Home Life in Colonial Days

by Alice Morse Earle

• India china, [100].
• Indians, houses of, [3]–[4];
  • caves of, [138];
  • corn dances of, [138];
  • cultivation of corn by, [126]–[131];
  • endurance of, [137];
  • mode of cooking corn, [131]–[135];
  • names of corn foods, [131]–[137];
  • mode of drying pumpkins, [143];
  • spoons of, [88];
  • mode of cooking beans, [145];
  • brooms of, [301]–[304];
  • four best things, [304];
  • modes of travel of, [325];
  • boats of, [325];
  • paths of, [329]–[330].
• Indian corn. See [Corn].
• Indian pudding, [135].
• Indigo, as dye, [193].
• Inns. See [Taverns].
• Invention, of cotton-gin, [208];
  • of fly-shuttle, [228];
  • of spinning-jenny, [229];
  • of throstle-spun yarn, [229];
  • of combing-machine, [230];
  • of flax-spinning machine, [230]–[231].
• Ipswich, grist-mill at, [133].
• Iris, as dye, [193].
• Itineracies, old-time, [176], [300]–[301].

• [Jack-knife], [307]–[308].
• Jacks, [64].
• James I. on fishing, [116].
• Jamestown, spinning-schools at, [182];
  • summons to meeting at, [367].
• Jeans, [250].
• Jefferson, Thomas, quoted, [207], [256];
  • hospitality of, [397];
  • impoverishment of, [397]–[398].
• Jewellery, slight wear of, [297].
• Johnson, quoted, [143], [145], [188].
• Johnson, Governor, baby clothes of, [265].
• Johnny-cakes, [135].
• Josselyn, quoted, [117];
  • his list of plants in New England, [432] et seq.
• Judd, Sylvester, quoted, [216], [237].
• Jugs, of stoneware, [98].
• Jumel, Madame, cave house of, [3].

• Kalm, quoted, [39]–[40];
  • on squirrels, [110];
  • on bees, [111];
  • on maize bread, [134];
  • on canoes, [326]–[327];
  • on the plantain, [436].
• Kearsarge, Mount, romance of, [405].
• Kentucky, hand-weaving in, [249].
• Ketch, [328].
• Kill-devil. See [Rum].
• Killing time, [153].
• King Hooper house, [30].
• Kitchen, description, [52];
  • in rhyme, [73]–[75].
• Knife. See [Jack-knife].
• Knife-racks, [68].
• Knights, Madame, quoted, [8];
  • on canoes, [327]–[328];
  • journey of, [332];
  • on sleighs, [355].
• Knitting, [190];
  • yarn for, [201];
  • by children, [261]–[262];
  • elaborate designs, [262].
• Knitting machine, [190].
• Knives, of flax brake, [170].
• Knocker, Hancock house, [28];
  • Winslow house, [29].
• Knots, of flax thread, [175].
• Krankbesoeckers, [385].

• Labadist missionaries, quoted, [118]–[119].
• Lad's lore, [428].
• Lamps, [43]–[45].
• Lathe. See [Batten].
• Latten ware, [58].
• Laws, about flax culture, [179]–[180];
  • about dress, [282]–[284];
  • about ferries, [330]–[331];
  • about mail, [334];
  • about taverns, [357];
  • on observance of Sunday, [378]–[379];
  • of warning out, [392] et seq.;
  • about fences, [401]–[402].
• Lay, of loom. See [Batten].
• Laying a fire, [74].
• Lays, of flax thread, [175].
• Lean-to, description, [22].
• Leashes, of heddle, [219].
• Leather, utensils of, [95]–[96].
• Letters. See [Post].
• Liberty Tea, [165].
• Lincoln, Abraham, early home of, [4];
  • rail-splitting, [25].
• Linden, fibre from, [211].
• Linen, manipulations of, [234];
  • clothing of, [234];
  • sentiment of, [234];
  • price of, [234];
  • checked, [238].
• Lining the psalm, [378].
• Litster, [187].
• Livingstone, John, clothing of, [288].
• Loaf-sugar. See [Sugar-cones].
• Lobsters, plenty of, [117];
  • vast size of, [118].
• Logan, Mrs., on flower-raising, [438].
• Log cabin, forms of, [5].
• Logging-bee, [416], [417].
• Log-rolling, [389], [404], [406].
• Longfellow, quoted, [327].
• Long Island, bayberries on, [40];
  • samp-mortars on, [133];
  • wool raising on, [191];
  • bad boys on, [373];
  • Sunday observance on, [385];
  • cow-herding on, [400].
• Long-short, [236]–[237].
• [Loom], antiquity of, [213]–[214];
  • of Giotto, [213];
  • of Hogarth, [213]–[214];
  • description of, [214].
  • See [Power-loom], [Tape-loom].
• [Loom-room], [212].
• Louisiana, corn in, [128];
  • petticoat rebellion in, [128];
  • hand-weaving in, [250].
• Lowell, quoted, [73].
• Lucas, Governor, quoted, [182]–[183].
• Lug-pole, [53].
• Luxury, after the Revolution, [159]–[160].
• Lye, making of, [254].

