52 Ancestors Week One: First Watson to escape from textile mill work
Daniel Watson (1850–1919), age about 27 Working in a woolen mill in the 1800s was rough, to say the least. It was hot, dirty, physically taxing, and dangerous. Water cascading through the mill race, leather belts and pulleys slapping, gears knocking, and the clattering racket of looms and other machines, all combined to produce an overwhelming din. The air was filled with dust and fibers which got into workers' lungs. Windows were kept closed tight even in summer, to maintai