Grace Fairbanks' Garden for Medicinal Care

My interest goes deep in this topic. I studied and received my Master’s Degree in nursing. When I finished by Bachelors of Nursing, I wanted to be a midwife and had an opportunity to do so before it was recognized in modern nursing. But alas, I wanted to get married more and that took me away from the opportunity. I finished my career as one of the earliest civilian flight nurses in this nation. We used traditional medicines, but we had to improvise our equipment for care of critical patients for their during transport in a crowded helicopter, sometimes for a 150 mile trip to a Trauma Center, Neonatal Center, or Primary Hospital. I feel a kinship to Grace and the pioneers of the Fairbanks family. Grace used what she knew to help her family and friends all pioneers use what is available to them.

Gardening for Health in 1600s

Grace Fairbanks, the matriarch of the original Fairbanks Family that immigrated to the New World in the early 1600s, was a fortunate woman. She appears to have lost no children during her six pregnancies and births, each child born approximately 2 years apart. It is believed that all of her children were born in England. All of her children lived to be adults.

Birth and fire were the two most common causes of death for the 1600s woman. Grace was still young when they made the voyage to Massachusetts Bay Colony. Grace was about 33-36 years old and likely fertile, yet there are no known births to Jonathan and Grace after coming to the New World. There are no documents of a birth to them in New England and no children appeared in the household until Martha Pidge came to live with them about 1646.

The health and lives of Grace’s children might indicate that she was skilled in taking care of her them even in illness. She probably learned many of these skills in England prior to leaving for New England.

Medical services were lacking in New England. After all, Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1630, just a few years before the Fairbanks’ arrived. One such service that was lacking was a pharmacy or apothethcary. That was often the repository for medical care. (Higginson, p. 121)

Dr. Deengains was an early Dedham resident, arriving in 1638 (DTR, Vol 3, p. 48). He possibly did not stay past 1641 when he went to Roxbury. However, his concern for Dedham was demonstrated much later when he was the first benefactor to the free school of Dedham in his will in 1645. After Dr. Deengains relocated to Roxbury, Dedham was without a physician until 1650, about nine years later.

In the absence of a physician, often the town clergy was called upon for comfort and prayer, hoping God would shed His grace on the one that ailed. In Dedham that would have been Mr. John Allin. Often the family or even the town was held responsible for the illness because they had displeased God.

Dr. Avery arrived in 1650 (DTR Vol 3, p 132). He lived only a few lots north of the Fairbanks. Dr. Avery was both a blacksmith and physician.

Grace likely knew many of the same herbal remedies as the doctors. In some cases, when a doctor could not help the sick, “wise” women stepped in with their knowledge. This could be dangerous for Grace and other women and/or men. They could be accused of witchcraft.

Witches were tried and hanged early in England. King James I, who died in 1625, is said to have been afraid of witches. The Pendle Witches in the Thornton-in-Craven area where the Fairbank/s dwelled were tried and hanged in 1612. There were only a few accusations of witchcraft in New England before the late 1600s. Most accusations came after Jonathan and Grace died.

There are hex marks to deter witches and evil at the Fairbanks House. The old shoes used to deter witches were found in the wall near the chimney of the Fairbanks House and are often on display. The shoes post date the original family and the hex marks can not be dated. Similar hex marks can be found in England from earlier dates.

Caring for the Sick in the 1600s

In 1625, one of the most deadly plagues spanned England. The cause of the plague, how it spread, and the treatment was unknown. Somewhat like Covid, restrictions were enacted to stop the spread of the disease. In London, the hot bed of the plague, people were forbidden to leave London and others were forbidden to host those coming out of London. The plague continued to spread. People were banned from activities that might spread the disease. Church activities, festivities, and entertainment were forbidden. Taverns were closed. Yet the plague persisted in some areas for years.

A physician’s garments for treating the plague victims.

People carried herbs or a potpourri in their pockets to hold over their mouths and noses. Smells were thought to carry the diseases and spread the illness.

The rhyme or chant, “Ring around the Rosies, Pocket full of Posies, Achoo, Achoo We all Fall Down,” is about the plague.

