Alford Tales -- Mrs. Gwinn

At the end of the last tale, Margaret mentioned the time that Mrs. Gwinn brought some of the most beautiful indigo wool.  That was the last time they ever saw her.

Curious about Mrs. Gwinn? 

Well, here it is...

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My Mama could dye any wool, cotton, linen, either before it was spun fresh off the sheep or out of the field.  Or spun up into yarn or linen.  We had iron pots, copper pots, brass pots. She had the mordants. We did not have indigo, but Mama did have the young boys to help, but she never was much into dyeing with it.  It was too much work.  But you could get it.

Mama's work grew after she married John.  John's first wife had died and he had remarried my Mama just for reputation for her skills.  She could card, spin, dye and knit.  And many had knitted goods from her.

Mrs. Gwinn lived near town.  Harrisonburg.  Her husband, Mr. Gwinn, did carpentry.  He helped John when he needed a new treadle or help in fixing the barn.  Mrs. Gwinn was a young woman of 25 and had one child.  A son.  She had lost her others.  Her family was back in Baltimore and her husband had brought her to Rockingham County about 10 years ago.  About 1779 I think. I was born in 1773 and she was about 10 years older.  I doesn't matter.  She was a good mother.

Now, Mr. Gwinn had done some work in trade for some spun wool, dyed in indigo.  I remember it will. It was the brightest blue I'd even seen.  She wanted a shawl knitted up with it.  She visited one day bringing the wool with her.  Walked out.  It was summer and not too hot.  Very much a strong headed young lady.  When she arrived, Mama fixed some tea and I had baked a gingerbread.  My favorite.  Learnt it from my Aunt who lived nearby.  Better than Mrs. Glasse's receipt.  

Mama and Mrs. Gwinn talked about the farms.  Mrs. Gwinn admired one of John's rugs that he had just finished weaving and said she was going to talk Mr. Gwinn into making a trade.  They had more indigo yarn as well as red made with cochineal.  Didn't believe her at first.  Mama said she'd take.  Later told me she could knit up some tippets of red.  Mittens, scarves, and maybe a purse or two.  Mrs. Gwinn stayed for some time.  

Mrs. Gwinn left about mid-afternoon.  That night, Mr. Gwinn came looking for her.  Said that she hadn't come home.  The sheriff was summoned and many of the neighbors.  They began to search for her.  Over near Cook's Creek by old Daniel Harrison's house, they found her bonnet and basket.  And then some boys were down by North River, they found her shawl.  They searched around the Harrison house, the mill, the distillery, and the woods around the area.  All along North River .  They never found her.  Mrs. Boon said that she has seen her and it was her that had seen her last.  She remembered her not having her bonnet on.  Fred Black and his son had been out hunting and claimed hearing a woman scream but they could never figure out where she was.

But we all knew, she had gotten spirited away onto the island in North River.  But no one ever would say it.  The North River splits south of where we lived near Cross Keys and Mill's Creek.  And there's an island.  One time, Robert and Benjamin told me a story about a young boy who disappeared when he waded out to the island.  And he wasn't the only one.  I've heard of several people have disappeared near there.  There was talk of a witch living on that island.  I heard John say that Mrs. Gwinn had been taken by the witch's ghost.  I thought that it was just a story to scare us.  But there was that one time when I saw her.  The old witch or maybe it was her ghost.  It was also there that they found my Pa's old musket after he was murdered.