Wool Carding Mill Account Books An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

In the early years of the 19th century Vermont had a thriving wool production and processing industry. In 1809 William Jarvis, the American consul in Lisbon, Portugal, imported a number of merino sheep for his farm in Weathersfield, Vermont. Others followed suit, both importing and breeding domestically, and by 1840 the state had more sheep (1.6 million) than people. Wool was processed within the state's borders as well, with more than 80 textile mills, including carding, fulling, and "shoddy" mills which re-processed used wool. By 1870, however, competition from imported wool and from new mills in the west had burst Vermont's "sheep bubble."

[Adapted from information provided in "Sheep in Vermont," Fairbanks Museum, St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Available online at http://www.fairbanksmuseum.org/uploads/1213195423.pdf.]

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Wool Carding Mill Account Books consist of two volumes documenting debits and credits for customers of a wool carding mill in Castleton, Vermont. In some cases customers appear to have paid off their bill by working at the mill, as there is one column headed "Credit by labour."

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Arrangement of the Collection

Chronological.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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