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{{Short description|American textile pioneer (1783–1863)}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Luke Taft |
| name = Luke Taft |
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| image = |
| image = |
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| caption = |
| caption = |
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| occupation = |
| occupation = Textile pioneer |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1783|6|03|mf=y}} |
| birth_date = {{birth date|1783|6|03|mf=y}} |
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| birth_place = [[Uxbridge, |
| birth_place = [[Uxbridge, Massachusetts]], US |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1863|04|07|1783|6|03}} |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1863|04|07|1783|6|03}} |
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| death_place = Uxbridge, Massachusetts, US |
| death_place = Uxbridge, Massachusetts, US |
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| known_for = Established two early water-powered woolen mills at Uxbridge |
| known_for = Established two early water-powered woolen mills at Uxbridge |
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| spouse = Mercy (Day) Taft, and Nancy (Wood) Taft |
| spouse = Mercy (Day) Taft, and Nancy (Wood) Taft |
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| children = 5, including [[Moses Taft]] |
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| children = [[Moses Taft]], James, Joseph, Robert, and Irene |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Luke Taft''' (3 June 1783 – 7 April 1863 |
'''Luke Taft''' (3 June 1783 – 7 April 1863<ref name="descendents">{{cite web|title=Taft descendents|publisher=Rootsweb|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~taft/Taftdes5.htm|access-date=2007-10-29}}</ref>) was an industrial pioneer in the manufacture of [[wool]]ens<ref name="historic">{{cite book|last=Crane|first= Ellery Bicknell|title=Historic Homes and Genealogies; Worcester, Massachusetts |publisher=The Lewis Publishing Company|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rqvWQWtFKl0C&pg=RA9-PA324 |access-date=2007-10-29 | year=1907}}</ref> in 19th century [[New England]]. |
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==Family== |
==Family== |
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Luke Taft was a |
Luke Taft was a fifth-generation descendant of [[Robert Taft, Sr.|Robert Taft I]],<ref name="descendents"/> of the American [[Taft family]]. Robert Taft I had settled from England in the western section of Mendon in 1679 which later became Uxbridge in 1727. Luke was the son of Esther and James Taft of Uxbridge, and born into a family of eight other siblings.<ref name="descendents"/> Luke Taft married [[Daniel Day (manufacturer)|Daniel Day]] and Sylvia (Wheelock) Day's daughter, Mercy Day, and was also subsequently married to Nancy (Wood) Taft. He had a total of five children, including a son, Moses, who was his second born in Uxbridge in January 1812. He also had four other children, James, Joseph, Robert,<ref name="descendents"/> and a daughter Irene who may have been born from a later marriage.<ref name="descendents"/> |
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==Textile mills== |
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Luke became an early American industrial pioneer and the builder of two early [[textile mill]]s. Luke Taft built a dam, and his first textile mill on the [[West River (Massachusetts)]], in 1824. This was the third woolen mill in Uxbridge, a very early US industrial center.<ref name="walking">{{cite web|title=Uxbridge, A Walking Tour |publisher=Blackstone Daily |year=1999 |url=http://www.blackstonedaily.com/Outdoors&Nature/WTuxbridge.htm |access-date=2007-10-29 |url-status= |
Luke became an early American industrial pioneer and the builder of two early [[textile mill]]s. Luke Taft built a dam, and his first textile mill on the [[West River (Massachusetts)]], in 1824. This was the third woolen mill in Uxbridge, a very early US industrial center.<ref name="walking">{{cite web|title=Uxbridge, A Walking Tour |publisher=Blackstone Daily |year=1999 |url=http://www.blackstonedaily.com/Outdoors&Nature/WTuxbridge.htm |access-date=2007-10-29 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928130800/http://www.blackstonedaily.com/Outdoors%26Nature/WTuxbridge.htm |archive-date=2007-09-28 }}</ref> Luke Taft was the son-in-law of [[Daniel Day (manufacturer)|Daniel Day]], who had earlier established the first woolen mill in the [[Blackstone Valley]], at Uxbridge, circa 1810. Luke Taft's first textile mill was located near the site of the now former ''[[Waucantuck Mill Complex]]'' site, a national historic site.<ref name="walking"/> |
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Luke Taft later built a second [[textile mill]] in 1833, on the [[Blackstone River]] at the site of the present day [[Stanley Woolen Mill]]. This mill was also known as the "Luke Taft Mill". Luke's son, [[Moses Taft]], built a larger mill at this same site in 1852. |
Luke Taft later built a second [[textile mill]] in 1833, on the [[Blackstone River]] at the site of the present day [[Stanley Woolen Mill]]. This mill was also known as the "Luke Taft Mill". Luke's son, [[Moses Taft]], built a larger mill at this same site in 1852. |
