Geneaive and Granny
One time Geneaive stepped on a nail and it went plumb through her foot. Her mother Gazzie made a poultice and tied it on the injury. Next she built a little fire and had Geneaive hold her foot over it.
Another time Geneaive climbed in a chair to get a piece of bread after school and fell out. She landed with a broken arm. Gazzie fixed it as best as she could and then took her to the doctor. The doctor said “Why’d you bring her to me you already set it right.”
Granny told me many stories of her mother Gazzie’s doctoring abilities. In those days you had to learn medicinal remedies because you couldn’t run to the doctor every time something happened or someone got sick.
Gazzie was the oldest daughter in a large family and then had a large family herself. Sickness and accidents were common occurrences.
I asked Granny what the poultice for Geneaive’s foot was, but she couldn’t remember. I wish I had been interested in old time ways when I was a girl and could have asked Gazzie about the things she knew and even how she learned them.
Last night’s video: 30 Years in the Same House (Old Photos) & Update on Granny’s House.
Tipper
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Once when I was little, I stepped on a broken Coke bottle and it cut my foot pretty bad. My dad fixed a bucket with a couple of inches of “coal oil” or kerosene in the bottom and told me to soak my foot in it. I was so scared it was going to hurt but I stuck my foot in and it didn’t hurt at all. I don’t remember that we ever went to the doctor and it healed up just fine. There is a great story by James Thurber about a doctor who treats people by having them take a dose of kerosene by mouth. It is funny. His father is very ill and he keeps trying to get him to take a dose of kerosene and the old many refuses. He begs and pleads and finally the old man says, “I’d rather die like a man than live like a lamp.” I read it when I was in college and thought it was so funny, especially after my childhood experience.
Hi Tipper and Acorns. My old Maid Cousins (the Granny Women) Put a grated Potato Poultice on my cousins foot one time and So did my great aunt for my sister. They had both (at different times) put a nail thru their foot. Wash the outside of the wound with hot soapy water and rinse. It you see any dirt or debris in the wound try to pick it out. Grate a potato into cold water then place the squeezed potato onto clean cloth laying on clean, brown paper. It was often brown paper because of grocery pokes. then put a sock on over it to hold it in place or tie it there with a rag, string or thin rope. replace the poultice at bed time. If in the morning the wound shows no redness leave the poultice off if any redness returns replace the poultice. Check it every morning and evening till healed and keep it clean. You can temowe a splinter by soaking it in warm water mixed with white vinegar and salt.
I think you might enjoy the novel “Charms for the Easy Life: Three Remarkable Women, a Matriarch Healer, and Unconventional Strength in WWII North Carolina” by Kaye Gibbons (NC author). The main character is a woman much like the woman you wrote about.
Also, I asked for prayer yesterday for B. They couldn’t do the MRI or the liver scan. She has a blood clot in her leg. We know the Lord has a purpose for everything under Heaven and trust Him. I don’t understand such suffering, but I know it’s not in vain. I’ve seen too much and know God has His hand on B and has a purpose for this. We continue to pray for a miracle!
Blessings for that sweet baby girl. A suffering child just brings me to my knees. Not being able to ease their pain and fears is unbearable. Please know I’m always thinking about her and her family ♡
Debbie,your faith and love are inspiring! We will keep your sweet girl in our prayers.
I adore that sweet picture! So precious!
They probably used coal oil (kerosene) with some type of fat. Momma spoke of such things often. Turpentine was used for many things as well, but most of the time it was for internal meds. I keep pure gum turpentine in my herbal cabinet. It is good for yeast problems among many other things. It is NOT the hardware store turpentine. Momma always told of them mixing turpentine, wormwood, and sugar to make a candy type concoction for parasites each spring. I know you can still find such things in books of old. As I have mentioned before, her great grandfather was a medical doctor and herbalist during the Civil War. His herbal books were stolen. So very sad to me. So much knowledge gone.
I love hearing about all folk remedies and weed through them to find what works for us. I’m sure there were some downright dangerous things too. My herbal notebook is full of things, lots of them used and some not needed yet. People forget sometimes it takes herbs longer to work than the RX, but is so worth it once you find the things you can use.
Mustard poultices are great for the congested lungs as well as a mullein steam. The flower from the mullein plant diluted in a good oil is wonderful for earaches. I mix in garlic oil from a capsule with the mullein oil for added benefit. If using a mustard poultice make sure there is a barrier between the skin and the mustard as it will burn. Polk root salve is another thing I keep on hand. It is great for many different things as well. I had a little cyst on my chest and kept at with the polk salve and it diminished. As always, check with your doctor!
