Pillows? No matter this was awesome. I was wondering it'd give more stability to the mattress if you added diagonal crossed ropes, considering there was extra length. So fascinating, all of it.
Reminds me of a bed and bedroom my grandfather had on the back of his house. He must have put peppermint in with the straw because the bed always smelled like it and I know that peppermint keeps bugs away. My grandfather thought peppermint was the cure for everything. Your videos are wonderful. God Bless you two and your little homestead.
We still use rope beds in India particularly North India. They are called Khatiyas and commonly used to sleep or sit on them, they are even used to eat meals on. They are very light so very portable. They can be shifted from room to room or on the porch during summers for the fresh breeze. They can be carried to the roof tops to sleep at night during hot summers and brought back indoors when the sun starts ascending. They are used by women to dry vegetables and other food items spread out on a cotton cloth that are dried in summer and consumed throughout the year. But usually the ropes are tied diagonal for more firmness. The ropes are tied in even diamond shapes.
I don't know how people could sleep on this and not be itchy and sneezing!! I don't know what the alternative was but there must have been one or I would have never survived.
The life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth has been passed down over 2000 years. That's this one multiplied by a thousand. The Bible didn't get printed until hundreds of years after his death and ressurection. Imagine the will and determination of the early Christians. Imagine their devote faith. Imagine how they'd feel, think, speak, if they were suddenly ported to the world today. Very interesting stuff. Most of the early Americans would sing Psalms as they did tasks like this. How amazing. They too were part of carrying this tradition for over 2000 years. Very fascinating stuff for sure.
I understand your plight. My wife and I were in France visiting her family and we had to face a 500 year old rope bed and a 400 year old mattress. We both were rolled into the middle of the mattress and almost needed climbing gear to get out.
FYI Straw is the result of harvesting grains used for bedding down animals; while hay is types of grass clover, timothy, alfalfa etc that is cut for fodder. I especially enjoyed this video as I do have and rope bed made of cherry wood that I got when I was 15 . I am now 77 years . My bed was converted by making side rails leaving the pegs in the head and foot board to show the age. I have had the opportunity to sleep on a straw mattress it is great. Enjoy and keep on with theses videos I patiently await ! Keen Ontario Canada.
@@cristinadriviera8144 I believe if you buy a bail of Straw Boss straw, it would be clean. I have never had a bug when I opened a bail. Perhaps it's treated. It's only about 6 dollars, and 2 or 3 would make a great mattress.
My grandmother had a rope bed made by one of the ancestors. We kids would fight over who would get to sleep on it when we visited. In the end I inherited it and it is a prized possession. I have slept on it once and loved it. Unlike the above bed, my ancestor drilled holes for the ropes to pass through. It stayed taut through all of the years.
My husband and I stayed in a self-catering cottage in England in the 1980s that had a rope bed. After one night of " sleeping "in it we dragged the mattress onto the floor to get rid of the hammock effect! It felt fine that way!
I remember one time we went on a school trip to Lancaster and we went to an Amish village and they made us live like the 1800s for a day. We had to carry buckets of water on our shoulders, make bread from scratch, tidy up around the house, and fill the sack with hay to sleep, hence the famed “ hit the hay” phrase. It was honestly pretty cool and very peaceful, I quite liked it.
My great-grandmother had a rope bed but by the time I came along they used a cotton cot-type mattress instead of the straw. However, we’ve always had feather pillows in our home. My great aunt made my husband and I a double wedding ring quilt and two large feather pillows. After 29 years it’s still the gift we still use.
this was how my great grandmother would make beds. They did not have a lot, but they did not ever go without there where 11 kids 2 parents and 3 grandparents all at one time! My grandmother will be 90 this year and she loved seeing this as it was good reminder of childhood.
I've never slept on a rope bed but people I know who have say that it's like a cushioned hammock; you can't help but sag, and it's not possible to lie flat; so you sleep half sitting up. Beds in that time were worth a lot, representing a good chunk of one's wealth. So when we see our ancestors left their children their beds, we might go, "Are you kidding?" but that was actually a big deal.
Not a problem. Half sitting up in bed was considered the healthiest way to sleep for thousands of years. Easier to breathe with less snoring and good for acid reflex.
I love how when she asks what the difference between hay and straw is and says: "umm, I don't remember exactly but.." then proceeds to explain exactly the difference between the two 😂
This is a good channel. I have recommended it to my History students. They love it. You guys provide us with a clear, visual interpretation, and real life moments of how most Americans lived during this time period, especially those along the frontier and in small towns. Great job. Keep up with the good work.
My Grandmother just brought me 2 1800s dressers and a 1800s hutch which have been in my family since then. Now I will proudly keep, cherish and carry these beautiful works of art (imo) further into history. That bed you have in this video.. is gorgeous! What an amazing piece to have! Thank you for showing!
Hay is a nutritious grass, straw is usually the stalks after the harvest of wheat. Cedar shavings are good to keep fleas at bay. My mom said they used to put a cup of kerosene under each bed post to keep from getting bed bugs.
When my father was in the RAF assigned to Ismailia in Egypt, the civilian quarters he and my mother had to live in as low ranking personnel had rope beds, and the legs were also standing in bowls of kerosene (called paraffin there) but that was to drown the cockroaches.
The part that really put me in the historical atmosphere was when you took that broom and started sweeping the straw off him! haha. I can imagine a mother in 1800 doing exactly that to her kids as they come inside from playing, or doing their chores, or anything like that.
"Sleep tight" the phrase dates back to the time when people slept on beds made of rope. If the ropes were pulled tight, then it would be more comfortable to sleep on.
Sorry, but it's not true. One of the definitions of "tight" is "soundly", and the first known use of this phrase isn't until 1866, when rope beds had been in use for 300 years and were going out of fashion due to the new coil spring mattresses. It has nothing to do with rope beds.
