A Needle Pulling Thread

In the summers, William Beekman's son, Cornelius, used to love to walk the five miles that ran between the farm and center village.

But there was a problem.  On those long, hot summer walks, his feet would swell.  Shoes being the rather rudimentary foot coverings they were in the early 1800s, blisters were often the souvenirs from his trip into town.

The all-knowing mom, Joanna Beekman knew exactly what to do.

She would thread a needle and then hold it over the flame of a candle to sterilize...