Saturday, January 26, 2013

Inventory of a Carpet Factory in 1842


                                                  Inventory of a Carpet Factory in 1842


Amsterdam, on the Mohawk River, Montgomery County, in central New York, began as a textile factory town with impetus from two families.  By 1840, William K. Greene, of Poughkeepsie, had set up a carpet factory with his son, William K. Greene, Jr.  In 1842, the Greenes formed a partnership with John Sanford.  William K. Greene and Son conveyed the factory building and all contents to the partnership of Sanford & Greene.

Both William K. Greene Sr. (1790-1864) and John Sanford (1803-1857) came to NY from Connecticut.  Greene was born in Leicester, MA, but married in Woodstock, Windham County, where his first few children were born.  Since ingrain carpet weaving was being done in Connecticut by 1823, this may be where he picked up some knowledge of textile operations.  Sanford was born in Roxbury, Litchfield County, and is reported in a biographical sketch to have come to Amsterdam in the 1830s as a teacher.

While a recorded partnership agreement has not been found, deeds recorded in Montgomery County in August and October, 1843 reflect sale of the Greene property on Market Street, on the West side of Chuctanunda Creek, to Sanford as well as joint purchase of two adjacent properties and water rights of what had been a plane factory.  These were adjacent to the existing dam and pond on Chuctanunda Creek, which had already furnished power to grist mills, oil mills, an iron forge, sawmills and a fulling mill. 

In 1845 the factory in Amsterdam was reported producing 600 yards of carpeting per day, selling at 75 or 80 cents per yard, “and arrangements are making for the manufacture of three ply and Brussels qualities” [New York Herald, May 7, 1845, page 1, and other papers around this date].  The partnership is also reflected in the inventory that follows, but it may have been short-lived.  By a deed of April, 1847, the Greenes sold to John Sanford a lot known as part of the “forge lot” together with building, equipment and stores, reserving to themselves the water wheel on the premises which they intended to remove.  In late 1847 William K. Greene, Jr. was designated agent and superintendent of a new carpet mill in Schenectady, which was to have a dye house and separate building for the 40-horse steam engine that was to power the looms [The Cabinet (Schenectady, NY), November 2, 18347, page 2].

Shortly before midnight, December 20, 1849, a fire started in the Sanford carpet works’ yarn-drying area, destroying the wood building, 50 looms, two sets of cards and other machinery, although some carpet, wool and dye stuffs were spared [Albany Evening Journal (Albany, NY), Saturday, December 22, 1849, page 2].  John Sanford’s son, Stephen, rebuilt upstream on the same creek, and this factory and its merged corporate organizations operated for many decades there.

The following inventory is in a ledger, identified on the flyleaf as Sanford & Greenes Invoice Book.  It reflects the equipment and materials used by producers of ingrain carpet as well as “fancy” coverlets, although the types of yarns used in coverlets would vary and not all coverlet producers were dyers as well.


    Sanford & Greenes Invoice Book

    Invoice of Machinery, Building, Stock &c Bo’t. of Wm. K. Green & Son
     by Sanford & Greene’s Aug’t. 14, 1843

