Pathfinder created by Cathy Burgard

East Haddam Free Public Library

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What was life like during colonial times? Who were the early colonists and how did they survive in this new land? This guide is designed to help fifth through eighth grade students find the answers to these and other questions about our earliest settlers. We have put together a list of excellent resources on colonial American history including fiction and non-fiction print materials, magazines, maps and timelines, audio-visual materials, and wonderful online sites. We hope you find our pathfinder useful and that you’ll come to the library and let us help you find out more about this exciting period in history!

Dewey Decimal Numbers to Browse ( A ‘j’ before one of these call numbers indicates juvenile material)

General history of the period - 973.2,

Colonial architecture - 734

Colonial crafts - 745.1

Colonial cooking - 645.5

*Children of the Colonies (j973.2 Hou)

By Mildred Houghton Comfort (Benefic Press, 1948)

An "oldie but goodie" with an extensive glossary of colonial terms, and excellent chapters on the upbringing and education of children during the colonial era.

*+Colonial Craftsmen Series (Call numbers vary according to the craft)

By Alice Morse Earle (Cavendish, 1991)

A wealth of information about eighteen different occupations of colonial people. Beautiful illustrations!

Describes the work of craftsmen and artisans in Colonial America. Shows types of work done in town shops and factories, as well as, in homes, village shops, and country forges.

+Colonial Life (j973.2 Kal)

By Bobbie Kalman. (Crabtree Publishing, 1992)

Describes the daily lives of the hardworking people of a colonial community, the importance of family members, and the roles that religion and education played in people's lives more than two hundred years ago. Gives a glimpse of life on a plantation and the sad plight of the slaves who toiled long hours in the fields. Describes how people traveled from place to place and how they spent their leisure time.

*Cooking Up U.S. History (Ref 641.59 Bar)

By Suzanne I. Barchers.(Teachers Ideas Press,1991)

Includes a chapter on the colonial period with 18 easy to make recipes, many illustrations and an appendix of cooking terms.

*+From Colonies to Country (j973.2 Hak)

By Joy Hakim, (Oxford University Press, 1999)

Beautifully illustrated with over 140 new four-color illustrations, and maps. Includes 94 essential documents with historical commentary.

*Early Connecticut Houses (Ref 724 Ish)

By Norman M. Isham. (Preston and Rounds, 1900)

This antique volume contains an excellent chapter describing the construction techniques of the colonial period. The chapters on individual houses also contain much valuable information on the features of this period.

*Early settlers in America (j973.2 H23)

By Helene Hanff (Grosset & Dunlap, 1965)

Includes information on social life and religious observances in Salem and Plymouth colonies.

+Hasty Pudding, Johnnycakes, and Other Good stuff: Cooking in Colonial America (j641.5 Ich)

By Lorretta Ichord (Millbrook, 1998)

Presents colonial food preparation, with a look at what ingredients and cooking equipment were available. Includes recipes and a great bibliography.

*Home and Child Life in Colonial Days Ref (j973.2 G86)

By Leonard Everett Fisher (Berkshire House, 1993

A much consulted source since its first publication in 1898! Chock full of specific information on the daily life of Pre-Revolutionary America

Kids in Colonial Times (j973.2 Wro

By Lisa a Wrobel (Powerkids Press, 1999)

A detailed look at the daily life of children in colonial times. Lots of appealing color illustrations.

+Life in the American Colonies (j973.2 Dea)

By Ruth Dean and Melissa Thompson, (Lucent Books 1999)

Discusses the day-to-day aspects of country and city life in the American colonies for a variety of people of different professions, specific immigrant groups, and slaves.

*+Making Thirteen Colonies (j973.2 Hak)

By Joy Hakim, (Oxford University Press, 1999)

Includes beautiful reproductions of pictures, maps, and photos on every page, plus sidebars on notable events and individuals. There are also extensive quotes from primary documents, with explanations on who wrote them, and when. Contains its own index, recommended reading list, and chronology.

