How were things different in the 1800s compared to now?	There are many differences from the lifestyle of a boy living in the 1800s and a boy living today. A few of then have been listed below: Then Now No electricity Electricity Poor education Better education Many chores More social time Heated homes with wood Heat homes with oil No plumbing Plumbing As you can see many things have changed over these periods in time.
What types of chores had to be done?	There were many types of important chores that boys had to help with in the 1800s. A few of them included…. Working on the farm Taking responsibility for the animals Chopping wood. It was very important back then for a boy to learn how to use and axe. They were also taught how not to handle an axe. It was probably one of their most important tools Carrying water. This was also an important chore because without their water they wouldn’t be able to bathe, wash clothing, do dishes or anything like that. In this time period water usually came from rivers or wells. They had no electricity like we do today for their water to come right out of faucets. Finding “hoop wood”. They would have to go out into the woods and find hoop wood which is a more flexible type of wood. Once it was pounded softly with a mallet and bended in the right shape they would make barrels Putting up buckets and collecting maple syrup. Maple syrup was used for many types of different treats. Working in the woodshed. Here they made different material that could be useful in different areas. They also chopped and stored wood here for winter and cold nights.
What might he have liked to do in his spare time?	In the 1800s boys liked to do many different things in their spare time. Here are a few of them: Go fishing Have snowball fights Sail small boats Draw (do different types of art) Go camping Fly kites (also made them) Go hunting Made different types of guns (blow guns squirt guns ect… ) Make puppets Go sledding (They usually also made their own sleds that came in many different types) Snowshoe
What types of games might he have played?	A few of the more popular games Martin might have played include the following… Ante Over Tag Crack The Whip Ring Around the Rosie Base Hide and Seek
What were the schools and education like?	As you probably already know schools have changed greatly since the late 1800s. The schools were usually small one room houses that had a wood stove right in the middle. They were taught in 10-15 minute sessions by one teacher, and the grades ranged fihrst through eighth. That’s pretty hard to believe that they could fit that many kids in one room. But belive me, there weren’t nearly as many students then, then there are today. Sometimes it was a good thing to have them all in one class because the older kids could help the younger kids. They were usually divided by grade level. They sometimes most often) also seperated the boys from the girls. Boys sat on one side and girls sat on the other. Boys and girls usualy had to walk barefoot to school and as school materials they would have, stone slates w/ slate pencils for writing, and they would have sheepskin wrapped around a block of wood as their erasers.
What were some of the major illnesses going around?	There were a few common diseases that had been spreading around in the 1800s: Penumonia: Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung resulting in any type of cause. This was a common disease that many people died from. Rubella: Rubella is another type of disease. It could also be defined as that German measles. Tuberculosis: This is the disease that Martin V.B Hill [eventually] died from. Tuberculosis is a highly contagious lung disease. It was the kind of disease that was spread by sneezing, coughing, and basically how sicknesses are spread today. Scarlett Fever: This disease was also a very contagious illness and a bad one, resulting in any type of cause. Doctors hadn’t yet figured out what set off the disease. Diptheria: This was another lung disease that’s was spread by coughing and sneezing. Whooping cough: Whooping cough was an extremely bad cold that caused extreme pain to the throat.
What were the houses like?	Living in a house in the 1800s wasn’t easy. They were usually small houses that had either dirt or wood floors. If they did have dirt floors, sometimes on holidays they would scratch a floral design into the dirt to make it look like a carpet. Example: For birthdays there might be a birthday greeting scratched on the floor. As for electricity and other things that really help us today, they didn’t have any of that. They had to get their water from outside, by lugging big buckets in. They had to use lanterns to light their homes. On cold nights they would keep warm by putting charcoal fire heaters under their blankets, objects that hold hot water were used as foot warmers, They also made foot warmers to bring on sleighs, except these were used w/ coals.
What was Church like?	On Sunday (day of rest) most people went to church. They traveled there either by foot or by wagon. Parents sat in the front, while the children sat in the straw of the wagon bed. There wasn’t much of a social life on the farm, and the churches didn’t exactly have a youth organization for the children. The only social time they did have was at the camp meetings where most of the courting was done. They were very serious about every thing. Sermons lasted many hours, and there were never and dinners held at the churches in this time. After the long meetings the neighbors would have “hand shaking meetings” getting to know one another. Then families would invite other families over for dinner.
What types of food might he have eaten?	In the late 1800s the food was pretty plain. It was nothing like the food we have today. They didn’t have any jars to put preserved foods in like we do now. Fruit although would actually be preserved by being boiled with brown sugar. They didn’t very often use white sugar and when they did it would be used for candy. It would be put in jars, and then covered with a cloth, and then coated with a layer of beeswax. Another type of cover they enjoyed was hog bladder. There were candys made with mollasses which is made from sugar cane, and sometimes (not very often) it was a treat to have real striped candy.
How might he have celebrated holidays?	One of the most important holidays in the late 1800s that people liked to celebrate was the fourth of July. That was usually the big event of the year, when everyone on the countryside got together. Everyone would load tons of food into the wagons and come to town early to see the floats in the morning. As you can see this was a very big event. Another detail of this holiday was the “Goddess of Liberty.” She was said to be the prettiest girl on the countryside. She would ride in a hay wagon wearing a white gown, and sometimes the driver would be dressed as Uncle Sam in a striped suit. Along the sides of the hay wagon there were little girls representing states of the union. If you're wondering about any of the other holidays, Thanksgiving was pretty much celebrated how it is today. Christmas wasn’t much to them back then. It seems they only thought Christmas was a church tree and not a lot of excitement.

