A New Frontier:
Life of the Early Settlers
Settlers arrived in the
new colony of
Jamestown, Virginia in
1607 and found that they
needed to clear the
heavily forested land.
The forest provided excellent
building materials. Palisades, or
fences, were build for protection
against Native Indians. The settlers
started to build homes for
themselves.
Settlers’ homes were built from the forests around them. Settlers modeled the homes to
look similar to those left behind in England. People from different families shared one
home. Some homes had 10 or more living together.
Rooms were very simple. Settlers were not able to bring
many belongings with them. They were lucky to have a bed
and blanket to sleep with.
Simple bedrooms for a
simple life? Not quite!
Life was far from simple.
Settlers had to depend
on the natural resources
of this new world.
One large fireplace was used
for cooking and heating the
homes. Meat was smoked and
preserved to eat later.
Homes might consist of a
small common room and one
bedroom. A second floor loft
would be available for sleeping
as well.
Early settlers brought cooking pots, jugs, and kitchen wares to use in
their new homes.
Settlers worked
from sun up ‘till
sundown.
Work was hard
and everyone
contributed.
The blacksmith worked
with metal to create
everything from
horseshoes to weapons.
Crops were grown in small fields.
Everyone helped, becoming farmers for
the settlement. Corn was grown for
food. Tobacco was grown for profit.
Small kitchen gardens were grown close to the houses. Carrots, beets,
cabbage, and other foods were grown in these gardens.
Weapons, like muskets and
pistols, were used for
hunting. Armor was brought
from England to protect the
settlers from natives whose
territory was being invaded.
Settlers learned that tobacco
would become the “cash crop”,
bringing great profit to those
who grew and harvested it.
The Jamestown, Virginia Colony
members suffered through
numerous hardships. Many
died of diseases or starvation.
Those who survived opened up
a “new world” to other
adventurous settlers.