The Pilgrim Life

The Pilgrim Life

Life: The Pilgrims’ lives were different from ours.

When the Mayflower Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth in November, winter was upon them. Finding food and shelter was difficult, leading to rampant illness and food shortages. Sadly, only half of the Pilgrims who traveled on the Mayflower survived the first winter. Spring brought new hope, and the remaining colonists started to plant crops, hunt, and build their colony.

If you were to observe a Pilgrim/Colonist family today, you may notice some differences from your family.

As you might imagine, the life of a colonist was very different from ours today. It was, in fact, over 400 years ago when their community settled in early America. Pilgrim/colonist dress was as modest as their homes. They wore plain clothes and made what they absolutely needed. They were frugal and used everything they had just to survive.

What Did The Pilgrims Wear?

People in Pilgrim times wore plain clothes. Most of the clothes were homespun. This means that the thread was made on a spinning wheel. The thread was woven on a loom into cloth where it was then turned into clothing. All of this work was done at home by hand. People used the juice from berries to color or dye the cloth.

Where Did The Pilgrims Live?

When our country was young, people did not have nice homes. Families lived in log cabins that usually took many months to build. The cabins were plain and built using tools the colonists brought with them on the Mayflower. The families who lived in cabins did things differently than we do today. They had to light their homes with candles because electricity had not been invented. There was no running water and the kitchens were different. The kitchen had a fireplace where the women cooked all of the food. Some pans were placed right on the logs, and others were hung from a bar over the fire. The fireplace also heated the house in the winter.

Where Did The Pilgrims Live?

The houses were usually very small. Most houses had only one or two rooms. Many times the kitchen was also the living room and the dining room. The houses were also dark because they had few windows that closed with wooden shutters. Many houses were built as temporary homes because the colonists were trying to get shelter quickly to survive. The houses the Pilgrims left behind in Holland and England were often nicer than those they built in America.

Where Did The Pilgrims Live?

The furniture in the cabins was simple and most homes had minimal furniture. Just about everything was made of wood, as trees were easy to find in early America. Wooden nails were even used to keep the future together! The colonists only made what was necessary.

Think about the furniture in your home.

• What furniture do you use every day?
• What furniture do you have that you could get rid of if you had to?
• What kinds of furniture do you think was in the cabins of long ago?

Where Did The Pilgrims Live?

Most homes did have a big wooden chest. Clothes and blankets were kept in the chest for safekeeping since clothes were made by hand. There was also one cupboard where dishes and cooking items were placed. If there was a chair in the house, it belonged to the man. Everyone else sat on benches because they were easier to make. Beds were made from straw or feathers.

Although modest, the Pilgrims’ life at the beginning met their needs. They spent time farming and gathering, and thanks to their continued explorations and knowledge-seeking pursuits, they began to establish a stronger life as they settled in early America.

Let’s take a moment to reflect. Think about your house and some of its contents. How do they relate (if at all) to a Pilgrim lifestyle?

• What does your house look like?
• What is your house made from?
• What furniture is in your house?
• What things in your house make your life easier?
• What clothes do you have in your house?
• Where did your clothes come from?

“Bradford had decided that each household should be assigned its own plot to cultivate, with the understanding that each family kept whatever it grew. The change in attitude was stunning. Families were now willing to work much harder than they had ever worked before. ”

– Nathaniel Philbrick author of Mayflower