Bibliography:

• Title: Handy Book For Boys. Author: (forward by Noel Perrin) Year written:1890, City published: Scribner, New York
• Title: Diary of an Early American Boy. Author: EricSloane
• http://www.cobleskill.edu/schools/mcs/CSBest/school.htm
• http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpeud/features/timeline/riseind/rural/life.html
• http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.ok/4-heritage/archive-photo-ga/galleries/archive-rural-2.shtml

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What Did People Wear in Martin V.B. Hill's Time?
An alphabet by Audrey C.

Attire Attire has changed a lot from the 1800’s to now. This will give you a look of what they wore and how they dressed.	Bib Aprons Young girls and women would wear bib aprons. They wore them just around the house though, doing housework.	Collars There was a wide variety of collars in the 1800’s. A lot of men wore collars, they were very popular. An unbuttoned collar was rarely seen.
D ay Wear The morning suit, the sack suit, and the frock suit were all considered day wear. The men wore Day Wear to work and around the house.	E mbroidery People would have makers of their clothes embroider what they wanted usually onto shirts. Or they would buy then clothes than have their wives embroider it. Ex. Embroidering their initials on a shirt.	F rock Suit The Frock suit was usually black or brown. The frock suit was called a morning dress or it was called Daywear. It was most common for the working men to wear the frock suit. [Teacher's note - only on special occations]
G ray Trousers Gray Trousers were supposed to be worn with the Frock suit or Morning Coat to a fancier occasion where you were expected to be dressed, up like a wedding.	H ats Both men and women wore hats with their outfits. Women wore bonnets and the men usually wore just normal hats. To a wedding the men would wear top hats.	I nformal Clothing The big majority of men didn’t wear sack suits for everyday attire. Workers would wear wool or corduroy to do their job.
J ackets The jacket was very common for men. They would wear jackets to church, work and other occasions.	L ace Capes Lace capes were mostly worn by children in the 1800’s, but a lace cape wasn’t known as just clothes to wear around the house, they wore them to go out or occasions.	M aterials for making clothes Dried persimmon seeds made into buttons. Cloth made by spinning and knitting homespun wool. Hats wore made by weaving corn husks palmetto leaves or other grasses.
Neckties There was a considerable choice of neckties for American men. Working men did not usually wear neckties.	Outfits For work they had just a few outfits that they wore everyday. They only had a couple of formal outfits for weddings and different occasions.	Prices One thing that has really changed about clothing was the prices of them. Back then clothes were very cheap and that was nice because they were easy to afford.
Q uilts Wives would sit at home and sew quilts for the family members while their husbands were at work. They had designs on the quilts like flowers or other pictures. They put a lot of time into making quilts.	R anchers Ranchers wore an outfit of wool or Corduroy. They had to do a lot of dirty work on their Ranch, also wool and corduroy weren’t always the most comfortable materials to be in especially in the summer because it was so hot.	S ack Suit The Sack Suit was worn by workers (shoemakers, farmers, and factory workers) the sack suit was also known as Day Wear, it came into fashion in the 1850’s. It was known to be very affordable.
Thermal Underwear Thermal underwear was worn under your clothes during the wintertime to keep you warmer.	Uniforms Uniforms in the Civil War consisted of a lot of layers. They wore hats, button up (thick) jackets, trousers, and boots.	Vest The vest was extremely popular for American men in the 1800’s. Colorful vests were popular in the 1860’s. From the 1870’s and on vests were just black or white. They were worn with frock coats, Morning coats, and evening dress coats.
The Waistcoat The Waistcoat was known to be dressy or fancy. It was worn by men, and it was usually black or white.	Tu Xedo The Tuxedo was very formal and not usually owned by men that didn’t have a lot of money or didn’t have places to go that required something as fancy as a tuxedo.	Y ounger boys' attire Younger boys barely ever dressed up except for occasions when they had to like a wedding. They weren’t known to wear collars or neckties. They dressed very casual.
Zzzz…Sleepwear To bed, Men and women usually wore nightgowns and hats so that their head would stay warm. In the summer the wore nightgowns with thinner material so it was cooler, and in the winter they wore thermal underwear and thicker nightgowns made of thicker materials.

