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Post by brokennock on Apr 30, 2022 18:46:48 GMT -7
RyanAK, welcome to the forum, My time period of interest and study is 1750 - 63 in the PA & OH area. Not sure if this is what you are after, but I did a rather simple study on clothing from the above time period and area using journals, run-away adds, and a few trade lists, it goes as follows. SHIRTS: The #1 most common shirt mentioned is a white linen shirt, that is combining terms such as, "White linen shirt", "white shirt", "linen shirt", "coarse linen shirt". #2 most common was a check shirt, #3 was a "ozenbrigs" shirt. A few interesting references to, "a brown linen shirt" as well as "striped cotton", "tow", & "flaxen" shirts. BREECHES: I would say cloth breeches are the most common, it was hard to determine which cloth was most used, but found references to linen, broadcloth, cotton velvet, shag, knit, & stocking breeches, seems like blue was a very common color. Buckskin/leather breeches are a close second, I think buckskin breeches are much ignored in the reenacting community. STOCKINGS: Yarn, worsted, linen thread, and ribbstockings were some of the materials used and it seemed blue and grey the most mentioned colors. SHOES: shoes with brass buckles seemed most mentioned, #2 was steel buckles, and pewter, copper, & silver were mentioned, some few without buckles. Boots and Moccasins mentioned. COATS: Many times only the color mentioned, brown and blue most mentioned. JACKETS: Again an under-represented piece of clothing in my opinion, jackets of broadcloth, linen, velvet, homespun, cotton, kersey, camblet, and thickset, with blue and brown being the most popular colors. HATS: #1 most common was felt, #2 was castor, #3 was beaver ( this was the terms used, some may mean the same thing?) caps very common as well, worsted, linen, yarn, cotton, wool, and silk all mentioned. HANKERCHIEF: Linen, silk, and cotton mentioned, some colors being, red & white, white with blue borders, white, check, striped, & spotted. WAISTCOATS: of every cloth, color and description! Lol As I mentioned this was compiled using only the above resources, and I'm sure most on this forum find this as basic and common knowledge, but I like to have documentation for myself and it was a fun little project. Great compilation. Well done. I'm not sure that buckskin breaches are "ignored" however. I do see them mentioned and acknowledged quite frequently. I don't think they are often actually worn for a few reasons. They are expensive to buy, and difficult to make correctly. The latter being one of the reasons for the former, and also why folks who might make some of their own clothes don't make those. Also, they have a reputation for being very uncomfortable in anything but ideal weather. This also being noted in some period texts. Jackets do seem under-represented. Maybe this is because many don't seem to understand the difference between a jacket and a coat, or moreso between a jacket and a sleeved waistcoat.
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Post by lenapej on May 1, 2022 12:57:42 GMT -7
Brokennock Thanks, ignored was probably the wrong word to use, under-represented was what I ment, in all the events that I've been to I can only remember seeing one person wear leather breeches, now I do understand the part about them being expensive, and the only reason that I have a pair is because I came across a great deal on some deer hides and was determined to try and make a pair after seeing so many references to them, It was my first time trying to make breeches and was surprised that it was not as difficult as I had imagined, though I skipped putting in pockets which helped. I made some mistakes (hence no photo, I don't want you to hurt yourself laughing) but so far have found them pretty comfortable to wear.
RyanAK Judging from reading journals, mostly of middle or lower class people, rarely did they travel at a distance on foot, the few times that I've read of such is because they lost their horse, wagon, or canoe by accident or due to circumstances, such as horses wearing out and being impatient continued on foot. It seems it's hard to be real specific when it comes to clothing and kit as rarely a full list of items is mentioned, but we can get glimpses, for instance in James Kenny's journal as he was preparing to journey to fort Pitt in 1758, he mentions having to buy a new hatchet as he lost his, and also buying a new great coat because of the weather, he mentioned getting water in his boots from crossing a creek on horse back etc. I am not knowledgeable enough to really help with some of those specifics that you mention, and look forward to the responses of the others.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 2, 2022 7:31:16 GMT -7
RyanAK Judging from reading journals, mostly of middle or lower class people, rarely did they travel at a distance on foot, the few times that I've read of such is because they lost their horse, wagon, or canoe by accident or due to circumstances, such as horses wearing out and being impatient continued on foot. It seems it's hard to be real specific when it comes to clothing and kit as rarely a full list of items is mentioned, but we can get glimpses, for instance in James Kenny's journal as he was preparing to journey to fort Pitt in 1758, he mentions having to buy a new hatchet as he lost his, and also buying a new great coat because of the weather, he mentioned getting water in his boots from crossing a creek on horse back etc. I am not knowledgeable enough to really help with some of those specifics that you mention, and look forward to the responses of the others. Interesting. My impression from reading accounts is that most travel on the frontier was on foot, and that a good portion of travel between the towns and frontier was on foot as well. There are two accounts of Conrad Wiser traveling to Shamokin and the Wyoming Valley I’ll need to go back to refresh my memory on. John Harris, when he gathered men to respond to the frontier crisis after the Penns Creek massacre, seems to have been on foot with his party. Was there anything like a stagecoach established in Pennsylvania by this time? Wagons for hire? How prevent were horses among those not needing them for their occupation? (These are questions I’m looking into… not pestering for answers!) If on foot, how would a civilian be conveying his belongings? Snap sack? Blanket roll on a tumpline? This might depend on exposure to military methods. Interesting stuff!
