The information that follows on Men's Clothing of New England is a collection of information gathered from the Battle Road Clothing & Accouterment Seminars and Workshops with Henry Cooke (1999, 2000), as well as documented information gathered from various interested persons willing to contribute their research. Other contributors will expand upon it over time. That which is provided here is an effort to give basic information to the person just getting started as well as a reexamination of what we do and why. We begin with a discussion on who we want to portray and then move onto a description of each item of clothing. The intent is to provide information about the clothing common to New England, what it would be made of, how it should fit, and to provide resources to help you make or purchase it. As we develop this site, more information will follow with illustrations and additional articles to help you sort through the ways of our very social and class conscience ancestors. Your input, comments and suggestions are most welcome and sincerely appreciated.
As you begin to develop a persona, you will need to make a few critical decisions about your wardrobe. Whether a farmer, laborer, craftsman, clergy, merchant, or a person of the upper class, clothing symbolizes your social position and financial status within your community. How you put it all together can speak volumes for you. So, how does one go about making these decisions? For those of you representing a citizen of one of one of the towns which answered the call on April 19th, perhaps you may want to take a look at your town's history to get an idea of who its people were and how they lived. Some communities were based on an agrarian economy while others were based on commerce and trade. Some towns were known for specific trades, or for the production of specific products. Delving into this information will make your impression come alive. Even depicting a laborer or apprentice with a plausible story can be entertaining and very educational.
The Lexington Economy in 1775 by Alex Cain is an example of the kind of information that makes possible an understanding of daily life in Lexington for the majority of its inhabitants.
Lexington was a relatively poor town in 1775. Most residents were considered to be of the lower-middle and lower class. The average estate was estimated to be worth L18. By comparison, the average estates in Concord and Andover were worth at least L10 more than those in Lexington. Lexington lacked the advantages of other Massachusetts towns, such as Medford, Andover, Haverhill, Salem, Newburyport or Boston. In those towns, residents enjoyed the benefits of fishing, ship building, lumbering, commerce and other important trades. Lexington was based in agriculture.27 Yet, the town was not made up of "individually self sufficient farms . . .[s]uch farms may of (have) existed elsewhere, but not in 18th century" Lexington.28 Instead, the town had a local system of exchange that allowed most residents to produce enough goods and services to establish a small economic system both within and outside Lexington.29 Each resident would grow a series of different crops or produce various goods and then entered into transactions with other residents who had items that he needed. If a surplus or a general demand for items that could not be produced locally occurred (such as gunpowder, high-grade cloth and pins)30, Lexington citizens would travel to other towns such as Boston, Salem, Worcester or Newburyport.
When intracommunity exchanges occurred, cash rarely changed hands.31 Instead, local transaction took the form of debts contracted between individual community members. Debts were determined in terms of monetary equivalents according to accepted standards of value and recorded appropriately. Thus, "any rural householder at any given time would owe and be owed by dozens of his neighbors."32 Moreover, few men possessed liquid assets sufficient to settle all, or even many of their debts upon demand. For them, economic survival meant not being called on to settle their debts often. But, the way to succeed in Lexington was not to get ahead, but to be a patient creditor and a faithful debtor.
Because of this economic system, a web of interdependency was established and families became heavily reliant upon one another. Also, this system served as a powerful social cement, creating community cooperation and neighborly behavior on all levels. Finally, the Lexington economy served as a useful tool when monetary units were scarce or when economic opportunity was difficult.
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27 Agriculture was not the only profession in Lexington. In 1774,
there were two Blacksmiths, four Wheelwrights and three clock
makers.
28 Fred Anderson, A People's Army: Massachusetts
Soldiers and Society in the Seven Years War.
(London, 1984)
29 This practice existed across most of Massachusetts. As a
result, the colony was unable to produce a substantial staple
crop and market it abroad. Ibid
30 Ibid, 29
31 Ibid
32 Ibid, 30
Working Dress In Colonial and Revolutionary America by Peter Copeland offers line drawings of the working class, giving you ideas for clothing and as well as occupations. The book can be found in many of our local libraries. Another source for deciding what to wear are inventories, probate records, diaries and letters found in some towns offering insight into what a person owned. These are a wealth of information when available.
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