Graduation Term

2013

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Sociology and Anthropology: Archaeology

Committee Chair

Elizabeth M. Scott

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to attempt to analyze and interpret an outbuilding located in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, a town established by French settlers in the 1780s. First the functional activities associated with the outbuilding will be determined and examined to best understand where and how the structure fit within the larger property. The activities taking place within/outside the outbuilding--especially those linked to domestic chores--will theoretically paint a clearer picture of who was living and/or working within the structure and who was not. Since little work has been done within the French Mississippi River valley on outbuildings in general, and slaves/servants more specifically, and since much of the existing documentation concerns the main house families, this study will aid in filling some of the gaps in our knowledge about where domestically oriented outbuildings, and their residents, fit within the social structure of communities like Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Questions focusing on three aspects of identity--class, gender, and ethnicity--will aide in better understanding the social dynamics between the community's residents--for both the owners and the "help" living on the Janis-Ziegler houselot. As will be discussed later in this study, the material culture recovered from the outbuilding and the property will show a connection to people other than the property owners and will answer the questions concerning the "help" and the social dynamics of those (both the owners and the owned/hired) living on the Janis-Ziegler property.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2013.Whitson.E

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