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Post by paranger on May 2, 2022 7:49:49 GMT -7
After the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster and subsequent improvement projects, the Great Wagon Road arguably became America's first highway. You would almost certainly have traveled at least as far as Harris'Ferry on this road, where I should think conveyance would be reasonably easy to find (e.g. hitching a ride on a farmer's wagon coming back from market in Philadelphia, etc.) A simple inquiry at taverns along the way would probably facilitate such an arrangement.
From there, I should think travel upriver might be afforded much the same way by bateau. Otherwise, I think you would be left with the established Paxtang Path up the Susquehanna to Shamokin (See Wallace, Indian Paths of Pennsylvania), either on foot or mounted if you had the means.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 2, 2022 11:09:48 GMT -7
I love maps. This is Joseph Shippen’s map of the territory in 1756, after the outbreak of the French and Indian War and the establishment of Forts Hunter, Halifax and Augusta. Housed in the Moravian Archives. (Zoom in. The resolution and detail is fantastic!)Here’s a detail of the confluence of the North and West Branches. And some context by Katherine Faull of Bucknell: storiesofthesusquehanna.blogs.bucknell.edu/joseph-shippens-1756-map-of-the-susquehanna/So… as our friend paranger points out, a traveller to the frontier of the Susquehanna likely used the Great Wagon Road to Harris’s Ferry, and then to Shamokin either by bateaux or via one of the Paths.
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Post by paranger on May 2, 2022 12:15:49 GMT -7
Great find!! Fantastic maps!
So many of the locations and features that I have read about (and some I have visited) - all depicted in all their 1756 glory... 👍👍
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 2, 2022 12:21:25 GMT -7
Great find!! Fantastic maps! So many of the locations and features that I have read about (and some I have visited) - all depicted in all their 1756 glory... 👍👍 See? I can be useful! Ha! Download… email to printshop to make a LARGE print.
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Post by paranger on May 2, 2022 12:26:03 GMT -7
Great find!! Fantastic maps! So many of the locations and features that I have read about (and some I have visited) - all depicted in all their 1756 glory... 👍👍 See? I can be useful! Ha! Download… email to printshop to make a LARGE print. Sounds like a great idea.
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Post by brokennock on May 2, 2022 16:58:47 GMT -7
I'd buy a copy if you made a few.
Limited distance travel for outings of short duration may have been on foot. Going to the next town or settlement over to conduct some business for a day or two. But most likely a horse or a draft animal drawn wagon would have been involved.
Even when men traveled "on foot," it doesn't mean that their stuff did. I'm sure a lot of travel was done by walking, but with tools, equipment, provisions, and such carried by pack animal or on a wagon or cart. Everyone speaks of horses so often, but don't forget the hard working oxen so common to the farmer and with a temperament suited for pulling a cart of goods a long way. Once wagon roads were in place, or other roads between settlements, towns, forts, and stations, wagons and carts pulled by oxen, mules, donkeys, and yes flighty scatter brained horses, would have been very common.
I often think that travelers back then would look at some modern backpackers today and think them very foolish.
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Post by Black Hand on May 2, 2022 17:52:27 GMT -7
I often think that travelers back then would look at some modern backpackers today and think them very foolish. It's not just people back then with this view....
