Families and Leisure during the Colonial Era

1. Families and Leisure during the Colonial Era Sections 4.10 + 4.11

2. Colonial Families • Families included grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, stepchildren • Most married in their 20s • More men than women in the colonies • Large families: most had 7-10 children • Children helped with work • Many died before adulthood • More in Southern and Middle colonies (Malaria) • People remarried quickly • Households often had stepchildren or orphans • Life focused on the family

3. Colonial Family

4. Leisure • Quilting bees, chopping bees, corn husking bees • Barn and house raising • Children had simple toys and played games • Adults played cards, lawn bowling, billiards • Southern Colonies • Fox hunting, horse racing, cockfighting (not NE) • Colonial fairs—competitions of skill

5. Quilting Bee

6. Corn Husking Bee

7. Lawn Bowling

8. 4.12 Food • Corn was a major part of the colonial diet • Eaten at both breakfast and dinner • Corn mush • Corn cakes

9. Meat • Major part of colonial diet • Hunted wild deer, rabbits, birds • Raised pigs, cattle, chicken • Problem – no refrigeration • Solution – pickle, smoke, dry • Use pepper and spice to disguise bad meat

10. Fruit and vegetables • Apples another major food • Used fresh or dry all year • Picked berries in summer • Vegetables unhealthy unless cooked well • Main meal of day eaten mid day – mushy vegetable stew cooked with meat and spices from the garden