They were also much less free in sharing confidences than modern people are.
Very true. My grandmother never talked about personal problems of any kind, even when she was on death’s door. I remember a story that she told to me about the time a man with a lot of money came into the bank where she was working.
This was in Nebraska around 1909. She was working in her Uncle’s bank, as one of the first female tellers ever. A man with long grey hair walked in and slapped a $1,000 bill on the counter and asked if she could make change. She replied “Oh Sir, I have never even seen a $1,000 bill in my life!” The man was William F. Cody, Buffalo Bill.