*Significant American Colonial Leaders (j973.2 S57)

Edited by Morris R. Buske. (Children’s Press,1975)

Provides over 100 brief biographical sketches of important historical figures of the period.

What People Wore in Colonial America (j391Sta)

By Allison Stark Draper (Powerkids Press, 2001)

A detailed description of the clothing of adults and children, farmers and town dwellers during the colonial period.

A great source of information about colonial crafts. Highlights include sections on blacksmiths, candlemakers, housebuilders, all the other craftsmen who contributed to the creation of America’s original heritage of arts and crafts.

+Woman’s Life in Colonial Days (j973.2 Hol)

By Carl Holliday (Dover Publications, 1999)

A fascinating glimpse of the day-to-day lives and activities of colonial women revealing many of the hardships they endured: childbirth, the deaths of children, war, accidents, and disease, and the sheer physical strain. Although their lives often were harsh and filled with hard work, colonial women had a variety of interests: cooking and clothing, religion, education, marriage, children, and social life.

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Night Journeys. (Morrow, 1979)

By Avi.

Peter York's guardian, Everett, is a devout Quaker and, in 1768, his care of Peter seems unbending and unfair. He joins a hunt for some runaway indentured servants on the Pennsylvania - New Jersey border, only to find that they have been truly mistreated. Now he must seek help from Everett to help the children.

Charlie's House. (Knopf, 1993)

By Clyde Robert Bulla

An indentured servant, Charlie Brig comes to America seeking a prosperous life and finds instead that he is indentured to an impossibly cruel man, the only escape from whom is to cast his lot with the runaway slaves.

Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth. (Morrow, 1968)

By Patricia Clapp.

This novel gives us an imaginary journal kept by Constance Hopkins from the time she sails on the Mayflower until her wedding five years later. Although a work of fiction, the book sticks quite closely to the facts and gives us a personal look at the day to day life in Plymouth.

Ransom of Mercy Carter (Delacourt, 2001)

By Caroline B. Cooney

Eleven-year-old Mercy and her family and neighbors are captured by Mohawk Indians and their French allies, and forced to march through bitter cold to French Canada, where some adapt to new lives.

The Courage of Sarah Noble (Aladdin, 1954)

By Alice Dagliesh.

Short and accessible, this fact based novel shows us a white family of settlers and their friendship with local Indians through the eyes of the eight year old daughter.

Calico Bush. (Dell, 1931)

By Rachel Field
This 1931 Newbery Award winner stands the test of time. The story of a French orphan indentured to an English family, this book gives us an intimate portrait of the interactions and prejudices between the two groups of settlers and the English family's conflict with local Native Americans.

Dear America Series: A Journey to the New World. The Story of Remember Patience Whipple, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1620. (Scholastic, 1999)

Twelve year old Remember Patience Whipple arrives in the New World after a grueling 65 day journey on the Mayflower.

Dear America Series: Standing in the Light. The Captive Story of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763. (Scholastic, 1999)

A Quaker girl's diary reflects her experiences growing up in the Delaware River Valley of Pennsylvania and her capture by Lenape Indians in 1763.

Saturnalia. (HarperCollins, 1990)

By Paul Fleischman
William's Narragansett village has been attacked and he seems to be its sole survivor. Apprenticed to a printer in Boston in 1681, he walks the night streets hoping to find some trace of his family

Early Thunder. (Putnam, 1967)

By Jean Fritz..
This novel offers a more balanced view than most of the period immediately preceding the Revolutionary War.

Tituba of Salem Village. (Harper Trophy, 1991)
By Ann Petry.
This slightly fictionalized account of the Salem witchcraft trials shows how suspicion is cast on Tituba, not only because she can tell fortunes, but because she is black and friendless. The girls who accuse her and others are portrayed variously as foolish, misguided, and self-centered.

