The Griffin Loom

Reference to a loom is woven throughout the family story of Samuel Griffin, 1739-1808. It was part of the family life in Killingworth and was transported to Essex when the family made what was at the time a very arduous journey to a new homestead. It occupies a prominent place in Samuel’s will. There were many tasks that need to be performed to produce the thread that was used in the weaving process. Previously on the Blog we have described the steps that transformed flax into linen thread. The most widely used material was wool. Sheep were very much a part of the farm life in Essex. In my family that tradition of keeping sheep was continued unbroken down to my father. In both Killingworth and in Essex the production of a finished piece of cloth was the sum of a number of smaller tasks. The girls Lois, Polly and Azuba, the boys Joel, Asahel, Worden, Samuel, John, and Dan were all certainly part of the cottage industry of weaving cloth. In the inventories in the wills found in New England records we very often find listed yards of cloth. Cloth was a cash crop for many early American families. While the whole family was involved in preparing the yarn and thread for weaving there was usually only one person who was the weaver. It is my reading of the Griffin family history that the weaver was Samuel a position he passed on to his son John. After all of the preparatory steps were finished the product that came off from the spinning wheel was high quality yarn. This yarn was used much as it is today for knitted items. By adding another attachment, a quill, to the spinning wheel the yarn was spun into the tread that was used to weave cloth. The quill spun the yarn into thread and the resulting thread ended up wound around the quill. In this manner the quill also served in the same role as a bobbin.-------The material that follows was written in Essex by the Castle family On the front of the loom is placed the seat for the weaver, with the bobbin basket at the right to refill the shuttle. To put this loom in motion grandmother (or Samuel Griffin) takes the weaver’s seat, placing her feet on the treadles, in her right hand holding the shuttle, and with the left hand placed on the swing beam that holds the reed. The treadles being attached to the harness, the right foot presses the treadles down; this springs the harness that opens the warp and the shuttle is thrown form the right hand through the warp to the left hand, receiving the shuttle, while in turn the right hand is placed on the swing beam to bring the thread of filling to the proper place that the shuttle left in passing through the warp from the right to the left; the left food then presses the left treadle down, springing the harness attached to the treadles, the first treadle returning to its former place. The left hand then returns the shuttle to the right hand, the left hand on the beam brings the thread to its proper place. Thus grandmother’s feet transmits the power which opens the threads of the warp to receive the shuttle that holds the yarn bobbin for the filling of the warp; her hands swing the beam or lathe that receives and holds the reed that places the filling in its proper place in the warp. ------------- The spooling of the yarn for the shuttle with the old quill wheel and swifts was the work for the grandchildren. The writer has often remained at the old quill wheel and swifts spooling for the loom when the boys of the neighborhood were within hearing having a good time at play. But I had to keep the old thing buzzing until the bobbins were all filled for the shuttle, then grandmother would say: “You are a good boy. I will bake you a nice turnover pie the next time I bake.” And she always remembered her promise. ---------------- Homespun Cloth. The, all wool goods a yard wide, which we so easily purchase to-day meant to the colonial dame or daughter the work of months from the time when the freshly sheared fleeces were first given to her deft hands. The fleeces had to be opened with care, all pitched or tarred locks, brands, dagolocks and feltings had to be cut out these were spun into course yarn to be use as twine. The white locks were carefully tossed, separated, cleaned and tied into net bags with tallies, to be died. Dyeing the wool demanded a process of much skill. Indigo furnished the blue shades; cochineal, madder and logwood the beautiful reds. Domestic dyes of brown and yellow from the bark of the red oak and the hickory nut were universal. Copperas and sassafras also dyed yellow. The flower of the golden-rod set with alum was the foundation color to combine with indigo for a beautiful green. After the wools were dyed the housewife spread them in layers. If a mixed color was desired, the wools were carded again and again. ---------------The wool was slightly greased with rape oil or melted swine or bear’s grease, to be carded a trying process. Finally the wool was carded into small, light, loose rolls about as large around as the little finger, these were then spun into yarn. The yarn was wound as it was spun upon a broach, which was usually simply a stiff roll of paper or corn-husk. When the ball was as large as the broach would hold, the spinner placed pegs in the spokes of the spinning wheel and tied the end of the yarn to a peg, then she held the ball of yarn in her hand and whizzed the big wheel round, winding the yarn on the pegs into hanks or clews. ( A hank is what you are buying when you buy yarn in a store today ) If the yarn was to be woven, the hanks were placed on the reel ( of the spinning wheel) or swifts, a quill was then placed on the spindle of the quill wheel, the yarn wound off the quill cut the exact length of the loom shuttle by which the yarn was to be woven into woolen cloth. When wound full the quill was placed in the shuttle, where it was then ready for the loom.