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Gentility was the refinement of one’s social status in early America. In the eighteenth century to be referred to as a gentleman meant that a man was a member of the upper class or gentry. After the American Revolution the code of gentility was more broadly defined to include great merchants, planters, clergy, professionals, and officers of the court and government. As the nineteenth century commenced and a distinct middle class evolved, smaller merchants, school teachers, shopkeepers, and managers also came to extol the genteel life. These people began to find less expensive substitutes whereby they could emulate the upper class, thus creating a vernacular gentility (1).
The landed gentry in Virginia were well established as tobacco planters along the tidewaters of the east. By 1800 most of these gentlemen were fourth and fifth generation descendants of original settlers. They were institutionalized politically, economically, and socially. In most instances, they were at the forefront of the political idealism of the Revolution and the writing of the national constitution. Their family inheritance included extensive landholdings throughout Virginia; many slaves; and positions as vestrymen in the Episcopal Church, delegates in the General Assembly, and magistrates in the courts. They married among themselves, looking upon matrimony as a means to expand their landholdings and personal wealth. They were well educated for the age at Princeton or the College of William and Mary. Many read law in order to carry out complicated business and financial arrangements. Mills, tobacco warehouses, and import-exportbusinesses were adjuncts to their growing of crops. By the early 1800s the more progressive planters were diversifying into wheat and corn along with their tremendous tobacco production. The continual addition of lands to their holdings also meant the addition of more slaves (or servants, as white Virginians preferred to call them). Both added wealth and considerable debt, a conundrum acknowledged but passed on to succeeding generations (2).
The homes of many of these Virginians still stand and provide a revealing record of the families that lived in them. The landed gentry relied primarily on books of architecture from England, immigrant crafters, and hundreds of slaves to create their great mansion houses. Most of them were accessible by both land and water; the homes were built on a slight hill overlooking a nearby river and were reached overland by a long winding road lined with trees. The mansion’s support system included separate buildings to house a kitchen, laundry, smokehouse, dairy, stable, coach house, and often a school. Smaller more numerous buildings housed the slave population. The symmetry of the property included well manicured formal gardens designed to enhance the house and further herald the owner’s social position. Beyond this area lay hundreds or thousands of acres of crops (3).
Interiors of the homes delineated the pursuits of the family. A large dining room and parlor were used for entertaining guests, who often stayed overnight in a guest bedroom. In Virginia, dining was a fine art in which planters took great pride. Imported china and silver displayed upon Chippendale or Sheraton tables awaited guests; sideboards groaned under the excesses of a variety of meats, vegetables, and fruits. Southern hospitality bloomed here. Children ate elsewhere under the supervision of servants, while parents enjoyed their guests’ company. Servants utilized back stairs and moved discreetly through the house to do the master’s bidding. Libraries with assortments of books were common gathering places for men, while women congregated in the parlor after dinner. Some homes had ballrooms; others had large central hallways that were used for dancing (4). The mansion known as Kenmore provides an example of all the aforementioned features.
The Lewis-Washington Connection
The story of Kenmore began with the founding of the hamlet of Fredericksburg, Virginia, a mile below the falls along the southern banks of the Rappahannock River. It was established as a trading center in 1727 to enable planters to ship their tobacco to English and European ports. Located at the western end of the area known locally as the Northern Neck, the land formed a peninsula between the Potomac River to the north and the Rappahannock to the south. Another trade center was established to the north at Alexandria on the Potomac. The Northern Neck was the boyhood home of George Washington, who grew up at Ferry Farm in Stafford County across the river from Fredericksburg. In 1746 young Fielding Lewis of Warner Hall in Gloucester County courted and married his second cousin, Catherine Washington of Westmoreland County. Her early demise left him a widower with a young son. Lewis then courted another cousin, Elizabeth (Betty) Washington, the younger sister of George. In 1750 at age seventeen Betty married Fielding, who was then twenty-five. Two years later, upon surveyance by George Washington, Lewis purchased 861 acres of land adjoining the town of Fredericksburg. To this land was added an inheritance from his father of 409 acres, for a total of 1270 acres. On a rise overlooking the town and river, Lewis built his mansion, Kenmore (5).
