Unfamiliar term "lindey slips"

[roundshot]

Unpublished letters from a North Carolina soldier mention that he now has "four shirts and three slips." I another place he uses the term "lindey slips. He asks the folks at home to send him some. Has anyone ever come across this term before or does anyone have insight as to what he is referring? This has puzzled a number of us so far. Any insight would be appreciated. Bob

[Longbranch 1]

Re: Unfamiliar term "lindey slips"

Bob,

Apocryphal, but I recall my Grandfather ( Born in 1896 ) calling both undershirts and night shirts " slips ". Your writer isn't from WNC is he? Perhaps a local Appalachian expression ?
Regarding " lindey ", could that be a bastardization or mis-spelling of linsey ?
I'll look through some local sources and see if I can find something more definitive.

Regards,
Kevin Ellis,
26th NC

[roundshot]

Re: Unfamiliar term "lindey slips"

Kevin: I believe he is from western NC. Skip Smith is editing his letters and can give you more info on context. I have always thought "linsey" was a possibility too. Thanks for your input, Pard. bob

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: Unfamiliar term "lindey slips"

Bob, I found this little bit of info.

Enslaved workers usually received most, if not all, of their clothing as an allowance from their owners. Some owners issued fabric, expecting the slaves to cut and sew their own clothing; some plantation mistresses cut out or supervised the cutting out of garments from plantation-made or purchased cloth, to be made up by slave seamstresses or by the mistress and her daughters; and sometimes ready-made garments or pre-cut garment pieces were imported from northern manufacturers. Mississippi slaveholder Stephen Duncan Jr. allowed the slaves on his Carlisle plantation what one historian has called a “comparatively generous” annual allotment in the 1850s: Men and boys were given eight yards of cotton cloth to make three shirts; five and one-half yards of Lowells or osnaburg for two pair of summer pants; and two and three-quarters yards of jeans for winter pants; plus a coat made from blanket cloth and two pairs of shoes. Girls and women received thirteen yards of shirting for three shifts and a gown; two and one-half yards of Lowells or osnaburg for a petticoat; five yards of linsey for a winter gown; and, if she was a field worker, a blanket coat and two pair of shoes. Women who worked inside received only one pair of shoes and no coat. All children regardless of gender were given one linsey and three cotton “slips” made of about a yard and a half of fabric.

This leads me to believe that Kevin might be right about the shirts.

http://www.mesdajournal.org/2012/slave-cloth-clothing-slaves-craftsmanship-commerce-industry/

[roundshot]

Re: Unfamiliar term "lindey slips"

Great info. Thanks very much, Tyler. The attachment article you referenced is outstanding! Bob