1    Factory Building at             350.00    350.00
10    Carpet Looms camptute @        125.00    1250.00
1    Warping Mill & Creele                10.00
5     Set. Wheels & Swifts @        4.00        20.00
8-3/4    doz Shuttles        $5.00        43.75
10 pr    Temples        @ 4/        5.00
1238    Bobbins        8/ pr 100        12.38
232    Spools        @ $6. pr 100        13.92
1    Cloth Prep Screen & Bar                40.00
1     Shearing Machine                115.00
1     Rolling Machine                5.00
1     Burling Table                2.00
1    Beaming Apperatus                2.00
2    Raddles        @ 10/        2.50
1     Set Plates & Puncher                20.00
1     Card Lacing Machine &c                2.00
2    Sets Old Vine Pattern & Design    1250 cards @ $15.        30.00
4     “   New do.    “    418    $5        20.00
4     “ Boquet    “    480    $7        28.00
3     “ Calico    “    380    $3        9.00
1     “ Flour Pot    “    680    111        10.00
2     “ Star    “    480    4.00        8.00
1     “ C. M. P.    “    241            3.00
1            do    “      ”            3.00
1     “ D. &c. Fora    “    480            8.00
1    Dye Kettle Copper Large                    110.00
1     do             do          Small & Tub &c            100.00
1    Soap Vat                    5.00
1    Indigo Grinder                    3.00
1    Trunk for Keeping Design’s                2.00
2    Set Scroll Pattern & Design    630 Cards each @ $8        16.00
  59 #    Smyrna Yarn in Greese              @    22            12.90
  62 “        do             do         “            13.64
  40 “        do             do        “            8.80
  51 “    Codover       do        24            12.24
317½ “     do             1 Bale    4/     “            76.70
153½ “     do         “            36.84
  29 “    Lot’s custom (?) Yarn        60            17.40
140 “      do    Smyrna        “        30            42.00
  28 “                  do     in Greese    22                6.16
  72 “    Codover Col’d        32            23.04
  73 “       do                in Greese    24                17.52
  75 “    Chelmsford B in   “        18            13.50
  75 “        do             do          Col’d.    26            19.50
    5 “    Worsted in Greese        45            2.25
  64 “    Chelmsford B.  Col’d        26            16.64
  90 “            do           do         “            23.40
  66 “            do           do         “            17.16
  46 “            do           do                     “            11.96
  14 “    N. E.  B   4/8  do        29            4.06
  72 “    Smyrna          do        30            21.60
  79 “    Whinfield      do        29            22.90
    7 “    Custom          do        60            4.20
  25 “    Chelmsford B  “        26            6.50
  25 “           do       in Greese        18            4.50
  50 “           do          do        18            9.00
  50 “           do        Col’d        26            13.00
  50 “    Worsted in Greese        45            22.50
  50 “           do      Col’d        55½            27.75
  27 “    N. E.  B. filling        29            7.83
  28 “        do    in Greese        22            6.16
   1    Black Haun                    4.00
  3½ #    Worsted in Greese        45            1.58
  40 “    filling on Bobbins N E B        29            11.60
2    lots in Loom not commenced (?)                        @    19        38.00
1     “    do on Warping Mill                    19.00
5     “ in Looms commenced (?)              Equal to 3 pr @19        57.00
101 #    Worsted on Spools            55½        56.05
 62 “         do       Col’d            55½        34.41
 89 “         do           do                              “        49.40
 18 “    N. E filling do            29        5.22
 60 “    Chelmsford   B do            26        15.60
 70 “             do         do do            “        18.20
 68 “             do         do do            “        17.68
 80 “    Smyrna               do            30        24.00
 19 “    Codover               do            32        6.08
 34 “    Chelmsford B.   do            26        8.84
 76¾ “    Custom           do            40        46.05
 5½    Cords Wood                          @     14/        9.63
 2    Stoves & Pipes                    10.00
 2    Willow Baskets                    2.50
 1    Screw Wrench                    2.00
 2 pr    Plyers@         3/            .75
 1    Hammer        3/            .38
 2 Bbls    2/- Hyper   182, 177        359    3¾        13.96
 1   “     ”   Fustick        115    1¾        2.27
 3    C. 2/  Logwood        346             @    2        7.67
 1    St.            do        114    1½         1.96
 2    Bark        323    1¾        6.16
 1    Allum        290    3¼         9.67
 1    Hyper          82    3¾         3.32
 1    Fustick          57    1¾        1.24
 1    Bark          28   2/         2        .81
 1 Keg    Lack Dye                  2/      29        4.31
 1  “    Blue Vitrol        33.    10        3.55
 1 Bbl    Whiting        33    1½        .75
 ½ “    2/  Red Tarter         100 lbs    13        13.25
1 Bbl    2/ Logwood    36#        2        .97
1 Bbl    Brimstone    96 “        2        1.92
5 #    C. Tarter            22        1.10
1 Carboy    12/ M. Anice    100 #         4        5.50
1    “    Oil Vitrol     96    12/    3½        4.86
1    “    Aquafortis    58        1/        8.75
24 #    B.  Tin Grain’d            2/        6.00
60 “    M. Anice             4        2.40
 7    Stone Pots        5/            4.38
1    Coffee Mill        8/            1.00
 6 #    Cochineal            113        6.78
 5 “          do              “        5.60
 5 “    G.  Indigo            14/        8.75
1    Hydromiter             4/        .50
1 Bbl    Soap            16        2.00
1    Carboy    12/                1.50
200 #    Soap Greese             4        8.00
1    Wheele Barrow                    5.00
1¼ Cord    Wood            14/        2.19
32    Dying Palls             8        2.56
3    Pails                    .38
1    Rinse Box                    1.50
1    Box Stove                    5.00
1 pr    Small Steel Yards                    1.00
1 pr    Balances                    5.00
1    Saw & 1 Axe                    1.50
1 Gross    Large Pastboard for Carder                16.00
23 #    fustick            1¾        .40
19 “    Logwood            2        .38
46 “    Copperas    & Keg        2        .80
18 “    Hyper            3¾        .67
 6 “    Red Tarter            13        .78
9½    Blue Vitrol            10        .95
13 oz    Knot Cord    @ 11/#                .81
½ #    Knot Cord        @ 9/            .56
1    Remnant Brussells Carpet                2.25
1          do      Ingrain      do                    1.13
12 Sheets    Design paper            1/        1.50
1    New Design Not Cut                    5.00
2¾    Cords Wood        @ 14/            4.81
57 #    Worsted Col’d            55½         31.64
1    of Wimples Patent Scales                    20.00
1    Tin Oil Can   35 Gall                    3.50
    Wm. Partridge Bill Dye Stuf Aug 10. 1843 as on file            35.90
    Policy of Insurance 3-1/6 **Leves to sum $1000
        Sum p’d Original $16.50 Transf’d        10.45
                ===========================
                        $3509.02
    Deduct the Am’t. Contributed
    by Wm. K. Green & Wm. K. Green Jr.
        as Capitall Stock            3000.00
                due Wm. K. Green & son    $509.02

