African American Shoemakers from Kentucky, 1880

The following is a list of African American shoemakers born in Kentucky and later lived in other states. The information comes from the 1800 U.S. Federal Census except where noted otherwise. [See also Kentucky shoemakers and Lexington, KY, shoemakers.]

ALABAMA

• David Crocket (b. 1828) was a shoemaker in Huntsville, AL. He was the husband of Josephine (b. 1835 in AL).

CALIFORNIA

• David McReynolds (b. 1825) was a shoemaker in Petaluma, CA. He was the husband of Selena (b. 1834 in Washington D. C.).

GEORGIA

• Abrom Halton (b. 1835) was a shoemaker in Butler, GA, where he lived with his wife Emily (b. 1835 in GA) and their four children.

ILLINOIS

• William Donegan (b. 1839) was a shoemaker in Springfield, IL, where he lived with his wife Sarah (b. 1850 in IL) and their one year old son.
• Daniel F. Garnett (b. 1837) was a shoemaker in Evanston, IL, where he lived with his wife Mary E. (b. 1852 in AR) and their five children.
• Beverly Grayson (b. 1817) was a shoemaker in Carbondale, IL. He was the husband of Harriett (b. 1823 in VA); the couple had a daughter.
• Dennis Miller (b. 1845) was a shoemaker in Metropolis, IL. He was a widower.
• George T. Smith (b. 1834) was a shoemaker who lived in Paris, IL with his wife Jennie Smith (b. 1861 in MS).
   

INDIANA

• Henry Crawford (b. 1847) was a shoemaker in Evansville, IN. He was the husband of Clara (b. 1849 in KY); the couple had two children. Clara's brother lived with the family.
• Henry Craycroft (b. 1832) was a shoemaker who lived in Jeffersonville, IN. He was a widower who lived with his three children.
• Judson Goe (b. 1806) was a shoemaker in Wabash, IN. He was the husband of Rose Ann (b. 1810 in KY); the couple had a son.
• F. M. Green (b. 1844) was a bootmaker and shoemaker who lived in Evansville, IN. He was a widower with four children; a boarder lived with them on 5th Street.
• Horace Heston (b. 1853) was a shoemaker in Indianapolis, IN. He was the husband of Millie (b. 1833 in KY); the couple had two adult children.
• Amos Irvine (b. 1815) was a shoemaker in Port Fulton, IN.
• James Lee (b. 1840) was a shoemaker who lived in Jeffersonville, IN with his wife Amy (b. 1846 in KY), their two children, and James's mother. The family lived on Broadway.
• Walter Mack (b. 1830) a cobbler in Crawfordsville, IN. Head of a family of eight.
• Anthony McDougal (b. 1843) was a shoemaker who lived in Jeffersonville, IN. He was the husband of Elizabeth McDougal (b. 1852 in KY). The family of five and two boarders lived on Indiana Avenue.
• Joe L. Louis (b. 1820) was a shoemaker in Vincennes, IN. He was the husband of Susan (b. 1841 in KY); the couple had six children.
• Marian Madrian (b. 1834) was a shoemaker in Evansville, IN, where he lived with his wife Elisa (b. 1877 in KY) and their 3 children.
• James McGary (b. 1849) was a shoemaker in Evansville, IN, where he lived alone; he was a widower.
• Sam Morgan (b. 1845) was a shoemaker in Tell City, IN. He was the husband of Bertha (b. 1854 in KY); the couple had four children.
• Henry Patton (b. 1858) was a shoemaker who was a prisoner in Michigan City, IN.

IOWA

• Philip Reeves (b. 1844) was a shoemaker who had learned his craft while enslaved in Kentucky. In 1900, he lived 211 N. Eighth Street in Keokuk, IA with his wife Jennie (b. 1845 in GA) and their son Wesley (b. 1871 in IA). Philip Reeves is highlighted in a 1905 article in The Freeman, 10/14/1905, p. 4. He is described as a popular shoemaker and shoe repairer at his business address at 317 Johnson Street.

