Their schooling was uneven, at best, and frequently non-existent. Many people felt that girls did not need to be educated to become wives and mothers and caretakers of the house. Although she left school when she was 13, Mary Lyon had more education than most girls, who knew little more than the basics of reading, writing, and math, and often not even that much. Nights and winter days are dark. Candles and whale oil lamps provide the only artificial light.
Roads are dirt, and often muddy.
Macadam roads are introduced in 1812, but rural roads remain mostly dirt. There is no paper money until 1861. Coins are made of gold, silver and copper. Few people receive mail, and if they do, they have to pay the postage. Stamps, purchased by the sender, were not sold in the U.S. until 1847.