A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Abacus
A frame with wooden beads on metal rods or wire, which settler children used to help them learn arithmetic
Anvil
A heavy, cast-iron and steel block used by a blacksmith to shape iron
Apothecary
(1) A person who prepares and sells medicine; a pharmacist; (2) A shop where medicine is sold
Arithmetic
Mathematics
Artisan
A skilled tradesperson such as a blacksmith or a carpenter
B
Bale
A tightly bound bundle of hay or wheat
Barrel
A large cask that has curved, wooden sides and a flat top and bottom, especially the container holds 36 imperial gallons
Barter system
A system of trading goods and services without using money
Bed tick
A sack filled with leaves, straw, corn husks, or goose feathers and used as a mattress
Bee
A work party at which several people in a community come together to do a job, such as building a barn, husking corn, or making a quilt; also called a frolic
Betty lamp
A bowl of animal fat with a wick used as a lamp
Blacksmith
A person who shapes iron into objects such as horseshoes
Brake
An instrument used to crush flax
Burlap
A course cloth woven from the fiber of the jute plant and used to make sacks
Butter churn
A container with a dasher used for making butter
C
Cabinet maker
A person who makes fine furniture
Carding paddles
Wooden paddles used for carding or combing fleece to prepare it for spinning
Cask
Any type of container made with wooden staves, such as a barrel, kilderkin, or keg
Castor oil
Oil made from the seed of a tropical plant, which was used as medicine
Cellar
A cool underground room used for storage
Chamber pot
A metal or ceramic pot used as a toilet
Cooper
A person who makes containers such as barrels and buckets from wood
Cornhusk doll
A doll made from dried corn husks
Cradle
(1) A scythe with three wooden fingers and blade; (2) A rocking bed for an infant
Crock
A clay or stone jar or pot
Cutter
A small sleigh pulled by one horse
D
Dasher
The stick or plunger inside a butter churn
Domestic
A household servant or maid
Drawknife
A blade with handles at both ends, used by woodworkers to shave wood
Dry goods
Items such as cloth, thread, and ribbon; also called soft goods
Dwelling
A place where a person lives; a home
E
Emigrant
A person who leaves his or her home to leave on another place
Epidemic
The sudden spread of disease among many people
F
Ferrier
A person who shoes horses
Fiddle
A type of violin used to play folk music or country music
Flail
A tool used by farmers to thresh grain, or remove the seed from the stalks
Flax
A plant with thin stems and blue flowers, its fiber is used to make linen cloth
Fleece
The wool of a sheep
Forge
A raised fireplace on which a blacksmith works
G
Game
Wild animals that people hunt for food
General store
A store selling a wide range of items such as food, cloth, clothing, hardware, tools, and household goods
Governess
A single woman hired by parents to teach and take care of their children
Griddle
A flat metal pan or surface used for cooking
Gristmill
A building with machinery that ground grain into flour
H
Harness
The straps connecting a horse to a carriage
Hearth
A fireplace floor made of brick or stone
Hemp
A tall plant whose stem contains fibers used for making string and rope
Herb
A plant used to make medicine or to flavor food
Hide
The skin of an animal
Homestead
All the land and buildings that form a person’s property
Hub
The center of a wagon wheel
Husk
The dry outer covering of certain fruits or seeds such as that found on an ear of corn
I
Immigrant
A person who comes to live in a place that is far from where he or she was born
Indigo
A plant used to make blue dye
Itinerant
An artisan who travelled from place to place with his or her tools, living with and working for one family after another
J
Jack
(1) A gadget used to turn a spit above a fire; (2) A worker, such as a lumberjack
Jacob’s ladder
A toy made of several flat blocks connected with ribbon, which appeared to flip down when held in the air
Jig
A fast hopping dance
Journeyman
A trained artisan who did not have his or her own shop but worked for another craftsperson
K
Keelboat
A boat that was use for transporting goods on a river
Keg
A small strong barrel
Kerosene
A type of oil used to light lamps
Kiln
(1) An oven made of bricks used for firing, or baking, clay to make pottery; (2) An oven used for baking or drying grain
Kindling
Dry twigs or small pieces of wood used to start fires
L
Lard
Pork fat
Last
Hand-carved, foot-shaped blocks of wood or metal used by a shoemaker to make or repair shoes
Lathe
A machine used by cabinetmakers to shape wood
Linen
Cloth made from flax fibers
Livestock
The animals kept on a farm, such as horses, cattle, oxen, chickens, pigs and sheep
Loom
A machine used to weave yarn or thread into cloth
Lumber
Any wood that has been sawed into large boards or planks
Lye
A strong, liquid chemical made by pouring water over wood ashes that was used to make soap
M
Manger
A wooden trough used for feeding cattle or horses
Mason
(1) A craftsperson who works with stone or bricks; (2) A member of Freemasonry, a fraternal organization whose membership has shared moral and metaphysical ideals
