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Village Squire, 1978-12, Page 5The readers write DEAR MR. ROULSTON: 1 read and enjoyed 'Old Crafts Get New Life' in your November magazine, particularly as I facetiously call myself the great-granddaughter of the loom. Most of your information about Samuel Pentland and his loom are correct. True. The Huron Tract was being opened by the Canada Company in 1845, but the land on the north side of the boundary was not Canada Company Land. One historian called them forgotten townships and when it came on the market. it was Crown Land and people who bought farms there were given Crown Deeds. There are a few families in Ashfield and Wawanosh who still have the deeds given to their ancestors -ours among them. It is believed that Wawanosh was the name of an Indian Chief whose followers lived beside a creek in Dungannon. Dungannon is named for Dungannon in Northern Ireland because the first settlers, the Davidsons and Malloughs came from Dungannon. But to return to Samuel Pentland. He had probably been a cottage weaver in Ireland and became unemployed with the rise of the factory system. He suffered that again with the opening of the Benmiller woollen mill some years later. That was when he began weaving rag carpets. His work was carried on by his son• Samuel. and his daughter Elizabeth (Eliza) who, n>at•ried George Shepperd. They lived on the farm south of Nile. now owned by Doug (or is it Cliff?) McNeil. Aunt Eliza became an expert weaver and when her family reached marriageable age. she wove a coverlet for each. The onp she wove for her oldest son. John. is now in the Museum. It is blue and white as all for the boys were. The girls were given red and white. Much of this information I got from John's daughter Mary. She and her sister. Edith. donated their coverlet to the Museum. Another interesting craft in which Mrs. Shepperd engaged. was weaving straw hats. Mary remembers seeing her at this work. You mentioned the Shepperd (spelled 'erd' not 'ard') sisters living on the next farm to the Pentlands. The only Shepperd sisters Mary knew of were her aunts. Mary Jane and Catherine, the daughters of Eliza. You said that the loom had been donated to the Museum by the late Harvey Pentland. That is incorrect. 1 remember v.fien the Museum was preparing their exhibition of pioneer texttiles. I think they advertised in local papers around Ontario for information and tools. Next thing 1 remember was a notice in the Goderich Star asking for information about Samuel Pentland and his loom. Apparently. the late Gavin Green of Goderich had answered their first ad telling them of the loom in his possession. When they saw it. you would have thought they had found a gold mine. Everything that Samuel had used in his work was there, intact, from the shears used to shear the sheep to the loom itself with a small piece of rag carpet on the seat. The Pentlands and Shepperds were what I call squirrels and- never threw anything away and that is why the exhibition in the Museum is so complete. Harvey Pentland got into the story in this way. I suppose he bought the small spinning wheel at the sale of the Shepperd's belongings when Gav Green bought the loom etc. In some way. it was found that Harvey had the spinning wheel and he loaned it for the opening of the exhibition. It remained there until a few years ago when his wife, Blanche. gave it permanently to the Museum. The photo I am enclosing shows the loom in the Museum and Elizabeth Shepperd spinning on the veranda of her home. You can see that small picture on a stand beside the loom. The coverlet on the wall behind the loom is the type that used to be spun on the loom and may be the pattern done by Mrs. Shepperd nearly a century ago. YOURS SINCERELY, Margaret Pritchard 89 Haddington, Toronto DEAR MR. ROULSTON: , Many thanks for your letter reminding me that my subscription to the Village Squire has expired. We would have been very disappointed to find that we did not receive the next issue. It has so many items in it that my husband and I look forward to reading. Sometimes your opinion of home eating place we have been or think of going helps. Enclosed please find my cheque for the new subscription. You may be interested in knowing I am now sending the issue to Westminister Hospital when we are through with them. SINCERELY, Hilda M. Amsbary, Stratford. Subscribers' Moving Notice Send correspondence lo: Village Squire, RR 3, Blyth, Ont. NOM 1HO. Name New Address Postai code Prov � I ATTACH OLD ADDRESS LABEL HERE AND MAIL IMMEDIATELY; My moving date is My old address iabe is attached My new address is on this coupon I wish to subscribe to Village Squire. Send me 12 issues for only 53.50. December 1978, Village Squire 3