This is my preliminary to writing about the work that
Francis did. This was all in my preparation, and today I’ve stuck it together in a jumble. I don’t want to make too many
lists – all of this will be in appendixes, so it should be just a short blurb. Today,
however, I encountered a problem, which is at the end. I shall have to decide
what to do with it – but will I sweep it under the proverbial rug? Contact
someone at the Historical Society or a paleographer or both? It isn’t a big
deal, and I could certainly leave it out. But now, it bugs me. I will set the
solution aside for after the challenge, but I must note it now.
CAREER
FARMER – ALMOST
EVERYONE DID SOME FARMING
CARPENTER, NOT
SO MUCH
BLACKSMITH
TOWN
RESPONSIBILITIES
FIRST A LIST,
THEN A STORY.
Francis appears to have been a/the village blacksmith,
for in his will, he wrote, “I Doe give to my Sonn John the Shopp with the
Tooles and Iron and Steel an Coales to be prised.” [1]
Francis was
included in a list of men in the 1670s, most of whom appear in the town records
“as they were called upon for duties befitting responsible citizens.”[2]
For him to be known as having one of the most
responsible names of the town, and for him to be given duties of
responsibility, he must have been a man of fine character. Mind you, his responsibilities
are few. He wasn’t a young man at this time.
“I doe give my sonn Stephen my share of the farme with
all the horses and mares that runs in the woods with all the Carts plows and furneture
belonging to them and the great table and long Gunn:
I doe give to my sons John and Stephen all my Cattle
and other things to be equally devided except what particulars are otherwise disposed
of:”[3]
(I noticed that someone mentioned that they are
leaving footnotes for later. Learn from my experience, if you will – they are
terrifically hard to find later. At least, leave a clue, as I did here for the
will and probate of Francis, which I look at almost daily. I also keep my bibliography
updated as I go, and I’ve used it countless times.)
Goods mentioned in his will: to Stephen, his share of
the farme. Also cart and plowes.
To Ann: a cow, a heifer, a sowe, and a hogg. Also Indian
corn, wheat, and pease.
In the inventory: blacksmith tools, grindstone, and
iron
Beetle rings, hatchet, nails, chisel, gouge, drawing
knife
Hoe, new plowshare
4 cows, 2 steers, 2 heifers, a sowe and 4 pigs, 6
swine, 4 horses, 2 oxen
Peas, flax, Indian corn, wheat, hops
My thoughts. He was a blacksmith. His tools are not
listed specifically (shop, tools, iron, steel, coals, and grindstone) –
possibly as everything was going to his son, John. Why not his son Richard?
Richard was already set up in Norwalk as a blacksmith.
Richard owed money to his father's estate: what he received in probate was enough to settle
his debt. Possibly, as blacksmiths made a lot of their own tools, his father
had already made tools for him, asking some money for his supplies and maybe
etc.
He had a few household tools, but not as many as other
men – perhaps he only did basic carpentry work around the house. There were
other carpenters in town. In the inventory: beetle rings, hatchet, nails,
chisel, gouge, and a drawing knife. Think too, of the leather and bellow boards
that I think were supplies – not the actual bellows.
For animals: at the time of his death, he had: 4 cows,
2 steers, 2 heifers, a sow and 4 pigs, 6 swine, 4 horses and 2 oxen. His horses
and mares run in the woods. Were the cattle, oxen, and swine behind the fence
at home? Did he own a barn? I read that poultry was not even mentioned in
inventories as everyone had them and there was no shortage of them – although wild
creatures sometimes got them.
I suppose nearly everyone had a garden and some had
meadow land. No land is mentioned in the town records for Francis, but probably he was no different
than any other man. In the inventory, what was listed were peas, flax, Indian
corn, wheat, hops, and tobacco. I imagine the tobacco was imported from the
south and purchased from the merchant, Jeremiah Jagger. I’ve also read and need
to find, that the colonial peoples had root vegetables and orchards. These were
not in the inventory – another thing possibly understood. But, lots of peas and
Indian corn for sure, and Ann had lots of linen -think flax.
As for town responsibilities, he didn’t have many,
compared to others. I’m hoping his sons and son-in-law have more, so I can use
the information I found in “The Connecticut Town” about what these
responsibilities were all about.
He was struck in the face by Penoyer, when he was on
the night watch. So, he sometimes took his turn as night watchman.
He was mentioned twice in 1667, as a fence viewer. On
March 29, he was appointed to serve as a fence viewer in the fields for the
ensuing year. In May, 1667, he was to specifically check the fences in the
horse pasture. I have definitions for Connecticut town responsibilities; I’ll
try to paraphrase that in an interesting sentence or two.
In 1678, he was to help lay out a new fence for
William Newman. Only problem with that was – he was dead – three years dead.
Here I have a conundrum. I know that these records
were transcribed from the originals in the 1800s. I have looked at the page
before, the actual page, and the page after. The writing is totally legible. What
to do with this problem? Not all records were in order, but this is a decade
away. (As a transcriber, I must transcribe exactly as it is written.)
Image 270, Page 226 Date Sept 17, 1667
Image 270, Page 227 Date Nov 22, 1667
Image 271, Page
228 Date
Dec 19, 1667
Image 271, Page
228 Date
Jan 17, 1677/8
Image 271, Page 229
Date Feb 24, no year given
Image 271, Page
229 Date
Dec 24, 1667
Image 272, Page
230 Date
Feb 24, 1667/8
Image 272, Page
230 Date
Feb 25, 1668/9
Image 272, Page
231 Date Feb
25, 1668/9
The rhythmic clanging
of iron hammered on anvil rang out on East Street, as Francis Holmes shaped tools,
pots, pans, hinges, and any other iron ware needed by the citizens of the town. Step into his shop on any day but the Sabbath, and there you will
find him, wearing a worn leather apron over his work clothes, and as he stops to
take your order, he wipes the sweat off his face and the dust from his hands
with his ragged handkerchiefs. If it is not a school day, you may find Stephen,
John, and Richard there as well: young lads with arm muscles bulging from the
weight and use of heavy hammers and tools. Every conscientious colonial father,
whether by desire or law, taught his sons the art and mystery of his trade.
At the demise of their
father in the mid-seventies, John, his third child, inherited the blacksmith shop,
the tools, the grindstone, the iron and steel, and the coals. Richard, the
youngest, was already set up as the blacksmith of Norwalk. What he inherited was
enough shillings to pay off the debt to his father. As blacksmiths of the time
made their own tools, as well as goods to sell to the locals, perhaps Richard owed
money for tools that his father provided him. Stephen, the eldest, inherited
the house, the farm, and the carts and plows. Clean and sharp was his new
plowshare, ready for making the furrows of next summer's field and garden.
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