Linen to Silk

The US immigration of our Toman ancestors was largely a result of international market forces in the fabric industry. When Lurgan, Ireland, (part of the Belfast to Portadown “Linen Corridor”), was establishing itself as a global provider of fine linen, Manchester, Connecticut in the US was establishing itself as a global marketer of silk, thanks to the efforts of the Cheney brothers. When Ireland’s production of linen was facing economic difficulties coupled with labor strife, the Manchester, Connecticut Cheney Brothers Silk operation was in need of labor. They recruited Irish linen factory workers from the Portadown and Lurgan areas to work in the US using a very “slick” 63 page recruitment , brochure. The Cheney Brothers provided many company amenities including housing, recreational facilities and schools. They also provided help to employees needing a mortgage to buy a home. At their peak in the mid 1920s, Cheney Brothers employed about 25% of the town’s population. Samuel John Toman and his first cousin Thomas Joseph Toman, (Jim Leavitt’s Grandfather), were both linen weavers in Lurgan and both became silk weavers at the Cheney Brothers Silk Mill in Manchester Connecticut. Thomas arrived first in Manchester , coming in 1910 and Samuel came second in early 1911. In addition to Samuel John and Thomas Joseph Toman, two other Tomans worked there as well. The stock market crash in 1929 and the subsequent “Great Depression” in the US precipitated a slow decline in the Cheney Bros Silk Mills operation as silk products were luxury items and luxury items did not fare well in that point in history. The Cheney Mills got a slight reprieve in WWII as they were contracted by the US Government to produce parachutes. Both Samuel John and Thomas Joseph spent their entire working careers at Cheney Brothers.