I was interested to see Paul Monfils message about state shells, in which he mentioned that wampum is made from the Quahog.
 
What other shells are (or were) used to make the strings of beads used for wampum.  I am interested in this as my other hobby (other than shells and shell stamps, that is), is genealogy.  Although I live in England, some of my ancestors were among the very early settlers in New England; one of the earliest records states that a piece of land in Norwalk, Connecticut, was bought, in 1640 from the Indians for "eight fathoms wampum, six coats, ten hatchets, three kettles of six hands about and ten looking-glasses".  And these items purchased enough land to build the original town of Norwalk!
 
If fathoms in 1640 were the same measurement as that used today (6 feet), that is a string of beads 48 feet long!  Was this a regular trading material, and who took the time to make all these beads.  Were they a regular item of trading between the white settlers and the Indians, and, if so, how did they become to be so?
 
If anyone thinks this might be of general interest, please post to Conch-L; otherwise I'd be delighted to hear directly.
 
Tom Walker
Reading, England
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