@@kck9742 During a historical tour of a Baltimore home, the guide explained that “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite” referred to the tight stitching required on the mattress to prevent bugs from crawling into or out of the straw.
this man convinced a lady to go live in the woods with out electricity and sleep on a bed that takes 5 hours to prepair and i cant get a lady to go on a picnic because 'there might be dog poo in the grass'
If you are near any everygreens the fallen and dead pine nettles sometimes referred to as "pine straw " would be much softer, and along with the cedar- it would make a natural poppuri for the room to smell fresh, as often early homes lacked the "clean smell" we are use to in modern the modern day. Also seen fur pelts could be used atop the straw to make it less like laying on a porqupines quills lol .. So great to find this channel....
These videos strangely enough remind me of my childhood. I'm not 200 years old, but when I was a kid in the 1980s things were a lot closer to this than they are today. We've probably changed more technologically in the last 30 years than in the years between ancient times and 30 years ago, and not always necessarily for the better. In 30 years it will probably make 2022 look like prehistoric times. I miss the simpler times.
I raised 4 of my own kids, a stepson, and a foreign exchange student (from Ukraine who’s lived in the US for 10+ years now and just had her second little one) from 1980 on: last son born 1993. Things sure were different then! I tried to be as natural as possible and made most of our food (too expensive to eat out!). You’re right about devices gradually taking over. My older kids grew up with more imagination during their play & did more reading compared to the youngest & now the grandkids. Technology is necessary to perform my job, but it definitely has caused problems too. 🙁
I wanna see them do all these reenactments with 3 kids under 5 in tow, with one baby constantly wanting to breastfeed, another crawling around, and another constantly asking questions lol. I myself couldn't imagine how much work all that and raising children took. I'm so exhausted just thinking about it lol
THEY HAD BIG FAMILIE'S BECAUSE THEY HAD TO HAVE BIG GARDEN'S .... THEY HAD NO TV BACK THEN 😁 BUT IF THEY NEVER HAD SUCH A HUGE FAMILY THEY WOULDNT OF HAD TO HAVE A HUGE GARDEN .... 🤣😂♥️
My grandmother made feather beds and pillows for her 3 beds. The feather beds were placed over the cloth mattresses placed on the wooden slats. She also crocheted lace using sewing thread and tiny hooks with which she edged the pillow cases.
When I was a young child we inherited some old furniture from a great great aunt. Included in this furniture, were horse hair stuffed mattresses. Hard as rocks. You I am sure could flip, bounce a quarter off them suckers. I think they must have been made in the 1890s or something.
This reminds me of my grandmother's bed in the Azores, which had a canvas mattress stuffed with dried corn husks. They never wasted anything if it could be put to some good use. Periodically, you'd have to use a roller on the mattress to even it out. Still was quite comfortable.
I laughed at the broom cleaning, I thought Justine was going to sweep him into the next county! People with allergies must have suffered tremendously with that hay mattress! It breaks me out in hives! Looked pretty sturdy, though.
I just recently started watching a few of ya''ll videos. Ya'll are doing an amazing job and all Ive seen. Living simple, and I can tell, your happy. I know its harder in some aspect but you guys make it look easy.
I enjoyed watching your struggle with the straw mattress . My husband and I were reminiscing about the horrid uncomfortable beds we remember from childhood 🙃 we were both brought up in Britain and I come from ( what is now ) the Republic of Ireland . Thank you 💕 for your hard work and entertaining us . I wonder if men really helped the women as much in that era ...
Yes, men at the time helped women a lot. At the time, the labor intensity was beyond imagination, so we had to help each other, especially newlyweds who had no children to help with the work.
Rope beds often had winlasses on the ends of the bed to tighten up the ropes. You would loosen the ropes in the morning and tighten them just before turning in to keep from over stretching the ropes over time. A cinch loop was also used to draw up the rope and make it tight. (Make a loop knot 1/2 way across the bed when the rope was snug. Pass the bitter end around the opposit side peg and return the bitter end through the loop. pull on the bitter end until the rope is tight.) Note that sacking bottoms were troublesome as they would develop stretched out pockets even with it was pulled tight.
In my grandparents house ( may God have them) still have this kind of bed and I slept on it. Is very nice and comfortable (what you never would think when you look at it) Their farm is in the mountain of Santa Catarina Brazil in a very small community of Germans.
@@Shastavalleyoutdoorsman Brazil is like USA, have people from all over the world, I’m mixed with German, Italian and Brazilian Native American. I didn’t understand your question but I’m from Brazil.
@@Shastavalleyoutdoorsman wow , I don’t even know what you talking about sir. My grandparents wasn’t part of Nazi for what I know. That comment was kinda offensive. Not all Germans was part of Nazi, some tried to flee from German and the war. Mostly because they didn’t agree with Hittler in that time. But that doesn’t define what I am and what my family is, they was a very hard work people and work in the farm. May God bless you sir. I wasn’t sure what you talked about so I did some research and discovered that is about the novel “boys from Brazil”. Is a fictional story sir.
@@jonasschmitz506 didn't mean any offense. It's widely known that Nazis fled to Brazil and Argentina after world war II. As they were offered asylum. That is the ones who are not valuable enough to be brought to America and made part of NASA. I was just curious. 50% German myself.
I thank you so much for actually doing what I had heard about my parents growing up with, they later started filling their mattresses with feathers. I feel strange when I look back at the family history and see how much things have changed in just 3 generations. Thanks again for re enacting or perhaps I should say visually illustrating the stories from my younger years 😀
just one of the many day to day things we learn how people lived (slept). Did a fantastic job on the bed, esp. the mattress. Many years ago while doing a tour in Williamsburg, VA they made mention of the rope bed and how the expression "good night, sleep tight" came from. You'll have a good rest if the ropes are tight. Justine, took to much delight in that broom to Ron, lol.
@@crazydiamond4565 I lived in Richmond from 2007-2017 and would visit very often. I really miss it. They have fantastic ghost tours also. Fantastic place to learn so much.
Fun fact as a Boy Scout there was a outting where we would stay in a super old fort with that during normal days was literally a exhibit. The bunks with a rope setup with a straw filled mattress were literally insanely comfortable. Like you’d never think so but it was more comfy than my bed at home.
I just stumbled across your channel and I am obsessed! I love American history and this is such a wonderful and unique way to learn more about this time period. You complement each other so well and are adorable! I would sleep in that bed any day as it looks so comfy!!! Thank you for all that you do and the time and detail you put into your videos. I just may have to take a trip to visit Ste. Genevieve someday and stay in Kandye’s cabin! 💕
I so enjoyed this video. I am reminded of the time. That I stuffed a mattress with pine needles. I had no straw. The mattress was so soft and smell so good. Thank you for the precious video! Also, I love the bed and the bedroom.
Justine, you were beating the tar out of Ron with that broom! LOL! But that straw bed (achoo!) looked really comfortable except I would have definitely added the cedar chips. And I chuckled when Ron asked, what about supper? and you said, what about it?
I have owned 2 pegged ropebeds from Virginia for 30-35 years. We roped them of course, and all guests have slept on them...a custom mattress lays over roped bottom. One bed is very high poster at both ends, PINE. The other is CHERRY, more modest. Very well loved and comfortable! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰❤
I am sure the mattress was better than the floor. I'm happy you have a bedroom. I think having the windows would help in the summer. Another fun video. Thank you, Ron and Justine.
What a beautiful bed and a lovely new room! It will be wonderful to sleep up off of the floor. For additional support, Ron could build a platform box out of wood to put underneath so that the body weight is on the flat wooden top of the platform and not dependent on the ropes. It will also be easier on the frame of the antique bed.
What a beautiful bed! I had one of similar design when I was a kid, but it was for a regular modern mattress. I don't remember what happened to my old bed but I wish I still had it with me. Just love American colonial furniture!💕
I read that in victorian times in London there use to exist the "two penny sitter" where the very poor in winter would pay two pennies to sit on a rope to sleep on with a rope infront of them so they wouldnt fall over head first while they slept. So your rope and hay bed looks like a warm dry place to stretch and relax ones body. Always fun to watch your videos, thank you and take care guys
Oh how fun is that!!!! Whi cares hiw accurate anything is. I can imagine the noise from the ropes on the pegs when moving around at night....CREAKKK! That was fun to watch. I never saw a bed that had that set up. Thanks for showing that!
I once had an antique rope bed with all its pegs. I'd had a custom mattress made as it was not quite a double bed but also the mattress had to be five feet long. No idea what my dad did with it but I loved it.
I'm new to the channel and I honestly just love love you guys dynamic together. ran across your page looking up renaissance costumes. I'm glad I found this channel
An old farmer told me that the difference between straw and hay is that hay has the seed heads on it. It's better for feeding your cattle over the winter.
Straw is the stalks of cereal plants, hay is grass, not particularly complex. You can't feed animals straw (Though sometimes it is used as an additive), it effectively has no nutritional value.
Another nice video! Enjoy the bed. It may have been the camera perspective, but at first I thought the bed would be too short for Ron. I was relieved to see that it fit him quite well!
I inherited a 200+ year rope bed from a New England farmhouse. As I recall, the wood is pin oak and it is extremely hard. My mother modified it, kept all the wood intact and adapted a metal frame underneath. Uses a 3/4 mattress. I slept in the bed for years and it is very comfortable and makes me pine for the Maine woods.
A young couple with ropes and a bed, I'll just bite my tounge so to speak. Seriously, another nice video. I was unaware of a stacking bottom bed. On a side note; I've noticed a lack of modern background noises in your videos. That makes your videos so much more convincing that we actually getting a glimpse back into the 1800's. Thanks again.
If remember correctly, straw is what is left after cutting a field of wheat or similar, like mentioned previously. Just started watching, love this channel!
I am so glad I found your two channels! I have subscribed to both of them. I really do enjoy watching your videos and I especially love the interaction between you two! Great job on creating entertaining content that also lets us see how people lived long ago. Please keep it up!!!
Love this channel..it makes me long to go back to those times. This modern life and myself do not see eye to eye. God bless you… for a few minutes I can lose myself in the dream x
I enjoyed the video of this, that's practically what our ancestors did 200 years ago, everything was handcrafted , no computers , TVs and your groceries were grown in your backyard , and I bet the food taste's better being cooked over a fire place or on a wood heater stove , I really enjoy and appreciate what you guys do , I'm a 32 year old man who is autistic and I'm fascinated with history and nostalgic things , I'm learning a lot here . I'll stay tuned for more content👍.
I found your shows just recently… I love them and find that they are soothing. I am from Missouri just north of St. Louis. My home for the past 10 years has been NW Florida. I think i am starting to feel homesick. Winters vs warm sandy beaches… hmmmm…🧐😊❤️
My daughter’s bed was originally a rope bed (with the holes), but now it has wooden slats. Custom mattress because it’s an odd size, but no straw. That would itch! 😄
Awesome video. Great job of making the bed. If you want comfort I would throw about three thick huge blankets so its soft. Love the guy in these videos as he's adorable.
Okay hay is a grass product with the seeds attached. Straw is the chaff (stems) of grains, such as wheat, oats, barley. Since there are no seeds to it, straw is simply a bedding material. Edit to add; I do like your bonnet.
My friend purchased a rope bed at an auction. He added wood sides so that it would hold a normal mattress. It was really cool and appeared to be made from a couple of huge logs. It was the first time I had heard of that type of bed.
