Halifax is an old, established city. It was founded in 1749 by Lord Cornwallis and 2500 British settlers, whose main purpose was to exploit the rich fishing grounds just off-shore. If they just happened to counter the unfortunately large French presence at Louisbourg, well, so much the better. Now [1851], it is a thriving, modern seaport that stretches along the harbour front for a couple of miles. Our city is bounded by the stately homes of our best citizens on the south, by the snug little houses of the Naval Dockyard's workers on the north, by the great Citadel to the west. Downtown, Province House and Government House are the finest public buildings in the land. We have the best educations, too. Our Dalhousie University is more than 30 years old and St. Mary's nearly 10. Our modern city is a fine place to do business. Mr. Enos Collins's Halifax Banking Company, and Mr. Samuel Cunard's Steamship Company are both thriving in the West Indian Trade. They will make their marks, those young men.

Our dear Halifax is such a delightful place, I can't imagine why anyone would want to live anywhere else. Even here, though, so many things change every day, it's a wonder we can keep up. The Connaught Rangers have left for home, and those wild, rough men of the 42^nd Highlanders have taken their place. I daresay they will be no gentle replacements for our dear Rangers. Still, they do have such lively parties, and the officers are handsome. All the best people are seen there, so one can hardly stay away.

Our population is now more than 10,000 souls, and growing fast, but it is still comfortably British. All the best people are good, solid English families, some of whom came with Lord Cornwallis, and some who, always loyal to our monarch, came later--after their troubles with those pushy people further south. We also have lots of Irish and a few Scots. Not quite English, but at least they're British--not like those upstart Germans and Scandinavians that come here thinking they are as good as us. Our city leaders are staunchly British, as is only right. After all, we were here first. I have heard that there are actually a lot of Scots settlers in Nova Scotia, but most of them are on Cape Breton Island--Île Royale, as the Louisbourg folks call it. Only a sensible few have stayed in our dazzling city. Even mailing a letter will soon be different. The government has started printing small bits of paper that we will have to glue to our letters before they can go on their way. A "stamp" they call it, to prove we have paid for the privilege of letting the post office deliver it for us. And now I will have to pay instead of the person I send it to. Still, I suppose it is an improvement--it's only one cent to send a letter now, instead of 15 cents.

John Parr is our governor here in Nova Scotia, and Lord Elgin is the governor-general of the Canadas, though they doesn't have much to do with us. They have their own troubles, so they can't really be counted on to do us any favours. They are still going on about "rep by pop, ⁽¹⁾" whether public schools should be Catholic or Protestant and who should pay for them. Our system is much more civilised. All the official schools are protestant, but as long as the Catholic schools teach the approved curriculum, we give them public money too. The westerners do have a few good ideas, though. They want to build a railroad from Montreal and Toronto out here to our great port city. Think of the extra markets that will mean for us. It's a great project, but we will have to see what comes of it. They only have 55 miles of rail in their own provinces, so coming all the way out here would be an enormous project, and we aren't holding our breath.

House and home

Even with all our modern conveniences, a young woman about to begin keeping house for herself and her new husband has a lot of work to do. Unless they plan to live with their parents, her husband-to-be will select their new home, but there are still countless decisions to be made. If she was still in Scotland, the groom would choose and pay for her wedding outfit; here in Halifax, he still may, or she and her mother or her friends may choose it. Either way, there is much to do and she will have to start early.

Our glorious Queen Victoria was married in a white dress, so it is fashionable to be married in a white gown. For most women, the wedding gown will also be her "best dress" for several years to come, so it will be a sensible green, blue or brown, perhaps striped, but just as likely a plain, solid colour. If she is well enough off, the dress may be of cotton calico or chintz, but more probably of sturdy wool or linen. If, like our Annie, she is a weaver, she may weave the cloth herself, or she may buy it from the local draper. The next step is to cut out the new dress, using one she already has as a pattern. If she can afford it, she may hire a dressmaker, but most women sew their own (and their children's) clothes. The bride will probably sew the dress herself, perhaps with the help of her mother or her friends. Most clothes, including wedding dresses, consist of square pieces of cloth, with triangular gussets to make them fit a person's shape, and allow one to move. The pasterns are not complicated, but there is a lot of sewing and it will take several days of sewing and fitting to get it right. Annie's dress might look something like this:

