Search This Site   

Home
Up

Early Life

History of Salem:

A space of ground had to be cleared and without delay logs felled out of which a house of the rudest sort was constructed. Probably none of the earliest ordinary houses was more than one story in height, or contained more than one room; the upper part being an attic room open to the pitch roof of thatch, grass or bark, and reached by a movable ladder. A large chimney of stones was built on the outside at one end of the house, the lower portion forming a huge fireplace. The windows were little more than holes a foot or two square, and the door was of plank hewn from the log.

About 1628 nails, red lead for painting, iron and steel were sent from Europe and incorporated into the houses. In 1629 a kiln for the burning of bricks and tiles was built.The first cabins had floor of clays covered by carpets of various types.

Framed building were in use by about the 1670's, and were generally small
and very plain.

The earliest family and guests first slept in a row on the floor. If privacy was desired blankets or sheets were hung. Later corded beds and trundle beds were introduced.

The original tables was simply a wide thick board, fastened at one side to the wall of the house by hinges, so that when not in use it could be let down against the wall and out of the way.

Soon ordinary tables became common. Chairs were scarce and stools and plank seats were first used.

Trunks were common, and served to store family belongings. Later cupboards
and other furniture was made or sent over, but for the average family, decorative furniture was minimal.

Until andirons arrived, the fire was set upon stones. Starting a fire was not always easy, and a flint and steel tinder box and light kindling were necessities.

For light, the first settlers learned from the Indians to use pine tree splints made of short sections of pine cloven into thin slices. The pitch in them burned like a torch. Eventually, of course, tallow candles came into use.

Foods were cooked in the massive fireplace. Spits were common and upon them were cooked roasted fish, venison and other meats. Coarse bread was baked upon a plank slanted towards the fire. Pots and Kettles were used as well, and in them they cooked their fish, lobsters, oysters, clams, green and dry
corn, beans, peas, turnips, parsnips, carrots and pumpkins or made their hasty pudding of other mush, pea or porridge, as well as soup or broth from salt beer and pork mixed with corn meal, or brewed beer.

Baking was done in an oven of stone, later of brick, built into the house beside the fireplace. Earthen pots and pans, and wooden plates were first used, later to be followed by China, and pewter plates and dishes. Spices, such as sugar, pepper, ginger and cloves were imported. Salt was either imported or gathered in a evaporated state from the sea rocks. Numerous wild berries,
nuts and herbs were available in the wild, such as strawberries, water
cresses, leeks, onion, mulberries, plums, raspberries, etc.

Domestic animals included cows, oxen, horses, sheep, swine, goats and hens, and they had to be protected from the bear and fox. Wells had to be dug,
unless a good spring was nearby. To farm, the early settlers generally had cruder versions of many tools we have today, such as the wooden plow, axe,
hatchets, mattocks and spades. Churns were used for dairy products. Seeds
and stones from fruits were send over which allowed the settlers to plant hemp, wheat, rye, barley, oats, beans and peas, as well as peaches, plums,
cherries, pear and apple. Maize was the single most important crop, and the
settlers learned all they needed to make this crop abundant from the Indians.

Trades included shipbuilding, commercial fishing, coopers, shoemakers, wheelrights and the like. They also traded with the Indians for furs of beaver, otter and other animals. Salem, by virtue of its location early took up commercial fishing and shipbuilding.

Vehicles were originally canoes, dugouts or boats or horses for land, later
to be followed by two wheeled and other carts. Crude sleds were fashioned
for winter weather.

Clothing was produced from their own sheep's wool which they spun, or from
cotton. The Indians taught them how to add bright colors and dyes from roots and berries. Other materials for clothing in the earliest days were English jean, kersey, cotton cloth, broadcloth, calico, serge, flannel, cambric, etc.

Men wore a loose fitting coat called a doublet which reached to about the
hibs, beneath which was a long waistcoat. Trousers were large and extended
to just below the knees held by cords or gaters. About the neck was a broad
white collar sometimes prepared with wire and stiffened with starch so that
it might stand out horizontally. A great cloak added warmth in the winter. The hat had a narrow brim and a conical crown.

By 1670 clothing, for the wealthier, at least, became somewhat more elaborate with silk, taffeta, ribbon, buttons, gold, silver and pearl accessories -- all more decorative than in earlier times. Books were still in short supply, and generally the wealthy or intellectuals of the communicate were more likely to be in possession of them.

The earliest women wore blue cheny, black grogram, sad colored kersey, mixed color cloth, russet cloth and purple cloth and lined with green say. Under
the skirt was worn a petticoat. Over the waist was worn a waistcoat, and, of course, aprons were common. Cloaks, girdles, whalebone bodices, stockiness, boots, stomachers, neck cloths and hankershciefs, mitten or gloves were other common apparel items. A headdress, called a coif was worn in white or black. Caps and hoods were also known as coifs.

Daily Life: Idleness was considered the first step toward excess and mischief, so many laws were enacted to prevent same. Playing cards or dice games was punishable by law, as were swearing and drunkenness, Capital crimes for which one could be put to death included idolatry, witchcraft, blasphemy, smiting ones father or mother, rebellion, etc.

Sunday was observed religiously. All labor ceased at three o'clock on Saturday and the rest of the day was spent in preparing for the Sabbath Reading material was scarce, and pictures were almost unknown in the earliest days.

Education was first only that which families could impart to their children, and "playthings" as we know them were virtually non-existent. By 1637 The first school for paying parents was established by John Fisk, but it was not until some ten years later that a "free" school was established, and it was not until about 1670 that a school house was built.

Women were expected to understand their place--that is to say performing the functions of a faithful, dutiful and pious wife and mother. In loose terms, they were virtually owned by their husbands, and had few independent rights.

Men labored to support their families, primarily as a farmer, cleric, tradesman, fisherman, etc -- with little time left (or permitted) for amusement or leisure.

Children were exposed to labor at an early age, and in general lived in a frugal, austere and even stern family household. Often they were apprenticed out as servants, or to learn a trade.

The local minister and church officials wielded quite substantial power and influence over town families. Although today, we think of church and state as separate, in the early days, the church and state were often virtually one and the same.