Colonial Families
The concept of family has changed often throughout history. Today, most people think of a family as being made up of parents and their children. In colonial times, however, families might include grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and stepchildren.
Marriage Colonial men and women generally married in their early to mid-20s. Those who arrived in America as indentured servants were not allowed to marry until they had gained their freedom.
Throughout the colonies, men outnumbered women, which meant that almost every woman was assured of receiving a marriage proposal. “Maid servants of good honest stock [family],” wrote a colonist, could “choose their husbands out of the better sort of people.” For a young woman, though, life as a wife and mother often proved to be even harder than life as an indentured servant.
Large Families Colonial families were generally large and often had between seven and ten children. (Benjamin Franklin had 16 siblings.) Farm families, in particular, needed all the hands they could get to help with chores and the impending harvest each year.
Religious and cultural backgrounds influenced colonists' ideas about their children's upbringing. However, almost everywhere in the colonies, children were expected to be productive members of the family.
Although married women in the colonies gave birth many times, nearly half of all children died before they reached adulthood. Childhood deaths were especially high in the Middle and Southern Colonies, where the deadly disease of malaria raged, and adults often died young as well. After the death of a wife or husband, men and women usually remarried quickly. Thus, households often swelled with stepchildren as well as adopted orphans (children whose parents had died).
Whether colonists lived in cities, in villages, or on isolated farms, their lives focused on their families. Family members took care of one another because there was no one else to do so. Young families often welcomed elderly grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins into their homes when they could no longer care for themselves. It didn't matter if there was barely enough room for everyone. No one would turn away a needy relative.
Marriage Colonial men and women generally married in their early to mid-20s. Those who arrived in America as indentured servants were not allowed to marry until they had gained their freedom.
Throughout the colonies, men outnumbered women, which meant that almost every woman was assured of receiving a marriage proposal. “Maid servants of good honest stock [family],” wrote a colonist, could “choose their husbands out of the better sort of people.” For a young woman, though, life as a wife and mother often proved to be even harder than life as an indentured servant.
Large Families Colonial families were generally large and often had between seven and ten children. (Benjamin Franklin had 16 siblings.) Farm families, in particular, needed all the hands they could get to help with chores and the impending harvest each year.
Religious and cultural backgrounds influenced colonists' ideas about their children's upbringing. However, almost everywhere in the colonies, children were expected to be productive members of the family.
Although married women in the colonies gave birth many times, nearly half of all children died before they reached adulthood. Childhood deaths were especially high in the Middle and Southern Colonies, where the deadly disease of malaria raged, and adults often died young as well. After the death of a wife or husband, men and women usually remarried quickly. Thus, households often swelled with stepchildren as well as adopted orphans (children whose parents had died).
Whether colonists lived in cities, in villages, or on isolated farms, their lives focused on their families. Family members took care of one another because there was no one else to do so. Young families often welcomed elderly grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins into their homes when they could no longer care for themselves. It didn't matter if there was barely enough room for everyone. No one would turn away a needy relative.