The Painted Cloth Doll, 1853

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2024

In 1874, E.W. Billings published an advertisement promoting Izannah F. Walker's dolls, stating that he had been her agent for "so many years." That suggests that she had been wholesaling her dolls for a least a few years before she took out her patent. How long is "so many years"? It seems longer than a "couple of years," a "few years," and "several years." The phrase "so many years" is the sort of epic number that is frustrating in its lack of specificity.  

Dredging through newspaper records prior to the 1873 patent date for Izannah's dolls, does not turn up much. Before that, there does not seem to be much reason to link Walker's name with doll production. Her dolls are not yet "celebrated." She was likely unknown as a doll maker beyond the immediate region.

However, in 1853, E.W. Billings, her agent, ran an advertisement to announce that he had received a shipment of merchandise. Among his new stock were "Dolls of every description, including the painted Cloth Doll." 

The phrase "the painted Cloth Doll" leaps off the page. It suggests the possibility that this is a reference to the Walker dolls - made by Izannah, her sister Jane H. Walker, and her aunt Jane H. Hintz. It suggests that his readers are familiar with a painted Cloth Doll. More importantly, it suggests painted Cloth Dolls being produced in large numbers. 

Of course, 1853 is during the time frame that Izannah made her move to the Providence, Rhode Island area permanent. In 1853, Jane H. (Swasey) Hintz was 57 years old, Jane Hintz Walker was 39 years old, and Izannah Frankford Walker was 36 years old. Together, they were likely producing a great many dolls. Izannah's move to the Providence area may have been so that she could act as their representative to E.W. Billings and oversee the delivery of dolls to him. She may have also enlisted a number of women in the Providence area who could help with the finishing work for the dolls - making and stuffing bodies, applying ears, covering the bodies, and making clothes. An unskilled painter could have applied the flesh tone paint to heads, arms, and legs - leaving the painting of the faces and hair to more skilled painters. 

 

Izannah F. Walker Has Mail, 1849

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2024

It has been a challenge to determine exactly when Izannah F. Walker made a permanent move from Somerset, Massachusetts to the Providence, Rhode Island area. We know that in 1850 she was on the U.S. census in Somerset in her aunt Jane H. Hintz's household and that by 1860 she was in Smithfield, Rhode Island boarding with Mary C. Bragg. Additionally, Izannah F. Walker does not appear on the 1855 Massachusetts census. It seems likely that she permanently moved to Rhode Island sometime between 1850 and 1855. But when?

Trying to establish where someone lived during off census years entails a variety of records: land deeds, tax records, road orders, and city directories. It is especially difficult to find women in these records since they are dominated by men. For example, men appear in tax lists if they own property and in order to pay their poll tax. Their wives do not appear on the tax list because her property is in her husband's name and because women could not vote. Women appear in tax lists when they are single or widowed and own property in their own names. One often overlooked record group is the "list of letters" published by post masters in local newspapers. Prior to the Civil War most communities did not have home mail delivery. People lined up at the post office in all sorts of weather on the off chance that they had a letter waiting for them. Once an unclaimed letter had lingered at the post office for thirty days or so, the post master created a list of unclaimed letters and published them in the newspaper so that they could be picked up. Sometimes lists were arranged by gender. You can read more about lists of letters here. 

As of 1 February 1849, Izannah F. Walker had an unclaimed letter at the Providence, Rhode Island post office. Her name appears on the post master's "lists of letters" in The Providence Daily Journal during the first couple of weeks in February. This list was arranged by gender:

Since Izannah Walker was on the 1850 census in Somerset, this does not seem like a permanent move to Rhode Island. It's impossible to determine how long she had been in the Providence area and why she was there. Was she on an extended visit? It seems like none of her siblings were living there in 1850, so who did she know in the Providence area? Had she lived there for several months or for a few years, but returned to Somerset in time for the census? She was 32 years old at the time. How was she making a living?

Another list of letters was published on 1 August 1849, with a name that is likely to have been Izannah's. This list was not arranged by gender:

At first glance, the name Jezanonah F Walker seems unlikely to be Izannah's. Keep in mind, that the names of mail recipients were handwritten, some clearly and some not so clearly. The post master would have had to decipher an unusual name that may have been written in poor penmanship and spelled phonetically. If you look at handwriting charts for the 19th century, "I" and "J" look much alike. Some charts don't even include "I." If you look at the name Jezanonah and substitute "I" for "J" and then say it phonetically, the result is Izannah. If this was a letter for Izannah F. Walker, then she was in the Providence area for the first half of 1849. 

The indication of an extended stay in Providence suggests that Izannah was establishing ties to the community, and those ties may be why she eventually moved there permanently.