The home Fielding Lewis designed and built was meant to exhibit his growing position of importance as a planter, shipper, and businessman in Fredericksburg. Additionally, he was a justice of the Spotsylvania Court and a burgess in Williamsburg. The dwelling is fifty-three feet wide and forty-one feet deep. The brick walls are constructed in Flemish bond and are two feet thick. Five windows on the second story and four windows with a center door on the first floor project the typical Georgian design of the period. While fairly simple on the exterior, the interior is remarkable for its ambitiously carved ceilings and chimney designs. Scholars believe that much of this ornate plaster design is the work of the Scottish carver and gilder, George Hamilton. Most elaborate are the dining room carvings, an area where Lewis expected to impress guests. The ceiling has been called the greatest masterpiece of American plaster work (6).
Ultimately, Lewis’s support of the growing revolutionary fervor in Virginia led to his financial ruin and death. He headed the local committee to boycott English goods, which grew to become one of the committees of correspondence. He participated in the state convention to separate from Great Britain and directed an arms factory he constructed at Fredericksburg. He loaned large sums of his personal funds for the gunnery and outfitting ships, most of which were never repaid. Within six weeks of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781, Lewis died at his Shenandoah Valley residence; he was fifty-six.
His wife Betty Lewis was left to manage his estates and businesses. During her final years she assumed many responsibilities unusual for a woman at that timecosigning business ventures, managing a plantation, and settling her mother’s estate. She had an indomitable will, imagination, and the courage to start anew.
Upon Betty Lewis’s death in 1797, her stepson John inherited Kenmore. A succession of owners followed until a forty year tenure by Samuel Gordon, which lasted until the Civil War. It was the Gordon family who actually gave the home its name, from their ancestral home in Scotland, Castle Kenmuir. Meanwhile, Fredericksburg grew around Kenmore as the estate shrank in size, so that today it sits in the center of that city (7).
An Inquiry into Eighteenth-Century Life: The Use of an Inventory
Upon the death of a gentleman like Fielding Lewis, the law ordained that executors of his estate inventory all of his worldly possessions as a protection both for the estate and for creditors. Each item was appraised of its value by court-appointed officials. Such an inventory is a comprehensive tool, providing an intimate glimpse into family life at that time. Analyzing Lewis’s possessions can reveal much about the man himself and the world in which he lived. For students, the heart of this project is their use of the inquiry approach to the study of history. Upon completion of this lesson, they will have been exposed to the roles of historian, architect, landscaper, and curator. Additionally, they will be amazed at how much information can be exploited from one document (8).
Preliminary Teacher Instructions
Teachers should allot three to five weeks to accomplish this project. Students can obtain information about southern cultural life from a variety of sources (see Bibliography) and/or teacher lectures. This article can provide a brief sketch of the Lewis family, or Fielding Lewis could be a “mystery man” students research independently or in pairs. Once teachers have set the stage, they should supply students with the assignment sheet included with this article, along with intermediate (if desired) and final deadlines. Concurrently, the students should receive copies of Lewis’s inventory (included with this article) and the caveat to look up words they do not know in an unabridged dictionary such as the Oxford English Dictionary. Language in the eighteenth century did not always mean what it currently means, and the spelling appears atrocious to modern eyes.
