Joseph Chidsey Sr.

Biography

Joseph Chidsey’s estate in New Haven, on Connecticut’s southern coast, preserves evidence of leatherwork within the household. He married Sarah Hull before the birth of their daughter Hannah in 1696. Their children included Sarah, Abigail, Rachel, Dinah and a younger Joseph, born in 1710; the family also lost a baby son, Abel, in 1709.

After Joseph's death, Sarah administered his estate. The inventory dated January 16, 1712/13 lists leather, finished shoes, lasts and working equipment, including materials kept in a shop. These objects strongly suggest shoemaking or related leatherwork. They provide evidence of work within the household, although they do not establish which person performed it.

The inventory also recorded the things used to maintain the household: cooking vessels, pewter, a warming pan, chairs, beds and bedding, spinning equipment and books. Tools and domestic possessions were appraised together as Sarah took responsibility for settling the estate. Joseph was dead by the inventory date; his exact day of death is not established by that document.