KANSAS

• James Bradley (b. 1845) was a shoemaker who lived in Atchison City, KS on 3rd Street. He was the husband of Sina Bradley (b. 1849 in KY).
• Richard Hodges (b. 184?) was a shoemaker in Wyandotte, KS. He was the husband of Caddie (b. 1851 in KY); the couple had two children.
• Moses Foster (b. 1833) was a shoemaker in Leavenworth, KS, where he lived with his wife Francis (b. 1834 in KY).
• Alexander Gregg (1824-1904) was known in Kansas as Deacon Gregg. He was a bootmaker and shoemaker who was born in Kentucky. Gregg left Kentucky, first settling in Missouri, then moving on to Kansas, where he was one of the founders of the Baptist Church in Lawrence in 1862. He was the husband of Mary F. Gregg (b. 1839 in MO). The couple lived on Tennessee Street with their children, according to the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. For more see "In Memory of Deacon Gregg," Plaindealer, 2/26/1904, p. 4.
• Richard Hodges (b. 1842) was a shoemaker in Wyandotte, KS, where he lived with his wife Caddy (b. 1851 in KY) and their two children on Kansas Avenue.
• John Page (b. 1850) was a shoemaker who lived in Leavenworth, KS with his parents Richard and Anna Page, both born in Virginia. The family lived on Miami Street.
• Samuel P. Smith (b. 1835) was a shoemaker in Topeka, KS. He was the husband of Elvira (b. 1849 in TN). The couple had seven children. A son-in-law and granddaughter also lived with the family.
  
  

LOUISIANA

• Alcee Gaspar (b. 1838) was a shoemaker in New Orleans, LA. He was the husband of Rosine (b. 1848 in LA); the couple had eight children.
• Jubal Poland (b. 1856) was a shoemaker in New Orleans.
• Henry Robertson (b. 1845) was a cobbler in New Orleans. He was a widower.
• Andrew Swyn (b. 1834) was a shoemaker in Pineville, LA. He was the husband of Mary (b. 1840 in LA).

MICHIGAN

• Peter Fisher (b. 1859) was a shoemaker who was the son of William (b. 1815 in KY) and Harriet Fisher (b. 1818 in KY). The family of six lived in Greenfield, MI.
• John Richardson (b. 1820) was a shoemaker in Madison.

MISSISSIPPI

• Tom Broadwaters (b. 1841), a shoemaker, was the husband of Laura Broadwaters (b. 1852 in LA). The family of three lived in Vicksburg, MS.
• John Midderhoff (b. 1859) a shoemaker in Natchez, MS.
• Thomas Monday (b. 1855) was a shoemaker who lived in Wilkinson County, MS with his wife Nancy (b. 1858 in MS) and their five children.
• Walt Owens (b. 1824) was a shoemaker who lived in Summit, MS with his wife Eliza (b. 1858 in MS) and their four children.
• Thomas Payne (b. 1825) was a shoemaker who lived in Vicksburg, MS with his wife Eliza Barnett (b. 1839 in MS). They shared their home with an orphan and three boarders.
• William Swank (b. 1835) was a shoemaker in Senatobia, MS. He was the husband of Chany (b. 1843 in MS). The couple had two children; Chany's mother also lived with them.

MISSOURI

• Samuel Black (b. 1845) was a shoemaker in St. Louis, MO.
• George Brenson (b. 1816) was a shoemaker, the husband of Judy Brenson (b. 1813 in KY); the family of five lived in Pierce City, MO.
• Newton Harden (b. 1847) was a shoemaker who lived in Jefferson City, MO.
• Henry Johnson (b. 1827) was a shoemaker in Huntsville, MO. He was the husband of Louisa (b. 1848 in MO); the couple had three children.
• Samuel Lewis (b. 1857) was a shoemaker who lived in Jefferson City, MO.
• Peter Parker (b. 1835) was a shoemaker in Kansas City, MO. He was the husband of Susan (b. 1838 in KY); the couple had five children.
• Jefferson Pierce (b. 1840) was a shoemaker who lived in Joplin, MO with his wife Sarah (b. 1841 in KY), their six children, and a boarder.
• Nelson Robinson (b. 1825) was a shoemaker in Paris, MO. He was the husband of Jane (b. 1827 in KY); the couple had six children.
• Presley Steward (b. 1821) was a shoemaker. He lived in Linneus, MO with his wife Ellen (b. 1836 in MO) and their seven children.
• Edward Young (b. 1816) was a shoemaker in Fulton, MO. He was the husband of Cassie (b. 1836 in KY); the couple had three children.

