Old+Sturbridge+Village+in+19th+Century

**Topic: School** **How many classes did the kids usually take a day and how long were they?** They learned the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and sometimes went on to geography, history, and English composition. School was held for ten or twelve weeks in the winter months, usually beginning after Thanksgiving. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=146

The children would be whipped on the behind or smacked on their knuckles with a ruler. There was one boy named Abijah Wilkins who was known as a troublemaker and became the victim of the teacher because of his rude behavior. He stuck a pin into a boy and was almost whipped brutally until he begged to be good and the teacher let him go. It was not too often that a child would get off with a warning. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=146
 * What happened to children who misbehaved in class?**

Mostly the same asyou do now, like arithmetic, reading, and writing. We even learned geography. We learned poetry which I was very good at. I wrote a lot of poetry in my spare time. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=822
 * What kinds of subjects did you learn?**

It depended on how far away the kids lived from school. Some kids lived a couple miles away and they had to walk every morning in the freezing cold. There weren't any school buses so they couldn't be driven to school. [[http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=146
 * Did it take a long time to walk to school?**

**Topic: Food What did breakfast consist of in the 19th century?** Breakfast was kept very simple since they didn't have much to eat. It consisted of bread and milk with a huge washbowl of milk in the center, with a bowl and spoon set for each person. - Jack Larkin, 1999 http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=631 There were many foods, some of which were also eaten for breakfast. They would be ham, beef, sausages, pork, bread, butter, boiled potatoes, pies, coffee, and cider. These foods were well-worked for. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=631
 * What other foods did people in the 9th century eat?**

Yes, there was, but when people went into taverns for a meal, that was known as home cooking. Even if the food wasn't good, it was still known as good ol' home cooking. http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=631
 * Was there such a thing as "home cooking" back then?**

Some country taverns were renowned for their culinary specialties. The Tourtellote-White "Lower Tavern" in Millbury, Mass., the town history tells us, was "famous for its bird-suppers." Landlord John White, "the most popular hotel keeper in town…was a crack shot, and always had a larder full of game birds." Englishman William Strickland was delighted by a tavern repast, about 1830, that offered beefsteaks, lamb chops, freshly baked bread with butter, honey and preserves, pickled relishes and pies. "Such a scene gladdened our hearts," he wrote. "We praised American fare and enjoyed a meal so well suited to our stomachs." - Jack Larkin, 1999 http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/document_viewer.php?DocID=631
 * Was the food in the tavern worth eating?**

I think that it is easier to live in the generation that we do now because we have so much more stuff to help us with things, but I would have to say that the 19th century and today are becoming more and more alike because of our economy. People don't have as much money so they can't afford to buy the proper tools, just like the people of the 19th century didn't //have// the proper tools. But the thing is, we still have a big privilege in the way we live today. We have a lot of electronic devices. I know, I know, Mr. Bogush would just say that I fell into the trap. But it's true! If it weren't for technology, who knows where we would be today? Probably living an even harder life than the people of the 19th century. So in conclusion, I am perfectly happy with living in the generation of today!