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These mills, together with the [[Daniel Day (manufacturer)|Daniel Day]] Mill, and family connections to the Taft and Wheelock families, became the longest-running family-owned [[textile mill]]s in the Northeastern US (perhaps in the US). Daniel Day was also a member of the [[Taft family]] as his mother was Deborah (Taft) Day. Daniel Day's wife was Sylvia (Wheelock) Day. The Wheelock family ownership of this local family-owned textile dynasty continues today under the name of Berroco Inc., a yarn distribution company, headquartered at the site of Daniel's original carding mill until 2010. In that year Berroco moved a few miles south to neighboring [[North Smithfield, RI]], the first planned mill village started by [[John Slater (industrialist)]] and [[Samuel Slater]]. |
These mills, together with the [[Daniel Day (manufacturer)|Daniel Day]] Mill, and family connections to the Taft and Wheelock families, became the longest-running family-owned [[textile mill]]s in the Northeastern US (perhaps in the US). Daniel Day was also a member of the [[Taft family]] as his mother was Deborah (Taft) Day. Daniel Day's wife was Sylvia (Wheelock) Day. The Wheelock family ownership of this local family-owned textile dynasty continues today under the name of Berroco Inc., a yarn distribution company, headquartered at the site of Daniel's original carding mill until 2010. In that year Berroco moved a few miles south to neighboring [[North Smithfield, RI]], the first planned mill village started by [[John Slater (industrialist)]] and [[Samuel Slater]]. |
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==Historic |
==Historic context== |
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Uxbridge is in the heart of the Blackstone Valley, a major contributor to the earliest industrialization of the U.S.<ref name="MHC">{{cite web|title=MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Uxbridge; Report Date: 1984 Associated Regional Report: Central Massachusetts; |publisher=Massachusetts Historical Commission |year=1984 |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/Town%20reports/Cent-Mass/uxb.pdf |access-date=2007-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202071504/http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/Town%20reports/Cent-Mass/uxb.pdf |archive-date=2007-12-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Luke Taft was a member of the famous [[Taft family]] which has its roots in [[Mendon, Massachusetts|Mendon]] and Uxbridge. The Waucantuck mill, in later years, became the first manufacturer of "wash and wear" fabric in the U.S.<ref name="walking"/> The historic [[mill town]] of Uxbridge was noted for leading with many advancements in the [[textile industry]] in [[United States|America]] including [[power looms]] for woolens, complete [[vertical integration]] of [[textiles]] to clothing lines, blended fabrics and "[[satinet]]".<ref name="MHC"/> |
Uxbridge is in the heart of the Blackstone Valley, a major contributor to the earliest industrialization of the U.S.<ref name="MHC">{{cite web|title=MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Uxbridge; Report Date: 1984 Associated Regional Report: Central Massachusetts; |publisher=Massachusetts Historical Commission |year=1984 |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/Town%20reports/Cent-Mass/uxb.pdf |access-date=2007-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202071504/http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/Town%20reports/Cent-Mass/uxb.pdf |archive-date=2007-12-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Luke Taft was a member of the famous [[Taft family]] which has its roots in [[Mendon, Massachusetts|Mendon]] and Uxbridge. The Waucantuck mill, in later years, became the first manufacturer of "wash and wear" fabric in the U.S.<ref name="walking"/> The historic [[mill town]] of Uxbridge was noted for leading with many advancements in the [[textile industry]] in [[United States|America]] including [[power looms]] for woolens, complete [[vertical integration]] of [[textiles]] to clothing lines, blended fabrics and "[[satinet]]".<ref name="MHC"/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[The Tafts of Mendon and Uxbridge]] |
* [[The Tafts of Mendon and Uxbridge]] |
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* [[Taft family]], |
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* [[Uxbridge, Massachusetts]] |
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* [[List of Registered Historic Places in Uxbridge, Massachusetts]]. |
* [[List of Registered Historic Places in Uxbridge, Massachusetts]]. |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Taft, Luke}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taft, Luke}} |
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[[Category:People from Uxbridge, Massachusetts]] |
[[Category:People from Uxbridge, Massachusetts]] |
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[[Category:People of the Industrial Revolution]] |
[[Category:People of the American Industrial Revolution]] |
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[[Category:American textile industry businesspeople]] |
[[Category:American textile industry businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:1783 births]] |
[[Category:1783 births]] |
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Latest revision as of 01:40, 15 December 2023
Luke Taft | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 3, 1783 |
| Died | April 7, 1863 (aged 79) Uxbridge, Massachusetts, US |
| Occupation | Textile pioneer |
| Known for | Established two early water-powered woolen mills at Uxbridge |
| Spouse(s) | Mercy (Day) Taft, and Nancy (Wood) Taft |
| Children | 5, including Moses Taft |
Luke Taft (3 June 1783 – 7 April 1863[1]) was an industrial pioneer in the manufacture of woolens[2] in 19th century New England.
