FYI... I've been away with family for a long week end. This is the first I've heard about this series on PBS. Perhaps you have been watching it but just in case, maybe you'd like to catch this last one in a series tonight on life in New England in 1628 as I hope I will be able to do. Later...Nancy Nancy Cluff Siders TSFA President and List Admin for: CLUFF-L, COUNTRYMAN-L, LETSON-L, MCKAY-ELKENNY-L, SACKETT-L, SIDERS-L To forget one's ancestor is to be a brook without a source, A tree without a root. ~Chinese proverb -----Original Message----- From: CloughGen@aol.com [mailto:CloughGen@aol.com] Sent: Monday, May 24, 2004 10:44 AM To: CLOUGH-GENEALOGY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [CLOUGH-GEN] Colonial House... Dear Listers, PBS has produced another very good reality type series called Colonial House. The series takes modern folk back to 1628 where the participants live life as new settlers in New England in 1628. It was a real test of the participants will since the life our ancestors lived nearly 400 years ago was much more rugged and difficult than we are ever faced with in modern society. Even for those who are used to "roughing it" while camping would, in all likelihood, find it difficult to sustain the 1628 way of life for four months. These participants had to: wear the clothing of our early ancestors (quite a challenge to get accustomed to such coverings and lack of other coverings we are very used to); cook over a fire and keep that fire going regardless of the outside temps; make a profit for the colony as the early colonists had to do in order to finance their trip from their investors; attend church for a total of six hours on Sunday; obey the early colonist laws pertaining to attending church (a must in the early colonies), keeping their attire appropriate, how they lived in their homes, as well as their manner of speech, i.e. no obscenities; stay within the role they each had to play within the fictitious colony. The series really brings to the fore how woman today have much freedom. Our female ancestors did not enjoy a fraction of the type of freedom we enjoy today. Woman were the cooks, cleaners, child bearers, and child minders. Their whole day was taken up by these duties. They also had no say in colony affairs. The men, on the other hand, ruled their households, controlled colony life, and worked very hard six days a week (Sunday was the mandatory observation of the Sabbath). For those of us interested in our ancestry this PBS series is quite good at giving us a look into the lives our ancestors lived and it really brings home how robust our ancestors must have been to sustain life in the "New World." If any of you have the option of viewing this series I highly recommend it. Our ancestors truly broke new ground in many ways while creating this country. We should all be very grateful for the paths they created and on which we enjoy walking today. Best Wishes, Sheila Andersen CLOUGH-GENEALOGY-L owner CloughGen@aol.com Genealogist John Clough Genealogical Society CloughGen@aol.com http://ourworld.cs.com/cloughgenl/