Home Life in Colonial Days

"H ome Life in Colonial Days" by Alice Morse Earle is a historical account written in the late 19th century. The book examines the daily lives and domestic settings of early American colonists, focusing on their homes, furnishings, and lifestyle during the colonial period. It provides a rich tapestry of historical insights into the practicalities and traditions of the time. The opening of the book delves into the various forms of shelter that the colonists employed upon settling in America. It describes the early settlers' struggles for shelter amid abundant natural resources, detailing how they often resorted to cave-dwelling or log cabins due to the lack of tools and materials. It highlights the evolution of colonial homes, including the design and materials used, while contrasting the settlers' homes with those of Native Americans. The author illustrates the ingenuity and resilience of the colonists, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of other aspects of colonial domestic life throughout the rest of the text.T he first and most natural way of lighting the houses of the American colonists, both in the North and South, was by the pine-knots of the fat pitch-pine, which, of course, were found everywhere in the greatest plenty in the forests. Governor John Winthrop the younger, in his communication to the English Royal Society in 1662, said this candle-wood was much used for domestic illumination in Virginia, New York, and New England. It was doubtless gathered everywhere in new settlements, as it has been in pioneer homes till our own day. In Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont it was used till this century. In the Southern states the pine-knots are still burned in humble households for lighting purposes, and a very good light they furnish. The historian Wood wrote in 1642, in his New England's Prospect:- "Out of these Pines is gotten the Candlewood that is much spoke of, which may serve as a shift among poore folks, but I cannot commend it for singular good, because it droppeth a pitchy kind of substance where it stands."