I use white willow bark for headaches that will not ease with feverfew, chamomile, and passion flower. I make tinctures for us as we are older. If using with children I would make a glycerite. An oxymel is a great way to add herbs in. I also mix herbs in honey and let that sit for 4 weeks, or so, then strain and use it in hot drinks. Lavender and honey are great to put in teas. I’m not much of a tea drinker, but when I’m congested will drink it. Golden Milk is a great way to get an immunity boost in the winter. So good! I also make fire cider for a good boost. There are many variations of it, but all basically help the system during the winter months.
I could go on and on about herbs as you can tell. God has given us everything we need to help us in His creation. He gets all the Glory!!
Wow! You are a wealth of information on this topic! I am taking notes! Thank you!
This is wonderful information. Thank you.
It’s nice to hear of the old remedies, especially poultices. My mother used mustard poultice’s many times for chest colds, bread and onion poultices for boils we would get. My MIL always had sulfur, mecuricome and other things used for cuts and such. Drs and medicines have their place but we need to start back using these old remedies
Some of these remedies are so interesting. My grandmother was pretty knowledgeable about tinctures and old time remedies. Her great-grandpa was a blacksmith/dentist, and her great aunt was a granny midwife. Her mom(my great grandma) maintained in regards to my profession, “I come by it honest.”:)
I’ll be 75 in November & I remember home remedies my grandparents used often. Watkins Green Salve (bought from the peddler) was used for just about everything from rubbing it on our chests at night when we had a cold with grandpa’s flannel shirt on to cold sores and much more. If worms were suspected, grandma would rub turpentine around our belly buttons & I saw my grandpa dab a tiny amount of turpentine on his tongue-never knew why he did that. Also, chewed tobacco or snuff would be put on bee stings and a slice of potato was taped to a splinter to pull it to the surface-had this done many times, but can’t remember if it worked. My son’s great grandmother put his own pee in his ear because he had an earache while I was out of town-had a fit when I found out. My Dad told me about the milk stone that was kept by one person in his community for rabies. The stone would be soaked in milk and kept on a bite around the clock. My great grandfather was a doctor in the late 1800’s and he tried to treat a woman who had terrible stomach pain, couldn’t figure it out so he asked an old black man who knew home remedies to come see the woman. The old black man got them to boil cabbage & then he made the woman hold her mouth open with the boiled cabbage at her mouth. After some time, a long tape worm crawled out of her mouth. When my Mom was about 80 she asked an old man who was over 100 yrs old how he had lived so long & he said, “stay away from doctors.” Mom told her Dr what he had said & he said, “there’s a lot of truth in that.” Mom will be 100 yrs old on November 5 & when I take her to her lung Dr. he always tells me to remember, “less is better.” I’m asking all the acorns to pray for my Mom for her to still be with us on Nov 5 for her 100th birthday. We are planning a blowout party for her at her assisted living-even with gospel singers coming to perform. Mom’s mind & health is good except she wears oxygen due to a progressive lung disease that we don’t know where that came from because she never smoked nor did anyone in the family. Prayers for everyone in need.
Wonderful! I pray she makes it!!
Cheryl, I will be in prayer for your momma. How wonderful to make it to 100. I’m sure she has many stories to share over such a length of time lived here on this earth.
I will pray for your mom!
What a party that will be for her 100th! Thank you for the very interesting stories about home cures too!
Our family had a drawling save that was used for almost everything. My mother was going to make a batch to give out as gifts to the family. When she was gathering the ingredients, she couldn’t get all of them. The FDA declared some of them illegal. I still have the recipe, just no salve.
Yep…when there is no help to be had you quickly learned how to do it yourself…I am still inclined to try and ‘fix’ it myself before I will go to the doctor.
Oh my…what beautiful little girls! Those dresses look similar to some I have of me and one of my sisters. One of my grandmas made the best fried potatoes and the tallest biscuits ever. I only remember eating them one time. My other grandmother made the best cake with meringue and bananas and lemon juice inside. I have tried to make it but it never tasted like hers. My mama said she also made the most delicious Spanish rice. My mama left home and got married when she was 16. She never asked for her recipes. I wish I would have asked them both for their secrets while they were still here. When I was about 12 or 13, I stayed with my grandmother sometimes when she was elderly and feeling poorly. She wasn’t able to cook much then, so she made us tv dinners…and she let me have doughnuts for breakfast. I thought I was in heaven!
That’s such a sweet picture! I love their little dresses.
My mother doctored us with herbs and other natural remedies. She didn’t have any formal training, but was often called upon to help doctor the sick and deliver babies in her community of Spring Creek, NC.
I absolutely love old time remedies and try to learn as much about them as I can! I have really enjoyed how many of the books you read us touch on this subject naturally. Granny Gazzie was an impressive woman! I remember Granny describing her as “stout.” It seems she was as strong mentally as she was physically.
