Truman Tryon and Martha Jane Plumb Set Up House

"When we married [May 1873], we had almost nothing to set up housekeeping. We had a good fireplace that served as a stove for warmth and also for cooking. Mother gave us two tin plates, a frying pan, a bake skillet and a small brass bucket. My aunt gave us two cups and saucers and a friend gave us two earthen plates. Truman had two knives, two forks, one spoon and a butcher knife, which he kept in a grub box as he called it, and which he also used when camping. He had two quilts and a pillow. I had made a bed tick which I filled with new, clean straw and I also had a pillow. We made a homemade bed stead and roped it lengthwise and across for springs. I had a small flat-topped chest for my linens. I spread a cloth over it and we used it for a table. we used boxes for chairs. We got along just fine and this was the beginning of our married life."