Come Visit Strawbery Banke During the Holidays!

Check out December activities at Strawbery Banke including Candlelight Stroll and Holiday House tours. See www.strawberybanke.org for details and times.

Happy holidays to all. Visit anytime.

Cheers,

Profs. Alexander and Morrison

NH Chronicle on Thursday, WMUR

http://www.wmur.com/chronicle/24253873/detail.html

You might catch a glimpse of our Everyday Life class! Enjoy.

Cheers,
Kimberly

Invitation to Strawbery Banke, August 7th

Greetings all-

Please feel free to return to Strawbery Banke Museum for Community Day. Free and open to the public. We will be working that day. Some of you may want to reconnect and share projects informally--or just finish unfinished business--or have fun!

Cheers,

Dr. Alexander

Course Project Corner

Over the course of the week, we have enjoyed hearing your ideas about course projects; they have been creative, thoughtful, and scholarly. Let's use this space to share our ideas for our projects and to solicit feedback, suggestions, and resources. Remember that the project is due by September 3 in hard copy form in Prof. Morrison's office at SSC. (You can submit the project earlier, of course.)

Please feel free to consult with Prof. Alexander and/or Prof. Morrison via email or in person at Salem State Colleg or Strawbery Banke Museum.

The guidelines are:

Course Project Guide

The course project should demonstrate what you have learned in the course about one aspect of everyday life in early America. There are a variety of formats possible for your consideration:

• Research on primary source texts such as diaries, journals, newspaper advertisements, gravestone markings, building styles

• Research that supports a museum exhibit or walking tour

• Research that supports an extensive lesson plan or website plan

• Research on a particular house, homestead, or person

Given the intensive structure of the institute (one week of lecture and guided tour followed by
four weeks of research and writing), you can frame your project as a progress report, entitled, for instance, “Toward a Exhibit at Strawbery Banke Museum: Diaries and Journal in Early America”
or “Toward a Website for Strawbery Banke Museum: House Styles in Early America.”

An excellent project will:

• Include 20 pages of text for graduate students or pages of text for undergraduate students

• Demonstrate mastery of the secondary source literature on a topic

• Demonstrate mastery of the primary source materials for your project

• Demonstrate rigorous description and analysis of your topic

• Demonstrate clearly some of the knowledge of everyday life in early America that you have learned in the course. This should include discussion of the course texts, tours, and lectures

• Include formal notes (either endnotes or footnotes) and a full bibliography

• Follow the guidelines for a formal project set out in the standard style manual for historians, The Chicago Manual of Style, condensed (and priced more accessibly) in Kate L. Turban, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Sixth Edition, (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1994).

Day 4 Reflections

Please respond to the questions in the reading guide below. Or if you prefer, reflect on the lectures from this morning. What aspects of the Moffatts did you find most intriguing, surprising, or significant?

Reading Guide
Ward, Barbara McLean, ed., The Moffatt-Ladd House: From Mansion to Museum.
Portsmouth: The Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden, 2007.

Background
You might be surprised to find a guidebook such as The Moffatt-Ladd House used as a course text, but in a class on Everyday Life in Early America History, this kind of source is especially useful. For one thing, investigation of material culture offers insight into particular issues of the daily round and engages our thoughts into the kinds of choices early Americans could and did make. For another, the text introduces us to kinds of expertise that we may not locate in the narrative and interpretation of conventional studies. Related to this second point, the guide enables us to break out of the assumption that the career path for history students necessarily points toward education or the law; rather, we find there are many more ways of “doing” History than we might be aware. And, of course, the aesthetics of architecture, gardens, and material goods enlightens and enlivens our appreciation of the world, past and present.

Questions
Historiography
— How did this book come to be written? How would you categorize it?
— What are the major primary sources from which the contributors designed this study of the lives and times of the Moffatt-Ladd residents?
— What does this text tell us about the methodology of historians of early America material culture?
— How are the Moffatt-Ladd house and gardens representative of everyday life in early America?

