would lap over considerably. It usually had a cape, and sometimes was fringed with a piece of cloth of a different color, the edges of which were ravelled. The wide bosom of the shirt was utilized for holding articles of food, or anything else necessary to have convenient. From the belt, which was tied behind, were suspended the tomahawk, the scalping-knife and the bullet bag. The feet were usually covered with moccasins, made of dressed deer skin. These were made of a single piece of skin, with a gathering seam along the top of the foot, and another, without gathers, from the bottom of the heel to a little above the ankle-joint. Flaps were left on each side to reach some distance up the legs. These were adjusted to the ankles and lower part of the leg by thongs of deer skin. In cold weather the moccasins were stuffed with hair from the deer skins or dry leaves. "In the latter years of the Indian war," says Dr. Doddridge, "our young men became more enamored of the Indian dress throughout, with the exception of the matchcoat. The drawers were laid aside and the leggings made longer, so as to cover the upper part of the thigh. The Indian breech-clout was adopted. This was a piece of linen or cloth nearly a yard long and eight or nine inches broad. This passed under the belt before and behind, leaving the ends for flaps hanging before and behind over the belt. These flaps were sometimes ornamented with some coarse kind of embroidery work. To the same belts which secured the breech-clouts, strings which supported the long leggings were attached. When this belt, as was often the case, passed over the hunting-shirt, the upper part of the thighs and part of the hips were naked." NE great advantage to be found in a settlement made up of Germans was the fact that every German boy, no matter what his station in life might be, was taught a trade; a custom which prevails in Germany to this day, but which, unfortunately, was to a great extent abandoned by the Germans in this country, about the middle of the nineteenth century. As a result of all the men being trained artisans the German settlers were able to obtain many articles which otherwise they would have had to go without, or else secure them from some of the older settlements at an expenditure of considerable time and money. While they were all skilled in agriculture, there was a large number who were good mechanics, and those who were not able to manufacture for themselves the articles they needed had no difficulty in finding some one to make them for them, and very often there was a trading in this sort of service. One man would make some article for another, who would pay for it by doing in return something in which he was proficient. At first, until the land was cleared, the fields prepared, and the homes built, there was not much done in the way of starting manufactories, but as the settlements increased and villages and towns sprang up, creating a greater demand for manufactured articles, a larger number of the settlers turned their attention in this direction, leaving the raising of crops to be done by others. There were few trades that were not represented, in a greater or less degree. There were expert cabinet-makers who, besides making the ordinary household furniture, frequently turned out beautiful specimens with lines modeled on the work of Heppelwhite and Chippendale, some of which have come down to this day. As the only means of conveyance for passengers and freight at that time was by horses, the wagon-makers' trade was an important one. But few wagons were brought from abroad, for without counting the original cost of them, the freight for carrying them across the ocean would have made their cost prohibitive. The first wagons used were made entirely of wood, the wheels being sawed from the trunk of a buttonwood or gum tree. But it was not long before the iron mines were opened and forges set up and after that a better class of wagons were obtainable. There were expert wheelwrights and wagon-builders among them, who turned out large numbers of substantial wagons. The fact that Benjamin Franklin in two weeks was able to obtain from the Germans of Pennsylvania one hundred and fifty wagons for Braddock's expedition shows how well supplied they were in this particular. Transportation methods of this kind required the use of large quantities of harness and saddles, so that saddlers and harness-makers were numerous. The manufacture of leather was another very important industry. Leather was needed for making boots and shoes as well as for harness and saddles, and great quantities of it were used. As the leather was all made by the old-fashioned process of tanning, in which the skins were macerated in vats for many months, a great many vats were necessary in order to keep up the supply, so that some of the tanneries were very large establishments. Shortly after 1753 Matthias Nead established a tannery near Clear Spring, Maryland, which was conducted by himself, his son and his grandsons for about three quarters of a century.58 Fastened with wafers to the wall of this tannery was the following rhyming notice, which has been preserved: NOTICE. Ye shoemakers, Cobblers, and others attend, Just look at this Notice, it is from your friend; My Purse is so empty, tis light as a feather, You have worn out your Shoes, and not paid for the Leather. Now take my Advice and pay off the old score, Before you get trusted for any skins more; I have Sheep Skins, & Calf Skins, & Upper, and Soal, I have leather that's green, and leather that's dry, But pay down the Rhino if any you'd buy: A hint to the wise is sufficient tis said, Pay! and take a Receipt from your good old Friend NEAD Nearly every family made the soap they used. Soapmaking was an interesting process, a process still in use in 58 It was quite common for a trade or business to descend from father to son for several generations. |