1.   The people smelled of lye soap.

2.   Fat was rendered into lard, both for cooking and the making of lye soap.

3.   Homemade lye soap was added.

4.   Not altogether an easy task since water had to be heated and that effective but caustic lye soap was a homemade creation.

5.   On Saturday afternoons, after they scoured the kitchen with a cornshuck mop and lye soap, the womenfolk used the brush brooms to sweep yards.

6.   To do so, they would raise ulcers on their bodies by stabbing themselves with a knife or pin, then press lye soap into the wound.