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Death Finds a Way: A Janie Riley Mystery by Lorine McGinnis Schulze

Janie Riley is an avid genealogist with a habit of stumbling on to dead bodies. She and her husband head to Salt Lake City Utah to research Janie's elusive 4th great-grandmother. But her search into the past leads her to a dark secret. Can she solve the mysteries of the past and the present before disaster strikes? Available now on Amazon.com and and Amazon.ca
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Death Finds a Way: A Janie Riley Mystery
by Lorine McGinnis Schulze

Janie Riley is an avid genealogist with a habit of stumbling on to dead bodies. She and her husband head to Salt Lake City Utah to research Janie's elusive 4th great-grandmother. But her search into the past leads her to a dark secret. Can she solve the mysteries of the past and the present before disaster strikes? Available now on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

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Obsolete Occupations of the Netherlands

© Cor Snabel

Night watch (nachtwacht)

The night watch was introduced in the 14th century and was the responsibility of the Sheriff. But as towns grew every neighborhood got its own department of watchmen. The organization of the night watch was based on the principle of the army, even with titles as lieutenant, captain and colonel. But these titles were for the rich and they never patrolled town. The night watch did not have a uniform, but they had their standard attributes: the lantern, sword, drag (to save people who fell into the canals) and rattle. Every half hour he rattled, announced the correct (?) time and rattled again. The night watch was not a policeman, but his presence in the streets had a preventive character. The job of the night watch was a job for the poor, so they tried to earn an extra penny. If someone had to get up early, he came knocking at the door.

His working hours depended on the seasons, from ten in the evening until the ringing of the gate-bell next morning at sunrise. He had to report at the gate at 21.30, got his instructions and attributes and left for his district. In every district was a small cabin, where the night watch could hide if it was raining or snowing. In this cabin was a stove, on which he could warm some coffee. It had no windows, but the door could be opened in two parts, the top part was always open to let out the smoke of his peat-stove. In winter the night watch started his shift by begging for a piece of burning peat at the houses near his cabin. But soon he started to beg in summer too, now for a tip or a drink. Due to the low wages a lot of watchmen could not resist the bad influences of the night; they got involved with burglars or robbed drunken pedestrians. The authorities were never able to solve this problem, until the night watch was dismantled by Napoleon.

>Choose from the following ancient occupations

Baker | Beachcomber | Beguine | Candlemaker | Dumpman | Executioner | Fanmaker | Fireman | Gravedigger | Innkeeper | Laundrywoman | Nightwatch | Peddlar | Porter | Seat Caretaker | Ship Shanghai | Soapmaker | Streetpaver | Tolltaker | Pharmacist


 
 

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