Trailside Museum on Sunday

Join the Frontier Guard at the Trailside Museum in Mountainside on Sunday!

The Coinage of Colonial America

 A 1745 British silver shilling, with a bust of George II and the stamp "LIMA" (Peru) under the bust.  Why would a British coin have a Spanish possession stamped on it? Keep reading to find out...

The reverse of the coin, with the crown-and-roses design of possessions England claimed - England, Scotland, Ireland, and France (yes, English monarchs claimed to rule France until 1801).




Coinage was scarce in colonial America.  Many colonies in the seventeenth century even accepted quahog wampum as currency, at a rate as high as 2 to the pence for the lustrous purple ones in the early 17th century.  This practice died out by the 18th century, however, as copper coinage and paper currency became more widespread.  Hard money remained scarce, nonetheless, and the value of colonial paper issues fluctuated with a colony's solvency and the distance from the place of issue.

Coins of several European countries circulated throughout the colonies as well - British, French, Spanish, and Dutch in particular.  Values were fixed by colonial legislatures, often at different rates, but the real value was generally based on weight and purity of the metal and was subject to negotiation between buyer and seller.

The University of Notre Dame has a great website for colonial coinage and currency, for those who are interested, with overviews and illustrations of coins and currency from most colonies, as well as European coins that circulated.

See: Colonial Currency at Notre Dame
See: The Coins of Colonial and Early America at Notre Dame

Oh, and why is the silver shilling marked "LIMA"?  In 1743, at the height of the War of the Austrtian Succession, or King George's War, as it was known in the American Colonies, a British fleet under Admiral Anson captured the entire Spanish treasure fleet from New Spain and Peru.  Much of the British silver coinage of 1745 and 1746 was minted using this silver, and to mark its origin, and probably as an "in your face" taunt, the British Crown had these coins stamped "LIMA" in commemoration.

Roasting Ears of Corn, Anyone?

The Frontier Guard's next event is the Roasting Ears of Corn Festival at the Museum of Indian Culture in Allentown, PA, August 20 & 21.

This is a big event with scores of tribal dancers, dozens of vendors, and a multitude of displays.  For more details, see the website at Museum of Indian Culture.

Muster Roll of the NJ Provincial Frontier Guard, 1757

Here is a copy of the muster roll of the Frontier Guard for one month during the  French & Indian War.  This is a valuable snapshot of the unit's membership, but on the other hand, as men enlisted for a month at a time, the roster most likely changed considerably, so what you see here may or may not reflect the membership in other months:

Muster Roll of the Provincial Forces Commanded by Capt. Richard Gardiner on the Frontiers of New Jersey from the 8th of June to the 20th day of July 1757

Name                                       
Gardiner, Richard (Captain)        .     
Wood, John (Lieutenant)      
Rickey, John (Lieutenant)      
Stull, John (Lieutenant)      
Butler, Samuel (Sergeant)       
Barton, Joseph (Sgt/Crp?)     
Chamberlain, Benjamin (Sgt/Crp?)    
Cole, Henry (Sgt/Crp?)       
Cooper, Henry (Sgt/Crp?)        
Freeman, Gilman (Sgt/Crp?)       
Haddon, James (Sgt/Crp?)  also sp. (Haddin/Headen) 
Hysom, Thomas (Sgt/Crp?)        
Ludlum, Creed (Sgt/Crp?)        
Malone, Richard (Sgt/Crp?)      
Munson, John (Sgt/Crp?)      
Pierce, Lewis (Sgt/Crp?)        
Riggs, Reuben (Sgt/Crp?)     
Terratt, Daniel (Sgt/Crp?)        
Vroom, Jacob (Sgt/Crp?)        
Abbot (Abbit/Abbet), James              
Adams, Alexander        
Avery, Alexander     
Benham, Absalom  
Bennett, Henry        
Bonum, Hezekiah        
Brink, Nicholas      
Brooks, Isaac       
Brown, Daniel      
Bruse, Alexander 
Bush, Anthony       
Chambers, Samuel    
Chestney (Chesnut/Chester) , Joseph      
Clark, James        
Cole, Abraham     
Colt, Abraham        
Cooper, Constant       
Davis, Daniel        
Davis, James       
Davis, John       
Decker, Hermanus (var)        .        .
Depuy, Daniel        .        .
Devoir (Devoor), Jacob        .        .
Devoir (Devoor), John        .        .
Doty, John 
Doty, Micajah     
Erwin, Luke      
Everfelt, Martin     
Falore, Philip       
Ferguson, Thomas   
Fish, Nath'l      
FitzWater (Fitchwater), Wm   
Grimes, Adam        .        .
Hailstiles (Hailstril), Peter        .        .
Hair, Philip        .        .
Hanson (Hansen), Henry (Hans)        .        .
Holloway, Elkanah       
Hopkins, Ephraim      
Hughes, Thomas        .        .
Hull, John        
Johnston (Johnson), Wm        .
Johnston, Edward      
Johnston, James       
Kennedy (Kannady), Charles   
Killam (Killham), Gilbert  
Mahurin, Othniel (Otho)        .
Man (Mann), George      
Marshall, Peter        
McLaughlin, Patrick        .        .
McNeil, James       
Mead, Stephen        .        .
Middah (Medah, Meddah), Ephraim        .        .
Middah (Medah, Meddah), Peter        .        .
Miller, Christeon        .        .
Miller, Wm     
Mordan, George        .        .
Morden (Mordan), Ralph     
More, George        .        .
Myres (Miers), Bastian (Boston)  
Nearpass (Norpus), Jacob      
Nightingale, Wm        .        .
Oppie (Oppy, Oppoy), Edward     
Pennington (Penneton), Jonathan        
Pew, Hugh        .        .
Pool, William        M        
Preston (Prester), John        .        .
Quick, Thomas        .        .
Quick, Thomas Jr.        .        .
Randole, Edward        .        .
Ray (Rhea), Moses        .        .
Rosacrans, Daniel        .        .
Rosacrans, Jacob        .        .
Sergeant, David   
Shick (Shack/Sheik), Adam      
Skinner, Daniel        
Skinner, Timothy      
Smith, Abraham      
Smith, Benj'n       
Smith, Henry    
Smith, John      
Smith, Peter       
Smith, Thomas    
Stonehover, Cornelius    
Swartwout (Swartout), Jacob       
Swartwout (Swartwart), Benj'n        .        .
Tack, Isaac       
Taylor, James     
Vanclief (Vancleaf/Van Cleff), John     .
Vangarder (Van Gordon), John        .        .
Vantyle (Vantuyle), Walter       
Vantyle, Hermanus (Herman) 
Walton, William (2)    
Ward, Hermanus (var)     
Wart, Henry
WestBrook, Abraham   
Westcoat (Weascoat), Jonathan 
Whitehead, Isaac        .        .
Wintermute (Windemoot), Leonard  
Wood, David        M        .
Wood, Jacob        .        .
Young, Angle (Angel)        H        "d. Sept. 7"

