Canning Jars and Patterns of Canning Behavior: A Study of Households on the Hector Backbone, New York. 1850-1940

Author

Jayne Ann Michaels, Western Michigan UniversityFollow

Date of Award

8-2015

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Dr. LouAnn Wurst

Second Advisor

Dr. Britt Hartenberger

Third Advisor

Dr. Janet Coryell

Keywords

Archaeology, historical, canning jars, 19thcentury, farmsteads

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Typically, late 19^th or early 20^th century domestic sites contain fragments of a common item: canning jars. Such is the case regarding 21 sites along the Hector Backbone in New York State. These sites, investigated by the Finger Lakes National Forest Farmstead Archaeology Project, produced a rich sample of over 250,000 artifacts and thousands related to canning.

The objective of this thesis is to explore the potential of these common artifacts to yield important information about these Backbone households. Specifically, my questions include: when did these households adopt canning and who were they?

The intentional decision to include all 21 sites in one analysis provided a platform to examine a wide range of several social factors relative to these households that may have impacted their decision to can. This simple straight forward material analysis creates a sense of what canning meant for these Backbone residents.

Recommended Citation

Michaels, Jayne Ann, "Canning Jars and Patterns of Canning Behavior: A Study of Households on the Hector Backbone, New York. 1850-1940" (2015). Masters Theses. 627.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/627