Lost Art Press

Allen Gawthrop wrote his autobiography when he was 70 years old and divided his story into three parts. At the end of Part I he was 21 years old and had finished his four-year apprenticeship with cabinetmaker Ziba Moore.

CABINET BUSINESS

I worked journey-work for a while at the old shop, made a clock case for my father and did some other little jobs. Then in the fall I went to Baltimore and spent the winter at my trade and boarded with my aunt Elizabeth Taylor. In the Spring following I received a letter from my brother Daniel saying that my father was anxious that I should return home, that Robert Good, who was then carrying on the Cabinet business in Penn Township, said he would like to sell out his stock and quit the business. My father thought it would be a good chance for me and wished me to come home and see about it. I therefore packed up my tools and some materials I had selected and took the steam boat for Port Deposit, where my brother Daniel met me and took me home.

After a few days I went to see Robert Good. I found he had a small stock of materials on hand and had been doing a small country business and had an apprentice who had been at the business something over a year: and had a few jobs engaged. He said he would rent me the shop, board myself and the boy, sell me the small stock he had at cost and throw in the good will–So I took him at his offer. We made an inventory of the stock on hand and commenced business, not however without doubts as to getting enough work to keep myself and apprentice both busy.

In a few days we found that we needed many small articles such as varnish, locks, screws, springs, glue &c to complete some jobs on hand, and not having any capital of my own, I saw I must look for help from some source–As my father seemed to encourage my starting in business, I naturally concluded that he would give me the needful assistance. So I borrowed R.G.’s horse and wagon and started one morning for Wilmington intending to call on my father. I found him at home and with some misgivings I introduced my business, told him the prospects seemed fair, that our stock needed replenishing, that I had no means of my own, and that I was under the necessity of asking him to assist me. After a little while he arose, went to his desk and got a ten dollar note and handed it to me. At first I hesitated about taking it and told him I had but five dollars and that fifteen dollars would be very little to get the number of articles we needed; but I knew there was no use in arguing the matter, but as before, with the clothes, he wanted me to shift for myself.

Now I look upon this as one of the most important turning points in my life. It was not over one hundred yards from the house down to the road and I had a very short time to make up my mind whether to turn to the left and go on to Wilmington and do the best I could with the fifteen dollars or turn to the right and go back home and give up the business and start out into the world as a journeyman cabinet maker and live as I found I could independent of my father or any one else. But as good fortune would have it I turned to the left and went on to town, procured only such materials as I would need to finish some jobs  I had on hand, and got no more than I had money to pay for. . . I never yet have had cause to regret the turn I made that morning “to the left.”

I do not wish to be understood as thinking hard of my father for the course he pursued. I have reason to think he loved his children as much as most parents do, and that he desired my prosperity in every way, but his object evidently was to give me a lesson in economy and prevent me from branching out beyond my means, as too many do to their own injury and loss by others. It became necessary that I should have a horse, and my father very generously offered to furnish me with money to buy one. I probably shall never know the influence these cautionary lessons had on my after life, but I do know that I have always acted with caution and have been careful never to go in debt beyond my means to pay; and although I have never at any time made money very fast, yet I have always found, at the end of each year, my circumstances gradually getting easier.

Within a year I found it necessary to increase our force of workmen. Our shop soon became insufficient and there was a chance for boarding only in R. Good’s family for  the hands and as it did not suit them very well to take more boarders, I began to see the necessity of making a change, so one day in conversation with R. Good he in half earnest proposed for me to buy him out and then I could enlarge the shop. I asked him what he would take for the farm. After a little consideration he named a price and on consultation with my father and brother they both advised me to take him up at his offer, which I did the next day. He wanted a few days to consider the matter and the next week there was a public sale of a farm in London Grove township which he attended and finding it sold for so much more than he expected, he flew from his offer and so all my hopes for a time were frustrated.

Coming up in the third and last part. . .love is in the air.

–Suzanne Ellison

APPRENTICESHIP

I was born in London Grove Township, Chester Co., Pa. about one mile West of Avondale, which was then called “Miller’s Run,” or “Stone Ridge,” on the 22nd of sixth month 1810.

When I arrived at the age of seventeen in consulting with my father and my older brother, it was concluded that I could be spared from the farm and as my lameness would disqualify me for being a farmer: it was decided that I should learn a trade. Some one mentioned the cabinet making business and wondered if Ziba Moore would want a boy. This was some two miles distant and as he was a steady, respectable man, my father thought it would be a suitable place provided I could get in. I asked him to go with me but he declined and said he wanted me to go and make my bargain and learn to shift for myself–I recollect when I got near the place I was much horrified at seeing the hearse standing in the yard, one of the old fashioned kind, the body in the shape of a coffin and the thought that I would be obliged to go to making coffins was very unpleasant to me, but I thought that after I learned the cabinet business I could do as I pleased about making coffins.

I found the proprietor of the establishment at home and made my business known to him, and found that he had but one apprentice (his brother) and that he had been thinking of taking another soon. We talked over the terms: he said he was willing to take me on trial for a short time, and if we liked each other, he would be willing to take me on same terms as he had with his master, which were about as follows: He was to furnish board and lodging, washing and mending, find my everyday clothes, one month schooling a year and allow me two weeks in harvest &c. So on the 1st of seventh month 1827 I left home for the first time and spent four years at the cabinet business and found my new home a pleasant one–my master and I always getting along in perfect harmony.

After I had been there awhile my better clothes got rather shabby and as I had a natural inclination to go into company, I soon found according to the bargain I had made, I would soon need funds to enable me to procure clothes to suit the society I wished to mingle with, but on appying to my father he gave me to understand I need not look to him, but that I must get along the best I could from my own resources–I had not been at my trade a year when I found I could handle tools well enough to make chests, stands and many small articles, and by looking around, I found that by charging a little less than the usual price I could get a good many little jobs to do and by working late at night and early in the morning I soon earned money enough to buy myself a suit of better clothes.

After I had been at the trade something over two years I took to working at task work: my master allowing me so much time to make a pair of bureaus, a pair of tables, stands &c and all the time I gained I had to myself. This I always thought was very generous in my master, but I believe it was an advantage to us both, particularly was it so to myself, for I acquired the habit of timing myself and soon got into the way of working to the best advantage and making the best use of time. We had a good run of custom and hands being scarce and not desiring to increase the size of the family my master offered me and his brother Sharpless (who was an apprentice was a little my senior) low journeyman’s wages for all the work we could do in the time we gained at task work and in this way we made considerable spending money.

The time of my apprenticeship expired on the 22nd day of 6th mo. 1831.

Allen Gawthrop’s autobiography is in the collection of the Chester County Historical Society and was reproduced in Furniture and Its Makers of Chester County, Pennsylvania by Margaret Berwind Schiffer.

Part II will cover Gawthrop’s Cabinet Business.

Ziba Moore, Gawthrop’s master, was born January 16, 1800 and was a cabinetmaker and owned a farm in London Grove.  In the tax records he was active as a cabinetmaker from 1820 to 1835. Moore died in January 1846. Four of Moore’s pieces are in the gallery below.

–Suzanne Ellison