OHIO

• James Andrews (b. 1850) was a shoemaker in Xenia, OH with his wife Louisa, three siblings, and his mother. The family lived on East Main Street.
• Joseph Bulger (b. 1833) was a bootmaker and shoemaker in Ripley, OH. He was the husband of Josephine Bulger (b. 1854 in OH); the couple had three children. They lived on Cherry Street.
• Jackson Day (b. 1841) was a shoemaker in Springfield, OH He was the husband of Francis (b. 1852 in KY); the couple had four children. A nephew and a boarder also lived with the family.
• Joseph Grubbs (b. 1828) was a shoemaker who lived in Xenia, OH with his wife Eliza (b. 1832 in VA). The couple lived on Lexington Street.
• Robert R. Hodge (b. 1813) was a shoemaker in Oberlin, OH. He lived with his wife Ida (b. 1854 in OH) and their two sons.
• Douglas Mullens (b. 1845) was a shoemaker in Fayette, OH. He was the husband of Martha (b. 1840 in KY); the couple had three children.
• Albert Parks (b. 1888 in Carlisle, KY) was a shoe repairer in Cincinnati, OH, having opened his business in 1922. The son of John W. and Laura Parks, he was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Source: Cincinnati's Colored Citizens, by W. P. Dabney.
• Robert Peoples (b. 1846 in KY) was a shoemaker in Columbus, OH. He was a prisoner in the penitentiary.
• Alfred Seals (b. 1824 in KY) was a shoemaker in Harrison, OH. He was the husband of Mariah (b. 1822 in KY); they had one son.

TENNESSEE

• Charles Bailey (b. 1822) a shoemaker, was the husband of Emily Bailey (b. 1825 in TN). The family of six lived in Montgomery County, TN.
• Thomas Ball (b. 1828) was a shoemaker who lived in Milan, TN with two nieces.
• Phillip Caldwell (b. 1853) was a shoemaker in Nashville, TN.
• Horace Chenault (b. 1831) was a shoemaker in Gallatin, TN. He was the husband of Amanda (b. 1830 in TN); the couple had four children.
• J. Cox (b. 1831) was a shoemaker. He was the husband of Mary Cox (b. 1836 in TN). The family of eight lived in Murfreesborough, TN.
• Ben Harlan (b. 1813) was a shoemaker in Sumner County, TN where he lived with his wife Eliza (b. 1820 in KY) and their son.
• Ben Henderson (b. 1844) was a shoemaker who lived in Chattanooga, TN with his wife Hanah (b. 1852 in NC), their three children, Hanah's mother, and a boarder.
• Lee Jones (b. 1862) was a shoemaker apprentice in Nashville.
• David Masterson (b. 1850) was a shoemaker who lived in Roane County, TN. He was the husband of Charlotte Masterson (b. 1856 in TN). The family of five lived on Lowly Street.
• Daniel Settles (b. 1829) was a shoemaker who lived in Nashville. He was a widower and lived on Cherry Street.

TEXAS

• Tep Beatty (b. 1836) was a shoemaker in Seguin, TX. He roomed with Howard Coleman and another boarder.
• Howard Coleman (b. 1854) was a shoemaker in Seguin, TX. He roomed with Tep Beatty and another boarder.
• Lewis Green (b. 1825) was a shoemaker in Austin, TX. He was the husband of Pelsey.
• Anderson Rawlett (b. 1833) was a shoemaker in Bonham, TX. He was the husband of Jane (b. 1839 in TX); the couple had one child.
• J. Thompson (b. 1840) was a shoemaker in Anderson County, TX. He was the husband of M. F. (b. 1845 in NC).

WASHINGTON, D.C.

• Edward Bean (b. 1851) was a shoe repairer who lived on 21st Street, N.W.