    Rec’d Note at 90 days in full of the above
    balance Dec. 30th 1843
        Wm. K. Greene & Son

Monday, January 9, 2012

NMAC Coverlet Query: 8-Point Stars, Long Island Type?



This coverlet may be in the National Museum of the American Coverlet, Bedford, Pennsylvania.  I have an ongoing interest in multiple-harness doublecloth coverlets with various sorts of 8-pointed stars and related motifs, particularly those with inscriptions.

If it is not in the NMAC, where is it?

Does this one have an inscription?




    ❁    ✸    ❁    ✸    ❁    ✸    ❁    ✸

Update:  According to Ms. Melinda Zongor, this coverlet is in the collection of the National Museum of the American Coverlet, Accession No. 2007.001.025.

Its motifs are 8-point stars within 6-block snowballs, halves of which are shown in the illustration here, alternating with 8-point blazing stars within which are small stars with tiny diamond checkerboards within them.

The coverlet has no woven inscription, and the donors to the NMAC had no information on its prior ownership provenance.

Many thanks to Ms. Zongor for the information.

The coverlet's motif format strongly resembles some with Long Island provenance woven in the 1820s, and may be a product of the same shop.  If this conclusion is correct, the coverlet tells us that the weaver of these geometric-design Long Island coverlets wove coverlets both with and without inscriptions, so some were made for specific clients and others perhaps woven as general stock.