The Puritan emigration was, however, quite different. The purpose of their exodus from England was to form a theocratic government in the new country moulded after the model set for them in the Old Testament. They came from the west of England, the Puritan stronghold, and were persons of means. One of the principal reasons for the exodus was the political condition of England during the early reign of Charles I, and it is more than a coincidence that between 1629 and 1640, the period when Charles tried to rule England without Parliament, that twenty-six thousand persons emigrated to New England. This exodus ceased with the beginning of the Civil War. It is undoubtedly true that these persons not only brought with them household goods and furniture, but, as they became prosperous, many of the comforts of England and Holland were imported by them in exchange for the raw products of the New World.

The influence of the Dutch in the New World was both direct and indirect. During the war for independence in Holland many thousands of artisans and skilled workers fled to England. They settled, for the most part, in the west of England among the people who founded New England. They were Protestants and lovers of liberty, and sufficiently like the persons among whom they lived to become quickly assimilated, and many of the Puritans coming to New England had this foreign blood. It is this probably that, in part at least, accounts for the similarity of design in furniture and decoration between the two countries. The Dutch settlement in America was made primarily for trading. Manhattan Island was selected, because of the Hudson River and the magnificent harbour, as the most desirable post for the fur trade. The settlements were under the direction of the Dutch West India Company, but the growth was slow, composed mostly of traders who came and went, and, of course, these people carried few household articles. It became evident that in order to secure a permanent and self-supporting community the farmer class must be encouraged to settle there, but the Dutch had obtained independence at home and were loath to leave the peace for which they had so long striven for the dangers of the New World. To overcome this feeling and to encourage emigration the West India Company in 1629 issued a charter, providing that any person bringing to New Netherlands fifty persons and settling them in homes on the Hudson River should have a grant of land to be held in a semi-feudal tenure of patroon or lord of the manor.

This charter seems to have had the desired effect of making permanent settlements, but even then the Dutch colony did not increase as rapidly as that of New England, and it was not until further inducements had been made that people of quality and education came in any numbers. This was about the year 1639, and it is probable that prior to that date only necessities had been brought over except by the patroons for their own'use. Although the Dutch rule was but of short duration, its influence has been strong. Dutch customs and styles have persisted even to the present day, giving modifications of designs which are easily recognised. These colonists were rich in household goods, mostly imported in exchange for furs and raw material which were exported.

The Pennsylvania colony was founded at a later date, 1683, and was composed of emigrants, most of whom were prosperous, and from the beginning the colony had most of the luxury to which they had been accustomed at home. Many artisans were brought over, and much of the finer furniture found in this country came from that colony, much of it being made there.

The Virginia colony was largely made up of gentlemen adventurers and settlers, and always kept in close touch with the mother country, exchanging household articles for tobacco and other products.

It will thus be seen that in all probability the early furniture of this country was either brought over or imported by the settlers, but in no large quantities. Later, as more pieces were needed, they were made after the pattern with which the people were familiar, and at the time Charles II came to the throne most of the furniture used in this country was being made here. The colonial newspapers are full of advertisements of every sort of manufactured article imported from London. The list includes nails and brasses, all kinds of hardware, stuffs of all sorts, china utensils and tools, looking-glasses, and hard wood, but very little furniture- is mentioned, and this condition continued to the Revolutionary War, although as late as 1765 the newspapers throughout the colonies were urging people to patronise and develop home industries.

lit lore proceeding further it will be well to consider the furniture which was in use in the colonies during the seventeenth century. Up to 1650 furniture must have been very scarce, and in the earlier inventories the only articles of furniture mentioned are tables, chairs, chests, and bedsteads. As prosperity increased furniture became very plentiful, and before the new century began the wealthier class about New York and the other seaports had all that the European markets could offer. The South seems to have been particularly well provided with court cupboards, chests, couches, and leather chairs, while in New England chests of drawers, desks, scrutoires, and Turkey-work chain were more plentiful. The furniture in the South was largely imported, for the expression "old" is mentioned with all kinds of furniture from the very first, while in New England the low valuations lead us to believe that most of the furniture there was home-made. The high chests of drawers appear first, as might be expected, in the New York records and last in the South. In New England they seem to have been in common use as early as 1685-90. The reason for this seems to be that New England was in rather close touch with Holland, where this style originated, while the South only traded with England, where these pieces never became very popular. At Philadelphia the records show luxury from the beginning, and as a rule valuations were higher there than elsewhere. The furniture of New Amsterdam seems to have differed from that found in New England and the South in several ways. The furniture mentioned in New Amsterdam shows clearly the influence of the Continental and Eastern markets, mention being made of wicker furniture, East India cabinets, ebony chairs, and India blankets, etc., the reasons for which probably were that the Dutch still controlled the East India trade and, further, that New York was made a harbour for that large class of persons who at that time, like Captain Kidd, were engaged in piracy. Little mention is found of carved oak. There are no court or livery cupboards mentioned in the New York inventories, but nearly every family had a kas or kasse, a large linen cupboard, and this piece of furniture is found nowhere else in this country.