Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony — John Shaqi
Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay ColonyDow, George Francis
History
Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Dow, George Francis
Massachusetts -- Social life and customs -- To 1775
The large fireplace in the kitchen had its usual equipment of
pot-hooks, fire shovel and tongs, gridiron, trivet, and bellows,
and beside it was an old dark lantern valued at only two shillings.
There were iron pots, kettles, skillets and ladles; a brass pot and
a mortar. There was a frying-pan with a hole in it and in a box were
kept "bullets, hinges and other smale things." Two beer vessels were
listed; a case of bottles, two jugs, three pans, a tray, and two
baskets. Such was the simple equipment of the Dillingham kitchen.
There were plenty of table-cloths and napkins but no curtains at
any of the windows. If a broom were used it probably was made of
birch twigs bound together around a long handle. Candlesticks do
not appear in the inventory and the only store of food mentioned
(aside from twenty-one new cheeses valued at £2. 16. 0.) was seven
bushels of rye, two firkins and a half of butter, a half bushel of
malt, six pounds of raisins, and some spice. Our ancestors had a
highly developed appreciation of the value of condiments. In a Salem
inventory at a somewhat later date appear salt, pepper, ginger,
cloves, mace, cinnamon, nutmegs, and allspice.
Mrs. Dillingham's wearing apparel unfortunately is not listed item
by item, but given a total value of £5. 8. 4. Her linen amounted
to an almost equal sum. Some of her deceased husband's clothing is
included in the inventory, such as a coat with silver buttons, a
red waistcoat, a suit of serge and a black suit of serge unmade, a
jacket of cloth, and an old suit and cloak. Little Sara Dillingham,
the orphaned child, when sent to school to goodwife Symonds was
supplied with "a stuffe petticoat & waskote" and four "shifts with
shewes"; also a gown that cost £2. 10s. Perhaps after a time she may
have been able to read and fully appreciate the books formerly in
her loving father's chest. They were: "Perkins works in 3 volumes,
Seaven Treatises bound in 2 volumes, the Spowse Royall, the bruised
reade, & a little new testiment."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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