I had a few smarty comments to say here, about flattening the bed , but I'll keep em to myself. As always well done!! Super cute and funny watching the set up... Def a death trap, those ropes lol
This is a great video! My kids watch at least a couple of your videos a week for homeschool and we ADORE your channel! Thank you for the great content!!! Justine - I have a content idea also that might be easy to film, would it be possible for you to make instructional videos for how to use older things LIKE this bed video? For example, you could create a video talking about how to iron clothes in this time or how clothing was made. You could even just go over a single article of clothing and what its function is but as if you are just talking to Ron about it? modern kitchen appliances used to be manual not electric - covering those items would be really educational as well! (also we love your recipes! :D )
after what felt like 3 days of sweeping...Lets take this carriage for a ride... LOL LOL LOL. I love this. You both are so great at sharing all of this interesting nostalgia with us. God bless!
This is very educational. I'm really enjoying your different episodes. I've got to go to the beginning and start there. Glad I happened upon your channel.
Omg! That bed frame is beautiful, but I could just feel my skin getting a rash from just watching this. I have a terrible straw allergy. When I was a kid, my cousin and I jumped into a pile of straw thinking it would be so fun, and my whole body swelled up and I broke out in a burning rash all over.
Spot all of the historical inaccuracies😆
The clock-would be a wood plate movement......
Is one that nice saw? The room looks amazing! I'm sure the bed feels like heaven after being on the floor.
Pillows? No matter this was awesome. I was wondering it'd give more stability to the mattress if you added diagonal crossed ropes, considering there was extra length. So fascinating, all of it.
Ron just had to wear his rubber soled shoes today when all of his other ones have leather soles.
Time to hit the hay
Reminds me of a bed and bedroom my grandfather had on the back of his house. He must have put peppermint in with the straw because the bed always smelled like it and I know that peppermint keeps bugs away. My grandfather thought peppermint was the cure for everything. Your videos are wonderful. God Bless you two and your little homestead.
Eucalyptus leaves do the same.
Peppermint also grows profusely so it’s a great use!
Sage or lavender also might work .
Thanks for this comment that sounds so nice
It's also fantastic as a digestive aid for those of us with ouchy digestive issues. Ginger juice also works wonders.
We still use rope beds in India particularly North India. They are called Khatiyas and commonly used to sleep or sit on them, they are even used to eat meals on. They are very light so very portable. They can be shifted from room to room or on the porch during summers for the fresh breeze. They can be carried to the roof tops to sleep at night during hot summers and brought back indoors when the sun starts ascending. They are used by women to dry vegetables and other food items spread out on a cotton cloth that are dried in summer and consumed throughout the year. But usually the ropes are tied diagonal for more firmness. The ropes are tied in even diamond shapes.
That is really interesting, thank you for sharing!
Has someone made a 'time to hit the hay' comment yet? Amazing the phrases that persist through time from days long gone.
I never put 2 and 2 together lol
I don't know how people could sleep on this and not be itchy and sneezing!! I don't know what the alternative was but there must have been one or I would have never survived.
Time to hit the straw.
I wonder if thats where the "take a roll in the hay" saying came from too?!
The life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth has been passed down over 2000 years. That's this one multiplied by a thousand. The Bible didn't get printed until hundreds of years after his death and ressurection. Imagine the will and determination of the early Christians. Imagine their devote faith. Imagine how they'd feel, think, speak, if they were suddenly ported to the world today.
Very interesting stuff.
Most of the early Americans would sing Psalms as they did tasks like this. How amazing. They too were part of carrying this tradition for over 2000 years.
Very fascinating stuff for sure.
I understand your plight. My wife and I were in France visiting her family and we had to face a 500 year old rope bed and a 400 year old mattress. We both were rolled into the middle of the mattress and almost needed climbing gear to get out.
lol
😂😂
400 year old mattress? How in the f do u not go hmm, I think we need to replace/update this.
@@morsecodelowl3603 Well, at that point it's seems a shame to get rid of it.
I visited France a few months ago and.... I was horrified by it
France is gone ... :(
FYI Straw is the result of harvesting grains used for bedding down animals; while hay is types of grass clover, timothy, alfalfa etc that is cut for fodder. I especially enjoyed this video as I do have and rope bed made of cherry wood that I got when I was 15 . I am now 77 years . My bed was converted by making side rails leaving the pegs in the head and foot board to show the age. I have had the opportunity to sleep on a straw mattress it is great. Enjoy and keep on with theses videos I patiently await !
Keen Ontario Canada.
After watching this I'm wondering if my first bed was the same. My parents still have it. I'll have to give it a closer look.
Straw is hollow and hay is not that's one thing I know and the main reason it's used for keeping animals warm because it holds the animals body heat.
cheryl easterbrook+ Did you ever experience bugs in the straw?
How strange to read your address, Cheryl, I am very close to you. Hope's Mill has a bed like this on display. Since I saw it, I have wanted one.
@@cristinadriviera8144 I believe if you buy a bail of Straw Boss straw, it would be clean. I have never had a bug when I opened a bail. Perhaps it's treated. It's only about 6 dollars, and 2 or 3 would make a great mattress.
My grandmother had a rope bed made by one of the ancestors. We kids would fight over who would get to sleep on it when we visited. In the end I inherited it and it is a prized possession. I have slept on it once and loved it. Unlike the above bed, my ancestor drilled holes for the ropes to pass through. It stayed taut through all of the years.
My husband and I stayed in a self-catering cottage in England in the 1980s that had a rope bed. After one night of " sleeping "in it we dragged the mattress onto the floor to get rid of the hammock effect! It felt fine that way!
The cabin is coming together nicely with the addition of a bedroom. That bed is really beautiful. Nice job and thanks for sharing.
