Marlborough Public Library: Abigail Whitney Invites You For Tea

It’s not very often that folks get the opportunity to “meet” a colonist who is not only knowledgeable about tea, traditions, and trade in 18th century New England, but one whose husband’s family has ties to Marlborough that date back to the 1700s. But late last month, patrons of the Marlborough Public Library, were able to do just that when Abigail Whitney came to town.

Sponsored by Friends of the Library, Gail C. Hamel, Presenter and Proprietor of “Abigail by Gail: A Colonial Experience,” spoke candidly about “colonial life for an ordinary family living during extraordinary times.” Remember, the Thirteen Colonies had a lot going on in their lives!

When library Assistant Director Morgan Manzella introduced Hamel, she immediately took on the persona of Abigail Whitney. And just like that, standing in the front of the Bigelow Auditorium, patrons of all ages were able to interact with a devoted wife, mother of 17 children, and proper colonist.

Abigail’s connection to Marlborough begins with her childhood sweetheart and husband, Samuel Whitney’s, birth on September 5, 1734 in Marlborough, to Benjamin Whitney and Abigail Bridge. His parents owned multiple tracts of land across town and their family home would have been located on what is now known as Curtis Ave. Although their lands were fertile, Benjamin “wasn’t satisfied with just agricultural life and was itching to get back into the trades,” so they moved to Boston in 1737.

Soon after their move Benjamin died, so his wife ran the business until Samuel was old enough to take over the Triangular Trade routes and to carry out his father’s legacy. After a while though, it got “a bit risky in the city and markets were depressed,” so in 1768, Samuel and Abigail moved with their children to Concord. The place they called home for nearly a decade is now known as The Wayside and is part of Minute Man National Historical Park. Because the threat of a revolution was so strong, even there, Abigail recalls that she “had to stay strong” to keep her children safe when the British marched from Boston right across the front of their house in search of goods.

Abigail was a sensible and frugal colonist, but when she introduced herself to library patrons, she wore a dress made with imported Indian print cotton, lined with silk, not the simple dress she would have traditionally worn when she cooked for her family over the hot hearth. She also had on a white apron which she saved for special occasions. Atop her head, she wore a delicate cap, or pinar. Tied around her neck with ribbon, was a beautiful strand of pearls. On her ears, were matching pearl drop earrings. Abigail’s attention to detail with her attire would have shown her friends that “her husband had worked hard and had done well” in the trades business. Her deep pride and admiration for her husband and his work was tangible to everyone in the room.

Colonists enjoyed drinking coffee and chocolate, but loved their imported teas, even though they were quite expensive. One such popular tea, Lapsang Souchong, known as “jade milk” by ancient Chinese emperors, got its smoky flavor when jade leaves were dropped, by monkeys in trees, into baskets that were perched over pine fires. Herbal teas, on the other hand, were much more accessible and economical because they were easily grown in colonists’ gardens and could also be used medicinally. “When you wash your brain with chamomile tea, you are relieved of all your ailments in your head.” When herbs were steeped in boiling water, they could do wonders: marjoram was used to treat spasms, sage to ward off nightmares, and tansy could break a fever.

Even when tensions were high, tea ceremonies were an important part of colonists’ lives -- they gave friends “time to embrace each other’s company.” And because “Samuel was so good about writing everything down in his will,” Abigail was able to recall in great detail which teas and paraphernalia were used. Gathering for tea in the afternoon was also cherished by all family members, including the children.

One of the most important guests Abigail invited to tea might have been Ralph Waldo Emerson’s grandparents, Rev. William Emerson of Concord and his wife, Phoebe. They most likely would have been served tea in the parlor room, where conversations would have revolved around family news. Rev. Emerson was not only Abigail’s trusted minister, but he was at Concord’s North Bridge with her husband, Samuel, on April 19, 1775 at the start of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

To everyone’s delight, Abigail brought her blue and white Royal Bassett porcelain tea set to share with patrons, as well as her pewter tea set. In her home though, inventory records indicate she also owned an ornate Paul Revere Britannia tea set.