Bibliography:

• http://victorianelegance.com
• http://lahacel.org/gentleman/informal.html
• Encyclopedia
• http://ets-systems.com/aprons
  

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Shoemaker
A poem by Amanda G.



Martin V.B Hill wakes up to the rising sun, in the big open sky
He steps on the cold hard floor
He knows his day will be long
As he turns his head he see out of the corner of his eyes, folded clothes and shoes neatly laying at the end of his bed
The smell of breakfast draw he down the stairs
He eats in a steady pace not too fast and not to slow
Then heads for the door
The bitter cold morning wind is harsh as he walks along the path that he doesn’t often do
Martin then travels from farm to farm, shoeing the grandfather to the youngest child

Making shoes in his little shed behind his home
His hangs his tools that help him through a long day’s work
He closes the door behind him
He doesn’t even looking back but ahead to the falling sun
Anxiously to get home, settle down and eat with his family
Then waking to the rising sun in the big open sky

Making Shoes

Before a pair of shoes could be made, they had to make a draft of the style of shoe first. 1. Cutting the upper parts of the shoe; they lined it with animal hides or skins fabrics or synthetic leather. 2. Stitching together the upper parts of the shoe, then inlaying and inserting the reinforcement-heel counters and toe puffs. 3. Stock-fitting: which is when they prepared the sole and the heel. They werecommonly made of leather, rubber, or other materials. Heels were mostly made out of wood. 4. Lasting: where the assembly was stretched over the last and then tacked to the insole. The part had to be left on long enough so it can take its shape. This process was speeded up on hot humid days. 5. Bottoming: this was the attachment of the bottom or outter sole to the upper. This could be done by sewing, cementing, or by nailing. Cementing was a cheaper way of making the shoes. Stitching and nailing took a longer time to do so it’s not so cheap. [Teacher's note - according to the census of 1880, this is the job that Martin V.B Hill did. He was listed as a "shoe bottomer". See Primary Sources .] 6. Heeling: when the heel was attached, then shaped into form. 7. Finishing: which included polishing the shoe, taking it off the last nd inserting the heel and sole pads. Laces, bows, and buckles were then added to the shoe, and the shoe was given a final cleaning and inspection.

