SHEEP SHEARS! May 12, 1768 at the Colden Store, Coldengham, New York

Thursday May 12, 1768
Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.

Sheep Shears

Johannes Tears purchased a pair of Sheep Shears from the Colden Store on this day, 250 years-ago.

Sheep Shears. Image courtesy of TheVintageGallery77.

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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.

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The DayBook only mentions 'Sheep' four times in the prior eight months. All four of these transactions occurred in just the prior sixty days. Two were purchases of shears, one was a purchase of sheep arranged by Colden, and the last appears to be tanning of sheep skins at the request of Colden.

It is very likely that a majority of the yeomen owned sheep.  Like hogs, they were a low energy enterprise that yielded wool in addition to meat and skins.

In the prior eight months, Colden sold eleven pairs of shears.  Nine of these were not designated as 'sheep' shears, but that may have been one of their uses.  These were not 'scissors' which were sold as a separate item.

The odds are very high that your ancestors and mine were very handy with sheep shears.

Shearng Sheep. Image courtesy of armenpress.am

Today was Ascension Day and was celebrated by the local congregations of St. Andrew's and Goodwill.  Could this Holy Day be part of the explanation for the closure of the store on Friday, May 13th (tomorrow).

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