait painter, clock makers, gunsmiths and silhouette cutters.
Payments came in various formats. With money often scarce, the peddler took eggs, chickens, garden produce or whatever was in abundance; to be sold in the next town. The peddler had to become knowledgeable with the value of multiple products in order to make a fair trade. Most peddlers established a route, calling on their customers at regular intervals, as weather and roads permitted.
The storekeepers resented the traveling peddlers. Peddlers infringed on their sales. Often they started false and deceptive rumors to blemish the peddler’s character. Rumors that they were thieves, dishonest, and sold inferior goods along with encouraging regulations to interfere with the peddlers business and life gradually damaged and decreased the peddlers’ livelihood.
Nowadays a young business man struggles with red tape, but is able to obtain help and information from government agencies and loans. There are taxes, licenses, zoning permits, building permits, insurance, and a multitude of other restrictions.
The peddler had no such restrictions. He was on his own. He pooled what money he had to buy supplies and then set out to seek his fortune. If it rained he tried to find shelter. He traveled as many miles a day as his legs or horse would carry him. No sales or few sales meant hungry nights. Winter often meant no or low funds and meant enduring the cold and snow to gain his meager sales. Winter meant traveling in drifts with no heat or shelter along the way.
Many failed, but there were survivors. Some to spend their entire lives on the road or those who scrimped and saved to retire to a more gentle work. Some even found fortunes.
Levi Strauss peddled trousers to gold miners and Adam Gimbel started out as a peddler. Benjamin Altman, a New York City department store owner and art collector, started out plodding through the mud to seek his fortune. Richard Sears at a young age began his career with a shipment of watches.
The ole time peddlers were self-reliant and assured men who relied on the trusting families for their livelihood. With the disappearance of the country peddler an era came to an end. The dying of the traveling peddler gave way to the door to door salesman.
We still have our share of peddlers, but they would be loath to call themselves that. The Avon Lady, Tupperware parties and Scentsy sellers, just to name a few, are our century’s version of the peddler knocking on the door. They make it possible for the customer to shop at home.
Life in the early days would have been difficult without the early tradesmen who brought not only the simple necessary goods to the isolated, but opened the door to social connections and the world outside. They were important to the lonely isolated pioneers and have been forgotten and ignored by history.
So remember the old time peddlers that were the neighborhood friend and confident. They are our history and a colorful history.