Beaded Choker

A fellow reenactor asked if I could make him a beaded choker necklace for his impression, so here is the result.  It's about 12" of #6 glass pony beads tacked onto a deerskin backing.  I'm happy with how it came out, so I thought I'd show it off...

Handmade shoes

The week before the Gunmakers' Fair, I stopped in at Dixon's (my wife is very understanding), and I found a pair of shoes in my size made by Greg Geiger.  In a coincidence, I had just run across a copy of  The Book of Buckskinning: Volume 3 in a second-hand store, and in the 1984 book, there was an article on footwear by Greg Geiger.  

These are great shoes!  I have wide feet, and these shoes are built wide enough for my EEE or EEEE feet.  The price was also a surprise - less than a pair of  Fugawees.  

 

I have yet to grease these up, install buckles, and wear them, but I am looking forward to doing so.

By the way, red heels were a fashion started by Louis XIV of France, and during the eighteenth century, any man who wanted to look like he could appear at court - as opposed to before a court - painted his shoe heels red (nothing like royalty to set fashion trends).

Finished Horn

Here it is with a beaded horn strap and stand...

I entered it at Dixon's Gunmakers' Fair.  It didn't win any ribbons,but it got a lot of nice comments and constructive critiques from the judges.

 

Just About Done....

The horn is just about done; all I have to do now is put in a staple on the plug.

I didn't have a lathe available to turn a plug, so I went with a slightly domed plug.

The scrimshaw came out decently well. I'm a relative novice at scrimshaw, so I'm sure I made a number of mistakes, but on the whole, I'm fairly happy with the look.

I had a great acorn spout plug that my friend Gus Tabor made for me, but I wanted everything about this horn to be mine, so I filed myself a crown-shaped plug to echo the crown on the coat of arms.

Comments and honest critiques are welcome.  Let me know the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Easton Heritage Day 2016

On July 10, the Frontier Guard returned to Easton, PA, site of the 1758 treaty that established peace with the Lenape under Teedyuskung.  As usual, we had a large display, right in the center of Founder's Square.

Our junior members also set up a full display of children's toys and games. 

Liz also joined us, looking lovely, as usual.

There was a large crowd at the event, and many different reenacting groups, representing a broad spectrum of American history. Town criers read the Declaration of Independence- from 20 years after our time period- and there were crafters, historical tradesmen, and vendors galore.  It was a long day, but rewarding.

Easton Heritage Day July 10th

Come join us - and a large throng of other reenactors, crafters, and history-related displays and pageants, at Easton's Heritage Day Celebration on July 10, 2016:  http://heritageday.org/

This is a big event, and the weather is supposed to be near-perfect.  The festivities kick off around 10:00AM and run until evening, with a concert and fireworks.

While the event commemorates the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Easton in 1776, for the purposes of the Frontier Guard, Easton was significantly the site of the Treaty of Easton, 1758, which by and large brought peace between the Lenape and the British colonists in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  The original treaty is on display in the Sigal Museum, which will be open during Heritage Day.  Don't miss it.