What was life like in the 1840s?

Answer 1

In the USA, people in the 1840s still lived in log cabins. Wealthier people built brick houses.

Following traditional patterns, nearly all Northern communities had 5 major occupations, all male dominated. These were: Preacher; Teacher; Lawyer; Physician, and Farmer. Nearly all men who were educated in the first 4 occupations were also Farmers. Farmers in the South on plantations used slaves for farm work. Most politicians and Judges started out as Lawyers. County and Township officials were typically from the most prominent families of the area.

Most farms west of the Appalachian Mountains had stills (whiskey) because it was too difficult to transport corn across the mountains, but bottles of whiskey were easier to carry by horseback and brought more money. Another common business were mills-- primarily saw mills to cut timber from thick forested lands.

Other trades were specialized, meaning only a few did the job. These included:

1. hide tanners
2. blacksmiths, to shoe horses
3. mercantile, e.g. general store keeper, typically "in town" up to 30 miles away
4. wagon makers

All communities first made, in this order:

1. Homes
2. Roads
3. Churches
4. More Roads
5. Taverns on major roads, which were also "hotels"
6. Church Buildings, or met in each other's homes
7. General Store
8. Court House
9. School House
10. Other businesses

Nearly all food was grown on the family farm. Most poor families could NOT afford livestock. They focused more on crops than on farm animals, unless the family was financially prosperous. Many farms became sheep farms or cow farms, depending on type of geography-- cows need grasses; sheep do well in rockier areas. Some families turned to chicken farming. **Barns were bigger and more tended to than a family's cabin.

Roads were only dirt tracks, often muddy. In town had wooden "walks" or porches on businesses, but the street was dirt or mud.

There was no electricity. Women made tallow candles by heating the fat cut from animal meat and pouring the fat into a mold with a wick through the center. They hung these upside down to dry-- hence, one end is tapered on a candle-- then they cut off extra sting to shorten the wick.

All cabins had a fireplace for heating and cooking.

Homes were built so windows could take advantage of prevailing winds. All windows had shutters to keep out cold. Glass was expensive so they used an oil paper that was like thick plastic but it was hard to see through the material; it was more opaque than glass.

Most families had pottery or pewter plates, mugs, etc. Glass factories had not yet started.

There were only one-room schoolhouses; most boys ended school at 3rd grade. Men who went on to be Preachers, Teachers, Lawyers, and Physicians were either from wealthier families and attended College (went straight from "grade school" to college), or were tutored by a man in the profession. Girls did not attend school. Mothers taught their children at home, just enough to function on the farm and in town.

Many boys became "apprentices", even for farmwork. Within 20 years, girls would become "Domestics" (maids) even as young as 8 years old, working for and living with neighbors.

People mostly walked, or rode horses to towns. Some families had (uncovered) buck wagons. Many farmers had an ox or oxen team to plow; horses were often a luxury. IF a family had a child under 5 years old, they often owned 1 cow. Once a child got older, families slaughtered or sold the cow.

When children reached 21, the age of majority, guys were expected to marry; girls hoped to be asked to marry. Most women married at 21; had their first child at 22; and had a child every 2 years. Families could have 5 to 16 or 20 children; average about 6 kids.

If a father died, spouses had no rights. A male relative had to take over the estate and family matters. It was a big advantage if a widow (woman) and widower (man), each with children, married-- the woman and her children had the benefit of an income and home; the man could go work in fields because the woman could watch his kids.

"Poor Farms" housed children who were orphans, or if the family was too poor to feed/house them. Poor Farms were Work Farms, e.g. free labor for the Home's farmwork. It was not nice or happy to be there. Many boys were legally made into Apprentices to a man of a local family, bound to service until age 21, doing labor in exchange for housing and food.

Births and Deaths in the US were not officially recorded until 1900s. So no one had "birth certificates". Church and Cemetery Records, IF kept, were the most information families had, besides the Family Bible where they wrote births, deaths, marriages. Marriage licenses were not required nor official records kept until 1900s, and only some Preachers kept records. The only required records were Tax, Deeds, Wills, and Court Cases. People did commit crimes back then; they had trials by Jury. Jurors were picked from Tax Records (just like today). People sued each other, too. The Courthouse was a site of major activity in any town.

If a man/woman could not make an item, then it had to be bought, often ordered first.

Stage Coaches drove at 5 miles per hour. So you could go from SW PA to Baltimore in 8 to 12 hours. Few people traveled for leisure. Stage Coaches brought US Mail and products. Stages typically had 4 to 8 horses. Taverns on the very few major roads, such as what became The National Pike Rt 40, kept extra horse teams.

Life was dictated by the rising and setting sun, and weather. People went to bed when it turned dark, and woke when it became light. They worked from dawn to late afternoon. When sitting, they worked with their hands. It was a hard life, a simpler life, and people's behavior was often controlled and limited by their church affiliation--if they were believers.

People between 1750 and 1850 were also "on the move". Families or parts of families often migrated "West". So by 1790 up through 1840, people were moving to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. Some kept moving west. By 1880, families often "forgot" they had cousins who made it to Kansas or even California. Relatives East of the Mississippi and West of the Mississippi often lost contact with each other.

Newspapers and handwritten letters were the primary form of communication-- if you could read, write, and afford to buy paper and newspapers. Many newspapers just went from Monthlies to Weeklies by 1840. "News" only included local people to increase "subscriptions". Since wealthier could afford to buy, the prominent families were often in newspapers but not poorer people.

The time period was so full of changes, that it would take books to describe life in the 1840s.

Answer 2

People lived a very simple life in the 1840s. The advancements that are in the modern society have complicated life so much and most values have been lost.

Answer 3

IF you drink too much beer you will turn into a donkey for real!