Tools This was what most shoemakers carried in their wooden box:

lasts hammers knives awls (used for punching holes in signatures or for stab bindings ) "He [the cobbler] laid the edge of a thin, straight knife in the groove between two ridges and gently tapped it with a hammer. A thin strip of woode split off, notdhed all along one side. He moved the knife, and tapped it, till all the wood was in strips. Then holding a strip by one end, he struck his knife in the notches and every time he struck, a shoe-peg split off. Every peg was an inch long, an eighth of an inch square, pinted a the end." - Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farmer Boy pegs

Bibliography:

• Children's Britannica Volume
• 16www.stfx.ca/people/1stantey/Material/Fashion/Shoe/.htm
• http://www.algeos-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Wood_Ball_Lasts_525.html
• www.andreburgos.com/objects/ objects5.htm
• http://www.fcsutler.com/pshpegs.jpg
• www.hollanders.com/supplies-kits/ bookbinding/smalltools.htm
• www.andreburgos.com/objects/ objects5.htm
• Wilder, Laura Ingalls, Farmer Boy, HarperTrophy Publishing, New York, 1933, pp.290-291

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What was Deerfield like in the years after the Civil War?
by Julianne S.

Transportation

Dirt roads: Since Deerfield wasn’t near any big bodies of water and wasn’t big enough to hold certain types of transportations that were used then, dirt roads were one of the main ways people got around. In the early nineteenth century, roads were basically cleared out dirt tracks that were used by people in the country on a regular basis. These surfaces were smoothed by being raked by hand or they used horses to pull something along the road and scrape out any unwanted rocks. Holes we filled in by a log and then a layer of sand covering it. Because of bad weather conditions, most dirt roads were in very bad shape, or not even able to be ridden on.

Since Deerfield wasn’t near any large bodies of water for steamboat transportation and wasn’t big enough to have a railroad station, people got around on foot or by horseback. When people had to travel far, they would go by horse and wagon to a town nearby to take the train. There were two different kinds of wagons. One was used for transportation of people and the other was for the transporting work supplies and home goods. Also in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s there was a stage coach.

Did children go to school?

Some children did go to school but their days were much different than ours today. The year would be divided into two separate terms - summer term and a winter term. The summer term was when younger children went to school. Older students stayed home to help run the household. During the winter term more of the older kids would go to school. Female teachers taught the younger children during the summer, while the men taught the older children. It was said that the men could handle the older and rowdier students. One teacher taught grades first through eighth in 10-15 minute sessions. Having everyone in one room was a help to the younger grades because they could listen to the lessons and get taught by the older kids.

Punishments for misbehaved students were much more severe than they are today. The teachers had something called a hickory rod to whip the students with when needed. The rod was so strong, it could cut clothes and even flesh. Schoolhouses were one-room buildings. Big wood or coal burning stoves would be held in the middle for warmth. The room was divided in half, often by gender and little ones in the front.

To get to school, children would walk bare foot, or go by horseback. Stables were held at the schools to give them shelter and a place to stay.

As many people know, so many different tools and supplies we use today did not exist or came in a completely different form. Here are some pictures of some things they use. Can you think of what me might use today?

	Here is a picture of what they use to use as a backpack. Instead of having a cloth bag, they used straps to hold all their belongings together.
This picture is what they used for writing on. It is a piece of slate and a type of chalk, pretty much like a mini chalk board.

What did people do for fun?

There were many different types of activities in the 1800’s to keep people busy. Of course they are not set up like we have them today but they were very enjoyable.

I am sure most people would think that people in the 1800’s do so many different games and things that we have never heard of or done before. That probably is true but there are many things they did that we still do today. For instance, Scandinavian immigrants introduced skis to the U.S. in the late-1830s. They also did things like skating. The oldest pair of skates known date is back to 3000 B.C. Some skates were made from a leg bone of large animals, but overtime people added things to make them more advanced. Here are a few of some other common activities that we still do today:

Other activities -Walks -Horseback riding -Swimming -Baseball -Fishing -Fair -Horse racing

Family life after the war:

After the war, life changed for all people, even if they were not involved. Prices for food and housing went way up, while wages for jobs went down, especially in the city. Because of this family had to work harder for money to get enough for their needs. Families with farms had to stay in the country and work while there loved ones were in the war. To make more money they would sell food, clothes and weapons to the army because they were very hard to get. The women would have to take the men’s jobs until they returned.

