Children in Jean cloth

[jandksuttorp]

Here is an interesting reference to Southern children wearing clothing of jean. The reference is taken from "A Woman's Civil War" by Cornelia Peake McDonald. At this point in the book she is a refugee and has arrived in Lexington, VA. and is looking for a home and the date is August of 1863.
"At last I heard of one and went to see it. It was a realization of my dreary imaginings when on my journey up the valley. I would picture to myself the place of rest I might find. A staring white house without a shutter, without anything pleasant near, not a tree or a bush, but a woodpile in front, and a dreary garden (with cabbage in it) that climbed the hill behind it. A seamstress with several children clothed in butternut jeans inhabited the other side, for there were two tenements".
Now keep in mind that this part of the book "Narrative of our refugee life" was written in September, 1875 as an add on to her diary for her children.
I also came across another reference of children in jean, but I will have to find it. I am pretty sure that it came from "Reluctant Witnesses, Children's Voices from the Civil War", by Emmy E. Werner. In it is a narrative about a boy who is dressed in grey jean, cut from his older brothers cast away uniform, and is almost shot by a Union soldier who mistakes him for a Confederate soldier. I believe this takes place at Vickberg. As I said, I will continue looking for it and post it.
Do any of you have any other references to children's clothing being made out of jean? Please share your findings!:)

John Eric Suttorp

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Children in Jean cloth

Do any of you have any other references to children's clothing being made out of jean? Please share your findings!:)

John Eric Suttorp

The information I have is not necessarily about children wearing jean cloth but I checked in _Historic Accounts_ in both the VA (1859-1861) and IN (1852-1854) ledgers and found jean cloth was very common. In the VA ledger, there were over 400 sales of various types of jean cloth sold in yardages- bleached, brown, colored, Kentucky jeans, Rhode Island jeans, and striped. In the IN ledger (wholesale) a number of pieces of jeans were purchased by the store ower for resale. They inlcuded Kentucky jeans, Rhode Island jeans, brown, gray, buff, gold, blue, green, mixed, striped and mixed.

It stands to reason that some childrens' clothing, especially boy's would have been made out of jean cloth. In the IN ledger, men's jean pants were purchased for resale. Boy's clothing was made from much the same fabric as men's so it would not have been unusual for boy's clothing to be made from jean cloth.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Children in Jean cloth

They inlcuded Kentucky jeans, Rhode Island jeans

I find this interesting. To one such as I that has a pretty limited knowledge of different cloths and weaves, I thought jean was pretty much jean. Why are these called by state names? Were they variations in the usual jean cloth weave, certain colors or what?

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Children in Jean cloth

I find this interesting. To one such as I that has a pretty limited knowledge of different cloths and weaves, I thought jean was pretty much jean. Why are these called by state names? Were they variations in the usual jean cloth weave, certain colors or what?

According to period textile dictionaries, jean cloth was usually a twill weave textile.
From _Scissors and Yardstick_ by C. M. Brown and C. L. Gates (1872)

Corset jean was defined as "usually called 'drill,' and often 'satin jean. It is twilled only upon the the face; is firm in texture, and very durable. It is made white and in plain colors, and used for linings, etc."

"Kentucky Jean. A coarse, heavy cotton and wool fabric, twilled upon both sides. The face is covered with a coarse nap. It is not very expensive, but durable."

In a later source (1892), Kentucky Jean was described as having a cotton warp and a wool filling.

I expect that Rhode Island jean was similar but I could not find a period definition of this type of textile. There were a great many woolen and cotton mills in the state.

Both were proabably a hard-wearing, utilitarian textile that came in various colors.

[Richmond Depot]

Re: Children in Jean cloth

Below is an article from The Daily Dispatch. I do not want to shorten the article due to fear of losing the "period flavor" of the article. If you scroll to the bottom of the article, it mentions Pres. Davis' sons wearing Jeans.

June 1, 1864

The late accident in the President's family.
The late sad accident and terrible bereavement suffered by the President and family, called forth the deepest sympathies of the public. From a private letter of a Confederate officer--though not intended for publication — the Selma Dispatch copies the following description of the scene of the accident, and the President's household, upon the occurrence of the sudden affection:

Florence, S C,May 3.--I left Richmond on Sundaymorning, 1st of May. On the evening before I found myself at the President's house up stairs, by a sad and singular accident. Having finished all my business with the Department I strolled with Judge H of Mississippi, to look at the city, and passing the President's mansion we paused to look at the scenery beyond, when a little girl ran out of the house crying to the next door and pulled the bell violently; in a minute she was followed by another, and then by a little boy the picture of the most utter desolation and despair, and then by a negro woman, from whom we learned that the President's little son was badly hurt, and no white person except these three little children at home.

We at once ran in and found the little fellow (about five years old) in the arms of a negro men, and almost dead. Dispatching a servant for a doctor we began to run him with camphor and brandy and put mustard on his feet and wrists, an in a short time he began to breathe better, and opened his eyes, and we all thought he was reviving, but it was the last bright gleaming of the wick in the socket before the light is extinguished for ever.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis came in while we held the little fellow rubbing him. She relieved hereof in a flood of tears and wild inmentations; he knelt by his side and clasped the dying boy's hands in his own thin attenuated fingers. As he thus held his hands and watched the boy die, such a look of petrified, unutterable anguish I never saw. His pale, thin intellectual face, already oppressed with a thousand national troubles, that now so imminently threaten our seemed suddenly ready to burst with unspeakable grief, and thus transfixed late a stony rigidity.

The little boy had fallen from a gallery about fifteen fact, on a brick pavement, and lay there some time before he was discovered. His head was confused, and I think his cheat much injured internally. The little boy who died was named Jno. He had beautiful black eyes and hair and was a very handsome boy. The other little fellow, so stricken with grief, named Jeff, was some six or seven years old, an intelligent, independent little fellow, with the tenderest heart under a rough exterior.

When I recall the picture of our poor President, grief-stricken, speechless, tearless, crushed, I can scarcely refrain from tears myself, even now. No man could have witnessed that scene and ever find it in his heart again to abuse that great and pure man, who, in the exercise of great powers confided to him by a generous people, has shown more continence and moderation than Washington.

The President's little boys were dressed in gray jeans and barefaced, and Jeff, the sturdy the fellow, had on a broad-brim hat of oat straw. The President himself was dressed in a plain suit of gray.

This link will take you to more abstracts and ads regarding Jeans cloth. http://www.kabar44.com/researchJeanscloth.htm

Best,

[jandksuttorp]

Re: Children in Jean cloth

Hi all,
Thanks to everyone that responded. I finally found the other example that I was looking for from my first post. It comes from "Reluctant Witnesses, Children's voices from the Civil War", by Emmy E. Werner. The quote is about Sally Hawthorne's little brother. Sally is the young daughter of the owner of the largest cotton mill in Fayetteville. This takes place after Sherman's troops had occupied Fayetteville. "Her twelve-year-old brother barely escaped being shot by one of the guards. He was dressed in gray, cut-down from his brother's old uniform, and had an old cavalry cap on his head; hence the guard mistook him for an escaped Confederate."
It doesnt say that the uniform is jean, as I thought, but it is interesting to ponder.

Thanks,
John Suttorp