As any doting mother would do, Abigail also proudly displayed a picture of her youngest son and his wife, Henry Whitney and Lucy Perkins Whitney. Henry was the 17th and last child born to Abigail and Samuel. Their “real, large portraits hang on the wall in similar gold leaf frames in their home, which still is there in Castine, Maine.” Henry and one of his older brothers worked diligently together to “keep up their father’s trade routes. They even had an incident on the ship, Hiram, with pirates and lived to tell about it!”

Transporting porcelain clear across the Atlantic, sometimes in rickety ships, presented many challenges, but sea captains came up with clever solutions. Fragile tea services were packed into 13” high crates and safely stored in the ship’s bilge, or the ship’s pointy V shaped bottom, where cargo would rock back and forth the least during long voyages across the ocean. They were willing to do this “because there was a great profit involved for the shipping of these goods.” The porcelain filled, wooden crates formed makeshift floors where heavier, lead lined, airtight crates filled with bricks of teas such as Bohea, Su Shong, and Kung-fu were stored. Bohea (pronounced “Boo-Hee”) was so popular among colonists that it eventually became the common word for tea.

Before Abigail, or any other ordinary housewives, would have served tea to family members or guests, they’d have to retrieve special keys that they kept tied around their waists. These were no ordinary keys -- they were the keys to unlock their tea caddies. According to inventory records, Abigail owned a beautiful, mahogany tea caddy, where she safely stored rolled up, fragrant Su Shong leaves and jagged chunks of sugar. All of these items were expensive, and no one wanted them to get taken. Or nibbled on by rodents. “If you came over for tea, I would go through the trouble of opening the tea caddy to show off my imported goods for you,” noted Abigail. It was a colonial version of an unboxing so to speak.

Specific utensils were needed to ensure tea ceremonies went smoothly. Steel nippers were used to snip off desired amounts of sugar from sugar cones, and mortars and pestles were used to grind chamomile leaves. “The Chinese used real scallop shells as teaspoons to take what they needed of the expensive jade herb,” but Abigail used scallop shaped spoons instead. She’d also set her ebony, inlaid, Japanese serving tray, as well as all of her other tea paraphernalia, on a wooden, tilt top tea table.

The beauty of tilt top tea tables were that they came in all shapes and sizes, and could be stored discreetly in the corner when not in use. Often times they had claw and ball feet, which, in ancient Chinese cultures, symbolized eagle’s claws guarding wisdom. Some tables tops even spun, so “ladies wouldn’t have to get up to circulate tea around to her guests.” Round, decorative leather coasters were placed beneath a tea service and protected the table tops from wear.

When guests were invited to tea, they wouldn’t have been served everyday snacks. Abigail would have prepared special delicacies such as pound cake, macaroons, and gingerbread cookies. After tea was poured into a guest’s saucer -- tea cups were called saucers back then and did not have handles -- a long, delicate mote spoon, filled with small holes, would have been used to remove any floating tea leaves that may have been accidentally poured into a guest’s saucer. And if by chance, tea leaves began to clog the tea spout, the mote spoon’s long, pointy handle would have been inserted into the tea spout and circulated to remove the excess tea leaves.

There was an etiquette to serving guests tea, and men were always served first. When this information was shared with patrons, a young girl stated, “That doesn’t sound right!” Older patrons quietly tried to stifle their laughter. Abigail continued to explain, “I would serve oldest to youngest, and then serve myself last.” When guests no longer wanted any more tea, they would “simply put their plates over their saucers without the hostess even asking, and they could carry on a conversation uninterrupted.”

It’s not common today to reuse dregs, or used tea leaves, but to the thrifty colonists, it was a part of life. Dregs would be thrown into slop bowls so they could be upcycled the following day. Abigail recalls that housewives like herself, ever conscious of how expensive imported teas were, “used tea leaves over and over again until there was no more flavor left. They also dried them out and put them on some toast with a little honey the following morning.”

Marlborough Public Library patrons enjoyed a lively evening of conversation, tea, and being steeped in history (pun intended)! They also enjoyed fresh fruit, cookies, and hot cups of tea before the night came to a close.

Hamel is “humbled and privileged to represent Abigail Whitney and her family in order to educate modern audiences about the experiences and life of a colonial family. The Whitneys contributed in real ways to help America find its independence.”

For more information, please visit https://www.abigailbygail.com/