Morning everyone. Happy Fall. Yesterday it rained and stayed cool, 90 degrees. Todays high will be 74. Oh, I love fall. As for the old remedies. My mom’s older sister had some. The worst was your ear wax on your cold sore. As an adult, I see the reason behind it. We put waxy weird things on cold sores, right. So why not your own bodies wax. And NO I never did it. One thing I did do was rub chalk on my wort every day for a short time. Wort was gone. I wish I had asked my aunt for more remedies. When we are young we think we have all the answers we need. The older I get I realize how little I know. I hope everyone gets the relief they need, this has been a brutal summer, In my opinion. Anna from Arkansas.
It is 60º here right now with an expected high of 63º and it has been raining since midnight. Yesterday was in the upper 80s. This year’s weather change from summer to fall was abrupt.
Your Granny Gazzie in a way reminds me of my Pawpaw on my mom’s side. He had a remedy for just about anything. He was up in years and in poor health when I was a teenager, but he still had a sharp mind of remembering things. I wish I had more of an interest in learning his ways of old medicine and writing them down, but that opportunity passed many, many, many years ago. Tipper, you and Matt are blessed that your girls love learning the old ways, hearing old family stories and keeping them alive for their families to learn.
That picture is so sweet! Those two adorable sisters! Their mama was gifted! I wouldn’t even know the first thing to do to set a broken arm! Wow!
Home remedies and old ways of doctoring are fascinating. I look forward to the comments today. ❤️
It’s wonderful folks knew what to do back in those days and some of the remedies are still being used today. With a house full of children like in my dad’s family, you just couldn’t run to the doctor.
I was a very fortunate little girl and just didn’t realize it because I was NOT a fan of going to the doctor. The only part I ever liked was being the 1st kid to find the hidden pictures in the highlife children’s magazine lol Our home remedy was warm Vics on our chest with a piece of warm flannel material pinned to your jammies. It felt like a hug!
Kim, I had forgotten all about Vicks and a warm cloth being put on our chest when having a cold. I remember mother catching measles from one of us that would not break out. Mother was in bed and an older neighborhood lady came and put hot cast iron irons around mother and wrapped her and the irons up in blankets or quilts. Soon the measles popped out and mother began to get better.
“Coulda, woulda, shoulda” — so many regrets about not asking our older relatives the things we now wish we knew. So many things I would have asked about my great-grandmother, who was reputed to have been “the best woman this side of the Allegheny,” or my grandfather’s older brother who died of a brain aneurysm at age 23 while he was teaching. For now we just trust that one day we will have those answers.
Good morning
Happy Fall to all!!! Cooler weather will be here tomorrow.
Daddy said kerosene was used to clean cuts and kill the bacteria. I’m he and his brothers and sisters were all doctored with it at some point.
The old remedies are quite interesting.
My father was born in 1931. He said one time he stepped on a nail and his grandmother put a strip of bacon on it and tied a rag around it.
Katie, I have often put salty fat back or side meat over a splinter or briar I couldn’t get out, it will draw them out. After going to the doctor and being given a creme that didn’t help, my son proved this summer that apple cider vinegar would draw out infection from things such as this, he tried it and it immediately began drawing out the infection.
My grandfather knew about herbs ,roots and ways to use them cures. Like you, I wish I had asked questions when he was alive, but I did pick up a few things and there is a lot of great information in the foxfire book series as well as books written by Doug Elliot. He actually lives in the same area as me. When I feel a cold coming on, I roast garlic and eat it . It has sure seemed to stop colds before they got started. I am unable to take commercial cough syrup. They put an ingredient in these days that causes me to have severe diarrhea……that is a bad problem if you are coughing! Now we aren’t really drinkers, but I keep a good bottle of bourbon just for cough syrup. I mix a small amount with honey and lemon juice. I tablespoon before bed usually lets me rest. During the day, I mix honey with a little apple cider vinegar which also helps. This time of year, you should do a video just on home cures. Y’all have a good day. I thank God that we woke to a rainy day. So dry here.
Honey mixed with apple cider vinegar is called oxymel which is a very ancient remedy, reported to date back all the way to around 400 BC! It’s amazing how that can soothe a cough!
Sweet post. ♥️ Hope you and your family are well.
wonderful grandma
Precious Memories, praise God for old photos, and old memories, thank you for sharing this today, God bless you, I had an appointment to see the doctor yesterday, and the community helping place transportation system let me down, they gave the driver of the wrong information, at 15 minutes to 12:00 I called asked where my driver was, the man said I’m sorry I gave the driver the wrong information, my appointment cannot be rescheduled, Dr Julia’s father is sick, she’s out of work the rest of the weekend on vacation next week, please pray for me, thank you and God bless you, there are two more doctors up there, but they would not give you the time of day,
I’m so sorry Norman. I will keep praying.
I’m so sorry to hear this Norman. I wish you the very best in getting back in with Dr Julia as soon as is possible. I can’t imagine having to depend on unreliable transportation. I pray for a better solution for that.
