TIP #174: GRANDPA AS A WAINWRIGHT, A COACHMAKER, A BOOKBINDER, A LIMNER Wainwrights saw to it that our ancestors were mobile. More roads were being built, but seldom improved, and the settlers had to get from one place to another - whether to the little county church which might be miles away, or to the town for supplies they could not produce themselves. The mode of transportation, other than horses or mules, was the wagon. There were many varities of wagons ranging from the utilitarian farm wagon (which looked a lot like those used in Rome!) to a wagon that could haul the family or goods. A wagon maker was known as a wainwright and had a lot of parts to work with to get that wagon built. The wheels, axles, axletree, the perch (a long pole), the bolster (body of wagon is bolted to this), the transom…. The wainwright was a talented and much appreciated addition to any town or country area. The conestoga wagon was a prized possession. They looked regal and were pulled by strong graceful horses. The wagon was heavy as well and was normally pulled by six horses. It's body was of a different style. Some used to swear that the conestoga wagon would double for a boat, but this was not true. A "waggoner" is the man who rode on the left hand side nearest the wagon. He often had an assistant ride with him who stood on what they called the "lazy board" who operated the brakes. One of the hardest parts of building a wagon was creating the wheels. Master wheelwrights alone were trusted with this chore - and these wheelrights often doubled as the village smithey. Chaises - chairs, and giggs were also built by these men. A chaise was a two-wheeled vehicle with long shafts. Even though we might think this is an Oriental mode of transportation, many slaves carried the ladies on shopping trips in some of the larger towns. Coachmakers came from the early coaches of Philadelphia and were well-know as early as 1740 in America. Coaches and chariots were very heavy and had running gear like the wagon with some exceptions. A coachmaker had many employees including: wheelrights, blacksmiths, woodworkers, trimmers and upholsterers, painters and more. The BOOKBINDER is one that remains today much as it was then. It is only with the mass produced book held together with covers and glue, or spiral bound, that is different from the early days. The true bookbinder works much like he has for hundreds of years. A good bookbinder knows that each page is sewn onto cords which are then tied securely into binding boards. The bookbinder bought the printed pages and bound them to suit himself with the tools he had available. But it included more than just slapping a cover over the bound pages and handing them to the purchaser. He had to do a step called "Forward the book." This is a step done to the pages before the cover is placed around the sewn pages. The pages were printed of course on both sides - two on a side for what is called a "folio" and 4 pages for a "quarto", or 8 pages for a "octavo. For a folio, the pages stood the same way on both sides and a single fold made the sheet ready to bind. Other sizes were arranged so they would be right side up, pages numbers in the correct order when the quarto was folded twice or the octavo three times. Each sheet which had been folded correctly was known by him as a signature. He had to gather these signatures in the proper order, normally with the help of an apprentice. Once the signatures were correct, he sewed them to five cords (or less in a less expensive book) which was strung on a sewing frame set on the edge of a table. Cords were stretched between the top and bottom bar. For cheaper books, the binder sawed trenches across the backs for the cords to rest in and you could see the cuts inside the book. These cords were of several materials, a lot were rawhide. Using the lowest signature, the bind ran a linen threaded needle into the edge of the folk ½ of an inch from the head. The top of the book was called the "head" lay to his left. The needle was pulled out against the upper side of the first cord, over it, and back into the fold on the lower side. The bookbinder then placed the completed sewn book on its back between two boards, attaching a clamp. He then used a horizontal trimming press. When done, the backing was added - simply a way of protecting the pages. When the book was done, the bookbinder added ornamental work if it was requested. Gold was often used to title the book on the spine so it could be easily spotted in a bookcase. Special tools were used in this step, which was called "tooling." Everyone likes to have beautiful paintings or photographs in their house. But, then, as now, it isn't always a way to earn a good living - we still hear of "starving artists" sales. Until the development of Dauguerre in 1837, painted or drawn portraits or silhouettes were the only way to enjoy the fine arts. A limner filled the bill perfectly. He was often seen, riding his horse or mule and holding on to paints and brushes crammed in saddlebags and protruding from his pockets. He made his own brushes from mink or squirrel hair. His colors, all dry, were bought from dealers and normally sold in containers such as mouse, rat and rabbit bladders! When he found someone willing to have their portrait made, he had to contract with a woodmaker for a wood panel or build one himself on site, to which he stretched tow linen or other fabric. If you will notice the old paintings, the people were stern looking - nary a smile was shown! Great detail was paid to the clothing and accessories of the individuals and they bring back memories of a time we will never enjoy again. I have often wondered what the subject would have looked like, really looked like, if they had been allowed to crack a smile! © Copyright 20 August 1998, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved, sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Sandi Gorin - A Proud Kentucky Colonel 205 Clements Ave., Glasgow, KY 43141-3409 (502) 651-9114 PUBLISHING: http://members.tripod.com/~GorinS/index.html BARREN CO WEBSITE: http://ww4.choice.net/~jimphp/barrenco/ ARCHIVES for ROOTSWEB: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl PRAYER&PRAISE: http://www.listbot.com/subscribe/prayerandpraise