If a girl is fortunate enough to be married in the same city she grew up in, she will have begun gathering her trousseau and other necessities long before she ever finds the man she will share them with. When she is ready to be married, she will already have all the sheets, towels and other linens she will need for her new home. If she has moved to a new city--or a new country--she will have plenty of work ahead of her to stitch up everything she couldn't bring with her. Even a modest home needs sheets and towels. If she has plenty of spare time, she might crochet doilies to cover the milk jug (and keep flies out of it), lace edging to decorate the kitchen shelves or the edges of the sheets, anti-macassars to keep gentlemen's hair oil off the backs of her chairs, or she might spend all her time just hemming enough sheets and towels to get started. If she has her own loom, she might weave her own sheets, and towels, or even blankets for her bed. If she is at home with her family, her mother might make her a present of one or two blankets, or her man might purchase them as part of the furnishings of his new home.

Even if a girl has family nearby to help out, setting up house-keeping can be an expensive business. Even small households need things that are difficult to make and expensive to buy, so she will have to make a trip to some of the local shops. For most people, a bed of some sort, a kitchen table, and a couple of chairs are basic requirements, but the new wife will need an assortment of wood, tin, iron and crockery items, too. In a pinch, the kitchen table can double as an ironing board, the kitchen chairs may be pressed into service to hold the washtub, and more than one new baby has slept in a clothes basket, but a kitchen can't do without a water bucket, a tin dipper, some wooden spoons, a flour sieve, flour barrel cover, a clothes stick (for stirring clothes in boiling water), and a mop or two.

She will need a large tin or copper kettle for boiling clothes on washday, a smaller kettle for boiling meat, and a dishpan. Other necessities from the tinsmith's shop are pans for baking bread, pies and cakes, measuring cups (in quart, pint, half-pint and gill sizes), scoops for sugar and flour, tea, coffee, cheese, and bread canisters, and a flour barrel. The iron monger has frying pans, soup kettles, cooking spoons, a tea kettle, toasting rack, griddle, and a flat iron for clothes. There are copper soup and tea kettles, but they are much more expensive than iron. Cooking pots, of course, are all well and good, but much more useful if you have a stove to put them on, or at least a fireplace, though of course only the poorest families still cook over open fires.

Earthenware crocks, mixing bowls, and baking dishes are also useful, though one could likely get by with a wooden bowl or two, and baking dishes could be dispensed with. She will have to have a china or porcelain service, and some nice silver ware. Her new husband would not thank her for making him eat his supper from the pot with the large iron cooking spoon! Tables must be scrubbed, floors have to be swept, boots need blacking, and so do stoves. A respectable housewife will find it difficult to do without a broom and at least a few brushes.

The amount of time a woman spends preparing her wedding feast will be determined by whether she is married in the morning, or in the evening, and by her own circumstances. If she is married in the morning, she is not obliged to give her guests more than a drink and a piece of cake, though she may prepare a larger breakfast, if she wishes. If she is married on a Saturday , or in the evening, after a day's work, her guests will expect a more substantial supper. Her means decide whether this is champagne, with several meats and fancy cakes, or ale and oat cakes. Either way, there must be plenty of it.

Lest we should think the bride will have things all her own way, I should mention that the groom will have his share of things to look after, too. After all, he will be the one who gets things started by asking the minister to call the banns. Announcing their intentions on three successive Sundays ensures everyone knows they plan to marry and gives everyone who knows them a chance to speak up if there is any reason why they shouldn't be married--like if one of them already has a spouse. Calling the banns is also free, unlike a licence, which may have a steep fee attached. Of course, men in a hurry, or with something to hide have been known to bend the rules by having the banns called three times in the same day!

With the help of his groomsman (often his brother or best friend), he will buy his bride's wedding ring, and pay the minister's fee. And he will choose--and pay for--the new home and any furniture it needs. Though he is not obliged to do so, a sensible man will allow his bride some choice in both--or he may live to regret it! The groom will look after getting his own wedding clothes. Like their womenfolk, the wedding suit will often be a man's "Sunday best" for years to come, so while he will want it to be of good cut, he will also want it of sturdy wool so it will last. If he is a weaver or tailor, he may have a hand in the construction of his wedding suit. If not, he may have one made for him or buy one ready-made, as his means dictate.

