Home Life in Colonial Days

When the first settlers landed on Americanshores, the difficulties in finding or making shelter must have seemed ironicalas well as almost unbearable. The colonists found a land magnificent withforest trees of every size and variety, but they had no sawmills, and few sawsto cut boards; there was plenty of clay and ample limestone on every side, yetthey could have no brick and no mortar; grand boulders of granite and rock wereeverywhere, yet there was not a single facility for cutting, drawing, or usingstone. These homeless men, so sorely in need of immediate shelter, were baffledby pioneer conditions, and had to turn to many poor expedients and be satisfiedwith rude covering. In Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and, possibly,other states, some reverted to an ancient form of shelter: they becamecave-dwellers; caves were dug in the side of a hill and lived in till thesettlers could have time to chop down and cut up trees for log houses.-from Chapter IIn this comprehensive study on the way of life of the early settlers in theNew World, Alice Morse Earle accurately details the new experiences of thecolonists and the daily struggles and problems they faced.Once the settlers found homes, they were met with such problems as providinglighting and preparing and storing food. How they met these challenges, howthey lived, and how they survived are all brought to life in Home Life inColonial Days .

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Written in 1898, "Home Life" is a comprehensive account of the daily life and customs of the people of pre-Revolutionary America. Travel, meals, modes of dress, flower gardening, industry, social customs, and much more are described.

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Written in 1898, Home Life is a comprehensive account of the daily life & customs of the people of pre-Revolutionary America. Travel, meals, modes of dress, flower gardening, industry, social customs, & much more are described.

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A lively account of the daily customs of the people of pre-Revolutionary America.

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This fascinating guide by a pioneering social historian provides a comprehensive account of the daily life and customs of colonial America. Widely read at the time of its publication in 1898, the book conveys a vivid picture of home production of textiles, colonial dress, transportation, and other aspects of early American life. 114 illustrations.