"Work at home" vs. "work from home" | work at home work from home
Theearliestinstancesof"workfromhome"thataGoogleBookssearchturnsupusethephrasetomean"workawayfromhome."Thus,forexample,inTheChartersandGeneralLawsoftheColonyandProvinceofMassachusetts[1],wefindthisprovision(enactedinSeptember1634)"relatingtotheimpressmentsoflabourers,horses,&c.":Sect.1.Itisorderedbythiscourtandtheauthoritythereof;thatinallpublickworksofthiscommonwealth,onemagistrateandtheoverseerofthework,shallhavepowertosendtheirwarrantstotheconstablesofthenexttowns,tosendsomanylabourers...
The earliest instances of "work from home" that a Google Books search turns up use the phrase to mean "work away from home." Thus, for example, in The Charters and General Laws of the Colony and Province of Massachusetts[1], we find this provision (enacted in September 1634) "relating to the impressments of labourers, horses, &c.":
Sect. 1. It is ordered by this court and the authority thereof; that in all publick works of this commonwealth, one magistrate and the overseer of the work, shall have power to send their warrants to the constables of the next towns, to send so many labourers and artificers as the warrant shall direct, which the constable and two other or more of the freemen, which he shall choose, shall forthwith execute, for which service, such magistrate and overseer aforesaid, shall have power to give such wages as they shall judge the work to deserve : provided that for any ordinary work, no man shall be compelled to work from home above one week tog...