Family
[edit]Luke Taft was a fifth-generation descendant of Robert Taft I,[1] of the American Taft family. Robert Taft I had settled from England in the western section of Mendon in 1679 which later became Uxbridge in 1727. Luke was the son of Esther and James Taft of Uxbridge, and born into a family of eight other siblings.[1] Luke Taft married Daniel Day and Sylvia (Wheelock) Day's daughter, Mercy Day, and was also subsequently married to Nancy (Wood) Taft. He had a total of five children, including a son, Moses, who was his second born in Uxbridge in January 1812. He also had four other children, James, Joseph, Robert,[1] and a daughter Irene who may have been born from a later marriage.[1]
Textile mills
[edit]Luke became an early American industrial pioneer and the builder of two early textile mills. Luke Taft built a dam, and his first textile mill on the West River (Massachusetts), in 1824. This was the third woolen mill in Uxbridge, a very early US industrial center.[3] Luke Taft was the son-in-law of Daniel Day, who had earlier established the first woolen mill in the Blackstone Valley, at Uxbridge, circa 1810. Luke Taft's first textile mill was located near the site of the now former Waucantuck Mill Complex site, a national historic site.[3]
Luke Taft later built a second textile mill in 1833, on the Blackstone River at the site of the present day Stanley Woolen Mill. This mill was also known as the "Luke Taft Mill". Luke's son, Moses Taft, built a larger mill at this same site in 1852.
A 200-year family enterprise
[edit]These mills, together with the Daniel Day Mill, and family connections to the Taft and Wheelock families, became the longest-running family-owned textile mills in the Northeastern US (perhaps in the US). Daniel Day was also a member of the Taft family as his mother was Deborah (Taft) Day. Daniel Day's wife was Sylvia (Wheelock) Day. The Wheelock family ownership of this local family-owned textile dynasty continues today under the name of Berroco Inc., a yarn distribution company, headquartered at the site of Daniel's original carding mill until 2010. In that year Berroco moved a few miles south to neighboring North Smithfield, RI, the first planned mill village started by John Slater (industrialist) and Samuel Slater.
Historic context
[edit]Uxbridge is in the heart of the Blackstone Valley, a major contributor to the earliest industrialization of the U.S.[4] Luke Taft was a member of the famous Taft family which has its roots in Mendon and Uxbridge. The Waucantuck mill, in later years, became the first manufacturer of "wash and wear" fabric in the U.S.[3] The historic mill town of Uxbridge was noted for leading with many advancements in the textile industry in America including power looms for woolens, complete vertical integration of textiles to clothing lines, blended fabrics and "satinet".[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Taft descendents". Rootsweb. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
- ^ Crane, Ellery Bicknell (1907). Historic Homes and Genealogies; Worcester, Massachusetts. The Lewis Publishing Company. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
- ^ a b c "Uxbridge, A Walking Tour". Blackstone Daily. 1999. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Uxbridge; Report Date: 1984 Associated Regional Report: Central Massachusetts;" (PDF). Massachusetts Historical Commission. 1984. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2007-11-20.