Yeoman+Farmers

=Yeoman Farmers=

Yeoman farmers are farmers who worked the land they or some other family member owned. They organized their lives around family, seasons, and neighborhoods. Most men married in their early twenties and women often in their late teens. Weddings were simple and held usually at the home of the bride. All couples had daunting tasks for making a farm work. Some used axes and hoes to chop and scrape at the forest and soil to clear the land for houses, barns, and field. Food was seasonal for everyone and not all of it was grown in the fields. Families were often large in the 1800's. Many couples had 5 to 6 children. Sometimes the youngest brother or sister was born after the oldest had moved away. Farm families had many needs for tools and clothing. Families had spinning wheels, which was used to turn cotton, flax, or wool into yarn. The women often spun yarn all winter. Some could knit socks or caps. Most women, though could not afford a loom, which is a complex machine that wove yarn into cloth. They would turn to some family in the neighborhood who spent their time weaving for others. Everyone had horses or mules, so they needed a blacksmith to make shoes for the animals and repair iron tools. Tools from blacksmith's were an expensive investment ; therefore, only a few could make a living in each of the neighborhoods. The same applied for coppers, skilled workers who could turn wood and iron into barrels, which could store anything from vinegar to flour. =Martin Van Buren=
 * ====age 54====
 * representation of an aristocrat
 * incapable of making tough decisions
 * "Martin Van Ruin", a nickname
 * hand-picked heir of 1836
 * widower, 4 children