Outdoor Relief

A confusing term, “outdoor relief” actually means in-home. Outdoor relief was a system that either gave paupers living in their own homes a small subsidy of wood, food and cash for expenses (such as children’s schooling or funerals), or by paying families who were willing to board individual paupers for a specified period of time. According to Jen Turner, in Samuel Whitwell’s accounts of the Boston Overseers of the Poor, around 15% of the poor in his wards received outdoor relief.

Commodity Prices

There are many factors that determine the prices of most goods. Supply and demand can be impacted by seasonal factors or historical events.

Developing a longitudinal chart is a good way to determine the fluctuations of various commodities. For a perspective of the commodity prices at the time, see  Commodity Prices, 1761-1782 in the appendix of William B. Weeden’s Economic and Social History of New England, 1620-1789.

Between the years 1769 and 1797, the cost of wood both in 2 foot and 4 foot quantities reacted to many seasonal as well as historical events, including the Boston Massacre, the Intolerable Acts, Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the British occupation of Boston. At the time of the British Colonies the monetary unites consisted of pounds, shillings, pences and farthings. One pound equaled 20 shillings. Each shilling was worth 12 pence. The pound equaled 240 penc. Pence were further broken into half- and quarter-pence (or farthings).

1. Fill in this chart to determine the price fluctuations on the price of both 2 feet and 4 feet wood at the following dates. Find the pages from pages 888 to 894 of  Samuel Whitwell’s Accounts, 1769-1792.

2. Based upon what you found, do the prices fluctuate depending on the season?

3. Using statistical evidence, how was the price of wood affected (if at all) by the events of:

a. The Boston Massacre
b. The Intolerable Act
c. The Battles of Lexington and Concord
d. The British occupation of Boston
e. After the British evacuation of Boston

Commodity	Date
Wood – 2 feet	4/4/1769
	10/11/1769
	1/25/1770
	2/17/1770
	3/14/1770
	10/12/1770
	1/31/1771
	3/2/1771
	3/21/1772
	4/13/1773
	12/22/1773
	5/9/1774
	12/14/1774
	1/28/1775
	12/13/1776
	1/10/1777
	11/8/1777
	12/22/1777
	1/28/1778
	2/17/1778
	3/10/1778
	4/9/1778
	5/7/1778
	11/18/1778
	12/28/1778
	1/13/1779
	2/23/1779
Wood – 4 feet	4/10/1769
	10/14/1769
	1/20/1770
	2/19/1770
	3/5/1770
	6/11/1770
	10/27/1770
	1/23/1771
	3/2/1771
	5/27/1771
	12/2/1771
	1/3/1772
	2/8/1772
	3/18/1772
	4/21/1772
	12/19/1772
	1/20/1773
	2/22/1773
	3/19/1773
	10/7/1773
	12/14/1773
	1/12/1774
	2/21/1774
	3/28/1774
	5/24/1774
	11/19/1774
	12/20/1774
	1/20/1775
	2/17/1775
	3/14/1775
	4/15/1776
	11/21/1776
	12/17/1776
	1/31/1777
	2/6/1777
	3/3/1777
	12/22/1777