Businesses after the War

At the end of the war, many changes took place in the work force. Lots of new factories were made so that people could get jobs. Women who still worked got paid less, while returning soldiers most often got the better jobs. New machinery was made which helped many people. The grain mower was invented which helped families on farms. Clothes were more easily made because of the sewing machine. It was unpatriotic to go on strike during the war. When the war was over, people decided that they would try and get a higher pay and shorter working hours by going on strike.

Churches

Like many churches, the Deerfield Baptist Church went through a lot, but they were different experiences than others.

The first house that the Baptist worshiped in was built on Ladd cemetery near the fair grounds. In the year 1840 it was moved to the center of Deerfield and was called the “Union Meeting House”. That year the church was burned down, but a new one was built in its place the next year. Again, it was burned down in 1880 and was rebuilt in 1881. The landform under the church was flexible so a better spot was found across the street from the town hall for it to be built on. Because of so many moves already, members of the church opposed to moving it, but the move did happen and that is where the church stands today.

Deerfield's Population

The population of New Hampshire the years Martin V.B. Hill was alive increased each year. Shown on the graph to the right, the population did decrease about 7,768 people in 1870. In 1880 the population increased by 28,548 people. Deerfield's population changed after the Civil War from about two thousand to less than four hundred people.

Year NH Population 1830 268,977 1840 284,304 1850 317,785 1860 325,858 1870 318,090 1880 346,638 1890 376,175 1900 410,938 1910 430,376

Jobs

To most people today, $3.00 isn’t much at all. But what if $3.00 was all the money you had to pay for things for your family? Well it was like that
during and after the war.

A normal workday was about ten to twelve hours with the pay of $2.50 to $3.00. Because of the war, prices for everyday needs, like food and
clothes went up. With only $3.00 you couldn’t buy much. During this time, many workers would try to pressure people into getting them shorter
working hours, which sometimes worked but not often. In the 1800’s many jobs had different names than they do today. Below is a list of jobs
that people have done in the town of Deerfield and their definitions:

Blacksmith	A smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil.
Shoemaker	One who makes or repairs shoes
Tanner	Someone who tans hide, then turn the hide into leather
Wheelwright	A man who makes or repairs wheels
Spinner	Someone who twists fibers into thread
Carpenter	A skilled worker who makes, finishes and repairs wooden objects
Joiner	A cabinetmaker whose work involves making things by joining pieces of wood
Cordwainer	Someone who works with cordwain or cordovan leather
Cooper	One who makes or repairs wooden barrels and tubs
Ironworker	One who makes iron articles
Weaver	A craftsman who weaves cloth
Farmer	One who works on or operates a farm

Deerfield missing out on two oportunities

Railroads: When railroad construction news was spreading around on where the actual railroads would go through, there was a chance that one would go right through Deerfield. Finding out this might happen was very good news for businesses. Having a railroad stop would produce more costumers and much better business. It could even help Deerfield become a city or at least better known throughout NH. In the end, instead of going through Deerfield, the railroad would go around it in bordering towns.

Capital: Deerfield and Concord were two of the cities that had a good chance to be the capital of New Hampshire. The two were pretty equal, but when they found out that there would be no railroads in Deerfield, it changed their minds. They didn’t want the state’s capital not to have any easy way of transportation for people to travel there or just to visit.

The Deerfield Fair

Deerfield held their first fair September 26, 1877. Filled with food and entertainment, the fair had a great turnout and had lots of progress through the years. From horses and sheep shows to flowers and embroidery, the fair had so many different exhibits, anyone could find something to look at. The fair showed that the farmers from Deerfield had done wisely on growing their crops, and didn’t give up because the railroad passed them by.