Witch of Blackbird Pond. (Dell, 1978)

By Elizabeth Speare

Kit Tyler spent the first sixteen years of her life in the Barbados where rules were less restrictive. At Blackbird Pond, the only place where Kit feels free, she meets and befriends Hannah, a Quaker whom villagers suspect of witchcraft. Takes place in nearby Wethersfield.

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*+Colonial America (Grolier, 1998)

This is a beautifully illustrated, 10 volume set covering all aspects of colonial life. It has good cross-references to help you navigate and a super bibliography to give you some additional sources.

Encyclopedia Americana (Grolier, 2000)

Look under "Colonial Life" pp. 280-298

*Encyclopedia of American History, 7th ed. (Harper Collins, 1996)

The best all-around one-volume encyclopedia of American history

*United States Encyclopedia of History (Curtis Publishing, 1968)

This sixteen volume set contains good basic information on the most commonly researched topics. There is no actual entry for the colonial period per se, so it is necessary to search for the broad general topic such as "education" or "clothing" in the index contained in volume 16. The information on the colonial period may be found at the beginning of each of these entries..

*+World Book (World Book, Inc. 2000)

Look under "Colonial life in America" pp.786-812.

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When searching the online catalog, some keywords to try:

American history--Colonial period.

Colonial America--Juvenile literature.

Colonial period--1600 to 1775--Juvenile literature

United States --Social life and customs --To 1775.

United States--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775--Juvenile literature.

About.com. Colonial America (http://americanhistory.about.com/homework/americanhistory/cs/colonialamerica/index.htm)

A super collection of links to information about early life in America, early settlements and famous colonists. Original documents.

Archiving Early America (http://www.earlyamerica.com)

Includes lots of primary source material from 18^th century America. Some great pages on "Notable Women of Early America" and helpful tips on how to read a 200 year old document.

The Colonial American Gazette (http://www.bcity.com/history)

Offers a wealth of information on colonial living.

Colonial Diseases and Cures (http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sam/disease.html)

A glossary of colonial diseases and cures.

Colonial History (http://www.cia-g.com/~rockets/colonial.htm)

Contains many useful links including one to rare maps of colonial America.

Colonial Occupations (http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sam/occupation.html)

A glossary of hundreds of Colonial occupations

(http://www.history.org)

Click on "Education", then "Historical Almanack" (under "Research"). The Almanack section provides a colonial dateline, information on famous colonial places and people, as well as information on everyday life in the colonies.

Http://www.kidinfo.com/American/History/Colonization_Colonial_Life.html

This site will point you in many colonial history directions. There are a lot of links to sift through. Try "Colonial Life" and the "Colonization" links to the particular original colonies. Some of these are better than others, but provide a great gateway to lots of info.

(http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/history/toc.htm)

Chapter 2 of this attractively designed site deals with The Colonial Period and Chapter 3 gives the events leading up to the American Revolution.

(http://www.ushistory.org/)

Information centering around historic times, places, events and people during the colonial period.

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Dear America Series: A Journey to the New World. The Story of Remember Patience Whipple, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1620. Scholastic, 1999. (30 mins.)

Twelve year old Remember Patience Whipple arrives in the New World after a grueling 65 day journey on the Mayflower.

Dear America Series: Standing in the Light. The Captive Story of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763. Scholastic, 1999.(30 mins)

A Quaker girl's diary reflects her experiences growing up in the Delaware River Valley of Pennsylvania and her capture by Lenape Indians in 1763.

Amasa Day House. - Plains Rd,. Moodus. - Tel No. 873-8144

East Haddam Historical Society — 264 Town St. - Tel No. 873-3944

Karl Stofko — Town historian. Presents programs on colonial period.

Moodus Drum and Fife Corps - Presents programs with authentic music from colonial era

Venture Smith (Freed slave in Colonial period) Gravestone in First Congregational church graveyard.

East Haddam Library has a biography describing his experiences as a slave and a freedman in our own local community.

By Ruby Zagoren (World Publishing, 1969)

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This pathfinder was created by Cathy Burgard, ILS 504,

Southern Connecticut State University, November, 2001.