• MacMaster, quoted, [207].
• Madison, Dolly, dress of, [290].
• Mail, of heddle, [219].
• Mail. See [Post].
• Mail coaches, [344], [350].
• Maine, windows in, [23];
  • candle-wood in, [32];
  • chums in, [149];
  • axe-making in, [315].
• Maize. See [Corn].
• Mandillion, [287].
• Manhattan, bark houses on, [4];
  • palisados on, [24].
• Manners. See [Etiquette].
• Maple sugar, old description of, [111];
  • manufacture of, [111]–[112].
• Maple-wood, bowls of, [82], [318]–[320].
• Marblehead, fishing at, [122]–[123].
• Marigolds, [427].
• Marmalades, [152].
• Maryland, houses in, [11];
  • wild fowl in, [125];
  • apples in, [145];
  • hospitality in, [396]–[397].
• Masks, [290].
• Massachusetts, cave dwellings in, [1];
  • palisados in, [24];
  • venison in, [109];
  • fish in, [123];
  • flax culture in, [179]–[180];
  • wool-raising in, [188];
  • bounty in, [205];
  • sumptuary laws in, [281]–[284];
  • outfit for settlers, [286]–[287];
  • ferries in, [330]–[331].
• Matches, first, [50]–[51].
• Mazer, [319].
• Mead, [163].
• [Meeting-house], in Boston, [364], [366];
  • in Salem, [364];
  • in Hingham, [365];
  • descriptions of, [364], [366]–[369].
• Metheglin, [163].
• Metheglin cups, [85].
• Metzel-soup, [419].
• Milestones, [335]–[336].
• Milford, Conn., palisados in, [24].
• Milk, price of, [148]; use as food, [148].
• Milk pitchers, names of, [106].
• Milkweed, for candle wicks, [35], [211].
• Mill, Indian, [132].
• Mince-pies, pioneer, [159].
• Ministers, encourage fisheries, [121].
• Mittens, fine knitting of, [262];
  • quick knitting of, [262].
• Modesty-piece, [270]–[271].
• Molasses, for New England slave-trade, [163].
• Monkey spoons, [90].
• Moore, Thomas, quoted, [348].
• Mortar, Indian, [132].
• Morton, quoted, [120]–[121].
• Moss-pink, [423].
• Mount Vernon, description of, [13];
  • weaving at, [237];
  • garden at, [431].
• Mourning rings. See [Rings].
• Mourning samplers, [268]–[269].
• Muffs, worn by men, [298], [386].
• Mutton, its disuse previous to Revolution, [189], [191].

• Nails, scarcity of, [11].
• Napkins, use of, [77].
• Narragansett, hand-weaving in, [241]–[244];
  • shift marriages in, [241]–[242];
  • old quilt in, [275]–[276];
  • threshing in, [313]–[314].
• [Needlework], stitches in, [264]–[265];
  • delicacy of, [265];
  • rules for, [265].
• Neighborhood, title of settlement, [391].
• Neighbors, old-time, [388] et seq., [395] et seq.
• Netting, [263]–[264].
• Nettles, fibre spun, [211].
• New Amsterdam, first church in, [385];
  • laws about fences in, [401]–[402].
• Newman, Rev. Mr., manner of work, [33].
• Newburyport, house at, [27];
  • straw bleaching at, [261];
  • sumptuary laws in, [283];
  • fines in, [374].
• New England, houses in, [15];
  • candle-wood in, [32];
  • lobsters in, [117];
  • fisheries in, [117]–[124];
  • Indian corn in, [127]–[136];
  • mills in, [131]–[133];
  • pumpkins in, [142]–[143];
  • potatoes in, [144];
  • squashes in, [144];
  • milk and ministers in, [148];
  • churns in, [149];
  • cider in, [161]–[162];
  • rum in, [163]–[164];
  • slavery in, [164];
  • wool-raising in, [188]–[189];
  • taverns in, [356]–[357];
  • watchmen in, [363];
  • meeting-houses in, [365] et seq.;
  • summons to meeting in, [368];
  • Sunday observance in, [378] et seq.;
  • "taste of dinner in," [418];
  • old-time gardens in, [421] et seq.
• New Hampshire, candle-wood in, [32];
  • potatoes in, [144];
  • pioneer mince-pies in, [159];
  • wheelwrights in, [176];
  • flax manufacture in, [180], [236];
  • fine knitting in, [269];
  • birch brooms in, [304].
• New Haven, restrictions in, [392].
• New London, mill at, [133].
• Newport, box plants at, [430];
  • garden in, [437]–[438].
• New York, houses in, [8];
  • candle-wood in, [32];
  • first fork in, [78];
  • venison in, [109];
  • lobsters at, [118];
  • fish in, [120];
  • salting shad in, [124]–[125];
  • suppawn in, [133];
  • ale and beer in, [161];
  • wool-raising in, [191];
  • dress in, [292];
  • turnpikes in, [349]–[350];
  • coaches in, [354]–[355];
  • sleighs in, [355];
  • street lighting in, [362];
  • watch in, [363];
  • Sunday observance in, [384];
  • cow-herding in, [399];
  • gardens in, [439]–[440].
• [Niddy-noddy], [200]–[201]; carved, [320].
• Nightgowns, [294].
• [Nocake], description of, [137];
  • use of, [137];
  • Eliot's use of word, [137]–[138].
• Noggins, [82].
• Noil, [196].
• Nokick. See [Nocake].
• [Noon-houses], [374]–[375].
• Noon-marks, [299].
• Norridgewock, life-work of a citizen of, [407]–[408].
• Northampton, sumptuary laws in, [283]–[284].
• Northboro, spinning match at, [184].
• North Saugus, house in, [21].
• Norwich, naughty girl in, [373].
• Notices, nailed on church doors, [367].
• Nott, President, story of boyhood, [202]–[203].

