The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-15
SHE SPUN THE FIRST SPOOL.
4 Young SCOTCH GIRLS FINGERS
DID 1T.
Mrs. Martha Little Davidsen, Vow Of
Lebanon, ILL.,, Brought From Scot
land In Her Youth to Teach
Thread windinx-Good Old Age.

Martha Little Davidson, the frs. person
that wound 3 thread abcu. spool II this
eogatry. IS spending her days n Lebanon
Ill Size has seen tha marvellous growth
Of the thread industry n the United States
and often, when she feels IN the huner
she can recall the early days when thai
grand industry consisted ot one small
spooiing mlli IN DracEt. little town o.
Massachusetts,.
Lonx ago the swiftly flowing Msrr.mas
river furnished the power necessary Il
drive tho machinery that wound sbou. tbs
spool the fne thread tna. was imported
from sbrosd-for America had not yet Ge-
ve!cpea the thread manufacturing indus
Try. This little Plant, tn which Martha
Little and her sister worked, has since
grown 70 be the great industry whose OWE
ers have made their name household
word in the Land.
Lawson was the name Of the man VIII,
then owned the little mill which has since
Grown with such wonderful strides. l, was
he who brought Mss Little and her sister
over from Scotland TO look after the spool
ing CO the thread.
One OF the recommendations that COM
mended her to the Messrs. Lawson Was
that she held q perfect record. This mean,
that in the exacting task OF counting accu-
rately the lengths as he rapidly reeled
them upon the spool, In keeping the &C.
count correctly and winding exactly the
required lengths upon tho spool. she had
never been found IN error or rerniss n the
other requirements Of the work by The
careful and repeated tests made by the
overseers. who took cognizance not only OF
the style Of the work, but OF the accuracy
of the count, from which il seems that the
then established guarantee and still fanii-
lar representation on the labels, warrant
ed 2d9 yards" Was eonscientiously main
tanned.
The young woman undertook the trans
atlantic journey, then no trifiing undertake
ing In company with her sister Elizabeth,
leaving behind her parents and her home.
They embarked in the Neptune. sailing
vessel In March, 1s4i and were ten weeks
upon the sea, encountering severe storm.
losing both main and HiZzen nasts. which
being found by other vessels, the Neptune
was reported lost. But they were finally
driven into Halifax, and three months al
ter the young women sailed from Liver
pool they reached their destination, ORA
cut, Mass.
Mrs. Davidson, formerly Miss Little. was
the first to operate a spindle in the new
factory. and in June OF the year Is4i.
through her hands, the infant industry Of
America produced Its first spool
The machine Was a comparatively sim
pie affair in appearance and In manner Of
construction, not wholly unlike the famil-
lar spinning wheels Of old-fashioned New
England households. Such was the en-
ploynlent then, In humble comparison with
the perfected spindle which performs null
tfold duty In that capacity now, and the
latest Improvement in which, recently
made. the old lady noted with Interest.
Mrs. Davidson continued her employ
ment at the Dracut mill. together with her
sister for about year. when homesick-
ness impelled them to return to their Scot
fish home. But they returned to America
a year later, and on board ship met John
Semples, son OF Samuel Semples. who was
foreman OF a mill erected In the meantime
by SAMMY" Shreves, quaker, at
Shrevesville, y. j.. now Snithvile. The
sisters were prevailed upon by young Sem
Piles 20 change their destination for
Shrevesville and accept employment in the
shreves mill. This plant was equipped for
the entire process. turning out the finished
product from the raw cotton, and was
probably the second mill in the history OF
American thread manufacture. Here the
two sisters. who had been pioneers in this
line Of work In the new world, did duty in
various Capacities. until Shreves, ruined
by security obligations. failed in business.
Samuel Samples, the foreman OF the de-
funct mill, q, once established mill Of his
own at Mount Holly y. j.. whera these
two young women followed TO pursue their
favorlte employment. Samuel Samples was
destined TO become a thread maguate in
this country, and thirty years ago his
brand or this domestic article was one Of
the most familiar and popular known to
the American trade There is Il strong
touch Of romance in the fact that one of
the sisters, Elizabeth, whose connection
with the thread manufacture in America
was SO historic and who had met the
younger Samples on board ship on her r.
turn TO this country was. after a number
OF years in his fathers employ to become
the bride Of this John Samples. who. after
his fathers death, was associated IN the
management Of one OF the greatest thread
concerns in the country. But such was
the case. and now. retired from active bus
mess years ago. the great Sempies thread
concern long since disintegrated. John
Samples lives with his wife. both adj
vanced in years. at Mount Holly. y. J.
Martha Little. whose fingers guided the
work Of the first American thread spindle,
eas married 10 Alexander Davidson a
Scotsman. native OF Wigtonshire. eight
years aer Junior. aud they now live just
east Of the city Of Lebanon. Ill. coziIy
fixed in q humble cottage or a small tract
Of land. whore Mr.. Davidson. still quite
nlmble. carries on truck farming. Mrs.
Davidson was born n ISIS. IN Ayr, OF Ayr
SHIRE, In scotland, re birthplace CT the
poet Burns. whose coupiet--.
Aud Ayr wham neer town surpasses
Fer honest men and bonny lassies,
She quotes with a pleasant twinkle. and
not without touch OF pride She belongs
10 one % four sets OF twins. ard was ons
II thirteen children. she Is wei preserved
Cor one who has felt She weight OF almost
So winters. and performs her own house
hold duties, SIZE reads readily without
spectacles and in conversation is lively and
Interesting. She eyiIces pride in the rec
ord above Tecounted. but displays not the
slightest tendency 10 beast or il. as evi-
derced by the fact that y IS known only
20 a few immediate friends. ard has never
before found It's way in,o print She de-
lEats, however. 70 recCunt the story O..
her enrlier DAYS. snd describes the various
processes IN thread manufacture as mi
nutely as though Il we're but yesterday she
left the spindle ard the bobb.n.-Chlcago
Times-HeralG.