A Child's Life during the Civil War
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What Was Life Like for Children in the 1860s?
In researching my Civil War ancestor, I became curious about what life was like for his children. While he was gone three and a half years with the 93rd Indiana Infantry, what was happening with the two children left at home with their mother.
To find the answers to these questions, I'm reading a number of Civil War diaries and also researching the topic in books and online. I'm a retired librarian, and this is what we do for fun. If you have questions about what life was like for a child during the Civil War, please put your query in the guestbook. I'll do my best to find the answers and put them here.
The topics I'm starting with are what did children wear, what was their daily life like and how did they play (games and toys). I'm going to focus on childhood in the north, as the experience for a southern child would be somewhat different during the war and the life of a child in slavery would be even more so.
Mother & Children, Gertrude Hubbard Daguerreotype by lc_prints
To find the answers to these questions, I'm reading a number of Civil War diaries and also researching the topic in books and online. I'm a retired librarian, and this is what we do for fun. If you have questions about what life was like for a child during the Civil War, please put your query in the guestbook. I'll do my best to find the answers and put them here.
The topics I'm starting with are what did children wear, what was their daily life like and how did they play (games and toys). I'm going to focus on childhood in the north, as the experience for a southern child would be somewhat different during the war and the life of a child in slavery would be even more so.
Mother & Children, Gertrude Hubbard Daguerreotype by lc_prints
Contents at a Glance
- Did Children Have Sweets or Candy during...
- Games and Toys Like Children Played in t...
- Make a Cornhusk Doll
- Clothing Worn by Children in the Civil W...
- Read a Diary by a Young Girl
- The Reason I'm Interested in Childhood i...
- Videos with Information or Re-Enactments
- Children's Duties and Chores during the...
- More about Chores for Children in Earlie...
Did Children Have Sweets or Candy during the Civil War?
Yes, candy was available at that time in stores or it could be homemade. Cane sugar would probably have been difficult to get in the north since production of sugar cane in the south was disrupted and shipping was dedicated to war activities. In the far north, maple syrup was made and across the north, sorgham was converted to syrup.
The family could dry fruits like apricots or plums to eat during the winter. Dried fruit concentrated the flavors and sweetness of the fruit and would have been a treat for the children and adults.
The family could dry fruits like apricots or plums to eat during the winter. Dried fruit concentrated the flavors and sweetness of the fruit and would have been a treat for the children and adults.
- Candy During the Civil War | American Civil War Forums
- The Civil War buffs on this forum verified a number of candies were available in the 1860s. They mention horehound candy, Necco Wafers (called Peerless Wafers until after the war), Turkish delight, rock candy, Peppermint humbugs & peppermint sticks, jelly beans, salt water taffy, and sugared almonds were also mentioned.
The historians debate if jelly beans were really made as early as the Civil War. - Candy: what'd they have? - Civil War Re-enactors Forum
- In this discussion, the reenactors mention some of the same ones listed above. They also added black jack sticks, peanut brittle, Nonpareils, lollipops, fig and gum drops.
They also mention baked sweets such as treacle-puffs and apple-pasties. - The Food Timeline: Sweets
- Food Timeline: history notes-candy and recipes that would have been used in the Civil War times.
meringues (some with hazel nut centers)
Coconut candy
Lemon candy (rock candy)
Cream candy
Taffy made with molasses
Candied orange or lemon peel
Games and Toys Like Children Played in the 1860s
Available now from Amazon
"The Young Draughts Players" by PrimeVintage
Draughts is an old-fashioned name for the game of checkers. The illustration is from the October 1864 Godey's Ladies Magazine.
Other board games that were played during the Civil War era are Yankee Pedlar and The Checkered Game of Life. Some were educational games like the Multiplication Table in Rhyme where the players matched cards. The card game of Hearts was played at that time.
"Blind Man's Buff" by PrimeVintage
Older children and a young girl playing blind man's bluff. Illustration from Godey's Ladies Magazine, October 1864.
More about Children's Toys and Games of the Civil War Era
Web site links
- Civil War Toys and Games
- A great site with descriptions and pictures of many toys and games used by children during the Civil War. You'll recognize many of them (jacks, jacob's ladder, dominoes, cup and ball, marbles, pick up sticks, tops, quoits, rolling hoop, and even the yo-yo).
