Archaic Occupations

Edisto · Post by **Edisto** » Wed May 18, 2005 8:24 am

This morning's Washington Post has an interesting column by John Kelly, who found a cache of old Washington city directories from 1901 and subsequent years. Kelly was particularly intrigued by the listing of someone called a "Cupper and Leecher," whose occupation was to treat illnesses by attaching leeches to the skin or by placing inverted glass cups on the patient's back and creating a vacuum in them. (The "Cuppers and Leechers" category lasted until 1908, after which the former cupper/leecher was listed as a barber.) In 1901, there were six cattle dealers in D. C., along with a dealer in "boneless beef." (One hopes the bones weren't removed until the cattle were deceassed.) There were a couple of broom makers and a brush maker, along with hordes of cigar makers and dealers. Dealers in crackers and corks were listed under those specialties. Not surprisingly, many dressmakers were listed, along with quite a few hairdressers and dealers in human hair. The city also had several flour mills and eight painters of frescoes. There were three shooting galleries on Pennsylvania Avenue, though I doubt that nearby Ford's Theater was listed under that category. In 1901, D. C. had 69 livery stables, 80 blacksmiths and 39 horseshoers. In that year, there were already six listings under "Automobiles," however. Incidentally, there was a horseshoer listed in the directories until 1956, possibly providing still further proof that Washington is always behind the times!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed May 18, 2005 5:49 pm

That's pretty interesting. Quite a snapshot of life in Washington in 1901!
No *Coopers*?

When I was on the phone with the FRHS recently, I heard mention made in the background of getting hold of their blacksmith! I said I never thought I would hear those words in my lifetime!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu May 19, 2005 4:21 am

Oooo! I took a suggestion from what you posted and found a book from New York, 1888 with an index of goods and services! So neat! Thanks!
One Borden:
Borden & Lovell, agts. Old Colony Steamboat Co.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu May 19, 2005 4:25 am

NY, 1888:
Bogart, J.F., Stylographic and fountain pens.

Archaic industries...
I used to love my fountain pen.
I just know you all are going to tell me they still make these...

Edisto · Post by **Edisto** » Fri May 20, 2005 9:42 am

Actually there were three coopers listed in 1901. Washington has never been much of a manufacturing town, so other towns of similar size probably had more.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 4:06 pm

During that era in my hometown in Connecticut there were many skilled workers who performed such tasks as carroting, curling, pouncing, and trimming. Workers looked forward to shop call and now and then a worker was bagged. In the early twentieth century a well-known U.S. Supreme Court decision resulted from a turn out by many of the workers in town.

Can anyone identify the industry?

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 4:46 pm

While I was waiting for my freshly mopped floor to dry, I did some looking around...and found some things that made me think you might be talking about Danbury Hatters ?...and the Supreme Court decision...the Clayton Act ? Am I even close ?

http://www.ctheritage.org/encyclopedia/ ... 5_1929.htm (the info is about 12-13 paragraphs down the page)

http://www.occupationalinfo.org/

Tracy...

Nancie · Post by **Nancie** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 4:48 pm

A butcher ? Sheep-sheerer?

diana · Post by **diana** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 5:09 pm

That's got to be the industry, Tracy! And your second link is amazing. I got wonderfully lost in there. (Found the job description for carroter, though.)

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:48 am

A tip of the derby to Tracy! Indeed it was the hatting industry and the U.S. Supreme Court decision came in the Danbury Hatters' case. Carroting, curling, pouncing, and trimming are among the processes used in the manufacture of felt hats. A century ago Danbury and the neighboring town of Bethel, Connecticut, were centers of hat manufacturing in the United States.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:46 am

"Mad as a hatter."
I recall we found out that down at the wharves at the bottom of Ferry Street there had been a hat factory. I believe the waste product of that is some form of mercury?
Maybe the Bordens were "mad" -as in poisoned- that stuff might get into their blood?

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:01 pm

A mercury solution was commonly used in carroting, which is the process of creating felt from fur. Hatters who worked with mercury or who were exposed to its vapors ran a risk of being poisoned. One manifestation of this was called "hatter's shakes" which was a form of palsy. The term "mad hatter" refers to one suffering from the effects of exposure to mercury. The use of mercury in hatting was discontinued around the 1930s.

I suspect if the Bordens had been poisoned by mercury they would have shown some physical manifestations of the same. I don't recall hearing or reading about anything like this.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 7:54 pm

Thanks Doug. I was trying out my memory.
We don't have any information that says the Bordens were poisoned by mercury but we do have the question of *insanity* running through either family- Borden or Morse- as a future defense option.
Recall the neighbors and citizens who knew the family were questioned by Moulton Batchelder.
However, much later, defense attny. Phillips pretty much says that Lizzie was odd in later years, and Emma says she was "Queer."
I'm just wool-gathering...

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:47 am

Hows this for an archaic occupation; Harvey girls.

Nancie · Post by **Nancie** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 6:39 pm

Mercury was used in children's vaccines and caused
autism (as reported by Don Imus and others) quite
a controversy. FISH contains this poison and my daughter in law was instructed not to eat any fish while pregnant or breast feeding. Nothing proven, but I sure take it seriously. I wonder if Lizzie could
have read about this ?

Edisto · Post by **Edisto** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:57 pm

Assuming the remark (concerning Lizzie's having read about mercury poisoning in fish and vaccines) isn't a joke, it's my understanding that the dangers from such mercury poisoning are of fairly recent origin. Mercury, along with other so-called "heavy metals" accumulates in the tissues of large fish such as tuna and is a result of mankind's having polluted the waters in which such fish live. In Lizzie's day, the pollution wasn't nearly so widespread or dangerous. (One of the worst polluters is the automobile.) Not only was thimerosal, used to preserve some vaccines, unknown in the 1890s, but childhood vaccines were pretty much unknown too. That's one reason why so many children died in their early years. Since the mercury problem was well-nigh nonexistent in Lizzie's day, except in some industrial settings, such as the hat industry, she probably didn't learn of it through her reading.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:58 pm

I didn't quite understand the post, myself.
I thought there was no known positive link between vaccinations and autism- it's a theory- not science?
Anyone who thinks they might withhold vaccinations from their children because of this matter should discuss it with their doctor, please.

Nancie · Post by **Nancie** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 4:10 pm

This is not a joke, why would I joke about something like this? Yes, every child needs to be
vaccanated but since my new grandbaby I have been reading up on lots of things. Parents need to
make sure the vaccinations don't have thimerosal.
There are books and numerous articles connecting
this to autism, No it is not scientific proof at this point, but who would want to take the chance with their own kids and grandkids? Of course, as Dr. Kat
says, ask your physician but also ask him if he is
informed of this subject and read all the lastest.