The “ring around the rosies” speaks to the discoloration ring around the bite of an infected flea. “Pocket full of posies” were the herbs and flowers people carried to dispel the smells to protect themselves. “Achoo, Achoo” was a frequent symptom of the disease. “We all fall down,” speaks of the deaths associated with the infection.

Physicians wore protective garments. Notice the strange, almost sinister, mask. The beak of the mask was stuffed with herbs or flowers to dispel the disease much like bringing the posies or herbs to your nose and mouth. The mask left the doctor’s hands free to examine and treat the patient.

John Fairbank, believed to be the father of Jonathan the emigrant, died during the worst part of the 1625 plague. He was buried at Saint Mary the Virgin Church at Thornton-in-Craven three days after his will was written on August 4, 1625. It is quite possible John Fairbank died of the plague. He was only about 55 years old at the time of his death (Joseph and Landberg).

I saw no accounts of a disease called the plague in early New England. Most people know of the epidemics that fishermen and traders brought to the New World that infected and killed many Indigenous People. There were other epidemics in 1631 (Johnson, p. 78) and 1633 (Winthrop, p. 133) which continued to kill many more Indigenous People than Settlers. Plimoth was hit harder than Massachusetts Bay Colony (MBC) where it was said that only about 2 people succumbed in 1633. Some might conjecture that many in the MBC either had the disease or was exposed to the disease earlier in England. This epidemic was believed to be smallpox.

One serious illness swept Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1650 and 1551. In 1650, it effected about one child in every household. At that time Martha Pidge was the only child in the Fairbanks household. She lived to marry a friend of the family. In 1651, it hit the older population (Johnson, p 276). Dr. Avery had arrived in Dedham in 1650, so he would have been available during that time. However, the illness still hit the older population In Dedham severely. In 1652, fourteen men were pardoned from paying Country Rates (taxes) because they were not able to farm sufficiently during the time of sickness, lameness, etc. The men named were: “Mich. Metcalfe seni, Joh. Kingsberey, Josh. Fisher seni, Sam: Morse, Rich Euered, Jonath Fayerbank, Nath. Aldus, Lamb. Genery, Joh. Eaton, Hen: Chickeren, Jam: Jordan, Ed Hawes, Christo: Smyth, Henerey Brock” (DTR, Vol3, p. 182).

In the inventory of Lieutenant Joshua Fisher’s estate, druggist items were found. These included: laxatives, tonics, astringents, sedatives, herbs, sage, thyme, horehound, rhubarb, yellow dock, motherwort, thorough wort, tansy, catnip, peppermint. This was evidence he ran an apothecary.

What Grace would have in her “Kitchen Garden”

The Fairbanks Garden Club who maintains the annual flowers around the perimeter of The Fairbanks House lot and the Herb Garden which was often called the “kitchen garden” in later years, studied the early herbs used for medicinal and household uses. Some herbs, fungi, barks, etc. were also gathered from the woods.

Selected medicinal Herbs
Fairbanks House
the Fairbanks Garden Club

Mother of Thyme for headaches.

Sage - improve digestion
Rue - antidote to poison
Wormwood - to treat parasites in humans
Rhubarb - purgative and astringent
Lavender - for fainting"
Chives - to lower blood pressure
Spearmint - for nausea
Comfrey - to heal broken bones
Mother of Thyme - for headaches
Lemon Thyme - an antiseptic
Tansy - for embalming or aborting
Rose Campion - as a diuretic or for kidney stones
Marjoram - medicinal
Geranium - for dysentery and sore gums
Winter Savory - a diuretc
Yarrow - ointments

Spearmint for nausea.

Comfrey to heal broken bones.