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Post by lenapej on May 2, 2022 18:09:46 GMT -7
RyanAK Judging from reading journals, mostly of middle or lower class people, rarely did they travel at a distance on foot, the few times that I've read of such is because they lost their horse, wagon, or canoe by accident or due to circumstances, such as horses wearing out and being impatient continued on foot. It seems it's hard to be real specific when it comes to clothing and kit as rarely a full list of items is mentioned, but we can get glimpses, for instance in James Kenny's journal as he was preparing to journey to fort Pitt in 1758, he mentions having to buy a new hatchet as he lost his, and also buying a new great coat because of the weather, he mentioned getting water in his boots from crossing a creek on horse back etc. I am not knowledgeable enough to really help with some of those specifics that you mention, and look forward to the responses of the others. Interesting. My impression from reading accounts is that most travel on the frontier was on foot, and that a good portion of travel between the towns and frontier was on foot as well. There are two accounts of Conrad Wiser traveling to Shamokin and the Wyoming Valley I’ll need to go back to refresh my memory on. John Harris, when he gathered men to respond to the frontier crisis after the Penns Creek massacre, seems to have been on foot with his party. Was there anything like a stagecoach established in Pennsylvania by this time? Wagons for hire? How prevent were horses among those not needing them for their occupation? (These are questions I’m looking into… not pestering for answers!) If on foot, how would a civilian be conveying his belongings? Snap sack? Blanket roll on a tumpline? This might depend on exposure to military methods. Interesting stuff! RyanAK Most of the journals I have read are of people that were traveling quite a distance, but I think you are right about a lot of foot travel locally or people not being able to afford a horse etc. Here are a few carrying methods that I have saved that may be of interest. From the journal of George Washington 1748: "After we pitched our tent & made a large fire, we pulled out our KNAPSACK in order to recruit ourselves..." Again from George Washington 1753: "I put my self in Indian walking dress...pulled off my clothes; tied myself up in a match-coat; & with my PACK at my back with my papers & provisions in it..." In a list of necessaries given to C. F. Post and the Lenape, Teedyuscung & company on diplomatic mission 1760: "osnabrig for BAGS & WALLETS" & "SADDLE BAGS for Post". The Lenape interpreter Tatamy Moses when preparing for a journey put his "spare clothes in a PORTMANTEAU" Christian F. Post 1758: "I got my saddle bags upon a wagon, but my bed & covering I carried on my back"
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Post by brokennock on May 2, 2022 18:21:02 GMT -7
One can note a few things from those pics Lenapej. One thing I notice is that our two travelers are essentially unarmed. With the possible exception of one's staff and the other's conveniently carried "attack chickens." How many even consider their persona in regards to times spent without or away from arms?
Those big market wallets would seem easy to make. I'm wondering how well they stay on the shoulder.
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Post by lenapej on May 2, 2022 19:33:09 GMT -7
One can note a few things from those pics Lenapej. One thing I notice is that our two travelers are essentially unarmed. With the possible exception of one's staff and the other's conveniently carried "attack chickens." How many even consider their persona in regards to times spent without or away from arms? Those big market wallets would seem easy to make. I'm wondering how well they stay on the shoulder. I believe the pic of the two travelers is from England or some other country which may explain the absence of weapons. I have a market wallet that is smaller than the one shown in the pic and I love it, if you put a canteen or powder horn strap across it, it helps keep it in place.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on May 2, 2022 20:02:48 GMT -7
Great stuff, fellas! The art is great. I’d love to know the story behind the portrait. It’s a standout for a number of reasons. Conveyance is an interesting thing for us to consider, methinks. If my persona owns/owned a tavern in a town, there’s a possibility he doesn’t own a horse or other draft animals, relying on the local wagoner to keep him in supply. But a surveyor would likely have an animal to travel on. Fun to contemplate. Have any of you ever thought “how did I and all this stuff get here?” Maybe I should get a mule instead of a Fowler? I like mules. And dunkeys. A wallet is near the top of my list of items to purchase or procure. It’s a small enough investment to try something new to me. I think I’d like it. Mention of the two itinerant fellows armed only with a staff, an extra shoe, and a couple of chickens has me thinking about the prevalence of arms among the citzenry within the settled part of the Provence. Maybe our fella doesn’t arm himself until he reaches Harris’s on the Susquehanna, which, upon leaving, a firearm will be needed for subsistence and protection. Where and when an arm is procured will obviously make a difference. That may be another thought nugget to mull over…
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Post by paranger on May 3, 2022 2:57:05 GMT -7
Have any of you ever thought “how did I and all this stuff get here?” Maybe I should get a mule instead of a Fowler? I like mules. And dunkeys. Mules do not begin to become prevalent in North America until the 1830s. One of the first documented was a gift from King Charles IV of Spain to George Washington in 1785, who then started breeding them. Better go with the fowler...😁
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