In 1818, when the Swansea Union Cotton Manufacturing Company was running smoothly and the weavers of the Swansea Company’s yarn were well organized, Israel Brayton and John Mason took on a new connection.

The Lyman Cotton Manufacturing Company, operating a Yarn Mill in the village of Lyman near Providence, began to send its yarn to be distributed by Brayton and Mason from their Store in Scrabbletown. In one of the Brayton and Mason ledgers I noticed that in a single year, 1818, home weavers wove 5242-1/2 yards of cotton cloth from the Lyman Cotton Manufacturing Company’s yarn—distributed, inspected, and returned by Brayton and Mason.

It was all piece work. The weavers took what yarn they wanted, wove it as fast as they wanted their pay for the weaving. Some people kept a comparatively small amount all winter—the roads, of course, were bad. Some kept the same amount around three weeks or less.

These weavers were not, I hope you understand, weaving for sustenance. There was food enough for all, all over the place. Surplus farm products for the asking, clams for the digging, rivers running with shad and herring, trout in every stream, all free, no license necessary. All the fruit a man could eat—if a man were willing to go berrying or climb a cherry tree. There was shelter of sorts in the old farmhouses and outbuildings. No man temporarily out of luck was ever turned away. Woolen clothing, woven and made on the farm, never wore out. The weavers were not weaving to keep alive, certainly not. They were weaving to get hold of some spending money. To spend on dancing lessons, perhaps, or a trotting horse—black silk dress of fine quality—a real lace collar—a locket—possibly some pretty shoes and stockings. Nearly everybody went barefoot in the summer season, winter footwear in the country had been rough stuff—made to wear well—stockings were knitted at home by hand. On Israel’s shelves were silk stockings—really—and bronze slippers, oh, yes.

Life in Scrabbletown cannot be understood unless you know why every man worked and worked hard—at his own pace and when he wanted to—while enjoying a standard of real comfort and independance such as never was known on the globe before. This I truly believe. Nor, in the essentials of comfort, since.

The men and women who wove the Lyman Factory yarn were the same people who wove the Swansea Factory Yarn—that appears clearly in the Yarn Books. Coming for yarn, a weaver was given what yarn was on hand. What else appears clearly, in a note from Wheaton Luther to Israel, even as early as August, 1819, is that the weavers were exceedingly independent. “Weavers won’t weave 4/4 for 1 cent per yard more.” So they didn’t.

Though wages by 1821 were a minor matter. What really mattered by then is apparent in the letter which follows:

The weave books of the Lyman Company are well kept and Israel maintained excellent relations with both the weavers and the Lyman Company until he shut up shop.

The Lyman yarn was shipped to Israel in Egypt, I suppose. For by 1818 Brayton and Mason had opened a Branch Store in Egypt, a suburb of Somerset, and was using it as another distributing center for yarn. It was far more convenient than Scrabbletown, being close to Slade’s Ferry Landing. And close to the shipyards of Somerset and Troy and Egypt. Ships were again on the stocks. That meant more trade for Israel.

Many letters are in the barrel giving itemized accounts of the transactions between the stores of Egypt and Scrabbletown. Goods were always being sent back and forth. But always, as you have seen in Wheaton Luther’s letter, the store in Egypt could never get enough.

Israel had to buy a waggon of his own, to send the goods demanded. Nobody could wait for the Troy baggage waggon which crossed the Ferry when the weather permitted, and ambled over from Somerset to Swansea and parts beyond. After careful correspondence, Israel ordered a waggon to be made in Rutland by a certain Mr. Bigelow. It was ordered in the spring and delivered in September. It was a major transaction. There had to be boxes to fit the waggon, of course; and extra boxes. Philip Bowers whose waggon in the early days was hired by Israel, complained that new and better boxes must be furnished to carry Israel’s goods—if he was to take them. He used to complain to Wheaton Luther.

You will notice that Wheaton Luther, the Scrabbletown clerk, after being transferred to the Egypt store, took full charge of its running. And wrote many letters to Israel, more than I have space to quote. Wheaton was an extraordinary man, really. You ought to read all his letters. And the three letters from his sister-in-law, also found in the barrel. They were written in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1818 and 1819.

Wheaton’s brother, who seems to have been a bad lot, deserted his wife and daughters, Elizabeth and Catherine, some years before this story opens, and nobody had been able to find him. His deserted wife wrote to her brother-in-law, Wheaton, to tell him that a Somerset man had seen her husband in the “Spanish Settlements” and that he was in bad shape. “An object of pity to behold.” It was not thought he could live long. He had, I infer—only infer—been enslaved by the Spaniards. Wheaton’s sister wrote: “I fear he is now numbered with the pale nations underground”. Yes, she really did.

As to news; Mrs. Luther wrote that Giles Luther and his son, “a very fine young man”, had called on her in Charleston—dropped in from Somerset—and “thair has been several shaks of an Earthquake in this place that are very alarming”. In a later letter: “Death has taken away thousands from Charleston this past summer. It was truly disturbing. Scarcely a family escaped without one or more taken away.—I have put Catherine and Eliza both to school.”

It is apparent that little Egypt had connections in 1819 with the outside world—vivid connections.

Some years later, Wheaton Luther resigned to go into business for himself—he belonged to a restless family. John D. Cartwright took his place. Later still, Cartwright resigned, also to set up his own business, and John Wood signed the letters of the Egypt Store. Under all the clerks the business continued to grow. And would have grown even more rapidly thought all the clerks, if only Israel would send them more goods to sell, more yarn for the hungry looms of Somerset and Troy.

After two years of prosperous and expanding trade, the firm of Brayton and Mason had been dissolved. John Mason opened a store of his own with the U.S. Post Office in one corner as was usual. Israel had taken a new partner, his cousin, William Bowers, and continued his business as though nothing had happened. According to the barrel all was amicable. There are papers showing that Brayton later bought some small things from Mason and that Mason bought some small things from Brayton—nothing much. Possibly Mason had held Brayton back a little. For now with his new partner, he expanded rapidly. Though still with caution.

In that spring of 1819, Israel knew, and we can know, exactly where he stood. He knew down to the last India Shawl just what was on the shelves of the little stores, for an inventory was necessary when the partnership was dissolved. The barrel held also a list of the people who owed the firm money. In fact, there were three lists, each very short. The amounts are tiny. I will not give here the names of the customers who were expected to settle their accounts shortly, they were the ordinary charge customers. But I am giving the two other lists—they are really interesting. For Israel guessed right. They never did pay up. One man went to jail. Their accounts, however, were very very small.

Doubtful that these persons will pay what they owe.

Certain that these persons will not pay what they owe.