Working Off the Farm: Extracurricular Labor Expenditures and Farm Households

Summary

Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries farmers in the town of Hector, Schuyler County, New York, sought out additional employment oppurtunies at an increased rate. These occupations included endeavors that ranged from shopkeepers and schoolteachers to stenographers and doctors. Furthermore, these additional strains on household labor impacted agricultural production across the town of Hector. This included differential product choices and land improvements. Historical and archaeological evidence has shown that many households that resided in central portion of Hector sought out additional employment throughout the 19th and into the early 20th century. Further analysis jas indicated that the inclusion of exreacurricular labor endeavors within the household impacted household production and reproduction throughout the latter half of the 19th and into the early 20th centuries. This paper explores differential production and reproduction strategies of farm households that incorporated labor expenditures outside of the realm of agriculture.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2018   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 191