• Occamy, [88].
• Occupations, of children, [179], [180], [182], [186], [437];
  • of women, [187].
• Oiled paper for windows, [23], [366].
• Old South Church, on sampler, [268].
• Old Ship, [365].
• Old South, [366].
• Opening in land, clearing, [406].
• Ordinary, name for tavern, [356].
• Osenbrigs, [288].
• Otis, Hannah, sampler of, [268].
• Overhang, in walls, [19]–[20].
• Ovens, [67].
• Ox-bows, [311].
• Oxen, sign of distress in, [413].
• Oysters, in Brooklyn, [118]–[119];
  • in Virginia, [119];
  • vast size of, [119].

• Pace-weight, of loom, [224].
• Pack-horses, use of, [336]–[339];
  • pay for, [337];
  • load of, [337]–[338].
• Pails, early, [58].
• Paint, not used, [23].
• Pales. See [Fences].
• Palfrey, quoted, [122].
• Palisado, description of, [24].
• Pansy, folk-names of, [425]–[426].
• Paper-cutting. See [Papyrotamia].
• [Papyrotamia], [277]–[278].
• Parley, Peter, reminiscence of, [140].
• Parsnips, [145].
• Pastorius, Father, his choice for seal, [181];
  • his encouragement of gardening, [436].
• Patchwork. See [Quilt-piecing].
• Patent, first to Americans, [138]–[139], [260].
• Pattens, [295].
• Paupers, in Narragansett, [313];
  • treatment of, in New England, [324].
• Pawn, [55].
• Pawtucket, cotton thread in, [207].
• Pay, for spinning, [185];
  • for weaving, [230], [250];
  • for cow-herding, [399];
  • of swineherds, [403].
• Peabody, Francis, house of, [31].
• Peachy, [163].
• Peas, [145].
• Peel, [67].
• Pegging, [262].
• Pelisses, [295].
• Penn, William, fairs instituted by, [190].
• Pennsylvania, cave-dwellers in, [2];
  • stoves in, [69];
  • squirrels in, [110];
  • wool manufacture in, [190];
  • dress in, [292]–[293];
  • mail in, [333];
  • post-rider, [335];
  • transportation in, [335]–[344];
  • roads in, [339];
  • turnpikes in, [349];
  • coaching in, [350]–[351];
  • metzel-soup in, [419];
  • gardens in, [436]–[437].
• Peonies, [421].
• Perfumes, in cooking, [152];
  • of old garden flowers, [424];
  • of sweet-scented leaves, [449] et seq.
• Periagua, [329].
• Perry, [163].
• Peter, Hugh, encourages fisheries, [121].
• Petticoat rebellion, [128].
• Petunias, [428].
• [Pews], described, [368] et seq.
• Pewter, for lamps, [44]–[45];
  • for utensils, [84]–[85];
  • on dresser, [68];
  • lids of, [100].
• Phœbe-lamps, [44].
• Philadelphia, early houses in, [15];
  • luxurious dinners in, [160];
  • straw manufacture in, [260];
  • travel from, [347]–[350];
  • taverns in, [359];
  • cow-herding in, [400]–[401].
• Pickling, old-time, [152].
• Pierce Garrison House, [26].
• Pierpont, Rev. John, verses of, [306]–[307].
• Pies, [146].
• Pigeons, plenty of, [110];
  • price of, [110].
• Pilgrims, starvation of, [129].
• Piling-bee, [406].
• Pillions, [331]–[332].
• Pillory, location of, [367].
• Pinckney, Mrs., exchange of flowers of, [439].
• Pinehurst, hand-weaving in, [250]–[251].
• Pine-knots, use of, [32]–[33].
• Pink, name of vessel, [328].
• Pinks, varieties of, [427].
• Pipe shelves, [68].
• Pipe-tongs, [68]–[69].
• Pitch-pipes, in meeting, [378].
• Plantain, romance of, [435]–[436].
• Plate-racks, [68].
• Plate-warmer, [61].
• Plymouth, vacant fields at, [130];
  • sampler at, [266].
• Pokeberry, as dye, [193].
• Pompion. See [Pumpkin].
• Pones, [134].
• Pop-corn, [135].
• Poplar wood, use of, [81]–[82].
• Porcelain. See [China].
• Porringers, [85]–[86].
• Porter's fluid, [45].
• Portsmouth, old house at, [21].
• Portulaca, [429].
• Posnet, [87].
• Possing, of linen, [234].
• [Post], first, [332]; duties of, [332]–[333];
  • in Virginia, [333];
  • report about, [333]–[335].
• Potatoes, in New England, [144];
  • queer modes of cooking, [144]–[145].
  • See Sweet potatoes.
• Potato-boiler, [57].
• Pot-brakes, [53].
• Pot-clips, [53].
• Pot-crooks, [53].
• Pot-hangers, [53].
• Pothooks, [53].
• Pots, cost of, [56];
  • size of, [56].
• Pound-keepers, [400].
• Powder-horns, [320]–[321].
• Powdering of hair, [297].
• Powdering tub, [153].
• [Power-loom], [230].
• Powhatan, teaches corn-planting, [127].
• Prairie-schooner. See [Conestoga wagon].
• Prayers, length of, [376];
  • with the sick, [419].
• Preserving, old-time, [152].
• Printer, dress of, [293].
• Providence, straw manufacture in, [260];
  • restrictions in, [392].
• Psalm-singing, [376] et seq.
• Puddings, of corn, [135].
• Pudding-time, [104], [160].
• Pue. See [Pews].
• Pulling of flax, [168].
• Pulpits, [368], [385].
• [Pumpkin], tributes to, [143];
  • modes of cooking, [143];
  • their plenty, [143];
  • shells of, [309].
• Puncheon floor, [6].

