| TRIBUTE PAGES FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED OVER |
As you may have read elsewhere, I was initiated into this art by an 80 year old gentleman, Noah Cross. Mr. Cross had been a
seaman under sail from the 1880's and a member of the US Navy during WW I. He sailed in "grainers" and nitrate carriers as an
able seaman and Bos'un and was a Boatswain's Mate during his stint in the Navy, continuing in the Merchant Navy after that until he
retired.
When I knew him, his house was COVERED with the most exquisite work: table and chair doilies, curtain backings, picture frames
and other knotwork of just about any description you might think of.
Upon his death, his son and grandson moved his wife out, stripped the house of anything "ropey"and burned every bit of it before
selling the place. His son allowed as how he was sick to death of seeing the stuff, and the pleas of a young boy to save some of it
fell on deaf ears. To him, all the ropework and books represented were the years that, "Daddy wasn't home.", and Sixty years later I
can understand his pain, but I still mourn the loss of that artwork and skill
The artistic product of some sixty years was gone. I daily regret that I was not able to same SOMETHING of all that effort and skill, so
these pages are an attempt, however ephemeral, to preserve some of the available heritage and hopefully pass the inspiration along
to new shipmates.
If you have knowledge of a collection of fancywork from a single person and have pictures/can give me a contact for pictures, I'll be
more than happy to set up a page (or more if required) so that their work does not disappear.
seaman under sail from the 1880's and a member of the US Navy during WW I. He sailed in "grainers" and nitrate carriers as an
able seaman and Bos'un and was a Boatswain's Mate during his stint in the Navy, continuing in the Merchant Navy after that until he
retired.
When I knew him, his house was COVERED with the most exquisite work: table and chair doilies, curtain backings, picture frames
and other knotwork of just about any description you might think of.
Upon his death, his son and grandson moved his wife out, stripped the house of anything "ropey"and burned every bit of it before
selling the place. His son allowed as how he was sick to death of seeing the stuff, and the pleas of a young boy to save some of it
fell on deaf ears. To him, all the ropework and books represented were the years that, "Daddy wasn't home.", and Sixty years later I
can understand his pain, but I still mourn the loss of that artwork and skill
The artistic product of some sixty years was gone. I daily regret that I was not able to same SOMETHING of all that effort and skill, so
these pages are an attempt, however ephemeral, to preserve some of the available heritage and hopefully pass the inspiration along
to new shipmates.
If you have knowledge of a collection of fancywork from a single person and have pictures/can give me a contact for pictures, I'll be
more than happy to set up a page (or more if required) so that their work does not disappear.
| Alton C. Beaudoin *** Daniel Callahan *** Henry X. Weber *** *** *** |
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