Ch 1. “House & Home. . . .” by Barbara Ward
— Why does Ward begin with Clifford Shipton’s description of John and Samuel Moffatt? What themes of everyday life are we alerted to look for in the book? (Ward, Moffatt-Ladd, 9)
— How could the boundaries between business and family become blurred in 18th century life?
— How could the Revolution influence attitudes toward slavery?
— What do the house and furnishings tell us about consumption patterns in early America?
— What do Maria Ladd’s “solemn warning to be also ready” and other sources tell us about the relationship between health and wealth in early America? (Ward, Moffatt-Ladd, 26 and passim)

Ch 2. “Museum & Headquarters. . . .” by Jane Nylander
— What does Nylander tell us about the history of early American preservation during the 20th century?
— What the phases of interpretation that governed preservation of the house?
— What assumptions and values guided preservation of the house during each phase?

Ch 3. Collection Highlights
— What are your favorite pieces in the collections? Why?
— What are your favorite pieces in the collections? Why?
— Consider the c. 1765-1775 kettle stand [59]. What does it suggest about provincial Portsmouth’s integration into the Atlantic economy? What are we to make of the distinctively Portsmouth features such as the arched stretchers and central pierced finial? How are we to reconcile the crafting of the piece by Robert Harrold at a time when “patriots” were boycotting tea and the most famous tea party of the times occurred in Boston and involved the destruction of a cargo of tea? Lastly, why was it that some families held onto and passed down such pieces as heirlooms through generations of family
— Consider the late 18th to early 19th century fire buckets and fire bag [76]. What does it tell us about the ideal of civic duty that these artifacts were part of the households of the Ladds (we will see also the fire buckets proudly owned by Leonard Cotton at SBM)?”

Day 3 Reflections

On Day 3, the lives of Rebecca Kinsman, Mary Ryder, and Martha Wheelwright introduced us to the worlds of middle class white women (we will examine the experiences of elite women such as Sarah Goodwin and of African American women later this week). In what ways were their lives similar to those of men; in what ways were their experiences particular to their gender?

Day 2 Reflections

Day 2 brought us into the world of a rural craftsman. Taking Samuel Lane of Stratham, New Hampshire, as a representative example, we focused on two themes in his life: economics and religion.

First, we were fortunate to have Bob Neily of The Collector’s Eye lead a tour of the Samuel and Jabez Lane homestead. For those interested in the challenge of making a living—a “competency”—in early America, consider the Lane homestead. What does the arrangement of the site tell us about the strategies a household needed to employ in order to survive and succeed?

Second, we were fortunate to visit the site of Deacon Lane’s First Church of Stratham. Although the original buildings no longer survive, we were able to develop some sense of what we called “meetinghouse culture.”
For those interested in “matters spiritual,” consider the epitaphs (below) we found of the tombstones of Samuel and first wife Mary Lane. What do these statements suggest to us about the function of religion in the Lane household?


Deacon Samuel Lane
departed this life,
Dec. 29th 1806 in the
89th year of his age,
Endowed with a Superior
capacity of mind, he cultivated it with
unremitted industry. His knowledge
was extensive. The sacred Scriptures
were his study and delight.
By his example he was an
ornament to the Christian profession,
and came to the grave in peace
in a good old age.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.

Mrs. Mary Lane
Consort of
Deacon Samuel Lane
She departed this life in the
Certain hope of a glorious
Immortality through the
Merits of Christ the redeemer.
Jan. 30th 1769 Æt. 47

Day 1 Reflections

I hope you enjoyed our first day's exploration of everyday life in early America and Strawbery Banke. In the context of today's lectures and tours, what are your thoughts on the traditional English saying ,
Half the grain, and half the hay        
must still remain, on Candlemas Day”?

Using Material Culture in Teaching, Research and Interpretation- 1

In preparation for our Monday 7/12 talk by Collections Manager, Tara Vose, please consider the role that objects and artifacts, such as textiles, furniture, ceramics, tools and so on, from everyday life play in important rituals, such as a weddings.

For further information on textiles and costumes, follow me at Silkbrocade or go to strawberybanke.org and click on the link to the Passion for Fashion blog. You can also follow me on Twitter@ Silkbrocade.