Mens's suits are of two main styles: The old-fashioned but still popular frock-coat has a narrow waist and knee-length skirt; and the new sack suit, which hangs straight from the shoulders and reaches only to the hip. A man's coat or shirt is constructed in in the same general manner as a lady's dress--square pieces with small gussets to make them fit a person's shape. 

Regardless of whether a woman is employed outside her parents' home before she marries, she will find her life quite different after she speaks her vows. So different, in fact, that one sometimes wonders why women do it. Most girls will have learned from their mothers how to keep house--how to cook and keep the house clean, how keep clothes clean, and how to look after children. Most mothers will have made sure that their daughters have plenty of practice, so this won't be a lot different, however.... Before she marries, a woman may do pretty much as she pleases; she may buy and sell her own property, or spend her money on fripperies. The minute she says "I do,", the only legal right she will have is to do what her husband tells her. Her new husband will now own not only any property she had before her marriage, but he will own her, and their children, as well. Her legal status is reduced to that of an idiot, a child, or a slave; that is, she has no legal right to anything, including her own body. If she should become a widow, she will have most of her rights back, but until that time, she will not even be entitled to a say in what happens to her children. In return, the law assumes men will feed and clothe their wives and children, but there are few means of forcing them to do so.

It is the nature of young people to believe that everything will be rosy after they marry, and for most couples it is. Most new husbands care deeply for their families. They take great care to see their wives and children well-fed and happy, so there is no point in dwelling on these negatives, but there is no denying that a young woman's life will be different: even her dress will change. No self-respecting adult female would go out of her own door without a hat on her head. Now that she is married, though, she will wear a white cap over her hair indoors as well. In some families, she may have already done so since she was 16. It will not do for a woman to show her hair in public; it might be more than a man could stand, and he would be tempted to evil. Today's fashionable caps are trimmed with lace and have lovely long lappets at the sides to trail down over one's shoulders. Even if she was the mistress of her own establishment, it will be different if she now has to cook for two people. Her new husband's tastes must now be taken into account, not only in food, but in friends, pastimes, and even the decor of their home.

Few men care to be seen as unable to support their wives and families, so if a woman worked outside the home before she married, her husband will expect her to give it up, unless they absolutely cannot get by without her wages. However, if she was employed at home, as a weaver, say, or a dressmaker, she will continue, but it will be only for their own use. Most women make their own clothes and those of their children, anyway. One can buy ready-made clothes, but they are mostly for men; they usually fit poorly and are often of poor quality. By the time they have children, though, many women are only too happy to give up any extra work.

Managing any household is plenty of work, though for a healthy young woman with only a husband to look after, keeping house is not necessarily a full-time job. This won't last long, though. Within a year or so of her marriage, a woman will often expect an addition to her family. Some of her spare time is now filled with extra sewing. Babies need lots of clothes, and the more she sews now, the easier things will be later. Besides hemming diapers and stitching nightshirts, perhaps she will knit some woolly sweaters, soft bonnets, and little boots to keep tiny feet warm. If they live near her own parents, or her husband's, the newborn may be christened in the same gown his mother or father wore. If not, maybe the new mother will sew a special long dress of fine fabric, then trim it with lace and fancy stitching for Baby's christening. For the safety of his soul, Baby must be taken into the Church as soon as possible; nothing says his family and friends may not enjoy the occasion. 

If the new parents are Scots, they won't have to worry about what to call the new child. For most Scots families, a child's name is a foregone conclusion, and his parents have little say in the matter. If the first child is a boy, he will have the name of his father's father; if the child is a girl, she will be christened with the name of her mother's mother. Thus, Jim and Annie know that their first child will be called either Flora or Mathew. The rest of the children will be named in order for the rest of their grandparents, then for their own parents. If the family is very large, some of the younger children may be named after their parents' brothers and sisters, or after friends of their parents. If a child dies, the next-born child of the same sex may be given the same name. If not enough sons are born to a family, girls may be stuck with a "feminine" version of a man's name, which is the reason for Robina (after Robert), Josephine, and Williamina (or Wilhelmina).

There are lots of things to do in Halifax, besides work. One can spend a musical evening at our concert hall or watch a play at anyone of several theatres. In summer, those who are brave enough can bathe in the ocean, while the rest of us settle for a picnic lunch on the shore. And there are always friends to visit, parties to go to, quiet evenings to spend at home with our families. (This last greatly appreciated by young parents.)

Robert Coubrough & Margaret MacDonald