Leatherworking

The Awl for All unscrews to reveal a storage space in the handle. This awl contains leatherworking needles. Awls were used for leatherworking, and the needles support the notion that J. Otis Bosley had to do leather repair. Since we know he was a farmer, it's possible that he was fixing straps, boots, gloves, saddles, or anything else made of leather.

When the awl is paired with another object found in the trunk, the context of the two supports the notion of Bosley as a leatherworker even more. He might not have made his living doing it, but it was obviously part of working on a farm.

Find an object from your packrat's collection that suggests a new idea, possibly that your uncle was in the armed services. Then attempt to find another object that, when the two are considered together, supports the notion even more.

This box of Cobbler Nails (yes, it contains the nails) combined with the awl clearly suggest that J. Otis Bosley was doing some sort of leatherwork. Since cobbler nails are used to make leather shoes, Bosley may have needed these items to repair work boots he used while farming.

Another object or objects in the trunk (not featured in this exhibit) see to be soles for shoes. These possible shoe soles require more research to confirm their purpose. If they are soles, they make an almost undeniable case that Bosley was repairing his own shoes.

What happens when your shoes get worn? Do you repair them by hand? Do you buy another pair? Think about the differences between the lives of people that lived in the early 1900's and those lives of people today. What else might have they repaired that we do not?