Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

JONES TREADLE

Date Range From

1895

Date Range To

1905

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

2

Height

16.5

Length

27.3

Description

SN 85835. PAINT STAINS ON WOODWORK (CHIPPED). HANDLE MISSING ON LEFT HAND SIDE DRAWER. STAIN WEARING, COASTERS RUSTED, DESIGN WORN OFF. 2 WATER RINGS ON CABINET. CABINET WOOD IS CRACKED, FRONT PANEL LIFTING. BRACKET & KEY MISSING. "..IDE FACTORY BRIDGE N., MANCHESTER" ON FRONT OF MACHINE. BACK READS "SPOOL" "JONES" AND "ENGLISH MADE". RED AND GOLD FLORAL DESIGN OVER BLACK PAINT ON MACHINE. LONG LEATHER CORD RUNS FROM FOOT WHEEL TO MACHINE FOR POWER. IRON STAND WITH FOUR WHEELS. "JONES" FORMED IN IRON AS PART OF STAND. DESK HAS FOLDING EXTENSION ON LEFT END.

Subjects

TEXTILEWORKING T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

DONOR'S GRANDMOTHER, ELIZABETH BESWICK BROUGHT MACHINE WITH HER AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY WHEN SHE IMMIGRATED TO CANADA TO MICHELLE B.C. IN 1908. (SHE WAS BORN IN MANCHESTER ENGLAND IN 1881.) SHE BECAME A MEMBER OF THE NATAL B.C. CASSANDRA REBEKAH LODGE NO. 31 & WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER IN THE COMMUNITY. IN 1965 SHE ENTERED LETHBRIDGE MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL UNTIL HER DEATH IN 1969. HER HUSBAND, JOHN BESWICK, BORN IN LANCASTER ENGLAND IN 1871, WAS A BLACKSMITH AT MICHELLE-NATAL MINES IN CROWSNEST PASS UNTIL HE DIED IN 1959. FROM 1907 TO 1920 THEY HOMESTEADED ON A RANCH AT COWLEY. THEY HAD 2 CHILDREN, JOHN & LILY. *UPDATE* IN 2010, NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PALLET RACKING. SHE TALKED WITH THE DONOR'S BROTHER GORDON KOMETZ. GALT IS STILL WAITING FOR THE SIGNED "NOTICE OF RELEASE" FORM. INFO IS NOT PUBLIC. SEE BELOW. ACCORDING TO KOMETZ, THE SEWING MACHINE WOULD HAVE COME OVER FROM ENGLAND. LILY (BESWICK) KOMETZ CAME OVER AT THE AGE OF FOUR. HER MOTHER AND FATHER WERE ELIZABETH AND JOHN BESWICK. HER BROTHER WAS TWO YEARS OLD WHEN THEY CAME OVER. THE FAMILY SETTLED IN THE PORCUPINE HILLS ON A HOMESTEAD. SHORTLY AFTER THAT (LATE 1920) THEY MOVED TO NATAL, B.C. KOMETZ'S GRANDFATHER WAS THE CHIEF WELDER AND BLACKSMITH FOR THE MINE. GORDON'S DAD WAS BORN IN THE USA BY WAY OF CZECH PARENTS WHO CAME TO PITTSBURG. THEY ENDED UP IN NATAL TOO. LILY MARRIED JOHN KOMETZ AND MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. JOHN WORKED WITH "H.J. HEINZ" COMPANY. BECAUSE OF HIS TIME AT THE HEINZ COMPANY HE WAS NICKNAMED "PICKLE JOHN." HE STAYED IN LETHBRIDGE FOR THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS DUE TO HIS JOB TERRITORY. LILY WOULD NOT LIKELY HAVE USED THE MACHINE IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE WOULD HAVE USED THE JONES MACHINE IN NATAL B.C. BY THE TIME SHE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE SHE USED A SINGER TREADLE MACHINE. THE JONES TREADLE MACHINE WAS STORED SOMEWHERE (POSSIBLY IN THE GARAGE)/ GORDON SAID HIS MOTHER WASN'T PARTICULARLY TALENTED AS A SEWER. SHE COULD MEND THINGS AND PUT SOME CLOTHES TOGETHER, BUT LARGELY THE MACHINES WERE USED FOR REPAIRS TO CLOTHES "WHICH WERE WELL WORN AT THE PLAYGROUND." A SEWING MACHINE WAS AN ECONOMICAL ADVANTAGE. IT WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF FAMILY LIFE. KOMETZ SAID, "I DON'T THINK ANY MOTHER BACK THEN DIDN'T HAVE A SEWING MACHINE." WHEN LILY PASSED AWAY - HER BELONGINGS WERE SPLIT UP. KOMETZ'S BROTHER DOUG GOT THE SEWING MACHINE. KOMETZ DIDN'T KNOW WHY DOUG HAD GOTTEN THE SEWING MACHINE. HE SUSPECTED IT WAS DUE TO A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FAMILY. HE WAS INTERESETED AND TOOLK A LOT OF OLD PICTURES. HE WAS INTERESTED IN OLDER THINGS AND FAMILY HISTORY. HE SPENT A LOT OF HOURS LOOKING FOR FAMILY HISTORY I.E.) "FOR THE TIME THEY CAME TO THE COUNTRY AND SO FORTH." KOMETZ DIDN'T KNOW WHY HIS BROTHER WOULD HAVE DONATED THE MACHINE TO THE GALT. HE WAS WORKING WITH THE FAMILY TREE. HE ALSO WORKED FOR THE CITY AS A FIRE MARSHALL. "HE MAY HAVE FELT THIS WAS SOMETHING THE GALT MUSEUM COULD MAKE USE OF AS PART OF THEIR HISTORICAL COLLECTION."

Catalogue Number

P19790029000

Acquisition Date

1979-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail