author
Thomas K. Ford
A careful guide to colonial Williamsburg, he wrote short, lively histories that bring early American trades to life. His books turn blacksmiths, bookbinders, millers, and apothecaries into vivid windows on everyday work in eighteenth-century Virginia.
5 Audiobooks
The Miller in Eighteenth-Century Virginia An Account of Mills & the Craft of Milling, as Well as a Description of the Windmill near the Palace in Williamsburg
by Thomas K. Ford
The Silversmith in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg An Account of His Life & Times, & of His Craft
by Thomas K. Ford
The Leatherworker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg Being an Account of the Nature of Leather, & of the Crafts Commonly Engaged in the Making & Using of It.
by Thomas K. Ford
About the author
Thomas K. Ford was a historian and writer best known for books on the working trades of colonial Virginia, especially Williamsburg. His titles include The Silversmith in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg, The Miller in Eighteenth-Century Virginia, The Apothecary in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg, and The Bookbinder in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg.
The work that can be confirmed from available sources centers on clear, compact histories of craft life in the eighteenth century. These books were published by Colonial Williamsburg, and one Project Gutenberg edition identifies him as an editor of Colonial Williamsburg publications until 1976.
Ford's writing is practical, approachable, and strongly rooted in material culture. Rather than focusing only on famous events, he explored how skilled workers made things, ran shops, and fit into the daily life of early America.