Merchant
A store keeper
Midwife
A skilled woman who assists pregnant women in childbirth, paid for her labors
Mill
A building with machines, such as a sawmill, that turns raw materials into a finished product
Millinery
A women’s hat shop
Moccasins
Soft leather shoes without heels, originally worn by Native Canadians
Molasses
A thick, dark syrup made from raw sugar; also called treacle
Mold
A hollow container into which hot fluid material such as molten metal is poured so that when the fluid cools and hardens, it will take on the shape of the container
Mortar
(1) A substance such as clay, mud, moss, or wood chips used to fill the space between the logs of a log cabin; (2) A wooden bowl in which grains or spices are crushed with a pestle
Mouser
A cat that hunts mice and rats
N
Needlepoint
A craft in which designs are stitched onto cloth using a diagonal stitch
Nutmeg
A fragrant tropical seed that is ground into a powder and used as a spice
O
One-room school
A school building in which all the children were taught in one room by one teacher
Outhouse
An outdoor toilet; also called a privy
P
Pantry
A small, cool room where food and dishes are stored
Parlour
The most formal room in a home, used for entertaining; also called the drawing room or salon
Peddler
A person who travels from place to place selling and trading goods
Pestle
A wooden or stone stick used to crush grain or spices in a mortar
Pew
A church bench
Plow
A tool used to break up and turn over the soil before planting crops
Potash
A substance made by boiling away the water from lye and used for making soap
Primer
A book containing the alphabet, numbers, and poems used by children learning to read
Q
Quern
A hand mill with two round, flat stones used for grinding grain
Quill pen
A pen made from a feather
Quilt
A blanket composed of a quilt top (often fabrics pieced together), a layer of batting, and a layer of fabric for backing, all sewn together
R
Rafter
A sloping beam that helps form and support a roof
Rake
A long-handled wooden tool used to gather straw and leaves or to smooth dirt
Ram
A male sheep
Reel
A lively twirling dance
Reservation
An area of land set aside by the government, on which Native Canadians live
Rug beater
An object used to beat the dust and dirt from rugs and carpets
Ruggle
A wooden brace that stopped a wagon wheel from rolling
S
Saddle
A leather seat strapped to the back of a horse
Scythe
A tool with a curved blade and wooden handle, used for cutting down grain crops and grass
Seamstress
A woman who sews and mends clothing for money
Settlement
A small, fairly new community or village
Shake
A handcut board or shingle used on a roof to keep out rain
Shavinghorse
A carpenter’s bench that allowed people to sit as they shaped a piece of wood
Sheaf
A bundle of hay, corn, or other grain
Shift
A loose dress worn by women as underwear and a nightgown
Shuttle
An instrument containing a spool of yarn that is passed back and forth during weaving on a loom
Slate
A rectangular piece of slate in a frame on which schoolchildren wrote their lessons
Smock
A loose-fitting shirt worn over one’s clothes to protect them while working
Smokehouse
A small outbuilding in which meat or fish was hung up and dried over a fire to preserve it
Spur
A metal gadget with a spiked wheel, worn over cowboy boots and used to urge a horse to speed up
Stave
A narrow, curved piece of wood used to form the side of a barrel
T
Tallow
Melted animal fat that is used to make candles and soap
Tinder
Any material, such as shredded rags or wood shavings, that easily catches fire
Tinsmith
A person who makes and repairs tin items
Trammel
A series of hooks on which pots were hung in a fireplace
Trapper
A person who hunts animals and sells their furs
Treenware
Wooden household items, such as buckets, utensils, bowls and plates
Trunk
A large storage box with a hinged lid
U
Undertaker
A person who arranges funerals and prepare people who have died for burial
Upholster
A person who works at covering furniture with cushions and material
V
Victorian
Describing the period of time between 1837 and 1901, when Queen Victoria ruled Britain; describing objects, styles, or people of this time
W
Wainwright
A person who built and repaired wagons, carriages, and sleighs
Washboard
A grooved board on which clothes were scrubbed with soap and water
Well
A deep hole dug into the ground in which water from an underground source collects
Wheelwright
A person who makes wheels for wagons, carriages, and carts
Whirligig
A spinning toy made from a length of string threaded through a hole in a round piece of wood
Wick
A loosely woven cord that draws up fuel to a flame in a candle or lamp
Wrought iron
Iron that has been forged, or shaped, on an anvil
X
Xylograph
A picture made from a woodcut
Y
Yard goods
Cloth that is sold by length
Yeast
A substance that helps bread to rise
Z
Zither
A musical instrument that is made up of a shallow box with 30 to 45 strings stretched over it
Zoetrope
A spinning toy that makes pictures appear as though they are moving