- Dr. Busby | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
- According to the Parker Brothers rulebook..."This game was the first ever published in America, being brought out of Salem in 1840."The game consists of 20 cards, divided into 4 families: the Busby Family, the Dairymaid's Family, ... (click to read the rest of the article and to see the photo of the board game)
Some of the Games from the 1850s and 1860s Are Still around Today
Available from Amazon
This photo is from the collection of Mitch Young (Mirror Image Gallery) on Flickr. It is a daguerreotype of four-year-old Ella Wallace and her doll taken in 1857.
A Rocking Horse Was a Fine Toy for a Civil War Child
Antique Rocking Horses on eBay
though most of these don't date as far back as the Civil War
Toy Soldiers Depicting Civil War Soldiers on eBay
The toy soldiers that children played with in the 1860s would have been made of lead or tin or carved at home from wood. Plastic soldiers are much more recent and wasn't a material available during the mid-1800s.
Make a Cornhusk Doll
Like children played with during the Civil War
A child in the country might only have homemade toys to play with like carved wooden toys or a cornhusk doll. The cornhusks or the wood would be readily available and the parents could make the toys in the evening as the family sat around the fire.
Clothing Worn by Children in the Civil War Era
Book available from Amazon
Mother & Children, Gertrude Hubbard Daguerreotype by lc_prints
A print made from a daguerreotype of Gertrude Mercer Hubbard, with her children Roberta Bell, and Mabel Hubbard Bell taken in 1860. Note the off-the-shoulder style worn by the standing child. This shows up in many photos of girls in the 1860s, so it was the style of the time.
Make a Civil War Dress for a Girl
with this pattern (available from Amazon in various sizes)
Girl's Pleated/Gathered Everyday Dress Pattern (Girl's sizes 12-14)
The dress shows pleating which allows it to be let out as the child grows. A deep hem would allow for lengthening the dress as the child became taller. If the crease from the old hem needed to be covered, some braiding could be added for that.
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Read a Diary by a Young Girl
from Civil War days
Available on Kindle for free download. You can also purchase it as a regular book.
Village Life in America 1852-1872 Including the period of the American Civil War as told in the diary of a school-girl
This book gives a lot of fascinating details about school, social activities, clothes, games, songs and other childhood activities from the 1860s.
Much of the information on this page came from old diaries such as this one (above).
She tells that her grandparents didn't allow a regular deck of cards in the home for religious reasons. They did play a card game called Dr. Busby. (see the link). Another game they played was "The Old Soldier and His Dog" which was played with counters. It is unclear if it was a board game or not.
The Reason I'm Interested in Childhood in the 1860s
I'm researching my Civil War ancestor
When Abraham Tower Bates left to serve in the 93rd Indiana Infantry at the end of August 1862, he left behind his wife, Nancy Angeline (Long) Tower with their two small children. Their son, Erastus Laban Tower, had just turned one that month. Their daughter, Laura Ann Tower, had her third birthday September 29. Abraham served in the Union Army for three years (six months of that time, he was a prisoner of war). Erastus would be four and Laura would be six around the time they once again had a father.
Here's an 1861 daguerreotype of a young boy (yes, both boy and girl babies wore dresses at this age). This helps me imagine Erastus at the time his father left for war.
Here's an 1861 daguerreotype of a young boy (yes, both boy and girl babies wore dresses at this age). This helps me imagine Erastus at the time his father left for war.
- Civil War on the Home Front
- What was life like for a Civil War soldier's wife in Southern Indiana in the 1860s? Here's what I found on this topic.
- Women's Diaries of the Civil War Era
- Fortunately there are some women's diaries published in book form and some that can be read online. They shed some light on what life was like for women in the 1860s.
- A Civil War Christmas
- What was an American Christmas like during the War Between the States? Each family would have a slightly different Christmas experience, but I found out what kinds of gifts were given in the 1860s. There are descriptions of a child's Christmas and of a soldier's Christmas Day.
Children's Duties and Chores during the 1860s
"The Farmhouse Porch" by PrimeVintage
At an early age, children learned to help their parents during the 1800s. Especially with the father gone to war, everyone in the home needed to do some of the chores. Little girls learned to sew by stitching a sampler and mending clothing. She might make a small quilt for her doll. Over time they would learn to make clothing and quilts.
A child would help tend the garden, pick the vegetables and fruit, and snap peas for the family meal. Girls would learn to make biscuits and other simple cookery.
The boys would bring in wood for the fire, buckets of water for the kitchen and help take care of the animals such as a cow, pigs, chickens and the horse. Older children would watch over the younger children.
More about Chores for Children in Earlier Times
Would You Have Liked Being a Child in the 1860s?