TranscriptionPage 1
Appraisement of the Estate of Coll Fielding Lewis in Spotsylvania
17th April 1782
Libra as follows
11 Magazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £ 3. 6. 0
4 Volums Atterbury sermons . . . . . . . . . . 1” 4” 0
Religion of Nature 1 Vol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 5” 0
Instructions for a Lady 1 Vol . . . . .. . . . . . . ” 1” 6
Stack House on the bible 2 Vol . . . . . . . . . 2” 10” 0
The Husband 1 Vol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 1” 3
Faulioners Voyages 1 Vol . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 1” 3
Letters from Eperyion 1 Vol . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 1” 3 Hoyl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 1” 3
Knowledge & practice of Cristianity. . . . . . . . ” 1” 6 Jasper Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 Modern Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 Tisiot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 1” 3 Youngs Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 6” 0 Fishers Concordance . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vol . . . ” 1” 3 Countess Dub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 The History of the brothers . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 Pope’s Homer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vol . . . ” 6” 0 Freeholder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 1” 3 Joshua Freeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 1” 3 The Decamaran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 2” 6
Britons True Assistant . . . . . . . . . .1 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 Gays poems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 6” 0The anchant & present State
of England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 2” 6
The Athenian Oricle . . . . . . . . . . .4 Vol . . . ” 12” 0
Gustavus Adolphus . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 15” 0
The Dreemer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vol . . . ” 1” 6
Philosophical enquire & . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 1” 6
Echerds Talent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 1” 6 The Cry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 The Wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 1” 6 Rawleys history of the World . . . . . 3 Vol . . . ” 6” 0 Yorick Sermons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 Sidne Bydulph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Vol . . . ” 3” 9 Ophiliea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 Compleat house Wife . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 Mrs Glass’s Cookery . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vol . . . ” 2” 6 The Holy Bible. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1” 0” 0 Old books & pamphlits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 0” 0 1 Desk & book Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8” 0” 0 1 Square Table (Walnut) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 15” 0
1 Ovel D̊ Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 5” 0 15 Walnut Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6” 0” 0
1 Larg Looking Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £ 4. 0. 0
1 pr andirons tongs & Shovel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10” 6
1 Small Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15” 0
6 [Magoy] Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6” 0”
2 Do Stool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10” 0
1 Small Walnut Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7” 6
1 Do Mahogany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1” 0” 0
1 Mahogany bedstead & Curtains . . . . . . . . 3” 5” 0
1 Looking Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 15”
1 Pr andirons tongs & Shovel . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 7” 6
1 Black Walnut press. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6” 0” 0
16 Pr Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8” 0” 0
4 Pr Cotton and Thread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2” 0” 0
9 Table Cloaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3” 7” 6
13 Diaper Napkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 19” 6
14 Damask Napkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 8” 0
21 Pillow Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 11” 6
1 Poplar bedstead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 10”
1 Pr andirons & Bellows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 9” 0
Sundry China, Glass ware, Salvers
salts Knives & forks Chaifing Dishes &c . . . . 7” 10” 0
Plate about 82 Oz at 5/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20” 10” 0
11 Course Towells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 11” 0
9 Windsor Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1” 16” 0
1 Glass Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 10” 0
10 Mahogony Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10” 0” 0
1 Do large Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2” 10” 0
1 Tea Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 10” 0
1 Corner Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 10” 0
1 Looking Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2” 10” 0
1 Doz Coffee Cup & Saucers
1 Do Do Tea Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1” 15” 0
1 Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6” 0” 0
1 r. andirons & Tongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 8” 0
1 Doz prins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3” 0” 0
Sundry China Glass ware & &c in Closet . . . . .5” 0” 0
1 Couch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1” 10” 0
14 flag Bottomed Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4” 4” 0
1 Small ovel Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 0” 0
3 Old Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 6” 0
1 Close Stool Chair & pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 0” 0
1 Bedstead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 15” 0
1 Do & Curtains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3” 0” 0
1 Suit of Curtains for field bed . . . . . . . . . . .3” 0” 0
1 Bedstead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 10” 0
1 Pr Andirons Tongs & Shovel . . . . . . . . . . . 9” 0
1 Small Square Table . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . ” 10” 0
TranscriptionPage 2
1 Easy Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £ 2. 0. 0
1 Squar Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 10” 0
1 Pr Andirons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 2” 6
1 Bedstead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 15” 0
1 Wash bason & bottle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 2” 6
1 Char . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 3” 0
