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  • Hans Mann
  • George Bernard Mann
  • John Mann Sr.
  • Colonel John Mann Jr.
  • Isaac Mann
  • Lewis Jackson Mann
  • Dorsey Virgil Mann
  • John A. Mann Sr.
  • John A. Mann Jr.
  • Edward L. Mann Sr.
  • Timothy A. Mann
  • War in Miami County
  • Local Massacres
  • The Death George Mann
  • The Johnston Family
  • Johnston Lineage
  • The Gueth Family
  • White Woman in Miamis
  • Hunting the Upper Miamis
  • Alcohol on the Frontier
  • Frontier Health&Wellness
  • More
    • Home
    • Hans Mann
    • George Bernard Mann
    • John Mann Sr.
    • Colonel John Mann Jr.
    • Isaac Mann
    • Lewis Jackson Mann
    • Dorsey Virgil Mann
    • John A. Mann Sr.
    • John A. Mann Jr.
    • Edward L. Mann Sr.
    • Timothy A. Mann
    • War in Miami County
    • Local Massacres
    • The Death George Mann
    • The Johnston Family
    • Johnston Lineage
    • The Gueth Family
    • White Woman in Miamis
    • Hunting the Upper Miamis
    • Alcohol on the Frontier
    • Frontier Health&Wellness
  • Home
  • Hans Mann
  • George Bernard Mann
  • John Mann Sr.
  • Colonel John Mann Jr.
  • Isaac Mann
  • Lewis Jackson Mann
  • Dorsey Virgil Mann
  • John A. Mann Sr.
  • John A. Mann Jr.
  • Edward L. Mann Sr.
  • Timothy A. Mann
  • War in Miami County
  • Local Massacres
  • The Death George Mann
  • The Johnston Family
  • Johnston Lineage
  • The Gueth Family
  • White Woman in Miamis
  • Hunting the Upper Miamis
  • Alcohol on the Frontier
  • Frontier Health&Wellness

Alcohol on the Frontier

The Mann family had the first licensed distillery in Miami  County, Ohio (prior to 1809) and also a owned a tavern in Fort Wayne,  Indiana circa 1810.  This enterprise allowed them to provide product for  their Fort Wayne business and accumulate cash while living in the midst  of a barter society. One might assume that it was no coincidence that  they were also ranking officers in the Miami County Militia. Ohio’s  county militia elections were decided by popular vote….


This  prompted my research concerning alcohol consumption of yesteryear.  I  did some online research via several sites. The Temperance Guide I have  included within this post was first published in 1784 by by none other  than Dr. Benjamin Rush, in an article called “An Inquiry into the  Effects of Spirituous Liquors on the Human Body and the Mind”.


Colonial  Americans drank roughly three times as much alcohol as modern-day  Americans. Whiskey was a typical lunchtime tipple, ale accompanied  supper and the day ended with a nightcap. Continuous indulgence helped  Colonials built up a tolerance for alcohol. Most Americans in 1790  consumed an average 5.8 gallons of pure alcohol a year. Alcohol was  served at mealtimes and throughout the day. Social events, such as  weddings and funerals, generally had alcohol on hand.


Reasons  to justify early drinking habits included: poor or polluted water  supplies, a belief in alcohol's nourishing and medicinal properties, and  generally, an English mindset that declared that water was bad for a  person's health. Given the sanitary conditions of the day, this was  likely accurate. Beer consumption was seen as a healthy substitute for  water.


In  the early 1800’s, many people believed it was healthier to drink  lukewarm alcohol during hot weather rather than drink cold water. Signs  were sometimes displayed at public wells warning individuals of the  dangers of cold water during the summer. Settlers believed that when a  person sweated, heat was conducted from the inside of the body, and so  the stomach needed warmth. Warmth could be provided by alcohol.


Small  beer, a low alcohol content (typically 1%) beer, was brewed for  children, servants, and general family consumption. Small beer was also  available at taverns because its low alcohol content allowed people to  drink several glasses without becoming intoxicated. Small beer, by the  barrel, cost half the price of a barrel of strong beer.


Settlement  of the Midwest “corn belt” created large new supplies of corn, which  was cheaper and more profitable to convert into whiskey than it was to  transport great distances without spoiling. Western farmers could make  no profit shipping corn overland to eastern markets, so they distilled  corn into ‘liquid assets. By the 1820s, whiskey sold for twenty-five  cents a gallon, making it cheaper than beer, wine, coffee, tea, or milk.


Taverns  were the center of civic life. The first businesses established on the  frontier were often simple taverns located along trails and roads to  take care of the needs of travelers. A tradition of the time dictated  that a drink be had at every halt in a journey. The Newcom Tavern in  Dayton, Ohio and the Overfield Tavern in Troy, Ohio are great examples  of early taverns that still exist and are open to visitors.


For  hundreds of years, our English ancestors heartily consumed beer and  ale. Rum was the most popular alcoholic colonial drink. Here are some  drink recipes from the colonial period… I take no responsibility for  anyone attempting these concoctions today, and urge you to take the  Temperance Guide seriously….


Flip  (George Washington’s favorite beverage)
The  term was first used in 1695 to describe a mixture of beer, rum, and  sugar, heated with a red-hot iron ("Thus we live at sea; eat biscuit,  and drink flip").  The iron caused the drink to froth, and this frothing  (or "flipping") engendered the name. Over time, eggs were added and the  proportion of sugar increased, the beer was eliminated, and the drink  ceased to be served hot.


Shrub
A  Shrub is a fruit liqueur that was popular in 17th and 18th century  England, typically made with rum or brandy, and mixed with sugar and the  juice or rinds of citrus fruit.


Stone Fence
This  cocktail is is a mix of apple cider, herbs and spices and your favorite  spirit. American whiskeys like bourbon and rye are natural pairings  with cider.


We encourage you to visit and support the local gems of the Miami Valley…. and learn more about life on the frontier....


The  Johnston Farm & Indian Agency

The Overfield Tavern

The Newcom Tavern

Our line of descent from Germany to present day is as follows:


Hans Mann

George Bernard Mann

John Mann Sr.

Colonel John Mann Jr.

Isaac Mann

Lewis Mann

Dorsey Virgil Mann

John A Mann Sr.

John A. Mann Jr.

John A. Mann Jr.

Edward L Mann Sr.

Timothy A Mann


other links...


The War of 1812 in Miami County OH

Local Massacres During the War of 1812

The Death of George Mann

The Johnston Family

The Gueth Family

The 1st White Woman in the Upper Miami Valley

Hunting in the Upper Miamis

Alcohol on the Frontier

Your Frontier Health and Wellness Plan


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