Many years ago I read a book that mentioned the subject and I decided to poke around and found this: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+gender+division+of+labor+in+the+production+of+textiles+in...-a015324645 Cut short <G> there is lots about all parts of the trade with some interesting Chester Co tidbits. Eliz Weaving as Men's Work: Joseph Eldridge, Propertied Weaving was a more fully commercial activity in Chester County than spinning, with weavers representing approximately 13-20 percent of all taxable artisans between 1765 and 180--about 1 to 3 percent of the taxable population at this time.(36) The example of one Chester County weaver, Joseph Eldridge, provides insight into how these craftsmen were trained, their use of auxiliary labor and their artisanal life cycle. When followed by a composite portrait of weavers obtained from quantifiable sources, a clear picture of the work lives of these men emerges that is vastly different from the female experience in late eighteenth-century New England. Eldridge was born in 1765 in Goshen Township where he lived until his death in 1845.(37) Descended from four generations of American weavers, his training and work cycle deviated little from those of his ancestors.(38) Due to the premature death Premature Death occurs when a living thing dies of a cause other than old age. A premature death can be the result of injury, illness, violence, suicide, poor nutrition (often stemming from low income), starvation, dehydration, or other factors. ..... Click the link for more information. of his mother, Eldridge, while still a boy, went to live with his unmarried uncle James Garrett and learn the weaving business. Over the years Joseph's status changed several times: after serving his apprenticeship, by 1789, at the age of 24, he was a fully trained weaver--an occupation for which he was taxed that year--in addition to being married and having a child.(39) At this point he was living with his wife and young family on his uncle's farm, probably paying for his keep by weaving and assisting his uncle with agricultural work.(40) In 1794 when James died he bequeathed his esteemed friend and nephew . . . who now liveth with me in the house the whole Plantation or tract of Land and appurtenances APPURTENANCES. In common parlance and legal acceptation, is used to signify something belonging to another thing as principal, and which passes as incident to the principal thing. 10 Peters, R. 25; Angell, Wat. C. 43; 1 Serg. & Rawle, 169; 5 S. & R. 110; 5 S. & R. 107; Cro. Jac. that I now live on Situate sit·u·ate tr.v. sit·u·at·ed, sit·u·at·ing, sit·u·ates 1. To place in a certain spot or position; locate. 2. To place under particular circumstances or in a given condition. adj. in the Township of Goshen Containing about one hundred and Fifty acres be the same more or less. . . . I Also give and bequeath To dispose of Personal Property owned by a decedent at the time of death as a gift under the provisions of the decedent's will. The term bequeath applies only to personal property. unto my said Nephew Joseph Eldridge the whole of my Stock, farming utensils and household furniture what ever that I am now Possessed of.(41) The young man, a fifth generation weaver, now had a trade, tools, money inherited from his grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl and a good deal of property with which to expand his own enlarging household and enter into the next phase of his life cycle. Three of Eldridge's account books have survived and shed light on his business practices and changing work patterns.(42) The earliest entry is 1786 when Joseph was twenty-three years old, unmarried and childless. As a journeyman weaver, prior to having children and his uncle James's death, in 1794, with the ensuing en·sue intr.v. en·sued, en·su·ing, en·sues 1. To follow as a consequence or result. See Synonyms at follow. 2. To take place subsequently. ..... Click the link for more information. responsibilities of running a farm, Eldridge produced more cloth than he did later. During this time, he had little help with his weaving; between 1786 and 1789 his annual output averaged approximately 625 yards. By the late 1790s, however, as a propertied master weaver, increasing agricultural responsibilities left Eldridge with less time to weave himself. Since his own children were too small to help with the craft work, he hired young single men or "freemen" who lived with him to make much of the cloth produced by his workshop.(43) For example, journeyman weaver, Isaac Yarnall, began a year's boarding with Eldridge on April 14, 1795, for which he paid |pounds~22/10/0. Like the single female spinners who spent their earnings on personal items, Yarnall bought such things as a sheepskin apron apron, n a piece of clothing worn in front of the body for protection. apron band, n a labioincisal or gingival extension of an orthodontic band that aids in retention of the band and in proper positioning of the bracket. , a silver brooch brooch Ornamental pin with a clasp to attach it to a garment. Brooches developed from the Greek and Roman fibula, which resembled a decorative safety pin and was used as a fastening for cloaks and tunics. , yarn for stockings, tobacco, powder and shot Noun 1. powder and shot - ammunition consisting of gunpowder and bullets for muskets ammo, ammunition - projectiles to be fired from a gun ..... Click the link for more information. and candles from his employer. In return, he wove for half pay and performed a variety of agricultural jobs, for which he received additional wages. At the end of the year, if mutually agreeable, Eldridge and Yarnall could renew their agreement. However, if the young man was in a position to acquire his own property or received a better offer elsewhere, Eldridge would have to find a replacement and enter into a similar agreement with someone new.(44) Operating under this type of arrangement, Eldridge wove only 60 yards himself in 1794, compared to his annual output of 625 yards a decade earlier; his paid worker produced 470 yards of cloth. As his sons matured, Joseph taught them the skills he had learned from his uncle. By 1809, two sons and a contractual artisan produced about 1,499 yards of cloth among them, more than double what Eldridge had made when he worked alone. The added familial labor freed the older weaver from the necessity of making cloth himself and allowed him to develop further both his agricultural and craft operations. He expanded the latter in 1813, when he acquired a fulling mill a mill for fulling cloth as by means of pesties or stampers, which alternately fall into and rise from troughs where the cloth is placed with hot water and fuller's earth, or other cleansing materials. See also: Fulling , thereby transforming his weaving operation into a small woolen factory that could produce finished cloth for sale. Eldridge's life as a farmer/weaver paralleled that of his Pennsylvania weaving forebears. He learned his trade from a relative with whom he worked until he acquired his own land (in this case by inheritance). After weaving first for himself and later supplementing his output with contractual, then family, labor, Eldridge was able simultaneously to produce more cloth for sale and to expand his farming activities. Although he utilized contractual workers to assist him while his family was young rather than the bound labor used by earlier generations, Eldridge continued the tradition of training his sons in his craft which they practiced until well into the nineteenth century.(45) An examination of a broader population of Pennsylvania weavers demonstrates that many artisans experienced a life cycle similar to Eldridge.