I remember one time we went on a school trip to Lancaster and we went to an Amish village and they made us live like the 1800s for a day. We had to carry buckets of water on our shoulders, make bread from scratch, tidy up around the house, and fill the sack with hay to sleep, hence the famed “ hit the hay” phrase. It was honestly pretty cool and very peaceful, I quite liked it.
My great-grandmother had a rope bed but by the time I came along they used a cotton cot-type mattress instead of the straw. However, we’ve always had feather pillows in our home. My great aunt made my husband and I a double wedding ring quilt and two large feather pillows. After 29 years it’s still the gift we still use.
@@dan2wee I think they used horse body hair, from brushing, not mane and tail hair. mane and tail hair would have been used in other crafts.
What a lovely gift 🎁
I use to have a feather pillow and every now and then a feather would poke my head I ended up throwing it away
What type of feathers are in them?
Same love my feather pilots. They're so expensive to but these days top.
this was how my great grandmother would make beds. They did not have a lot, but they did not ever go without there where 11 kids 2 parents and 3 grandparents all at one time! My grandmother will be 90 this year and she loved seeing this as it was good reminder of childhood.
I've never slept on a rope bed but people I know who have say that it's like a cushioned hammock; you can't help but sag, and it's not possible to lie flat; so you sleep half sitting up. Beds in that time were worth a lot, representing a good chunk of one's wealth. So when we see our ancestors left their children their beds, we might go, "Are you kidding?" but that was actually a big deal.
Not a problem. Half sitting up in bed was considered the healthiest way to sleep for thousands of years. Easier to breathe with less snoring and good for acid reflex.
I love how when she asks what the difference between hay and straw is and says: "umm, I don't remember exactly but.." then proceeds to explain exactly the difference between the two 😂
This is a good channel. I have recommended it to my History students. They love it. You guys provide us with a clear, visual interpretation, and real life moments of how most Americans lived during this time period, especially those along the frontier and in small towns.
Great job. Keep up with the good work.
I wondered if history teachers did that; they are amazing aren't they.
@@mickeymousey1239 we all are indeed.
There are many things so satisfying about reading your comment. We need more history teachers, like you, in this country.
@@ScottALanter what? teachers that show youtube videos is that what we all need scott is it ? ahhahahaha
@@blazengodz4207 After reading your comment, you have convinced me that proper grammar should be taught more, instead.
My Grandmother just brought me 2 1800s dressers and a 1800s hutch which have been in my family since then.
Now I will proudly keep, cherish and carry these beautiful works of art (imo) further into history.
That bed you have in this video.. is gorgeous! What an amazing piece to have! Thank you for showing!
Hay is a nutritious grass, straw is usually the stalks after the harvest of wheat. Cedar shavings are good to keep fleas at bay. My mom said they used to put a cup of kerosene under each bed post to keep from getting bed bugs.
When my father was in the RAF assigned to Ismailia in Egypt, the civilian quarters he and my mother had to live in as low ranking personnel had rope beds, and the legs were also standing in bowls of kerosene (called paraffin there) but that was to drown the cockroaches.
Wow I bet you had some wild dreams lol.
@@Thepourdeuxchanson Ewwww! Imagine waking up being overrun with roaches.
My Granny said that too about the kerosene for bed bugs they called them no seeums
Humbleness. Gratefulness. This takes me back to when I was a boy. Like the sun, you two keep shining bright and bless you
One of my favorite channels. I'm a history freak and study the home life the most..
Me too
The part that really put me in the historical atmosphere was when you took that broom and started sweeping the straw off him! haha. I can imagine a mother in 1800 doing exactly that to her kids as they come inside from playing, or doing their chores, or anything like that.
So happy you don't have to sleep on the floor anymore.
This is another great episode. Thank you.
This makes me appreciate those old innkeepers even more! Imagine having to make and maintain 5 or more of these!
"Sleep tight" the phrase dates back to the time when people slept on beds made of rope. If the ropes were pulled tight, then it would be more comfortable to sleep on.
Sorry, but it's not true. One of the definitions of "tight" is "soundly", and the first known use of this phrase isn't until 1866, when rope beds had been in use for 300 years and were going out of fashion due to the new coil spring mattresses. It has nothing to do with rope beds.
T. Huff My great gran told us that 😊😊😊 regarding the rope beds 😊😊
@@kck9742 During a historical tour of a Baltimore home, the guide explained that “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite” referred to the tight stitching required on the mattress to prevent bugs from crawling into or out of the straw.
@@keithholland Yeah, that's not true either though. That was a mid-20th century addition.
un-like his
this man convinced a lady to go live in the woods with out electricity and sleep on a bed that takes 5 hours to prepair and i cant get a lady to go on a picnic because 'there might be dog poo in the grass'
Maybe that concern should be instant disqualification and you should just stay home, make coffee and hit RUclips lol
Awe lol. Just fyi I have never been asked on a picnic. I would've accepted that offer in a heartbeat if someone had asked😊
😂
I love this video! I’ve never actually seen a bed roped, this was fascinating, and you guys are so fun and wholesome.
If you are near any everygreens the fallen and dead pine nettles sometimes referred to as "pine straw " would be much softer, and along with the cedar- it would make a natural poppuri for the room to smell fresh, as often early homes lacked the "clean smell" we are use to in modern the modern day. Also seen fur pelts could be used atop the straw to make it less like laying on a porqupines quills lol .. So great to find this channel....
Love the clean smell of cedar.
These videos strangely enough remind me of my childhood. I'm not 200 years old, but when I was a kid in the 1980s things were a lot closer to this than they are today. We've probably changed more technologically in the last 30 years than in the years between ancient times and 30 years ago, and not always necessarily for the better. In 30 years it will probably make 2022 look like prehistoric times. I miss the simpler times.
Spot on.
