Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Tool, Cooper |
Donor |
Thomsen, Mary Lou |
Description |
Smaller piece of a larger tool used for coopering. May be a saw chiv and may be identified as an "Alm. Krøs." as seen on page 4 of the cooper tool book titled "L.V. Erichsen / Bødkerværktøj" given by the donor. The individual pieces do not come apart from the large piece. This piece is long, rectangular. It is made of unfinished light colored wood, and has flat sides and ends. It slips into the center of the larger piece (2002.70.11a). There is a metal bar that extends through one end of this piece. It is wedge shaped with one flat end and a more pointed end. It extends through each side of the wood. See below for the description for the larger tool. There are red pen marks on the wood. (Complete tool is made of unfinished light colored wood. It consists of a larger rectangular piece with straight edges on the two short ends. On each end of the long sides is an arc that curves inward. There is a small hole drilled into one of the short ends, likely for hanging when not in use. In the center of the large piece is a square hole with two more pieces inserted perpendicularly. One of the pieces is larger than the other (2002.70.11b) and mostly squared, with the smaller one (2002.70.11c) appearing to function as a wedge. There is a metal bar, also sort of wedge shaped, inside the larger perpendicular wood piece.) |
Dimensions |
W-1.125 L-8.5 D-1.125 inches |
Creation Date |
late 1800s, early 1900s |
Owned By |
Thomsen, Christian/Thomsen, Niels Christian/ |
Used By |
Thomsen, Christian/Thomsen, Niels Christian/ |
Material |
Wood/Metal/ |
Associated People |
Thomsen, Christian Thomsen, Niels Christian |
Search Terms |
Thomsen, Christian Thomsen, Niels Christian cooper woodworking Barrel making |
Given In Memory Of |
In Memory of Niels Christian Thomsen |
Provenance |
Objects were owned by Niels Christian Thomsen and previously by his father Christian Thomsen. The tools likely came from Denmark, but that is not know for certain. It is unclear from the file if Christian, Niels' father, immigrated to the U.S. Most likely, these were tools he had in Denmark and then Niels received them at some point and brought them to the U.S. Niels Christian Thomsen is the late husband of the donor. Niels Christian Thomsen's father, Christian Thomsen, was a cooper in Denmark. Niels Christian Thomsen's grandfather, Thomas Thomsen, was also a cooper. Niels Christian Thomsen was born on 5 December 1932 in Bramming, Denmark. His parents were Christian Thomsen and Bartholine (Nee Johansen) Thomsen. Niels learned coopering at a young age from his father, who made barrels to ship butter to England. In his teen years, Niels attended night school to learn the technical aspects of barrelmaking. Visits from his Uncle Laurits Thomsen (Lawrence Thompson) encouraged him to come to the United States. Speaking very little English, he boarded a ship in 1951 that brought him to New York City. He then took a Greyhound to Crookston, Minnesota, where Charles and Myrtle Reppein, a Danish family, had invited him to stay. Niels worked for Mr. Reppein and his business associate at Crookston Cold Storage, learning the butchering trade and English. In March 1954, Niels was drafted into the United States army and was awarded citizenship. While in the army, Niels requested he be transferred to Germany, so that he could visit Denmark on leaves, but the request was not granted. By the end of his training, the Korean War had also ended, and Niels spent six years in the reserves before being receiving an Honorable Discharge on 23 March 1961. After his discharge, Niels traveled on the S.S. United States to Denmark to visit his parents. Upon his return to the United States, Niels settled in Jackson, Minnesota. His uncle, a carpenter, owned Jackson Mill Works and helped Niels secure employment as a bricklayer. He made a career of this for 36 years. His career took him to Florida, Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado and California. In the 1970s, Niels brought his cooper tools to America after the death of his parents. He took up coopering as a hobby, recreating barrels, churns, buckets and smaller items. On 14 December 1957, Niels married Mary Lou Starr. Niels and Mary Lou had two children, a stepson and a daughter. Niels passed away on 2 February 1994. |
Date Received by Museum |
07/02/2002 |
Images |
057\2002070011b.JPG |
Collection |
Niels Christian Thomsen Collection |
Accession number |
2002.070 |
Object Identification Number |
2002.070.011b |