The Age of Homespun
How pleased I was Christmas Day when our guest for dinner picked up The Age of Homespun by Laura Thatcher Ulrich from a table by the living room sofa. Many markers in this massive (500 page) research project were showing. The cover is a double jacket display of embroidery showing a lady fishing and man watching and back cover lady hiking and man gathering in the sheaves, delightful bright colors.
Yes, I told my inquisitive friend, I am index reading the great volume for Martha Ballard* Diary recordings in her brief, daily accurate accounts, often phonetic spellings.
We in Belgrade had a Community Read recently of The Frozen River, a very popular novel by Ariel Lawhon. Her novel was based on Ulrich’s Pulitzer and Bancroft Prized history A Midwife’s Tale. This newer history by Ulrich is about “Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth.” Martha Ballard is within these pages many times. She not only delivered healthy babies, but many homespun products came from the Ballard farm nearby Belgrade.
The map at the beginning of this history reveals the Kennebec River in the Eastern Abanaki area. “[T]his book focuses on the stories of individual people — makers, collectors, and users of ordinary household goods.”
Does that interest you the reader? I focused my readings on our local Martha Ballard’s trusty diary. Hannah Ballard, Martha’s daughter, also has two pages of reference in the index. Shopping in Hallowell for her daughter’s wedding was a big trip for Martha, who lived out near where our Alfond Hospital is presently located. The Ballard barn may still be seen way up on the hill above Sam’s Club at the mall. The Ballard grave yard is down at the entrance of the mall area, fenced in nicely with black iron to preserve it by the uphill busy road near the traffic light. Martha’s grave location has not been located yet, but other Ballards are marked here.
“Martha Ballard … wrote of sowing, weeding, harrowing, raking, pulling, spreading, stacking, breaking, and swinging flax.” In July and August, Martha and her daughters were working the flax, “lifting the plants carefully by the roots, holding the stems as straight as possible to avoid tangling, then stacking them in neat bundles for later processing.” September 12, 1796, “the Ballards spread their flax…and ‘housed’ it on October 1.”
Gardeners can appreciate this physical work required to create linen back when the Ballard women did this back breaking labor. When the Winthrop carding mill opened, Ballard increased her wool production. Knitting, like today, was a common occupation for Martha while waiting for a baby to be delivered. Many stockings to keep feet warm.
So peruse this lengthy history full of photos and intriguing old maps. Maybe you are interested in coastal homespun in addition to our Belgrade homespun documented in Martha Ballard’s famous diary.
*Martha Moore Ballard, 1735‑1812, was an Augusta-area wife, mother, healer and horticulturist who delivered over 800 babies and kept a detailed diary for 27 years.
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