My Life Vs. The Puritan Life

By Betty Anne

Betty Anne at the the Little Thompson Pioneer Museum.

My life is different than the Puritan life in some ways!

One of the different ways is the rules for kids. The first rule was kids would have to do chores all day long. I can imagine how horrible that would be. Some of the chores they had to do were the dishes, make cards for the pastors at church, clean the fireplace, clean the house, feed the animals, water the garden, and make the meals. This is different than my life because I don't have to do chores all day long. I don't even consider them as chores. However, I do stuff I do that's similar. I have to feed the animals, do the dishes, make cards for birthdays and holidays, and sometimes help clean.

Kids would also have to go to church. They had to be there almost all afternoon. And when they got back, make dinner. Most children didn't enjoy it, especially Kit in “The Witch of Blackbird Pond.” But that didn't matter. They had to be there either way. If they didn't go to church or they were late they would most likely get beaten. This is quite different from my life because first of all, I don't get beaten if I'm late for something or don’t show up. It’s also different because it is not a law that you have to go to church.

An antique dictionary. Photo by Betty Anne

Another different rule that the Puritan kids lived by was they had to earn their father’s respect to have a seat at the table. It was quite hard to earn respect. So most children ate standing up for all meals. Can you imagine having to stand up every time you eat? When you earned your father's respect, he would hand build you a stool. I don't know about you, but at my house I don't have to earn my dad’s respect to eat sitting down.

Puritans’ transportation was quite different than what we are used to nowadays. Puritans mostly walked everywhere. They definitely didn't have cars and airplanes. The only other way to travel was sailboats. There were no motors; they just depended on the wind. I bet Puritans were pretty fit with all those steps. Sometimes they lived on boats. Kit did for a while on her journey to the new world.

Puritans’ clothes were different as well. Women and girls had to wear bonnets over their hair, aprons, dresses, stockings, and more. I bet it was quite hot in all those clothes and no AC. I only wear a shirt and pants and occasionally a dress. The only time I wear that much clothes is on Halloween or when my mom wraps me in a thousand scarves before I go outside in the snow.

Men had to wear a lot like women did. Except they had to be outside in the sun all day. Oof! They had to wear long-sleeve shirts, long pants, over-pants, a fancy jacket, long socks, and boots. Isn't that a lot? I don't see any men or boys dressed like that—other than princes going to a ball.

Inside a pioneer cabin.

Puritans’ houses were much smaller than most of our houses now. Most houses had no character of the owner at all. They all looked the same. The roofs were either made of wood or thatch. They also had no appliances, like fridges, microwaves, and all that stuff.

An old "ice box" (refrigerator). Photo by Betty Anne

They cooked with just a fire. All houses had one to two rooms. You would be lucky for three. There were no windows at all! Can you imagine how boring and dark it would be? I don't know about you guys, but I don't see many houses like that anymore. I’m super glad I have some windows and a roof that's not made of leaves and grass.

Puritan people talked slightly differently than we talk now. They used the words “thy,” “thee,” and “‘tis,” etc. Also children needed permission to talk. Personally, I think that's pretty messed up! I talk whenever I want to, even if I get in trouble.

A pioneer appliance (noodle maker). Photo by Betty Anne

Puritan people were not the smartest people. The last thing I’m going to talk about is the witch hunt. Yes, you read this right. People used to think there were witches in their own town.

This all started when a little girl named Betty Paris and her sister got sick. So they blamed it on witches. People would be able to say anyone was a witch and they would bring both people to trial. They would either execute, hang people, or put them to the swimmer’s test. Twenty women got executed, and 15 women got hung. Five men got hung and 2 DOGS! Yes, I said dogs. Like I said, Puritan people weren't the smartest.

The swimmer’s test was where people tied your thumbs to your big toes and they threw you in the water. If you could float, you were a witch and if you sank you were not. But if you sank then you died from drowning. This wasn't the fairest trial. I don't think I have to explain how this is different from modern days.

In conclusion, Puritan people had a different, yet similar lifestyle than we do now!