14 Blanketts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4” 4” 0
6 Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 16” 0
9 Beds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22” 10” 0
2 Suits of Curtains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2” 0” 0
5 Counterpains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7” 10” 0
Abt 20 Doz Bottles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3” 0” 0
3 Large Bottles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 10” 0
1 Case 9 Bottles 1 Galls Each . . . . . . . . . . . 1” 10” 0
1 Do 11 Do of 1/2 Galls Each . . . . . . . . . . . .3” 0” 0
1 Brass plate Warmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 10” 0
1 Fish Kettle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3” 0” 0
13 Queens China dishes & 18
Plates with a Tureen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2” 5” 0
1 Cooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 6” 0
1 Small Kettle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 8” 0
Stone Ware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 10” 0
3 Hackells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3” 0” 0
1 Carpett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 10” 0
[Twin] Old Sythes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 8” 9
1 Pr Garden Shears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 5” 0
2 Tobo Knives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 6” 0
Abt 60lb of Pewter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2” 10” 0
Coffee pot (1 Copper & 1 Tin) . . . . . . . . . . . ” 10” 0
4 Brass Candle sticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 10” 0
Chariot & harness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20” 0” 0
1 Single Chair & harness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3” 0” 0
1 pr Old wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1” 0” 0
l Larg Iron pott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 0” 0
1 Do Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 15” 0
1 Do Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 14” 0
1 Duch oven & 1 Ditto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 15” 0
Spit Racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 0” 0
2 Grid Irons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 3” 0
2 Spits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 7” 0
2 frying pans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 5” 0
1 Pr kitchen andirons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 4” 0
2 pot Racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 15” 0
1 Larg Copper Kettle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2” 0” 0
2 Brass Skillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ” 12” 0
1 Spice Morter & Pestle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .” 15” 0
18 Candle Molds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1” 7” 0
1 Steel Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £ 1. 0. 0
1 Wheat fann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2” 0” 0
2 Bay Horses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24” 0” 0
5 oxen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21” 0” 0
8 Cows & 5 Calves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25” 0” 0
1 Bay horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2” 0” 0
1 Black Mare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5” 0” 0
4 Sows & pigs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10” 0” 0
3 Horses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45” 0” 0
1 Cart and Geers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5” 0” 0
Negroes
Billy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80” 0” 0
Joe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60”
Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80”
Easter & Rachael her Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60”
Cate & Ned her Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75”
Billy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65”
Hannah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30”
Sharliot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50”
Frank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Guy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50”
Wales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40”
Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30”
Bob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30”
Bristoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60”
James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20”
Cloe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35”
James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50”
Jacob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25” 0” 0
Sam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80” 0” 0
Kitty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60” 0” 0
Harry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60”
Betty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40”
Alie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40”
Scipio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70”
Joe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30”
Fanny & her Child Nancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75”
Rachael (Very Old) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cambridge (Very Old) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pompey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100” 0” 0
Ned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30” 0” 0
Phill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80” 0” 0
John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30” 0” 0
Bob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80” 0” 0
Bob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80” 0” 0
Tips for Reading This Document
- In the eighteenth century, spellings were not as standardized as today, so words may be spelled differently than modern usage.
- Capitalization was also not standardized and so words may be capitalized at any point in a sentence.
- When a word had a double “s” (as in “glass” or “harness”), the first “s” was written in a way that resembles a modern “f”.
- Writers frequently abbreviated words. They did this by cutting a word short and adding the last letter as a superscript.
- The word “Ditto” (or “Do”) signified a repetition of the word that appeared on the line above.
- In this inventory, the value of each item is given in three columns. These columns represent pounds, shillings, and pence, abbreviated as £, s, and d. Until the twentieth century, twelve pence made a shilling, and twenty shillings made a pound. Notice how valuable Colonel Lewis’s slaves were in comparison to the rest of his property. Also note the different values assigned to different slaves. What do you think accounted for that? Why do you think Frank had no value at all?
- Words in brackets (for example, [twin]) indicate a conjectural reading of the original source.