Boy's Sailor Suit, ca. 1840-1850
While we do not know much about the family or maker of the boy’s sailor suit, this simple two-piece outfit of shirt and trousers nonetheless had the ability to conjure up images of New England’s long relationship with the sea and the maritime trade. Made of homespun and entirely hand stitched, incredible care went into its planning from the hand stitched blue collar to the two milk glass buttons of the drop front trousers. Even the shirt ties are placed with care. Dated circa 1840-1850 based on men’s clothing of the time, its provenance is unknown. When placed on the mannequin, the little sailor assumes a playful air.

Kimberly Alexander, Ph.d.
Chief Curator
Strawbery Banke Museum

Photographs: Tara Vose
Mannequin: Created by Astrida Shaeffer
From: The Collection of Strawbery Banke Museum
Featured: “Through the Eye of the Needle: Family Stories, Sewing Stories” Portsmouth Athenaeum, Winter 2009.

Using Material Culture in Teaching, Research and Interpretation- 2

Susan Osgood Jones, 1844 Wedding dress


Collection of Strawbery Banke Museum (www.strawberybanke.org)
Photograph Courtesy of Ellen McDermott Photography
Gift of Margaret White Redding

In preparation for our Monday 7/12 talk by Collections Manager, Tara Vose, please consider the role that objects and artifacts, such as textiles, furniture, ceramics, tools and so on, from everyday life play in important rituals, such as a weddings.

For further information on textiles and costumes, follow me at Silkbrocade or go to strawberybanke.org and click on the link to the Passion for Fashion blog. You can also follow me on Twitter@ Silkbrocade.

The Dress

This striking wedding dress embodies the qualities brides past and present seek in their gowns: elegant, original, flattering and often, dripping with controlled luxury. Photographed in several different settings under different conditions, the gown constantly emerged as an almost ethereal presence, as though waiting for its wearer to once again make it shimmer delicately as she laughs, smiles, primps and holds court. It appears as either contemporary or period fashion, depending upon backdrop and lighting. Constructed of off-white silk moiré, with a well-fitted and tightly boned bodice, the fabric was imported from England or France, although the maker is not currently known. Of particular note is the detailed and complex pleating of the bodice, sleeves and skirt.

No doubt all eyes focused on Susan Osgood Jones, elegant in her floor length dress designed for her June 22, 1844 Portsmouth wedding. She was marrying a Portsmouth man, Mark H. Wentworth and when she became Mrs. Mark Hunking Wentworth, two strong families were united. The news of the marriage would have spread throughout Portsmouth, with town folk speculating on any number of details of the event and the future of the young couple.


Kimberly Alexander, Ph.D.
Chief Curator
Strawbery Banke Museum
4/10/10
Posted by silkbrocade at 11:33 AM 0 comments

Consider the 4th through American iconography....

During our summer institute, we will be using material culture--objects, manuscripts, furniture, textiles, tools and archaeological artifacts--as part of our "tool kit" for probing the topic of Everyday Life in Early America.

On this Independence Day, enjoy the attached link to the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of American History's Star Spangled Banner project and reflect on the importance of the flag as an icon, imbued with layered meaning for the past, present and future.

See you next week.

Cheers,
Kimberly

http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/

Sam Lane's World

Images courtesy New Hampshire Historical Society

Day Two (7/13/10): Reading Guide for Every Day Life in Early America

Dr. Dane Morrison, Salem State College

Dr. Kimberly Alexander, Strawbery Banke Museum

HIS 410-S1/HIS709-S1

SUMMER INSTITUTE IN LOCAL HISTORY:

EVERYDAY LIFE IN EARLY AMERICA

Reading Guide

Brown, Jerald E. The Years of the Life of Samuel Lane, 1718-1806:A New Hampshire Man and His World

Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2000.

Background

History courses often emphasize the extraordinary events and the “great men” of the past, privileging the study of change

across time and place. This course differs, seeking to understand instead the ordinary rituals and rhythms and the “common people”

of the past, focusing on the study of continuity across time and place. This approach, which first emerged during the late 1960s,

has been called “history from the bottom up” or the New Social History. Jerald Brown’s study of Samuel Lane’s journals,

complemented by the material culture of Strawbery Banke Museum, offer a rich trove of material for our exploration of the

everyday and the common, of continuity amidst change.

