The Poor Beggar's Feast

Who helped the poor in the 18th century? Was there infrastructure for that? They were begging if to build poor houses, but what about the sick? How did the down and out live? What was the poor beggar’s feast?

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[manicmechanic]

Hi. You don't know me, and probably don't remember my dad, Tom. He got to meet you a few years ago. He portrayed the American long hunter. He passed away last week, and I just wanted to say thank you for meeting with him. He was really proud of that. So, thank you.

[bobbobbing]

"any kind of health issue can immediately push a family into poverty" are we still talking about the 18th century

[peerpede-p.]

My grand-mamma was born in a "poorhouse" about 1890, got out, married to a fisherman, my grandfather, they had 7 offspring, one is my late father...
I am 75 years old.

[medicman]

As one who works in a modern, inner-city, "poor-focused" hospital, I can verify that MUCH of what you describe still exists very strongly today. This video is a fascinating study.

[jcortese]

My grandmother's mom died when she had two daughters, the day after giving birth to the third. Her widower immediately SOLD them to a local orphanage and GAVE the newborn to another family. My grandmother had a reputation for being a bit hard, but did she ever come by it. The orphanage sold the children's labor to local farms and abused the children when they weren't working. I can't even imagine what their childhood must have been like -- no kindness, no tenderness at all. They didn't reconnect with their lost sister until they were adults.

My dad once overheard a conversation between his mom and aunt when they were both in their 70s saying things like, "Look at us -- so many times we thought we'd die young and no one would ever know or care, and here we are two old women with grandchildren ... "

[Gravuun]

My family was displaced by WW2 and both sides of my grandparents had to beg and forage in the wild the first few years of their lifes to survive. This kind of destitution is not as far removed from the West as it seems nowadays. We should commend all our ancestors for their incredible fortitude and strength to make it through the worst of times, be it 80 years back or 200 years back or 1000 years back

[bunnyslippers]

One of my ancestors came over after the Battle of Culloden as an indentured servant, worked his indenture, then kept working for his former master for wages. He saved up enough to send back to Scotland for one of his relatives, he can over, moved in with the first guy, found work, and they both started saving to send back for two more relatives. Rinse and repeat until the entire extended family was in New England and they started spreading down to Kentucky, then Illinois, where my mother was born on the old family farm.

[MapleHillMunitions]

My fifth great grandfather was wounded in Monmouth, he came home to find one of his sons was bonded out, kidnapped his son back, and was charged with kidnapping. What a wild time.

[jimgrant]

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is a great example of how Great Britain dealt with the poor children. The children were often sold from the poor house into indentured servitude.

[dillonpoole]

Your editor does a great job with the subtle paralaxing of the stills - it elevates the production quite a bit

[ImmortalLemon]

You guys as well as Tasting History with Max Miller have taught me more about history than school has taught me

[mickeymch]

My grandmother used to make what we called 'dishwater soup'. Dishwater soup was a pot of water, one peeled potato, a peeled onion and one beet which was cooked on the coal stove. If I was lucky I got the potato.

[elizabeththequeen]

America was a nation of farmers well into the 19th century and there was always, always a need for farm labor. This type of labor was considered semi-skilled. From there, one could get a job in a small factory such as glass, brick and tile or pottery. It was the unskilled, very young, widowed or unwell people that ended up in the poor house and that is the reason why administrators didn't know what to do with them.

[kiltedsasquatch]

my mother grew up on a dairy farm during the depression. She always said they never had much money but always had plenty to eat.

[ruariniall]

The Surgeon General of the United States is always an Admiral because he was originally the supervising Surgeon of the Marine Hospital Service, established in 1798. This was a manditory, single payer heathcare-insurance plan for those engaged in the maritime trades, the largest domestic industry of the time. This replaced a similar institution established by Queen Elizaberh I. It collected a small fee from those covered. From it sprang all other healthcare plans, including the VA, so that by 1904, it became the National Public Health Service while retaining it's distinct program. The MHS, one of the most successfull government programs ever enacted, was active until 1982, when Ronald Reagan abolished it as "socialism" for the benefit of the commercial insurance industry.

[LoveShaysloco]

What I find funny back then in the time frame John does brown bread brown sugar/molasses was cheaper since less work was put into which is why white bread and white sugar was more expensive. Now a days it's the opposite white bread and white sugar is less expensive. Using now a days they make it strait to white sugar and add the molasses back in to make the grade of brown sugar they want. Back then the more the refined to white sugar then more you paid

[almirria]

I have someone on my Mom's side of our family, came to the US from Ireland as an indentured servant

[Goblin_deez.]

‘Life was hard, people died young and were treated horribly, they lived a life of hard work, disease, crime and filth.

Anyways here’s a great recipe for beef stew!’

I jest but it is eye opening to consider that these were living people and I’m trying to understand it through modern eyes

I’m glad to know that although poverty is still real, there is now a better degree of support and luxury that would make our predecessors smile.

[macsarcule]

Thank you Townsends team, a very important part of our history and our present.

[kevinball]

I love your strong emphasis thought out your videos on understanding our ancestors. It’s so so important to not be so quick to pass judgement through a modern lens.