Norman, you have really had a rough time trying to get some help. I will keep praying.
I am sorry Norman! I will pray you get to see some doctor soon who will help you!
I’m so sorry about your appointment, Norman. My husband worked for one week at one of these driving services. He had to quit because he felt so guilty and stressed, the way people were scheduled so poorly, and they had no problem making people wait forever or miss appointments. His blood pressure couldn’t take what was supposed to be a part time job ended up ten hour days. I hope you find a solution Norman, and God’s blessings on your health.
Norman, I am so sorry to hear this about your transportation service. How frustrating for you you. Please call the doctor’s office back, explain this to them and ask them to schedule you the first available appointment they can give you and then reschedule your transportation. Let the transportation service know your address again and that they went to the wrong address the first time. Confirm the day before that they have your correct address. If you have problems getting into the doctor , call the doctor who sent you there and ask them to please help you with getting another appointment. It is terrible to take one step forward and 2 steps backwards when you have no control over other’s mistakes. I will be praying for you to get this made right so you can be out of pain. Blessings.
We I was growing up, we seldom went to a doctor unless it was very serious. One of the common things to do for cuts and sticking a nail in your foot was to tie a kerosene soaked rag around it. Even now I try to doctor on myself as long as I can before going to one. I would go now because of the trouble I am having with my ankle if I had someone to help me but I keep putting it off. I am beginning to think there might be something more than arthritis and gout going on. My son recently started a new job and has had to start over with building up vacation days and can’t help me. I have friends that would help me but I know they have their own problems and I absolutely hate to bother them. Kerosene rag, a friend stepped on some nails in a plank when cleaning up after Helene, when asked what did you do, he answered I put a kerosene rag around my foot.
Randy, do you by chance have a mass transit operation in your town or county? Here where I live there’s one and it covers our county plus one southwest of us. It’s been a godsend to the folks around here. Also, coming from a person who is over-the-top independent, it’s ok to ask a friend for help when it’s needed. During the last 3 years with this cancer, I’ve had to ask for help a total of 7 times. 4 different people and they were more than happy to step up. I would never be a nuisance but would and have gladly helped my friends when they were in need. Put your pride aside and you’ll be happily surprised. PS if you could buy a simple lunch on way to or from it’s a nice little thank you and great time to relax and visit. Now that the weather is cooling off, roll down the windows and eat in the car to save getting out one more time! I hope your son is enjoying his new job. It’s always hard starting over somewhere else and especially giving up the time you had accrued.
Kim, I appreciate this and know it to be true. I live in the most rural area left in Greenville County, SC. The nearest small town is 15 miles from home- grocery store too! The city of Greenville (30 miles) is about the only place that would offer anything like this. Going back to yesterday’s post, I have lived here all my life on the old home place ( soon to be 73 years) and know there is a lot of inconveniences, but you couldn’t make me move anywhere else, even with a stick of dynamite! Even living in a small town would be like a prison to me, I live on 32 acres and can do as I please without worrying about my neighbors, some of them live the same way I do and are lifelong neighbors. I had 3 friends offer to help me yesterday, but each one is busy with their own lives, and I hate to bother them.
Thank you for that information, Randy! I had heard that kerosene was used that way, but I couldn’t remember until you said it. Where do you even get kerosene these days? It might be good to have on hand.
I will pray for your doctor situation too. I am sorry your ankle is still hurting badly. We live in a very rural community too and transportation for those who can’t drive themselves is a big problem. I would always help neighbors who don’t have family nearby out with getting to appointments, but none of them ever ask. I think they may not want to bother others, but just coming from me, I wouldn’t be bothered at all. It’d be a pleasure. I think most people living out here feel that way too.
Meg, around here nearly all of the convenience stores that sell gas will also have a separate pump that sells kerosene. It is known as K1 kerosene and will be clear, and now mostly used in the portable kerosene heaters. Sometimes you can find it in a hardware/ building store such as Lowe’s/Home Depot or sporting goods stores in one gallon cans, but be ware it will be extremely expensive in these cans.
Thank you! That is good to know! I want to have some on hand in case we ever need it for a potential case of tetanus and can’t get to a doctor. I think Lowes\Home Depot are my only options here since we don’t have it at gas stations.
Randy, infrared therapy seems to work better than any other remedy for pain relief and healing when my arthritis flares up. They even make a wrap that uses this therapy for the ankle that is sold on Amazon for a very affordable price. I hope you will research the health benefits and give it a try. Praying for you to find comfort from the pain that has limited your mobility.
Shirl, I will look into it. I have been a tee totaler all of my life, but here lately I have even thought about checking out Dr. Red Dot! Maybe I could get drunk, pass out and not care for a little while, but then I would have a hangover over to go along with the arthritis pain! I am joking about doing that. I know it is advertised on TV but something that seems to be helping some is Hempvana arthritis gel.