Me too, like when people in families would talk to each other, instead of head down looking into a device all the time!
The 80s were the best. Absolutely.
I raised 4 of my own kids, a stepson, and a foreign exchange student (from Ukraine who’s lived in the US for 10+ years now and just had her second little one) from 1980 on: last son born 1993. Things sure were different then! I tried to be as natural as possible and made most of our food (too expensive to eat out!). You’re right about devices gradually taking over. My older kids grew up with more imagination during their play & did more reading compared to the youngest & now the grandkids. Technology is necessary to perform my job, but it definitely has caused problems too. 🙁
AMEN me too
I wanna see them do all these reenactments with 3 kids under 5 in tow, with one baby constantly wanting to breastfeed, another crawling around, and another constantly asking questions lol. I myself couldn't imagine how much work all that and raising children took. I'm so exhausted just thinking about it lol
Not 3, but 5... lol
Most women gave birth to 9-10 children, of which 4-5 died.
THEY HAD BIG FAMILIE'S BECAUSE THEY HAD TO HAVE BIG GARDEN'S .... THEY HAD NO TV BACK THEN 😁 BUT IF THEY NEVER HAD SUCH A HUGE FAMILY THEY WOULDNT OF HAD TO HAVE A HUGE GARDEN .... 🤣😂♥️
The look of pride on your faces was so genuine and adorable! Love the new room!
What a delightful couple! You two must never forget what you have because what you've got is more valuable than money!
My grandmother made feather beds and pillows for her 3 beds. The feather beds were placed over the cloth mattresses placed on the wooden slats. She also crocheted lace using sewing thread and tiny hooks with which she edged the pillow cases.
When I was a young child we inherited some old furniture from a great great aunt. Included in this furniture, were horse hair stuffed mattresses. Hard as rocks. You I am sure could flip, bounce a quarter off them suckers. I think they must have been made in the 1890s or something.
Love your stories - Justine is quite bold I think!!! Love her and Ron interacting
The wholesome part of me likes to imagine that this was an actual good home life for some young couples back yonder and it makes me smile :)
This reminds me of my grandmother's bed in the Azores, which had a canvas mattress stuffed with dried corn husks. They never wasted anything if it could be put to some good use. Periodically, you'd have to use a roller on the mattress to even it out. Still was quite comfortable.
I laughed at the broom cleaning, I thought Justine was going to sweep him into the next county! People with allergies must have suffered tremendously with that hay mattress! It breaks me out in hives! Looked pretty sturdy, though.
That woman knows her broom work ! Lol
I know I would have.
I bet people weren’t as sensitive to things back then. Today everyone is allergic to almost everything it seems. Our ancestors were hardier.
@@zombiemom6701 Yes they were. There was also much, much less of the chemicals that are part of our existence from the moment we are born.
@@cattycorner8 Keep in mind they also died younger, and from several different maladies. There's always a tradeoff.
Oh my days. Just found these guys .. 1st video. Talk about 2 awesome human beings flowing with chemistry. This video softened my heart. Thank you.
Justine I laughed out loud when you said 'Let's take this carriage for a ride'. You go girl!
Go at what
@@d3AdLyf3 It's an expression modern people use to kind of congratulate each other
@@d3AdLyf3 ask your mom
@@cologist I feel so stupid it makes sense now, thank you sir for your time,
@@d3AdLyf3 don’t feel stupid. It was a good question
I just recently started watching a few of ya''ll videos. Ya'll are doing an amazing job and all Ive seen. Living simple, and I can tell, your happy. I know its harder in some aspect but you guys make it look easy.
I enjoyed watching your struggle with the straw mattress . My husband and I were reminiscing about the horrid uncomfortable beds we remember from childhood 🙃 we were both brought up in Britain and I come from ( what is now ) the Republic of Ireland . Thank you 💕 for your hard work and entertaining us . I wonder if men really helped the women as much in that era ...
Yes, men at the time helped women a lot. At the time, the labor intensity was beyond imagination, so we had to help each other, especially newlyweds who had no children to help with the work.
Rope beds often had winlasses on the ends of the bed to tighten up the ropes. You would loosen the ropes in the morning and tighten them just before turning in to keep from over stretching the ropes over time. A cinch loop was also used to draw up the rope and make it tight. (Make a loop knot 1/2 way across the bed when the rope was snug. Pass the bitter end around the opposit side peg and return the bitter end through the loop. pull on the bitter end until the rope is tight.) Note that sacking bottoms were troublesome as they would develop stretched out pockets even with it was pulled tight.
That windlass was usually called a "bed key."
@@joybranham8250 Yesss!!!! Thank You! I was trying to think of the actual name they used.
well, I see your'e on the right chanel ha ha
This is so fascinating! Such accurate presentation on what normal life was like in the 1700 and 1800's I'm definitely subscribing
In my grandparents house ( may God have them) still have this kind of bed and I slept on it. Is very nice and comfortable (what you never would think when you look at it)
Their farm is in the mountain of Santa Catarina Brazil in a very small community of Germans.
Germans in Brazil. Oh my, you have some interesting heritage sir. Are you one of the boys from Brazil?
@@Shastavalleyoutdoorsman Brazil is like USA, have people from all over the world, I’m mixed with German, Italian and Brazilian Native American.
I didn’t understand your question but I’m from Brazil.
@@jonasschmitz506 I was asking if you were part of a Nazi cloning experiment. No judgment.
@@Shastavalleyoutdoorsman wow , I don’t even know what you talking about sir. My grandparents wasn’t part of Nazi for what I know. That comment was kinda offensive.
Not all Germans was part of Nazi, some tried to flee from German and the war. Mostly because they didn’t agree with Hittler in that time.
But that doesn’t define what I am and what my family is, they was a very hard work people and work in the farm.
May God bless you sir.
