Ok, those of you who've been following my threads know I am writing a story set in 1894, upstate New York. I need just a few more tiny pieces of information before I start the first draft. Here's the scoop:
MC is a young boy, 17. He lives with his father (lawyer), his mother, and older brother.
1. Despite having a steady job, would this family still have to grow some of their own food? How many acres would supply them? Would they keep live stock (maybe a cow and some chickens)?
2. Was it still common for school semesters to begin and end based on the planting/harvest schedules of local farmers? Would a boy still be in school at 17?
3. What was the typical wage of a lawyer?
4. What other industries were around at this time? (Need a job for older brother, but this is after the Panic of 1893, so maybe not?)
5. What kind of printing press was commonly used by newspapers? Had electric ones been perfected?
Thanks! You guys are the best.
This is very rough but maybe others will join in and improve on it.
1. I was a bit at a loss to start with because back then, I picture a lawyer living in the city, so just having a yard rather than acreage, if even that. And, in the city, he'd have ample access to store bought food. Things were so much more spread out back then, much more either rural or urban rather than suburban, and few people had advanced college degrees.
2. Since the US was largely rural back then, I'd expect the school semesters to cater to that, unless they lived in the city. My grandparents were born about 20 years after your listed year. The ones from the country stopped at the eighth grade and either went to work in a factory or helped on their family farms. The city ones had high school as we have it now but the poorer ones especially tended not to make it all the way through, they'd go to work instead or learn a trade with a relative. It was less likely to be considered necessary than it is today, of course. If he was an attorney, I'd expect the family of an attorney to have household help of some type too. If there was space and need for a vegetable garden, a servant might tend to it rather than the family.
3. I did a quick google on "average wage of an attorney in 1900" and a few things came up but yeah, that one would take a bit of digging around. There was a lot about the average salary back then. Maybe doubling or tripling it or more would work, depending on how high prestigious his position was.
4. Other industries- What jumped into my mind was that it would be likely the oldest son would follow in his father's footsteps. Perhaps he'd be away at a university, studying to become an attorney and join his father's firm. Or, more likely, go to work with his father and be learning that way. According to the infamous Wikipedia:
...Nonetheless, into the year 1900 most states did not require a university education (although an apprenticeship was often required) and most practitioners had not attended any law school or college.
5. No idea about printing presses. This quick source below says only 3% of American homes had electricity in 1900.
http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/american_studies/america_in_1900.php
A fun way to get an overall feel for the atmosphere and conditions at the turn of the century might be to watch some old movies set around that time. I'm thinking "Meet Me in St. Louis," about a prosperous family at the time of the 1904 world's fair. It's on my cable, don't remember if I had to pay or not.
