Families had gardens. The very first gardens that the Pilgrims planted were not very successful. They had brought seeds from England to plant, but the rocky soil resulted in a meager harvest until Samoset and Squanto, two Native Americans, showed them how to plant. Both Native Americans also helped the newcomers befriend Chief Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag Indian tribe in the area.
The farmers of Plimouth Colony raised cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and chicken. (Some of these early breeds can still be found in today's Plimouth Plantation.) The entire family had to help. They awoke at 4 A.M. and worked until they went to bed at 8 P.M. Children did not have a lot of time to play. Pilgrim parents wanted to raise honest and hardworking children.
Mothers taught their daughters to make all the family clothing, how to make soap and candles, how to churn butter and make cheese, how to salt and smoke meats, how to take care of the farm animals, how to take care of the garden, and most importantly, how to care for younger children.
Fathers taught their sons how to plant crops, chop wood, build houses and barns, how to build furniture, how to make and fix tools, and how to fix fences. When the sons were of an age to marry, fathers gave them some of the farm land.
Besides learning all these skills from their parents, Pilgrim children also had to pick berries, carry water, clean the copper pots with salt and vinegar, feed the animals, help to hang the laundry over fences to dry, and baby-sit younger siblings.
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