Horses:
The Lincolns had common horses that were a mix of breeds.
They were small, strong, and probably brown. The
horses on this site are Morgan horses, which look like
the horses the Lincolns had.
USES: plowing, pulling wagons, transportation
CARE: Found food in the woods, and used trees for
shelter
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The
Sargents had large, strong, well-bred workhorses.
The Sargent horses on this site are English Percherans.
USES: plowing,
fieldwork, and transportation
CARE: Fed hay by the Sargents and ate pasture grass. They
were
fenced in a pasture and slept in a barn.
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Dairy Cattle:
The Lincoln cows were mixed breed and small. They did
not give much milk, but they could live in bad weather.
They were red or brown and may have looked like today's
Devon breed.
USES: milk, butter, or cheese for the family
CARE: Found food in the woods, and used trees for
shelter. Young calves were kept in pens.
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The
Sargents had purebred milking shorthorns.
These cows gave a lot of milk, but did not live well in
bad weather.
USES: milk, butter,
and cheese. Some for family, but most sold at market
CARE: Fed hay and corn by the Sargents and ate pasture
grass.
They were fenced into the barnyard and slept in a barn.
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Beef Cattle and Oxen:
The Lincolns did not have beef cattle or oxen. They
were cost too much to keep. The Sargents kept well-bred
beef cattle and oxen. The oxen at this site are Dutch
Belted Oxen, which were popular in 1845.
USES: Oxen: pull stumps out of field and break ground.
Beef cattle: leather, and beef. The Sargents would have
sold much of their beef.
CARE: Fed hay and corn by the Sargents and ate pasture
grass. They were fenced into the barnyard and slept in a barn.
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Hogs:
The Lincoln hogs were light, long legged, and fast runners.
They were mixed breed and looked like the Ossabaw island
hogs on this site.
USES: pork, lamp oil, cooking fat, soap grease, and skins
for family.
CARE: Found berries and nuts in the woods, and used trees
for shelter.
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They
were fenced out of the crops, but ran everywhere else.
The Sargents had well-bred, short, plump hogs. They were
probably looked like today's Bedford Boars.
USES: pork, lamp
oil, cooking fat, soap grease, and skins for family and
to sell.
CARE: Penned in wooded area to look for food. Used trees
for shelter.
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Sheep:
The Lincoln sheep were light, long-legged, and quick on
their feet. They were mixed-bred and survived bad weather and
sickness well. They looked like the Horned Dorset sheep on this site.
USES: mainly wool to make clothing for the family. Their
meat was not very good.
CARE: ate pasture grass and ran around the farm. Penned in
when lambs were born.
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Bees:
The Lincolns did not keep bees, but they sometimes
found hives in trees in the woods. When they found a tree
with a hive in it, they chopped it down, put the hive in a
wagon, and took it home.
USES: honey, beeswax to make candles or seal
envelopes.
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The
Sargents kept swarms of bees that they found in wooded
areas. These bees had been brought to America from
Europe, but got free and lived in the woods.
USES: honey,
beeswax to make candles or seal envelopes.
The Sargents kept some for their family and sold the rest.
CARE: The Sargents kept their bees in special boxes like
the one pictured above.They fed the bees brown sugar and
ale when there were no flowers for them to use.
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