Nine-yard shroud?

[Douglas G. Wilson]

I just picked up a copy of Dave Wilton's new book "Word Myths". I see a
section on the good old "nine yards" including (p. 35) a quotation from
Manly Wade Wellman (1958) -- the same quotation which appears in HDAS (v.
2, p. 667) -- based on the idea of nine yards being a traditional quantity
of cloth required for a shroud (in Appalachian folklore and/or practice).

HDAS refers to "the fact that nine yards is a customary length for a burial
shroud", and Wilton refers to "the traditional length of a burial shroud in
Appalachian custom".

I've been looking through regional folklore books a little bit, and so far
I'm unable to find any documentation of this traditional nine-yard shroud.
This notion is mentioned in the story in question, all right, but it is
after all a fantasy story. I believe Wellman included some real folklore in
his stories, but I believe he also made up some of his 'folklore' out of,
uh, whole cloth. [One of Wellman's strengths as a writer, I think, is his
ability to make such inventions seem authentic. In at least one case, he
stated that he had invented a myth for a story and had subsequently
received letters from persons who had heard of this myth previously (not a
unique event, of course).]

Does anyone here have any knowledge or documentation which would
distinguish a real tradition from an invention by Wellman himself in this
case? Can anyone suggest a widely-available reference book or other work to
consult?

Incidentally, in the story, the reference is not explicitly to the length
of a winding-cloth; rather it is said that the only type of suit which
requires nine yards of cloth is a shroud. "Shroud" here apparently means a
burial garment, and it's not clear whether it's a regular suit of clothes,
something resembling a regular suit, or some other kind of cloth wrapper
(all of these have been widely used).

-- Doug Wilson