- Read the attached inventory CAREFULLY and then analyze the document as thoroughly as possible. Combine your analysis with basic research on southern cultural life. Then use probing questionswho, what, where, how, when, whyto determine the following:
- As precisely as possible, the geographical location of the man’s property
- The man’s primary occupation
- Descriptive profile of the man including:
- Personal Appearance
- Hobbies
- Religion
- Age
- Marital Status
- Number of Children
- Other Characteristics
- Next, consider which type of rooms would use the items listed on the inventory. Draw a floor plan of the house and a landscape sketch of the outbuildings and surrounding property. Define specific rooms and landscaping details with labels. Explain the rationale (why) behind your drawings. (Note to teacher: It is up to you whether you show students pictures of the actual house, but it really is not necessary.)
- List ALL SOURCES used during this project on a separate sheet as your bibliography. You should have a MINIMUM OF FIVE (5) SOURCES.
II. Format
The format of your final paper should be as follows:
- Use a cover sheet that states your name, due date, and class period under the title of your inventory.
- Type the entire project. Use a pen for drawings.
- Use a question-and-answer format: Identify your probing question, list all the data/evidence gathered relating to that question (including negative evidence) and state whether it is:
- Inferencedecided from something (such as an item in the inventory) but indecisive, unsure.
- Judgmentdetermined by comparing ideas (such as an item in the inventory with a historical reference) to reach a conclusion.
- Conclusiona final statement based upon your knowledge, research, and applicable reasoning.
- Conclude with a one to three (1-3) page essay in which you compare and contrast the life of this man with life today. What fundamental changes have taken place and in what manner have they affected us? Also, if possible, note what has remained untouched by time.
- Include a bibliography of sources.
III. Example of format
How old was...?
- Inventory cites...
- Most eighteenth century men died at about age...
- Inference:... was probably... at his death.
1. Richard L. Bushman, The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, Cities. (New York: Knopf, 1992), xiii.
2. Charles S. Sydnor, American Revolutionaries in the Making: Political Practice in Washington’s Virginia. (New York: Collier Books, 1962), 60-63.
3. Edmund Sears Morgan, Virginians At Home (Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg, 1952), 73-74.
4. Ibid., 75-78.
5. W. Vernon Edenfield and Stacia G. Norman, Kenmore (USA Progress Printing, 1992), 4-5.
6. Ibid., 5-7.
7. Ibid., 11-18.
8. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Kenmore curator Stacia Norman for providing the inventory which follows.
Bushman, Richard L. The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, Cities. New York: Knopf, 1992.
Gleason, David K. Virginia Plantation Homes. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1989.
Greene, Jack P. Landon Carter: An Inquiry into the Personal Values and Social Imperatives of the Eighteenth Century Virginia Gentry. Charlottesville: Dominion Books, 1967.
Lewis, Jan. The Pursuit of Happiness: Family and Values in Jefferson’s Virginia. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
Morgan, Edmund Sears. Virginians At Home. Williamsburg, VA: Colonial Williamsburg, 1952.
Morton, Louis. Robert Carter of Nomini Hall: A Virginia Tobacco Planter of the Eighteenth Century. Charlottesville: Dominion Books, 1964.
O’Neal, William B. Architecture in Virginia: An Official Guide to Four Centuries of Building in the Old Dominion. New York: Walker, 1968.
Roberts, Bruce with Elizabeth Kedash. Plantation Homes of the James River. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990.
Roberts, Carey and Rebecca Seely. Tidewater Dynasty: The Lees of Stratford Hill. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981.
Smith, Daniel Blake. Inside the Great House: Planter Family Life in Eighteenth Century Chesapeake Society. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1980.
Stowe, Steven M. Intimacy and Power in the Old South: Ritual in the Lives of the Planters. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990.
Wright, Louis B., et al. The Arts in America: The Colonial Period. New York: Scribner, 1966.
Rita G. Koman taught secondary American history and government for eighteen years and has been a frequent contributor to the OAH Magazine of History. She is now a consultant and researcher living in Manassas, Virginia.
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