I wasn’t sure what you talked about so I did some research and discovered that is about the novel “boys from Brazil”.
Is a fictional story sir.
@@jonasschmitz506 didn't mean any offense. It's widely known that Nazis fled to Brazil and Argentina after world war II. As they were offered asylum. That is the ones who are not valuable enough to be brought to America and made part of NASA. I was just curious. 50% German myself.
First thing: It was being filmed! LOL! Love your work!
I thank you so much for actually doing what I had heard about my parents growing up with, they later started filling their mattresses with feathers. I feel strange when I look back at the family history and see how much things have changed in just 3 generations. Thanks again for re enacting or perhaps I should say visually illustrating the stories from my younger years 😀
What a charming, airy bedroom! I’m imagining the scents of wood and straw. This gives me a new idea of the phrase “make your bed”.
just one of the many day to day things we learn how people lived (slept). Did a fantastic job on the bed, esp. the mattress. Many years ago while doing a tour in Williamsburg, VA they made mention of the rope bed and how the expression "good night, sleep tight" came from. You'll have a good rest if the ropes are tight. Justine, took to much delight in that broom to Ron, lol.
I remember that when I visited. And don't forget the rest of the saying ..." and don't let bed bugs bite".
I was actually an interpreter/craftsman for colonial Williamsburg when I was young. I still live here. I could never live anywhere else.
@@debrabrickus8467 Exactly!! Love Williamsburg, so much history
@@crazydiamond4565 I lived in Richmond from 2007-2017 and would visit very often. I really miss it. They have fantastic ghost tours also. Fantastic place to learn so much.
I love watching you two work together. There’s so much harmony there.
I see that you got your bedroom addition done and with 3 glass windows. You guys are rich. Love the bed.
Fun fact as a Boy Scout there was a outting where we would stay in a super old fort with that during normal days was literally a exhibit. The bunks with a rope setup with a straw filled mattress were literally insanely comfortable. Like you’d never think so but it was more comfy than my bed at home.
Hay is grasses you feed livestock, straw is the stalk of grain after the grain is harvested like oats, that's why it's used for livestock bedding.
This! Both were used for mattresses I think though?
@@lowderra Probably I only know about the livestock part, LOL.
I just stumbled across your channel and I am obsessed! I love American history and this is such a wonderful and unique way to learn more about this time period. You complement each other so well and are adorable! I would sleep in that bed any day as it looks so comfy!!! Thank you for all that you do and the time and detail you put into your videos. I just may have to take a trip to visit Ste. Genevieve someday and stay in Kandye’s cabin! 💕
I so enjoyed this video. I am reminded of the time. That I stuffed a mattress with pine needles. I had no straw. The mattress was so soft and smell so good. Thank you for the precious video! Also, I love the bed and the bedroom.
Justine, you were beating the tar out of Ron with that broom! LOL! But that straw bed (achoo!) looked really comfortable except I would have definitely added the cedar chips. And I chuckled when Ron asked, what about supper? and you said, what about it?
I have owned 2 pegged ropebeds from Virginia for 30-35 years. We roped them of course, and all guests have slept on them...a custom mattress lays over roped bottom. One bed is very high poster at both ends, PINE. The other is CHERRY, more modest.
Very well loved and comfortable!
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰❤
I am binge watching your videos! So enjoying them! It is helping me cope with all the chaos going on currently!
Thank you so much for your videos!
The room looks really nice! Can't wait to see what it looks like finished. ❤❤
Justine, I was waiting for you to 'sweep Ron off of his feet'. 😉😉🤣🤣
I am sure the mattress was better than the floor. I'm happy you have a bedroom. I think having the windows would help in the summer. Another fun video. Thank you, Ron and Justine.
What a beautiful bed and a lovely new room! It will be wonderful to sleep up off of the floor. For additional support, Ron could build a platform box out of wood to put underneath so that the body weight is on the flat wooden top of the platform and not dependent on the ropes. It will also be easier on the frame of the antique bed.
Justine is just a little tiny thing.. she doesn't weight much.
What a beautiful bed! I had one of similar design when I was a kid, but it was for a regular modern mattress. I don't remember what happened to my old bed but I wish I still had it with me. Just love American colonial furniture!💕
I love your channel. It's living history, and the fact that you are married and doing this channel together, is that much more realistic.
Not married yet. No way Ron and Justine could hold their nuptials without their adoring fans!
@@ericahoelscher3733 They sure behave like a married couple. Ron better hurry up!
I found this to be very interesting! I never knew about rope beds before, glad you guys shared this!
I read that in victorian times in London there use to exist the "two penny sitter" where the very poor in winter would pay two pennies to sit on a rope to sleep on with a rope infront of them so they wouldnt fall over head first while they slept. So your rope and hay bed looks like a warm dry place to stretch and relax ones body. Always fun to watch your videos, thank you and take care guys
They were called "two penny hangovers" which is where we get the term hangover from. You could also pay a single penny to sleep on the floor.
Oh how fun is that!!!! Whi cares hiw accurate anything is. I can imagine the noise from the ropes on the pegs when moving around at night....CREAKKK! That was fun to watch. I never saw a bed that had that set up. Thanks for showing that!
Glad to see your lovely new room and cozy antique bed. Sweet dreams Justine and Ron!
I once had an antique rope bed with all its pegs. I'd had a custom mattress made as it was not quite a double bed but also the mattress had to be five feet long. No idea what my dad did with it but I loved it.
Such a beautiful bed. . I love the new room also. I know that will be better than sleeping on the floor. You two did a great job on the bed
I'm new to the channel and I honestly just love love you guys dynamic together. ran across your page looking up renaissance costumes. I'm glad I found this channel
An old farmer told me that the difference between straw and hay is that hay has the seed heads on it. It's better for feeding your cattle over the winter.