A Poem

Family An Original Poem by Julianne S. Loved ones were lost A won was gained The hardest thing to do Was to hide all the pain Prices went up While job pay went down This was hard for families When no work was found Some lived on farms That needed tending to every day Planting many different crops So that people will pay The one hope for all families like this Is that they will stay together So that no one will be missed

Bibliography:

• Bicentennial celebration 1766-1966 Deerfield NH“
• Rural Education in the late 1800’s”, www.cobleskill.edu/schools/mcs.csbest/schools.htm
• Encarta Encyclopedia, 1993-1998 “steam boats
• “Ice skating clipart galore skating history”, http://www.icesk8.com/clipart7.htm
• “Colorado ski museum”, http://www.vailsoft.com/museum/history.html
• Kay moore, and Anni Matsick, War 1994, Printed in the USA
• “Population figures”, http://state.nh.us/osp/sdc/1830-920.htm

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A Day in the Life of Martin V.B. Hill
Fiction by Joey T.

May/ 5 / 1870

Dear diary,

I woke up today to the twittering of the birds. I walked to the kitchen, where I was greeted by my wife saying to me, “get a dozen eggs from the barn for breakfast. The stove will be hot enough in a half hour.” So I went to feed the animals first. I started walking to the barn. When I was about half way there I felt out of breath. I didn’t think any thing about it; I just thought it was the crisp air, so I kept going.

When I got to the barn, I fed the pigs, horses, and the chickens. When I was done feeding the chickens, I got the eggs and carried them to where I milked the cows and put them on a haystack. Then I started to milk a cow. After awhile, I started to wheeze, then to cough. When my son came in, he said that I should see a doctor. But what does he know? He is only a child. I told him to take over for me. After he was done I carried the eggs and milk back to the house.

When I got there, I was having a coughing fit. I thought to myself, “Could it be that cold I caught in the Army?”

My wife took the milk and eggs from me and gave me a glass of water. She said to sit down and drink the water. So I drank the water. It felt so good to have something cold go down my throat. After I was done with my drink, I went and woke up the rest of my kids. By the time I was done with waking them, breakfast was ready.

We ate eggs with bread, bacon and some milk. After I ate, I had to go to work. Today I made shoes for my brother. He lives about 10 miles away from me. I already had him over yesterday so that I could fit him to make a last. Today I made the shoes. When I punched the holes in the shoes I got so tired that I could barely breath. By the time I finished it, it was past 12:00 in the afternoon.

[Teacher's note - according to his 1880 census information, Hill was a "shoe bottomer". He worked in a shop and assembled one part of a shoe. Joey is right however, that up until that period, cobblers would have been involved in every aspect of shoemaking, including making lasts, or models of feet.]

I took a small nap but was awakened by the sound of hammers and people talking. It was the other shoe makers busy making shoes. I remembered that I had to bring the shoes that I made to my brother’s house. When I went into the shop, the other shoemakers were steadily at work. I got my brother’s shoes and told the other shoemakers that I was going to deliver some shoes. I went to the barn and saddled up a horse so I could get to my brother’s house faster. I started to ride but felt so tired that I almost fell off the horse twice.

When I got to my brother’s house I gave him his shoes and he offered for me to stay for dinner. I couldn’t resist his wife’s great cooking. So I said, “yes.” I went and sat in a chair so that we could talk. Before I got a single word out, I began to wheeze. His wife told me to sit and relax and wanted to call the doctor. I said that physicians cost too much for me.

I thought to myself, “if this gets much worse then I’ll have to see a doc.”

My brother and me sat and talked for awhile when his wife cooked dinner. She called us in for dinner, so I stared to walk towards the kitchen when I was blasted by the smell of the food. Right there, I forgot all of my troubles for I was engulfed by the delicious taste and smell of the meal. After dinner I said “goodbye.” They why I was leaving so early. I replied that Í had a long ride and was tired from my long day.

So I left with no hurry. When I got home I said good night to my wife. The kids were already asleep so I went to my room and wrote this letter.

I am realy tired now so I am going to go to sleep.”

