"Professor Franklin has picked up one shaving from the shop floor and
used it as a sort of prism, glimpsing not only the board on which the
plane worked but also the tree from which the board came - and most
signicantly, the hand, the eye and the mind that guided the plane
shaping the board from rough lumber." John Stilgoe, from the Preface to:
A Rural Carpenter's World: The Craft in a Nineteenth-Century New York Township (American Land and Life Series)
by Wayne Franklin. Franklin, a Professor of English and American Studies at the time this book was written.
I happened to pick up a copy of this book some years ago in a used book shop. Yes, once in a while I step foot inside a used book shop. Surprising, isn't it? I picked this book from my shelf this week for a refresher in carpentry as it was. What sets this book apart from most academic efforts is the author's ability to cross over from scholarship to Good Reading Material. Sure, there is quite a lot of detail held within the book that only a scholar could love. Franklin succeeds in melding scholarship with humanity.
A Rural Carpenter's World is an examination of the 1869 diary of a carpenter/farmer of upper New York State, one James C. Holmes. Mr Holmes' notes are not your typical diary. Most diaries were simply account books holding numbers and obscure annotations. Mr. Holmes added brief comments and notations to all of his entries. These notations, taken in full and in the context of a mid-nineteenth century farming community in Otsego County, New York, provide a rare window into the life of a typical carpenter / farmer.
Holmes was clearly a carpenter by trade and by skill. He farmed as did most residents of his community. But it was his skills as a carpenter that set him apart. Not just an individual tradesman, Holmes supervised the construction of varioius local houses, provided saw sharpening services to the community, held numerous religious and town posts of responsibility and trained young men in his chosen trade.
Franklin offers to us the full content of this diary of 1869, along with the results of his considerable research into Mr. Holmes and his times. The table of contents reads:
Part One: Craft
- The World of John Holmes
- The Holmes Diary for 1869
- The Major Jobs of 1869
Part Two: Context
- Carpentry in Otsego County in the Nineteenth Century
- The Carpenters of Westford
- Conclusion: Skill and Responsibility
General Notes
- Appendix 1. Westford in 1869: A Biographical Guide
- Appendix 2. The Carpenters of Westford
- Appendix 3. The Holmes Memoranda
By the time you finish reading, you will feel as if you have stepped into the world of John C. Holmes, experiencing his daily life along with all of his successes and sorrows. Besides, it's an Out of Print title now, so you can buy it for a reasonable price.
Till next
Gary