Straw is the stalks of cereal plants, hay is grass, not particularly complex.
You can't feed animals straw (Though sometimes it is used as an additive), it effectively has no nutritional value.
@@TheOwenMajor horses love to chew on it especially outdoors in the winter months
This gives new meaning to the phrase "making the bed."
Another nice video! Enjoy the bed. It may have been the camera perspective, but at first I thought the bed would be too short for Ron. I was relieved to see that it fit him quite well!
I inherited a 200+ year rope bed from a New England farmhouse. As I recall, the wood is pin oak and it is extremely hard. My mother modified it, kept all the wood intact and adapted a metal frame underneath. Uses a 3/4 mattress.
I slept in the bed for years and it is very comfortable and makes me pine for the Maine woods.
A young couple with ropes and a bed, I'll just bite my tounge so to speak.
Seriously, another nice video. I was unaware of a stacking bottom bed.
On a side note; I've noticed a lack of modern background noises in your videos. That makes your videos so much more convincing that we actually getting a glimpse back into the 1800's.
Thanks again.
Ohhhh, now it's looking like a real bike! Love the quilt... we have one similar that's a 3/4 size.
If remember correctly, straw is what is left after cutting a field of wheat or similar, like mentioned previously. Just started watching, love this channel!
Closed captioning says "applause" when you guys are stuffing the mattress with straw. And I agree. Good work.
I am so glad I found your two channels! I have subscribed to both of them. I really do enjoy watching your videos and I especially love the interaction between you two! Great job on creating entertaining content that also lets us see how people lived long ago. Please keep it up!!!
Love this channel..it makes me long to go back to those times. This modern life and myself do not see eye to eye. God bless you… for a few minutes I can lose myself in the dream x
Great job with the bed .I love watching you two ! I'd be afraid of sleeping with bugs .The cedar is a great idea !
You two are so much fun to watch!! I really love your little cabin!
You two are so darn cute together! Thank you for putting a smile on my face today
9:39 “you want to take a nap?” Yes please. I’m tired for them. Shit. 😂
I enjoyed the video of this, that's practically what our ancestors did 200 years ago, everything was handcrafted , no computers , TVs and your groceries were grown in your backyard , and I bet the food taste's better being cooked over a fire place or on a wood heater stove , I really enjoy and appreciate what you guys do , I'm a 32 year old man who is autistic and I'm fascinated with history and nostalgic things , I'm learning a lot here . I'll stay tuned for more content👍.
I doubt food tastes better that way but to each their own
@@whatever7588 Ok then .
@@whatever7588 I was only stating an observation of how food would taste cooked that way , I've never eaten anything cooked over a fire place.
They worked hard with their hands so I’m sure that the food tasted really good.
@@sethpawlik I think so too.
I found your shows just recently… I love them and find that they are soothing. I am from Missouri just north of St. Louis. My home for the past 10 years has been NW Florida.
I think i am starting to feel homesick. Winters vs warm sandy beaches… hmmmm…🧐😊❤️
I loved this episode! All the funny parts with you taking the broom and all the jokes made my night!
I keep coming across your page, enjoy watching your videos. Had to start following and more today 10/25/2002
Love the off grid living homesteading ❤
My daughter’s bed was originally a rope bed (with the holes), but now it has wooden slats. Custom mattress because it’s an odd size, but no straw. That would itch! 😄
Awesome video. Great job of making the bed. If you want comfort I would throw about three thick huge blankets so its soft. Love the guy in these videos as he's adorable.
Okay hay is a grass product with the seeds attached. Straw is the chaff (stems) of grains, such as wheat, oats, barley. Since there are no seeds to it, straw is simply a bedding material. Edit to add; I do like your bonnet.
All that hay makes me want to sneeze just watching it!
Gosto muito do seu canal um abraço para vocês do Brasil 🇧🇷❤️ Deus abençoe sempre vocês
Now that you have managed to assemble a decent 19th century bed, hope you guys make good use of it!
My friend purchased a rope bed at an auction. He added wood sides so that it would hold a normal mattress. It was really cool and appeared to be made from a couple of huge logs. It was the first time I had heard of that type of bed.
I had a few smarty comments to say here, about flattening the bed , but I'll keep em to myself. As always well done!! Super cute and funny watching the set up... Def a death trap, those ropes lol
I really love you guys- such work and dedication. I also love the banter between you both. Great job!
This is a great video! My kids watch at least a couple of your videos a week for homeschool and we ADORE your channel!
Thank you for the great content!!!
Justine - I have a content idea also that might be easy to film, would it be possible for you to make instructional videos for how to use older things LIKE this bed video? For example, you could create a video talking about how to iron clothes in this time or how clothing was made. You could even just go over a single article of clothing and what its function is but as if you are just talking to Ron about it?
modern kitchen appliances used to be manual not electric - covering those items would be really educational as well!
(also we love your recipes! :D )
after what felt like 3 days of sweeping...Lets take this carriage for a ride... LOL LOL LOL. I love this. You both are so great at sharing all of this interesting nostalgia with us. God bless!
This is very educational. I'm really enjoying your different episodes. I've got to go to the beginning and start there.
Glad I happened upon your channel.
Omg! That bed frame is beautiful, but I could just feel my skin getting a rash from just watching this. I have a terrible straw allergy. When I was a kid, my cousin and I jumped into a pile of straw thinking it would be so fun, and my whole body swelled up and I broke out in a burning rash all over.
Cool to see bed being made! Don’t light any candles near that hay bed safety first! Be safe! ❤️❤️
have you seen Justine cooking at the hearth in the other room? lol She's a pro with fire.
Not only was watching the bed making awesome, it’s good medicine for the soul watching a couple be loving and respectful to each other.
I absolutely love it! You both did such a good job, and the house has really come together. I can't wait to see it as Spring progresses.