Colonial Children (1650 - 1700) (Excerpt)

heavenly father bless thou this food to the good of our bodies that we this day may walk in thy path go with us as we work and shelter us from all harm amen now that Grace has been said Rebecca Cynthia and Jonathan may be seated and begin their meal Cynthia is proud of her Silver Cup made by a silver smith of Boston Jonathan's trencher is heaped with good Hasty Pudding made of the meal from their own Indian corn milk is a food important to all especially now in late fall there are no more fresh vegetables the Adams eat their breakfast in silence children are to speak only when spoken to and father Adams is quiet because his mind is occupied with thoughts of work for the day it is a rule among the colonists to stop eating when only moderately full after breakfast Cynthia Attends Little Daniel the only one of the children born in America Jonathan's first job for the day is to make a new splint broom for his mother a stick of red Birch has been softened in water and now Jonathan needs only a sharp knife thin strips or splints are carefully peeled back toward the end and folded over each other the remainder of the stick is Whitted down to form the handle while Jonathan Works mother keeps the fire going additional splints are used to bind those in the broom together mother I finished the broom you're a good son Jonathan while father chops firewood the children study how be sign name t h y k i n n g e o m c o m e th Kingdom Come Jonathan is reading his New England Prim he who now learns his ABC forever will a blackhead be but he who to his books inclined will soon a golden treasure find a in Adam's fall we sin it all B the thy life two men this book attend C the cat of play and after sleigh D A dog will bite a thief at night e an eagle's flight is out of sight F Rebecca has come over to see how lessons are progressing but something outside causes her to look up it must be something unusual what is it Jonathan the fox it must be the one that got our chickens last week a fox there's a reward for the one who kills him the Adams long barrel musket is heavy for Jonathan but father is away in the wood lot the Fox May soon be off and Jonathan is eager for the reward mother Jonathan shot the fox how wonderful Oh What a Beautiful Fox see mother I shot it what a fox F big one yes and now he claims the Bounty too yes it's 3 Shilling 6 isn't it father that's right son here let me take it 3 Shillings 6 one shilling to put aside toward his gun with some left over and here is Jonathan's list save for gun one shilling knife 1 and six Fish Hooks 3 p comb three sweet Meat six in the afternoon neighbors arrive at the Adams House good day mistress Adams Welcome Friends won't you come in it's very kind of you to help me make my fine new quill it is always a pleasure to help a friend and only right that we should come for you helped us last spring oh PA will you not take off your cloaks good day Rebecca it's good to see you I'm so glad you came Cynthia and Polly are always glad to see each other making quilts is tiresome work and Mrs Adams neighbors help her just as she helped them the decorated cloth came from India when Cynthia and pully are older they too will help make quilts they too will have to spin and weave and sew and make candles and soap just now they play cratch Cradle meanwhile the quilting goes on Mrs Adams and Paulie's mother are rubbing colored chalk on a piece of cord this is stretched tightly and now when the string is plucked a straight chalk line is left on the cloth Cynthia and polly have put aside their game young as they are they have already learned to do useful work on this hand Loom Cynthia is making a strip of tape for the tying and lacings needed for Homespun clothing poly works on a piece of needle work making letters and samples of stitches so the cloth is called a sampler both Polly and Cynthia someday will have to make cloth and sheets and towels dresses and suits and bonnets this my sampler here you see what care my mother took of me such work was a part of the early training of these Colonial women without whose skilled fingers quilts could not be made hands prepared the wool for the quilt hands made the thread for the quilt and hand hands guide the needles evening and time for lighting candles homemade candles of towel or wax in the evening as always home life centers around the fire in the big brick fireplace the fire that is kept steadily burning for cooking for warmth and for light father tired from a day of work on his farm sits down for a quiet smoke with pipe tongs he picks up a live Amber to light his pipe then he rests contentedly perhaps thinking of the friends he left behind in England 6 years ago for the women of the household evening does not mean an end of work there is wool to be spun by candlelight there is cloth to be woven by candle light woven on the handmade loom woven by tireless hands that have learned both skill and Patience Jonathan shells corn to be ground into meal now Rebecca fills the warming pan with hot coals beds are upstairs and the warming pans will make cold beds more comfortable the day comes to a close with Father's reading of the scriptures of the Lord he is my refuge and my Fortress my God in him will I trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night nor for the arrow that flyth by day nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon day there shall be no evil before call thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways