In the news1709
Great famine after the 1709 winter
A severe winter caused the Bodensee to freeze completely, leading to widespread crop failures and famine across Europe.
24 Feb 1708 – 2 Feb 1728
7 facts1 source
24 Feb 1708
Born
2 Feb 1728
Dies, aged 19
She lived through 3 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1709
A severe winter caused the Bodensee to freeze completely, leading to widespread crop failures and famine across Europe.
Getting around
Travel by Foot and Early Mail Coaches
Ordinary people typically traveled by walking, as non-private transportation was limited and expensive. Regular mail coach lines for passengers, such as the Nuremberg-Leipzig route, began emerging in the late 17th and 18th centuries.
At the table
Simple meals of porridge, soup, and stew
Ordinary families commonly consumed grain-based porridges and soups for breakfast and dinner, while a hearty stew served as the main midday meal. Meat was expensive, so many households reserved it for special occasions like a Sunday roast.
In Europe · 1700–1721The Great Northern War. Russia, Denmark and Saxony fought Sweden for the Baltic; Peter the Great won and built St Petersburg on the conquered coast.
What people wore
Practical Working Clothing and Headwear
Maids wore practical working clothes like shorter skirts, loose bodices, and aprons to move freely while doing heavy chores, while women of all statuses typically wore hair caps for protection and fashion.
Music
The cornett was a popular civic instrument
Town musicians used the versatile cornett, a wooden instrument with finger holes, for both church services and celebratory civic events.
Daily life
Lighting, Cooking, and Water Access
Lighting was limited to pine torches, tallow candles, or oil lamps, while cooking was done over an open fire or in masonry hearths with a wide chimney hood to collect smoke. Water was typically obtained from community pump wells.