Carl,
 
A few one-hole bone buttons were recovered in a pre-1835 trash deposit from  
Fort Guijarros (CA-SDI-12,000) at Ballast Point, San Diego, California. We 
also  found cattle rib bones that were cut with round button blanks. This was a  
Spanish Army cannon battery directly on the entrance to San Diego Bay and the  
Pacific Ocean. The Spanish built the battery in 1796 and the Monterrey  
Polychrome, Mexican Majolica pottery found in context with the one-hole buttons  
suggests a post-1800 date for the deposit.
 
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 12/22/2008 7:34:15 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Hi all.  

I have found numerous examples of one hole bone buttons at Fort  Johnson, SC 
(38CH69.com) along with blanks and fragments indicating local  manufacture. 
The context dates between 1790 and 1810, but some earlier  ceramics were seen.

Stan South found these in Rev War to War of 1812  contexts at Fort Moultrie, 
and Judy Bense reported them in her late period  (1750-1821) in Pensacola. All 
of these are military sites. My 1830s to 1860s  contexts have machine made 
bone buttons (4-5 hole). 

Has anyone looked  into this practice? Is it a military thing primarily? I've 
seen them on  domestic sites, but not with evidence of manufacture. Google 
was not extremely  helpful...

?thanks, Carl  Steen


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