July, 2010 Summer Institute Workshop
Pioneer Village, Salem , Mass.

Documents for the Doing Well in the New World; Exploration of the Lives of First European Settlers of Essex County (.pdf) Lesson

Essex County has a wealth of early settlements which makes it an ideal spot to discuss how European colonists created the beginnings of a New England. Settlements here began in the 1600s. Large numbers of people emigrated from England to this area. Much of what is left behind belonged to those people who were well to do and could create houses and fill them with belongings which common people did not have access to – however by examining those 17th century houses, portraits and artifacts we can begin to catch a glimpse of the lifestyle of the average colonist as well.

This lesson uses photographs of 17th century buildings, portraits, furniture and other belongings to “fill out” the probate inventories of several leading citizens of Essex County towns. It asks students to consider the number and quality of goods belonging to 17th century people after many years of settling here and think about the lifestyle that those people enjoyed. Students are then asked to create an estate sale brochure to advertise the belongings of a typical well-to-do 17th century colonist and to think about what our possessions can tell about our public and private personas..

Excerpts from Probate Records ...

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• Probate records; Armitage, Barnard, Conant, Moulton, Spofford
• This bound volume of the Probate Records of Essex County gives a detailed listing of belongings and wealth of certain residents of Essex County in the 17th century. By clicking on each image above a separate .pdf file will open. Please click on the Glossary link below for an explanation of terms.
• Glossary of terms used in probate records
• "How To Read Probate Records" from Do History site
• Transcription of the Thomas Barnard of Amesbury document
• Transcription of the Roger Conant of Salem document
• Transcription of the John Spofford of Boxford document

Primary Sources ...from the American Antiquarian Museum, Worcester, MA

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• Portraits of Endecott, Leverett, and Winthrop
• These images are actually copies from the early 1800s of 17thc portraits of governors of Essex County in Massachusetts. They can be accessed via the American Antiquarian Society's website (see link above) and the labels contain a great amount of biographical information. For the purposes of this lesson they illustrate dress of the upper classes of New England society. They provide a ready contrast to images of Native Americans from the same time.
• National Portrait gallery document; Reading Portraiture at a Glance

Primary Sources ...from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY

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• Room and Furniture from Ipswich and Salem, 1600s
• These images are taken from the Metropolitan Museum of Art site - web addresses on each image. They show the style of furnishings that Essex County residents had in the 1600s. Also of interest will be the Smithsonian exhibit on the house in Ipswich (see resources below).

Images of Primary Source Buildings...

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• Images of First Period Houses in Essex County
• Photographs of buildings in Ipswich and Beverly - taken by Rebecca Zimmerman, 2009,
  Essex County is known for having a number of First Period (1600s) houses. Many of them have remained virually unchanged for many years.
  See also the websites below for the Alexander Knight House in Ipswich,and the Smithsonian exhibition which has an Ipswich house..

Secondary Documents...

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• Reference Sheet for Anne Bradstreet
• Compilation of information on Anne Bradstreet from various sources. She travelled to Massachusetts Bay colony on the Arabella in 1630 to Salem. She moved with her family several times and lived in both Ipswich and North Andover in Essex County. She is best known for being the first published female poet in the colonies. For the pruposes of this lesson the image of her can be used to discuss clothing of the period.

Documents ...from internet sites

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• Map of New England (1677) from the Plymouth Colony Archive Site
• Created by William Hubbard & John Foster
  "This bold woodcut map of New England, regarded by its makers and acknowledged as the first ever to be engraved and printed in America, appeared in William Hubbard's Narrative of the Troubles with the Indians in New-England, from the First Planting Thereof in the Year 1607, to the Present Year 1677." in New England Begins: The Seventeenth Century, by Jonathan Fairbanks and Robert Trent. Boston, Museum of Fine Arts (1982)

...Web links for Related Subjects - web links current as of March 2011

Mass Moments --relevant topics include; April 7, 1630:Pilgrims leave for Massachusetts, May 6, 1635: Marblehead Carved out of Salem, February 26, 1638: First Slaves Arrive in Massachusetts

Pickering House in Salem --This house is believed to be the oldest house in the United States to have one family continuously living in it.

Alexander Knight House in Ipswich -A re-creation of an early, English-style timber frame house from 1657 as described in Ipswich town records. An on-going, live exhibit; building with traditional tools, materials and construction methods of the First Period (1625–1725).

Smithsonian Institution - Within These Walls...--The Hart House of Ipswich is featured in this online exhibition.

Plimoth Plantation --the premiere living history site for exploration of New England in the 17th century

Furniture and Tools of the Pilgrims-This set of reference pages can be used with the Metropolitan Museum of Art resources above.

What Should A House Do? lesson This lesson from the Ed-sitement website has students compare and contrast native dwellings with colonial houses

Colonial House --This website is for the historic "reality show" created by PBS to have modern people experience life from the 17th century.

Walking Tour of Plimoth Plantation --*****Suitable for student use**** This tour has relatively few words and great photos of both the recreation of the European and Native American settlements at Plimoth.

Sounthern Essex Co Indian Deeds-- Website containing images, maps, an excellent timeline, as well as transcripts of the original deeds used by Europeans to claim land in Essex County.

Changes in the Land -- by William Cronon. This book is a discussion of how the plants and animal communities changed as Europeans came into an area previously used solely by Native Americans.

Do History - Center for History and Media George Mason University-- Website containing information about use of records to understand historical context - contains the page mentioned above re: interpretation of probate records.