• Quakers, dress of, [258], [292].
• Quarels, of glass, [9].
• Quarnes, [133].
• Quiddonies, [152].
• [Quills], for weaving, [216];
  • from geese, [259].
• Quilling-wheel, [216], [229].
• [Quilts], piecing of, [270]–[275];
  • materials for, [272]–[274];
  • patterns for, [272]–[275];
  • quilting of, [273]–[274].
• Quince drink, [96].
• Quincy family, fire-buckets of, [18];
  • samplers of, [266]–[267].
• Quincy, Josiah, quoted, [341]–[342], [346].

• [Raddle], of loom, [219].
• [Rag carpet], [239]–[240].
• Rail-fence, [25].
• [Raising], of a house, [408] et seq.
• Rake. See [Raddle].
• Ramsay, quoted, [395]–[396].
• Randolph, John, quoted, [205].
• Raspberry leaves for tea, [158], [165].
• Rattle-watch, [362].
• Ravel. See [Raddle].
• Reading, communal privileges in, [391].
• Recons, [53].
• Reed. See [Sley].
• Reed-hook. See [Sley-hook].
• Reel, triple, [200].
  • See [Clock-reel] and [Niddy-noddy].
• Revolution, influences towards success, [166]–[167], [189].
• Rhode Island, stage-coach in, [346].
• Rhode Island College. See [Brown University].
• Ribbon-beds, [445].
• Ribbon-grass, [430].
• Ride-and-tie system, [332].
• [Rings], wearing of, [297];
  • at funerals, [298].
• Rippling of flax, [168]–[169];
  • of hemp, [169].
• Rippling-comb, [168];
  • of Egyptians, [178].
• Roasting ears, [134].
• Roasting-kitchens, [65].
• Rock for spinning, in Egypt, [178];
  • in India, [178];
  • in New England, [179].
• Rock-candy, [157].
• Rocking-tree, of loom, [220].
• Rochester, house-raising at, [410].
• Rolliches, [154].
• Rolling-roads, [330].
• Rolling-up a house, [6].
• Roof, of Dutch houses, [10];
  • gambrel, [22].
• Roquelaure, [295].
• Rosselini, quoted, [178].
• Roving, of yarn, [201].
• Rowley, spinning match at, [184].
• Ruffler for flax, [172].
• [Rum], manufacture of, [163];
  • in New England, [163];
  • in slave-trade, [163]–[164];
  • at house-raisings, [410].
• Rush, for scouring, [85].
• Rushlight, [38].
• Rutland, cave-dwellers in, [3].