Genealogical notes of Barnstable families - citizen hylbom blog

OENEALOOICAL NOTES OF BABNSTABLE FAMILIES. 205
fortable two story frame houses. Three-fourths of the families occupied
tenements that poorly sheltered them from the storms.
Mr. Lothrop was no better provided for than the mass of his
followers. He built a small house where Eldridge's hotel now
stands. It was two stories high and a frame house, was occupied
many years. During the first winter it was open and cold, and not
so comfortable a residence as an ordinary barn at the present time.
Hills protected him from the cold northwest wind ; but the northeasters
buffeted, in all their fury against his frail tenement.
1640. During the winter of 1639-40, there was little sickness
in the plantation and no death occurred. The bills of mortality
kept by Mr. Lothrop show that Barnstable was one of the most
healthy towns in the Colony. During the year 1639 there was no
deaths ; in 1640, 3 ; '41, 10 ; '42, 2 ; '43, 1 ; '44, 4 ; '45, 1 ; '46,
4 '47, ; ; '48, 3 ; '49, 5 ; '50, 3 ; '51, 1 ; '52, 1 ; and to Nov.
1653, 1, making 38 in all. Of these 8 were still-born, 23 children,
and 7 of mature age. Two of the latter were drowned at Nauset.
In the spring of 1640 there were 45 families, and taking the usual
average of 5, it gives 225 as the number of inhabitants. In 1653
the number of families had increased, and three hundred is not a
high estimate of the number of inhabitants. If the average number
of inhabitants be called only 250 during the whole period, it shows
that the average annual mortality was only one in each one hundred.
For so long a period it is doubtful whether
found.
a parallel case can be
The greatest mortality was in 1641. The spring was unusually
cold and wet, the whooping Qough prevailed,and several children died of
that disease. In 1647 there was sickness in every family, scarce an
individual escaped, yet no death occurred in the plantation that year.
In 1649 the chin cough and the whooping cough prevailed among
children and there were some cases of small pox. Though the
deaths amounted to five that year, most of them appear to have died
of other diseases. Mr. Lothrop was confined to his house, and unable
to attend to the duties of the ministry for seven weeks by a
cough and "a stitch in his side."
The statistics show that the first settlers of Barnstable had an
abundance of nutritious food, were comfortably clothed, and lodged,
during the first period of fifteen years.
Of the cereals, they had rye, barley, and some wheat, and an
abundance of Indian corn ; all the vegetables now generally cultivated,
excepting the potato ; pork, poultry, and venison ; and of
fish and grain they had a great abundance. They were not able to
add much to the stock of clothing which they brought over. They
raised flax, and manufactured some linen cloth. * * * *
It was many years before wool was raised in sufiicient quantities to
supply the domestic demand. Deer and other skins, which the na-
tives understood the art of dressing in a superior manner, they sub-