Well, good night.




Bibliography:

• Military and pension records
• Bicentennial celebration

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Martin V.B. Hill's Finances
by Eliza E.

In my Socials Studies class we were given a project called “The Dead Person Project”. My class decided to research a man named Martin V.B. Hill. I was given the project of trying to find out if Martin V.B. Hill was rich or poor. I knew that there would be very little information on him and just him alone so I started to look at the broader picture. Here is what I found on him.

Martin V.B. Hill earned $25.00 when he joined the Military with his two brothers ($10.00 was taken for writing the papers). He lasted only two battles before he became very sick and had to leave. When Martin came back to Deerfield he married and had three children. His illness continued.

Martin V.B. Hill’s family lived on a small farm on a one-acre piece of land. (Around then a house would cost around $7,000 and one acre cost $5.00). For a living, Martin was a shoemaker. He would travel around Deerfield and nearby towns making shoes for farmers and their families. At that time he might make around $.50 per shoe.

Later on, because of Martin V.B. Hill’s sickness, he had trouble traveling around. This made it harder for him to earn money. At that time he applied for a pension from the government. After many years of trying to convince the government that he needed a pension. They decided that he was eligible because he had gotten sick in the service. Martin was given $4.00 every month until September 1st 1886. From than on he was only given $8.00 every month until he died which was sadly one year after that.

After Martin V.B. Hill died, all his stuff was rated by the government to see how much he and his home was worth. The list below shows most of the stuff that he owned. Some things were left out if they weren’t worth anything and were pointless to list.

Object	Price
Cash on Hand (Cash that was in the house)	$50.00
Money in the bank	$600.00
Livestock (Martin V.B. Hill had 2 pigs probably to eat)	$10.00
Crops (Small garden in the back of the house)	$6.50
Farming materials (Small tools for garden and the pigs)	$3.75
Cooking Range	$6.00
Chairs	$0.75
Rocker	$0.20
Kid's Chairs	$1.00
Table	$0.25
Cookstove	$5.00
Clock (there would only be 1 clock in a house)	$3.00
Chairs (in sitting room)- these would be fancy; this room was the most fancy room always.	$9.00
Stove (To heat the house)	$1.00
Bible (Every Family had a Bible in their home)	$3.00
Bedsteads	$1.00
Wooden	$2.00
Carpet (Small carpets in their room to help keep heat in)	$2.00
Crib	$0.25
Glass	$2.00
Tinware	$3.00
Total:	$709.70

After looking at pictures and reading articles on the computer and in books, I found that he probably had around the average amount of stuff that a person would have in their home and on their land.

Money Then and Now

Object	Then	Now
Candy	$0.60	$1.00
Flour	$0.10	$0.40
Tea	$0.65	$3.00
Paint	$0.25	$5.00
Soap	$0.25	$2.75
Piano	$180.00	$12,000
Book	$0.75	$4.95
Yarn	$0.02	$5.95
Rifle	$30.00	$500.00
Wallpaper	$0.10	$30.00
Coffee	$1.00	$9.49
	= $502.93	÷ 10=$50.29

I wanted to find out how much $1.00 now would be worth than. So I took all the prices of what I found added them up and averaged them out to find the answer. After all that I found that $1.00 then would be worth around $50.00.

After I looking through all Martin V.B. Hills records, looking things up in books and on the computer, fingering out the math to get the amount of what Martin had; I believe that Martin V.B. Hill had a little less then average person had. He might have looked rich from the government money in the bank but by the amount of money that he made joining the army and being a shoemaker was not a lot and made it hard to think that he was a rich man.

I had fun learning about the past of Deerfield and I hope that we as a class brought someone back to life for the town.




Bibliography:

• The Value of a Dollar, Edited By: Scott Derks A Manly, INC. Book
• Compton’s Encyclopedia, Compton’s Learning Company Chicago 1922
• Shoe Peddlers of the Centuries.com
• Grocery.com
• Amazon.com
• Visionaries, Farmers & Markets.com

• Return to top of page

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What Did Hill and His Family Own?
An alphabet by Laura W.

