Daily Chores 

Each day was full of work to be done. Different tasks were assigned to certain days, while some tasks were a daily necessity. Every day the floors were swept using brooms made of broom sedge or broomcorn, the second of which was grown for the purpose of making brooms. On occasion, the floor was also scrubbed using lye soap and a mop made out of corn shucks. Sometimes sand was used instead of soap and then swept away after the floor dried.

Cooking was another important daily task. Meals were often prepared on cast iron, wood burning stoves, in the fireplace or over an open outdoor fire. Bread, biscuits and cornbread were cooked almost everyday. One day a week was set aside for baking. Often on a Saturday, the women would bake a week’s worth of pies and cakes. The pies and cakes would be stored in a “pie safe,” which was a large cabinet that had screen doors and sides to keep bugs out and the temperature cool.

The weekly task of washing clothes was usually done on a Monday. Washing in the days of the pioneers was especially different than it is today. Everything was done by hand; first, the clothes were placed in an iron pot full of boiling water. Next, a washboard and lye soap was used to scrub the clothing. Families that did not own washboards used wooden sticks, called battling sticks, to beat out the dirt. The clothing was then rinsed three times and hung to dry. The sunlight would act as bleach to the clothing, keeping whites their whitest.

On Tuesdays, the women would iron the freshly clean clothes. Heavy irons, called flat irons, were heated on the stove or fireplace and then used to press out the wrinkles. Most women had two irons so that they could heat one iron while using the other.

Sewing was a daily chore performed by the women of the families. Mothers began teaching their daughters to sew as early as four years old.  Most sewing was done by hand, but some women owned treadle sewing machines that were powered foot pumps.

The task of getting water required quite a bit more work than it does today. Someone from the family would have to pump the water or pull it out from a well. On the back porch, the families would keep a bucket of drinking water with a long handled gourd to drink out of.

Outside Chores
Food was always fresh for the Florida pioneers. Common vegetables grown in the gardens of the early Florida settlers were green beans, cow peas, tomatoes, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, collard greens, mustard greens, beets, watermelons, herbs and sugar cane. After the vegetables were picked, the women of the families would take the steps to preserve the fresh foods. They would can the vegetables, dry the beans and make jams and jellies.

Each family raised its own hogs, cattle, chickens, ducks and turkeys for meat and eggs. The younger children would have the daily chore of feeding and caring for the animals. In the cold months, the men of the families would butcher the animals. The women would then prepare the meats for curing and smoking.

A cow was kept for milk. One of the older children would have the daily task of milking the cow early in the morning and late in the evening. Horses and mules were also kept for pulling the wagon and plowing.
Because many Florida families lived near the water, they would often go fishing for mullet. The mullet would be cleaned, salted, and packed in barrels for future use. When it was prepared for eating, it would have to be soaked in water for a long period to remove the salty taste.

Many pioneer families kept bee hives to pollinate the fruits and vegetables and to make honey for their family.

Butter Making	Candle Making	Laundry	Rug/Carpet Cleaning