Rocking horse, by bridgemanart
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Illnesses and Childhood in the 1860s
during the Civil War
Many children died quite young from illness or accidents. It was the custom at that time to have a photograph taken of the beloved child to remember them by. At first viewing, one thinks the baby is sleeping, but this is called a post-mortem picture. This one is from the collection of George Eastman House and displayed with his other daguerreotypes.
Illnesses that can be treated today with antibiotics like scarlet fever or prevented with a shot like measles might cause death or have long-term consequences in the 1860s.
- Chronic illness in the 1860s
- On this forum, they talk of chronic poor health during the Civil War era. A child with a chronic ear infection might become deaf or an untreated eye condition might cause blindness.
- Plagues and Diseases
- Not your ordinary genealogy site, this one tells of the diseases that killed many of our relatives in the good old days. It notes that "in Philadelphia, 1/5th of newborns did not reach age two."
- Daguerreotypes
- George Eastman House's Daguerreotypes and Carte de Visites on Flickr.
An Informative Book about Home Life in the 1800s
The American Frugal Housewife
The edition I read came out in the 1830s, so certainly was available to guide the housewife of the Civil War era. It includes ways to treat various illnesses such as croup or first aid for injuries with the resources of the times. There is advice for having children help with the household chores.
Fascinating reading.
It is available in Kindle as well for free reading. Great deal!
Fascinating reading.
It is available in Kindle as well for free reading. Great deal!
Read about Daily Life in the Civil War
Book available from Amazon
Daily Life in Civil War America (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series)
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Any Questions about Childhood during the Civil War?
Ask here & I'll try to find an answer & add it to the page
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MiddleSister
May 29, 2012 @ 4:42 am | delete
- Social history is so much more interesting to me than learning about only the leaders of state and army. I think it would have been a sad, hard time to be alive during the Civil War, when men butchered each other in battle right here in our own land.
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CruiseReady May 28, 2012 @ 11:18 pm | delete
- What an incredibly interesting page you have assembled here!
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visitor
May 22, 2012 @ 8:40 pm | delete
- What would a rich southern teenage boy wear in the early 1860s?
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vallain May 22, 2012 @ 9:03 pm | delete
- I found one site that said teenage boys wore pretty much the same clothes as grown men, but the jackets were shorter, ending at the waist. The jacket would have a button at the top, not all the way down. Young boys might wear short pants, but teens wore long pants.
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wadsworc
May 14, 2012 @ 1:49 pm | delete
- This is a great lens! I've been a Civil War enthusiast since high school, but I never studied what it was like on the home front. This was very informative. Thank you!
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d-artist Feb 24, 2012 @ 2:30 pm | delete
- Wonderful and informative lens with great images...very well done! I will look up some of the book, like the diary of a young girl during the Civil War...
I remember getting candy during WWII from American G.I.'s
here is a ~d-artist Squid Angel Blessing~
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Terrie_Schultz
Feb 24, 2012 @ 2:00 pm | delete
- Beautiful lens!
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MaggiePowell
Feb 24, 2012 @ 11:44 am | delete
- fantastic lens..great research, photos, info...definitely deserving of a purple star.
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scarlettohairy Feb 18, 2012 @ 12:10 am | delete
- You've done a great job letting us step into the shoes of a Civil War era child with the photos and examples of how life was lived. I'm glad we have more creature comforts now.
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grnidlady
Jan 23, 2012 @ 2:19 pm | delete
- wonderful history lens!
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TheArtLibrarian
Jan 22, 2012 @ 10:38 am | delete
- Love the photos!
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JaguarJulie Jan 18, 2012 @ 11:37 am | delete
- I couldn't even imagine being a child during the Civil War ... it must have been really difficult to be a mom back then too! Oh, dad too.
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nyclittleitaly
Jan 7, 2012 @ 7:00 pm | delete
- Really good lens. The Civil War was our Country's darkest hour.
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wordstock Jan 5, 2012 @ 10:39 am | delete
- My grandfather was a photographer and I have pictures of my grandmother dressed for burial. This is truly interesting and useful. We are going to Gettysburg for the 150th anniversary and there will be three children who need to get into character.
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nancycarol
Jan 4, 2012 @ 10:45 pm | delete
- I'm back to read the part about the childhood illnesses. Such a wonderful job on this, and thanks for including the daguerreotypes of children who had passed away. I understand that was a common practice even into the Victorian era. *Blessed*
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My Pages about the American Civil War
Photos of Children from the Civil War Era
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by vallain
I'm Virginia Allain, a retired librarian. Now I devote myself to writing, photography and designing books to self-publish. Having fun!
My current project...
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