Animals (Livestock) Livestock is any sort of farm animal, for example: sheep, pigs, cows and many more From what I know Martin owned two pigs which were probably only there for food. Back then ,for the most part, livestock was kept as food, and very rarely kept as pets.	Bible Most house holds in the 1800’s contained at least one bible. The bible that Martin owned was worth three dollars.	Carpet Most 1800 house were lined with carpeting from wall to wall that is nailed down by small nails. The small nails allowed the carpet to be pulled up for cleaning.
Desk More likely than not Martin would have owned a desk to write letters and or notes on. I’m pretty sure that Martin owned a desk because in the Schedule of Personal Affect it states that Martin owned wood ware which include desk.	Eating utensils Even in the 1800’s people used eating utensils, silverware, to eat their food with. In Martin’s Schedule of Personal Affects the eating utensils are listed as table cutlery.	Farming utensils Farming utensils were very useful for keeping crops at their best. Martin owned some farming utensils such as a hoe, shovel, rake, etc. We know this because Martin owed pigs which would require the tools listed above.
Glass In the 1800’s glass was most commonly found being used for windows of houses.	Hammer Hammers in the 1800’s were used for the same types of things that they are used for today. I’m guessing that Martin most likely owned a hammer because his profession was shoemaking which requires many different types of hammers.	Ice Box Martin also probably owned an ice box to preserve food for longer periods of time.
Jar Jars were possibly used for food storage throughout the winter. They were pretty important because if you just left food out in the open it would all go bad, and you wouldn’t have anything to eat.	Kerosene Lamps Lamps such as these served a very big propose in the 1800’s, without them there would have been very dark nights. I would say that Martin owned about four or five kerosene lamps.	L and Martin and his family didn’t own any real estate, which means that he either lived with another family or rented a house. I know this because when I was reading Martin’s Schedule of Personal Affects paper I realized the under real estate it was blank.
Money Martin had: fifty dollars on hand (with him or at his house), six hundred dollars in the bank and his brother owed him fifty dollars. Martin owned a total of seven hundred dollars which tells us that he was pretty much middle class back then.	Night Stand Martin’s night stand was more likely than not placed beside his bed for easy access of a favorite book or newspaper.	Overcoat Martin or his wife could have possibly owned over coats to keep themselves warm in the winter months.
Pantry The pantry is where the Hill’s would have kept all of their food…food in jars mostly. His pantry would probably been about the size of a small closet.	Quilt Since the Hill’s didn’t own a wood stove [Teacher's note - they did , but it would have still been an effort to keep warm] they had no heat source and you can imagine those cold winter nights. Without quilts I don’t know what they would have done. At night they probably bundled up in many layers of quilt to say warm	Clothes  wRinger A clothes ringer is a contraption use for staining out the water from clothes after you have washed them. It’s pretty much a hand-held washing machine.
Stove Martin most likely owned a wood stove judging by the time period that Martin lived in. Without a stove his family would have had a very hard time preparing meals.	Tinware Tinware was very popular in the 1800’s and is still popular today. Tin ware is decorations for your house including: candles, indoor and outdoor lights, wall hangings, etc.	Upholstery Upholstery possibly was used to cover his couch or couches and maybe a few chairs.
Vase More likely than not Martin would have owned a vase or two to preserve flowers in.	Woodware Woodware is a variety of wooden furniture such as: benches, cupboards, desks, etc. As you read above you will see that Martin owns a few pieces of wood ware in the house that he lives in.	A x Martin most likely owned an ax to do handy work around the yard, such as cutting off dead branches of trees, chopping wood, etc.
Yarn Yarn was probably most commonly used by Martin’s wife for knitting sweaters, socks, mittens, etc. Yarn was also probably used for blankets and scarves.	Zzzzzzzzzzz Martin owned two beds in two different rooms of the house that he lived in. There were probably two or more quilts on each bed and I know that there was a night stand next to at least one of them. There was most likely a kerosene lamp next to each bed as well.

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