50-Day Family History Blogging Challenge - Day 15
Fragments of Family History – Thomas Rose – Importer
Jennifer Jones from TRACKING DOWN THE FAMILY has initiated a 50-Day Family History Blogging Challenge. This is a big writing commitment, but I have decided to participate. I have decided my topic will be “Fragments of Family History”. I will write short posts of newspaper items or single stories connected to my family history. This may expand over the 50 days.
Thomas Rose – Importer
My 3x Great grandfather, Thomas Rose, imported goods, at least once, in the early days of the colony of New South Wales.
ON Sale, at Mr. Thomas Rose's, Castlereagh- street, a small Investment imported on the Indefatigable, consisting of velveteens, fustians, nimshaft cord, British nankeens, waistcoat pieces, child bed linen, ladies, gentlemen's, and children's shoes and boots, ladies' cotton hose, threads, tapes, and bobbings, pearl and metal buttons, copper tea kettles, copper scales of various sizes, ironmongery, consisting of carpenters' tools, butt hinges and screws, curry combs, bricklayers and plaisterers' trowels, butchers' knives, and various other articles. N. B.— Masters and Owners of Ship and Colonial Vessels supplied with Biscuit and Flour as usual.1
He advertised most of it again the following month.
ON Sale, at Mr. Thomas Rose's, Castlereagh Street, the following Goods, of the latest Importations;-good Velveteens, Fustians, Nimshaft Cord, Pondicherry Cloth, British Nankeens, Welch Flannels, Waistcoat Piece, Childbed Linen, Ladies' Veils and Tippets, Boots and Shoes, Men and Children's ditto, Ladies' Cotton Hose, Threads, Tapes, and Bobbings, Pearl and Metal Buttons, Copper Tea Kettles, Copper Scales of Sizes, Carpenter's Tools, Butt Hinges and Screws, Curry Combs, Bricklayers' and Plaisterers' Trowels, Butchers' Knives, Lard, Soap, Candles, Tea and Sugar, Rice, and every Article in the Grocery Line.—N.B. Biscuit and Flour supplied as usual.2
The sale of the imported goods does not seem to have gone well as he was still advertising much of it in November 1815.3
What were some of the goods that he imported that are not as well-known today?
Velveteen - a fabric usually of cotton that resembles velvet.4
Fustian - a thick, rough cotton cloth that lasts a long time.5
Nimshaft cord – may have been a cotton textile from Nimes, France which was the precursor to denim.
British nankeen - a type of pale yellow cotton cloth.6
Bobbings – may have been bobbins or spools to wind wool or thread onto.
Pondicherry cloth – may have been floral cotton fabric from Punducherry, India.
Tippet - a small piece of fur or cloth worn over the shoulders7
Plaisterers – archaic spelling of plasterer.8
If you know what a nimshaft cord, bobbings, or Pondicherry cloth are, let me know in the comments.
"Classified Advertising" The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) 27 May 1815: 1. Web. 26 Jun 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article629116>.
"Classified Advertising" The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) 10 June 1815: 1 (Supplement to the Sydney Gazette). Web. 26 Jun 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article629128>.
"Classified Advertising" The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) 25 November 1815: 2. Web. 26 Jun 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article629238>.
https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/velveteen.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fustian.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/nankeen.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tippet.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/plaister.