Before lead pencils, people used a slate board , chalk, and goose feathers. Sometimes they used charcoal. If you were poor and could not buy ink mix at the store they would use, bark off of the swamp maple tree. They used copperas to make the ink thick. When they were done making the ink it smelled like maple syrup. After, it dries up quickly.
If you were poor you would probably use a piece of bark from the white maple. If you were rich you would use thick dark paper. At school and at home it was always very important that they sharpen the goose quills. That's all I learned on school supplies.
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