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Early US settlers had very little free time. A family moving into the wilderness had to cut down dozens of trees, trim them, build a house with them, dig out the stumps and large rocks so the cleared area could be plowed, plow the field, plant the seeds of whatever crops they were growing, weed the gardens so there would be vegetables, go hunting so there would be meat, cut wood in firewood length and split it so there would be heat, gather rushes or animal fat or beeswax to make lights, build their own furniture (including whittling the pegs that held it together because nails were too expensive). . .and many other things, all by hand or animal power. They told stories or sang songs to entertain each other, but generally they went to bed soon after the sun went down. Their big entertainments were barnraisings or quilting parties, when several families would get together and have fun while they worked, talking, eating, perhaps listening to a fiddler and dancing. Children were put to work as soon as they were able, even if it was nothing more than a young child keeping the hens out of the garden or gathering kindling. Young girls had cornhusk dolls perhaps and young boys had pretend rifles until they were considered old enough to get a real one - as a young teenager. Children played simple games well past the age that we would consider appropriate now.

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13y ago

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