While I do not know the exact circumstance of your ancestor there is a picture that I get from inductive logic. Treating skins is a very messy and unpleasant job. It is removing the carcasse then stretching it on a frame to scrape off the remining meat and fat. People who do that kind of work frequently have a lingering odor that comes from handling the skins of carrion. After the dressing is done the skins are boiled in a vat of cure. This cure can be made a number of ways but sometimes included dried dog feces and livestock urine as well as brine and bark. It is very profitable as few people want to do it as a trade. I doubt that your ancestor was doing the worst work himself. Owning a rum shop would put him in contact with just the sort of marginal laborers who would be willng to take that on.
Richard, Actually we know exactly how it happened from his memoir. He bought a tanning business that had foundered from the previous owener, inheriting the employees that already worked for the firm. Dean ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Bond" <RichardBond@webtv.net> To: <CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 9:30 PM Subject: De Freitas in Trinidad, Tanning Leather > While I do not know the exact circumstance of your ancestor there is a > picture that I get from inductive logic. Treating skins is a very messy > and unpleasant job. It is removing the carcasse then stretching it on a > frame to scrape off the remining meat and fat. People who do that kind > of work frequently have a lingering odor that comes from handling the > skins of carrion. After the dressing is done the skins are boiled in a > vat of cure. This cure can be made a number of ways but sometimes > included dried dog feces and livestock urine as well as brine and bark. > It is very profitable as few people want to do it as a trade. I doubt > that your ancestor was doing the worst work himself. Owning a rum shop > would put him in contact with just the sort of marginal laborers who > would be willng to take that on. > > > > ==== CARIBBEAN Mailing List ==== > For information on individual islands, research aids, island bulletin boards or history please visit the CaribbeanGenWeb project at > http://www.rootsweb.com/~caribgw/ >