With all colonial women had to do taking care of their families and homes, one would think they could never get out of the home. It wasn't usual for women to work outside of the home in the 1600s but many did, especially poor women who needed the money. According to Plymouth Colony records of 1644, one woman, "Mistress Jenny," was identified as the person who promised to do the grinding at the mill and to keep bags of corn from sprouting. There wee a few other women who were allowed to earn money by being nurses, midwifes, cleaners of | the meeting house and tavern keepers. The tavern keeper positions happened most often when a woman's husband was the tavern keeper and died and she would be allowed to keep the position so she would have an income. Some earned money while never leaving the home by baking, sewing, spinning, weaving and knitting. Of course, in the 1700s,women were employed more regularly outside the home in printing shops, newspaper and publishing companies and in mills. |
Female Adventurers |
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