Who wove the cloth? In Ohio it was made from flax and wool. The flax was converted to linen thread on the little wheel. Carded sheep's wool was fed to the big wheel and came out thread. Every home had a big wheel and a little wheel sitting in the corner. One loom served several families. The common cloth was linsey or linsey-woolsey, the chain being linen and filling woolen. In some cantons of Switzerland, Baseland for example, weaving was the main occupation. Not farming. Grapes and wine making was also important. The men were skilled weavers of silk ribbon. Were men important as weavers of cloth in Alsace and in Lancaster and its children counties? Were any of them Matter men? We have two and maybe three weavers in Cumberland County about 1830-1860 and probably before 1800 - Mater men. Henry and Michael. What did the Matter men of Lancaster County do beside farm. Most every family had enough of a garden to their family and a milk cow and a horse but the women and young children did most of that work. Larger farms required the full attention of the adult men - but in some families the men were money-lenders, blacksmiths, carpenters maybe weavers, wagoneers, harness makers,stone masons and toward 1800 they may have worked on building or operating the canals. Did anyone brew beer, raise grapes and apples for supplying other than themselves? If so they probably didn't have a large farm. How do the Matter families fit in? Did they all have large farms which they passed on to their sons? Or were some of them tradesmen?