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From: "Tony & Susan Cline" <>
Subject: MULHOLLAND occupation
Date: Sun, 04 Oct 98 10:33:13 PDT


Hi, Cork Listers

Most of my MULHOLLAND ancestors arrived in Philadephia between 1846 -1850. Griffith's Valuation places the family in Inishcarra Parish.

They were in Philadephia only a few years when the 1850 census was taken and most of the adult male members of the family list their occupation as "skin dresser." One family member listed his business assets at US$20,000 which, in 1850, was an enormous amount of money.

On the 1860 census, some were listed as "skin dresser" but some were listed as "master skin dresser." Their assets were also pretty impressive - and in 1870, in one case, business assets were listed at US$27,500 and personal assets at US$9,000.

Was a skin dresser a person who made things out of the fur of animals? The ships manifest showing this family lists some with this occupation when they came to the USA. I have always thought Cork to be very rural - a farming community. Would there have been a market for furs? Would there have been a guild?

TIA
Susan Cline
Massachusetts

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