Massachusetts antiquarian Alice Morse Earle was a prolific writer on early American life and her work remains much in demand. A favorite is her 1895 Colonial Dames and Goodwives.
Lives of Our Female Ancestors
Drawing from numerous sources, Earle depicts the multi-dimensional lives of those female ancestors we know so little about. In this volume, she concentrates on the role of women in colonial America. The book begins with a discussion of the sometimes involuntary importation of women and girls into the young colonies and ends with a chapter on their domestic pursuits.
In between, Earle discusses “women of affairs” and “double-tongued and naughty women.” Not to be glossed over are the sections on "Boston neighbors,” “a fearful female travailler” and “two colonial adventuresses.” We catch glimpses of colonial era manners and how women amused themselves. Other topics include” daughters of liberty” and “a revolutionary housewife.”
A Woman’s View on Certain Kisses
An example of the things that impacted on women of bygone days comes from a Philadelphia woman’s journal. On entry reads: “In the morning Dr. Shippen came to see us. What a pity it is that the Doctor is so fond of kissing. He really would be much more agreeable if he were less fond. One hates to be always kissed, especially as it is attended with so many inconveniences. It decomposes the economy of one’s handkerchief, it disorders one’s high roll, and it ruffles the serenity of one’s countenance.”
Women Used Pen Names When Corresponding
In educating modern women on the ways of our female ancestors, the author discusses the custom of using pen names when women wrote to each other. It was almost as if they thought a new name gave them an exciting new identity. We learn, for instance, that even so sensible and intelligent a woman as Abigail Adams corresponded under the names Diana and Portia, whereas some of her friends wrote to her using such pen names as Calliope, Myra, Aspasia and Aurelia.
This entertaining and informative account of colonial women has been often reprinted. Copies can be found at a reasonable price from online booksellers. Colonial Dames and Goodwives has more than 300 pages and comes in paperback.
Author Never Fully Recovered from Near Drowning
Alice Morse Earle (1851-1911) was born at Worcester, Massachusetts, the daughter of Edwin Morse and Abby Mason Clary. She married Henry Earle of New York in 1874. Her writing focussed on small sociological details and has proven invaluable to modern sociologists.
Earle was an Egypt-bound passenger on the RMSRepublic when, in a dense fog, it collided with the SS Florida. During a transfer of passengers, Alice fell into the water. Her near drowning in 1909 off the Nantucket coast weakened her health and she died two years later in Hempstead, Long Island.
Two other popular books by Alice Morse Earle are Home Life in Colonial Days and Stage Coach and Tavern Days. Several of this author’s titles are available online at Project Gutenberg.
Rosemary E. Bachelor - Rosemary Bachelor, a prize-winning journalist, has had a career as an editor, feature writer, magazine publisher and author. Her latest ...
