OH, SUZANNA!
To get us started on "Stuff Settlers Say" I thought I would take us to the kitchen first. As I have been putting my garden to rest for the winter ahead I have had the pleasure of experiencing some things that brought these kitchen expressions to mind.
One of the most familiar of sayings from this little collection is "cut and dried." Now you have to understand that in settler days if you wanted herbs or seasonings you most likely had to come up with them on your own. Meaning: growing, drying and preserving them in your modest kitchen. Cutting and drying your herbs was the best way to preserve the flavor of the plants. Also, it was a process that was likely the least demanding of chores. I mean really, harvesting, tying up the plants and hanging them to dry was a simple procedure in a life infused with difficult tasks. So naturally if we say "That business deal is cut and dried", we mean that it is a done deal, accepted and cannot be changed. Saying "Grandpa's opinions on the candidates for the election are cut and dried" is meaning to say that his opinions are pretty simple and firmly formed, and it would be mighty hard to get Grandpa to change his mind.

Pictured above starting clockwise from the upper left hand corner are: cayenne peppers, dried and crushed; dried celery; dried oyster mushrooms; dehydrated green beans; and in the center dried northern beans. 

Drying produce and herbs is still practiced here in the Whitewater Valley 200 years after some of the first settlers arrived and established a trading post in Connersville, Indiana. Many of the dried goods that were for trade it is most certain were provided by business deals with area Native Americans.
Knowing where your language comes from helps to create a bond with practices shared by different cultures and people of different eras.
Now, think of how this term "cut and dried" enters your conversation in your daily life.

-Suzanna