Consider Lane’s life amidst the news of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in the spring of 1775. “This course of

events, however disturbing, had little effect on the rhythm of life in Stratham,” Brown writes (Brown, Samuel Lane, 63).

For most people, we are reminded, the ordinary spring cycles of planting, childbirth, and town meetings were the driving themes of life, regardless of the extraordinary events that made up the news—and later the History—of their times.

Questions

1. Historiography

— How did Brown come to write this book?

— What are the major primary sources from which Brown designed this study of Lane’s life and times?

— What does this tell about how historians of early America work?

— Why did Brown use Samuel Lane as a representative example of everyday life in early America?

(See Priscilla Lane Moore Tapley’s Forward (vii-ix) and Donna Belle Garvin’s Editor’s Acknowledgements”

2. Introduction

— Why does Garvin begin with Lane’s 1793 Thanksgiving prayer? What themes of everyday life are we alerted to look for in the book? (Brown, Samuel Lane, xv)

Issues of time and place:

— How did Samuel Lane’s concepts of time shape the rhythms of everyday life for his family?

— Consider how his days, weeks, months, seasons, and years were structured

— To what degree were these structures under the control of Lane himself or of external forces?

— How did Samuel Lane’s concepts of place influence his sense of identity and of loyalty?

— Was his sense of identity primarily that of local, state, or national affiliation, or of something else entirely?

3. Chapter 1, “Mastering a Trade” (Issues of Work)

— How did the need to “master a trade” influence the early years of Lane’s life?

— How did Lane’s concepts of “mastering a trade” shape everyday life for him?

— How did Lane’s trade influence issues of family and community for him?

4. Chapter 2, “Shaping Community” (Issues of Community Relationships)

Knowledge:

— How did Lane construct his community relationships as “a life of service?” (Brown, Samuel Lane, 45)

— Why were writing and surveying such important skills in early America? How did Lane come to learn the “art and mystery” of writing and “to Cypher and Survey?” (Brown, Samuel Lane, 46)

— How did the need to “master a trade” influence the early years of Lane’s life?

Religion: (Brown, Samuel Lane, 64-83)

— How did Samuel Lane’s religious concepts influence the rhythms of everyday life?

— How did his membership in the church converge with his participation in town affairs?

— How did the extraordinary happening of the Great Awakening complicate the ordinary flow of religious practice in Lane’s life?

— How did the Stratham community go about the business of building a new meetinghouse? (Brown, Samuel Lane, 72)

Place:

— How did Samuel Lane’s concepts of place influence his sense of identity and of loyalty?

— Was his sense of identity primarily that of local, state, or national affiliation, or of something else entirely?

5. Chapter 3, “Exchanging Commodities” (Issues of Economy and Exchange)

— How was Lane’s life interwoven in networks of exchange, locally and within the Atlantic community?

— What do we make of the Lanes’ “family-based economy, in which all members contributed to building the household’s resources?” (Brown, Samuel Lane, 105)

— How did Lane’s attempt to find “safe investments that maintained their value and served as a means for passing wealth on to succeeding generations?” (Brown, Samuel Lane, 123)

— How did Lane respond to “a challenging variety of currencies, fluctuating widely in value” across time and place? (Brown, Samuel Lane, 131)

6. Chapter 4, “Building Continuity” (Issues of Family and Legacy)

— Why was it that land “above all else . . . the asset around which Samuel Lane’s life and that of his family revolved,” yet “individual farms . . . could never be self-sufficient” and “necessity forced farmers like Samuel to enter the world of trade?” (Brown, Samuel Lane, 139)

— How was it that “diversified land holdings offered a flexibility critical to a farm family’s security?” (Brown, Samuel Lane, 141)

— Why was “the mere survival of cattle in the harsh New Hampshire climate the farmer’s overriding concern? (Brown, Samuel Lane, 155)

— How did the cycles of planting and harvesting structure everyday life in farming communities? (Brown, Samuel Lane, 164)

— In planning for his children’s welfare, why did Lane need to consider “of their families as economic units?” (Brown, Samuel Lane, 184)

For images of almanack pages, Lane's tools, family furniture and additional sources, follow link below:

http://www.nhhistory.org/eimages/October2009/lanejournal.html