Helen,
Your cousin Rick Stein says that wire--round--nails came into general
use about 1880, although cut--square--nails were still made for many
years after that time, and may have been reused for rough projects, like
barns.
My home in Carmi was built with all square nails in 1876, his across the
street was constructed by your Lands in 1883 with all wire nails.
BTW, my Vanderburgh county folks are Lockwoods and Males, although my
Birks lived there and married into the Fischer family, well known in the
German community. I'm no relation to the Jasper Birk's that I can see.
Cindy Birk Conley
gkeusch(a)psci.net wrote:
I have emailed this to my home county mail list-- sometimes it
isn't too active like the Vanderburgh and Henderson lists are-- I am hoping someone
on the list can help me with this. I am trying to date an old barn on my husband's
family homeplace. The square nails were used on it. Would anyone know when the
square nails ceased to be used? The old farmhouse (torn down about 1976) was built in
1877 and I don't know if the barn stood before the farmhouse or not. Thanks--
Helen Zuber Keusch