Anyone interested in reading a little more on this history, or the topic of productive households, I recommend books like Total Truth by Nancy Peaecey (specifically chapter 12), The Household and the War for the Cosmos by C. R. Wiley, and Durable Trades by Rory Groves.

Plenty of other books out there, including historical primary sources, but these are some great books I have been reading lately and are good places to start.