February 3, 1763
The Pennsylvania Gazette
RUN away, on the 23d of last Month, from his Bail, [1] a man named Thomas Welch, born in Ireland, upwards of Thirty Years of Age, about 5 Feet 6 Inches high, well set, has short light coloured Hair:
Had on a grey napt Coat [2] and Jacket, and yellowish Thickset Breeches.
His Wife, named Elizabeth, went with him; she is of Middle Size, and each carried some Clothes with them.
Whoever takes up said Thomas Welch, and secures him, so that his Bondsman may have him again, shall have Thirty Shillings Reward, and reasonable Charges, paid by JONATHAN CARLILE, Living in Middle Town, Bucks County, near the Four Lane Ends.
Notes
1. In this era bail could take the form of assuming a family member’s debt and being bond until working it off, or simply of working off a loan or credit purchase.
2. A napped fabric has a nap, or a textured surface that looks different depending on how it is viewed or positioned. Faux furs, velour, velvet, suedes and some fleeces have a nap. Determining the nap is important if you are cutting out a pattern. Modern blacks describe untreated and uncombed hair as “nappy” when it becomes bumpy looking. The term being applied to hair seems to have been borrowed from cloth characteristics.
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