Lavendar for fainting

Teas and Infusions

Many of the herbs above would have been made into teas and infusions. A few other include the following:

Stinging nettle is believed to have potent antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Like spinach, wild nettles boosts iron levels. It’s difficult to believe that nettles when encountered in the wild cause skin irritations and a rash, but as a tea it can alleviate itching and sneezing.
Catnip relieves achy muscles, nausea, and produces relaxation. It also has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties.
Dandelion, yes those weeds in your yard, can reduce infection, assist kidney function, calm menstrual cramps, cleanse the liver and aid digestion.
Black elderberries, as mentioned by Francis Higginson, can be toxic, but if used correctly, can remedy a cold, flu, fever, aches and pains. It’s also a mild laxative. It must be prepared properly. The leaves, stems, and seed carry toxic properties.
Lemon balm was found in most kitchen gardens. It heals and sweetens. It also has a nice lemony scent and flavor, unlike some other teas. It is also known to assist in soothing an upset stomach and improving the mood.

Fevers

Fevers frequently accompany illnesses. Grace would often need her skills to bringing down the high fevers that sometimes caused delirium. In her garden, she would have elderflowers, catnip, yarrow, echinacea and lemon balm. She may have to go to the woods for white willow bark.

Though difficult to get the ill to drink cider tea. Apple cider was used to draw out fever by placing cloths soaked in a dilution of it on foreheads, tummies, or soles of feet. The clothes were cilled out in the cold weather to help bring down the fevers.

Women’s REmedies

Lady’s Mantal. Universally used for all women’s ills. It is an astringent and the dew collected from the leaves was used to restore youthfu skin tone. Prolonged use eases excessive menstruation and menopause.

The most experienced woman was often in charge of deliveries. Grace having six successful deliveries and all six living children was perhaps acknowledged as the expert on women’s health. A group of women would gather at the home before the delivery of a baby. The women were called “gossips.” The pre-delivery time took on a festive feel with “groaning cake and tea” prepared for the guests prior to the onset of labor. There were many rituals around the birth of a baby. Both the mother and baby’s lives were at risk with childbirth being one of the two most frequent causes of death in women of the 1600s.

The following herbs were used for women’s health:

Camomile or St. Johnswort - for threatened miscarriage
Camomile - used for morning sickness and nausea along with Meadowsweet
Essential oils of rose and lavender - used universally to enhance other herbs and also in women’s health for heaviness and for an aching back in pregnancy.
Almond and wheatgerm - massaged into womb and lower back for the above symptoms.
Colewort - to soothe the stomach. Also to bring down the milk for the baby.
Valerian - a universal herb, used to calm and induce sleeping.

Abortion was also practiced in the 1600s, but the treatments were not always successful. Some herbs used for aborting were pennyroyal, tansy and rue teas.

Can you imagine Grace helping her own daughters or daughters-in-law with their deliveries, particularly if something went wrong? Mary, wife of Grace’s oldest son, John, gave birth to twin girls. Twins were often thought as a bad omen, perhaps because of the likelihood they would be born early. Both of these twin girls died in infancy. Susan, Grace and Jonathan’s youngest daughter, died in July of 1659 at about 32 years. The age of her death and the spacing of her children leads to the possibility that she died of childbirth. Perhaps the baby died too, since there is no record of that birth.

The fear of losing your husband, like Jonathan in 1651, or the fear of losing a daughter or daughter-in-law to childbirth or even just the loss of a baby put a lot of pressure on Grace to know and understand what was available to her to protect and treat her family. Not one but many remedies may have been tried in a course of an illness with no assured outcome. Even today, some of these remedies are still found helpful. I use true licorice for a sore throat and it really works.

Resources

Fairbanks Garden Club. Signage for Medicinal and Household herbs. Fairbanks House, Dedham, Massachusetts.

Higginson, Francis. New-Englands plantation, with the sea journal and other writings. The Essex Book and Print Club, Salem, Mass. 1908.

Hill, Don Gleason. The Early records of the town of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1636-1659. Vol. 3, Dedham Transcript, Dedham, Massachusetts, 1892.

Johnson, Edward. Wonder-working Providence of Sion’s Savior in New England.C.Scribner’s Sons. New York. 1910.

Joseph, Ruth Fairbanks and James Swan Lamberg. Jonathan Fairbank of Dedham, Massachusetts and his Family in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 166 (July 2012): 165-187.

Winthrop, John and James Kendall Hosmer. Winthrop's Journal, "History of New England," 1630-1649. Scribner's Sons, 1908.