2005-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2005
Vermont textile history comprised of (50) manuscript letters, 1843-62, from a number mills and individuals. The correspondence was sent to P. W. Whitin & Sons, cotton machinery manufacturers in Whitinsville, Massachusetts and pertains to the purchase of various textile machines and parts. Locales with number of letters: (13) Bennington/North Bennington; (11) Winooski Falls/Winooski (Winooski Mill Co.); (5) Perkinsville; (4) Springfield (Fullerton Martin & Co.); (16) Middlebury (Pitts & Harris, H. W. Pitts); and one from Barre. Correspondents (not earlier noted) include: J. Essex; George Boardman, Jr.; H. W. Bassett; S.F. Warfield; and S. R. Rathbone Agt.. A small portion reads: Revel [Renel?] T. Warfield, Perkinsville, June 19, 1855 - "We have been putting into our Mill some second hand 30 inch cards and we are about ready to sett them grinding and we are minus of the tools to do it with and we are so far back in the Country that we can not obtain work of this kind." [Note: Two other letters from Perkinsville contain small illustrative diagrams. An 1858 letter contains two circular tracings of rings being purchased (rail and traveler end). An 1860 letter contains a sketch of teeth on bevel gears.]; Fullerton Martin & Co., Springfield [VT], Dec. 6, 1855 - "Our man had put the picker together and found a number of defects in it…it is not finished as it should be by considerable. The apron sides had to [be] cut off ¼ to git them on. The beaters would not go in until the frame was cut out to let them down…all the riging at the laper end was badly finished beside a number of other things about the picker."; H. W. Pitts, Middlebury, Jan. 11, 1854 and Aug. 1, 1859 - "I have put the wire cloth I had of you on to my picker screens and it improves my work so much that I can do without the picker that I ordered when there and instead of building it you may build me a drawing frame like the ones that went to Hoosic for C. H. Merritt or you make it with a wooden frame if it will come at a less price…"; "I intend putting in 50 looms for 36 inch goods this fall or during the Winter and 8 - 36 inch cards with railway…I have 40 new loom cranks & pullys. Cranks are wrought iron that I had build in Lowell to repair some of my old looms with but have concluded to put in new ones." Letters range from brief queries to filled full page quarto. Three letters with areas of dampstaining (though entirely readable.) Overall VG.
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