Yes, Paterson, New Jersey was the silk capitol of the US - "Silk City", as it was called. Mills were one of the biggest employers of the Irish in Paterson. There were other mills as well - flax and cotton mainly, and some wool. But silk was what Paterson was really known for - ribbons and broad silk (cloth). My understanding is that the textile industry in Ireland in the 1800s operated on a tiny scale compared to England, which had a very highly developed textile industry. Many Irish (some from Tipperary, I'm sure) migrated to England to work in the mills there. After a few years there, some of them came to Paterson or to other mill towns in the eastern US. There were many silk mills at Macclesfield (Cheshire), England in particular. A great number of English (and Irish) silk workers from Macclesfield emigrated to Paterson, especially in the 1870s through 1900. Paterson also attracted silk workers from France and Italy. But there was a very close relationship between Paterson and Macclesfield. You can read two interesting articles (views from both sides of the Atlantic) at http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/s/93/93121_james_unearths_paterson_predecessors.html and http://www.nps.gov/nero/greatfalls/greatfalls.htm Or just Google "silk mills" Macclesfield Paterson and you will get a bunch of hits. There were both skilled and unskilled jobs in the silk industry. I would guess that some of the skilled workers (like weavers and loom fixers) might have worked in England before they came to Paterson. Many of these were English. Those with no previous textile experience might also work their way up to the skilled positions. Children often started in unskilled positions at young ages - 10 or 11 (sometimes even younger). My grandmother Maggie Farrell worked as a bobbin winder (like many young girls) in the 1890s. She was underage, so when the inspectors would come around, she and the other youngsters were hidden in large boxes on the factory floor. Her brother John Farrell eventually worked his way up to become a loom fixer. Many of my other relatives worked in the locomotive factories in Paterson. Because of all the machinery used in the factories in Paterson, other industries that employed metal workers and machinists. Many Irish who came to the US between the 1840s and 1860s spent enough time in Paterson to earn some money, then headed west to farm, or moved elsewhere. I have a file that I call "Paterson Irish transients" where I collect references to farmers in Iowa, business owners in San Francisco, etc. whose families had spent a few years in Paterson after arriving in the US from Ireland. Kathryn, I will reply to you in private about the Cavanaghs and Donnellys of Paterson. Geralyn Wood Barry in Oregon kenorman22@comcast.net wrote: > I believe the silk mills were the draw for these families...for > Paterson was the silk capitol of the world at this time. > Also, since this is the Tipperary mailing list...I wondered where in > Tipperary there were silk mills....for it seems my whole Celtic family > were silk weavers.( My grandfather Donnelly invented the loom lock.) > I would be most grateful for any information on these matters. > Peace! > Kathryn E. Norman > >