Another little tidbit regarding this Coats & Clarks thread: While searching the 1881 Census for Alexander STENHOUSE, a 3rd cousin - 3 times removed, I found he was a gardener employed by Thomas COATS. Below is the Census for Thomas indicating that at time he employed 480 Males and 1920 Females. It does not list the names but a check of the neighbours shows many of them employed as Thread Millworkers or cotton weavers. Cheers, San-Dee Stanners Lyons * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dwelling: Ferguslie House Census Place: Abbey, Renfrew, Scotland Source: FHL Film 0203585 GRO Ref Volume 573 EnumDist 105 Page 17 Marr Age Sex Birthplace Thomas COATS M 71 M Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Head Occ: Thread Manufactuer (Employing 480 Males & 1920 Females) Margaret COATS M 61 F Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Wife James COATS U 39 M Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Son Occ: Thread Manufacturer Janet COATS U 37 F Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Daur Margaret COATS U 23 F Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Daur Jeanie COATS U 21 F Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Daur Andrew COATS U 18 M Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Son Occ: Clerk Lilian COATS U 15 F Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Daur Margaret C. GREGORY U 38 F Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland Rel: Serv Occ: Table Maid (Domestic) Ann R. MAIR W 60 F Kilmuir, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland Rel: Serv Occ: Cook (Domestic) Catharine MARSHAL U 30 F Grangemouth, Stirling, Scotland Rel: Serv Occ: Housemaid (Domestic) Jessie SCOTT U 32 F Stobo, Perth, Scotland Rel: Serv Occ: Housemaid (Domestic) Dwelling: Ferguslie Garde Lodge Census Place: Abbey, Renfrew, Scotland Source: FHL Film 0203585 GRO Ref Volume 573 EnumDist 105 Page 17 Marr Age Sex Birthplace Alexander STENHOUSE U 26 M Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland Rel: Serv (Head) Occ: Under Gardener John MC ALISTER U 20 M Skipness, Argyll, Scotland Rel: Serv Occ: Under Gardener John MC INNES U 48 M Ardrossan, Ayr, Scotland Rel: Serv Occ: Under Gardener ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mariposa Obsidian" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 4:49 PM Subject: RE: [Renfrew] Coats & Clarks > Hi: Wow - I didn't expect to get this much info. Did anyone else have family go to Mexico to work in the Coats & Clark factory? > > Heather > > > David Rorer <[email protected]> wrote: It's funny that the name Viyella should come up. My second great uncle Alexander > James McNab was one of the principles in developing the practical manufacture of > the thread called Viyella, in his mill at 171 Boden Street Glasgow. This > building still existed as late as the 1970's and in fact I've looked at the > aerial photos in Google Earth and it still appears to be there. > Part of the story is quoted below. > > David Rorer > > Renison McNab & Co., Powerloom Cloth Manufacturers of Glasgow > In 1863 Alexander James McNab and William Renison founded Renison McNab & Co., > Powerloom Cloth Manufacturers, on Hosier Street, in the Bridgeton district of > Glasgow. Later they appear to have built a new building at 140 Boden St. > Renison McNab & Co specialized in weaving cloth on commission, utilizing power > driven looms. One of their yarn suppliers was William Hollins & Company, Ltd of > Derby, England, which had developed a specialty yarn known as Viyella. Unlike > other yarns, Viyella was not made of a single fiber, but was a combination of > wool and cotton fibers. Renison McNab & Co was one of the firms called upon to > solve the problem of weaving this yarn into cloth. > The problem with combining wool and cotton fibers in the same yarn is that > different sizings were normally used for these fibers. The trick to successfully > weaving the mixed fiber yarn was finding a sizing that would work well with both > cotton and wool. Renison McNab & Co was one of the first mills to solve this > problem and satisfactorily weave it into cloth for Hollins. Eventually, in order > to ensure the quality of the cloth woven from it's yarn; Hollins purchased the > Boden St Mill, in 1900, from Alexander McNab who by then was operating it as a > sole proprietor. > The mill was taken into the Hollins organization and there cloth was > manufactured for the company for over three quarters of the 20th century. The > Alexander McNab name was continued as the distributor of unbranded cloth on a > wholesale basis until at least the 1950's. > > > > >> > > >>The connection between Paisley and Guadalajara is that Paisley was once > > >>the > > >>World's leading town for the manufacture of sewing thread. There were 2 > > >>huge > > >>family businesses, the Clarks and the Coats, which eventually merged as > > >>United Thread Mills Ltd, a subsidiary of J & P Coats Ltd, which is now > > >>part > > >>of the Coats Viyella Tootal group. By the end of the 19th century, lots of > > >>countries were erecting tariff barriers to limit imports and foster local > > >>industry. Mexico was one such, and one of the Paisley companies set up a > > >>mill there (I'm not sure which), but in the 1960s & 70s when I worked for > > >>Coats, they had a mill in Guadalajara and another in Mexico City, as well > > >>as > > >>in countless other places around the world. Some googling should yield > > >>further info. > > >> > > >>I hope this helps, > > >> > > >>Ken Mathieson, > > >>Uddingston SCT > > > > > > > Cualli Tonalli! > Mariposita Obsidiana, P.A. > > http://www.thelensflare.com/u_mariposa.php > http://mariposadreaming.blogspot.com/ > > "I am an amateur and I intend to stay that way for the rest of my life." - Andre Kertesz, Hungary, 1930 > > --------------------------------- > Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less. >