African American Cabinetmakers in Kentucky
(start date: 1850 - end date: 1950)DEFINITION:
A cabinetmaker is an artisan who makes handmade fine wood furniture and cabinetry. The term has been spelled as one word, cabinetmaker, or two words, cabinet maker.
ENTRY SUGGESTION:
This entry was suggested by Erica Lome, a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Delaware. She also provided a few names of African American cabinetmakers in Lexington, KY, which was a starting point for locating the names of others in Kentucky.
- Paul V. Smith, Sr. (1887-1978) was born in Indiana and was a graduate of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). He was the husband of Lucy H. Smith, and after her death, he married Zelma Weaver. As early as 1920, Smith was a school teacher in Lexington, KY, and starting in 1921 he was principal of Booker T. Washington School. By 1937, Paul V. Smith was teaching at Dunbar High School, where he was head of the vocational trades department. Cabinetmaking was one of the trades he taught to the students. He also made reproductions on commission for local and domestic clients. Paul v. Smith, Sr.'s occupation was not listed as cabinetmaker in the city directories. SOURCES: Paul V. Smith obituary in the Herald-Leader, 8/13/1978, p. B-12, col. 6; p. 615 in the 1921 Lexington city directory; and p. 471 in the 1937 Lexington city directory. Both directories are available full text in Ancestry.
- Milton Thomas Paul, Sr. (1921-1988) was born in Liberty, KY, according to his WWII Registration card in Ancestry. He was a cabinetmaker in Lexington, well-known for his Chippendale-style mirrors that circulate on the secondhand market. He had been an apprentice, learning cabinetmaking from Earl Brown. In the Lexington city directories (Ancestry) his occupation is listed in various terms such as carpenter (1952), cabinet maker (1947, 1948, 1950, & 1958) and furniture refinisher (1954 & 1960).
- Earl Brown, is said to have been an African American cabinetmaker in Lexington who worked through the Chandler Furniture Repairs Company. There is not an Earl Brown, cabinet maker, listed in the Lexington city directories. Starting with the 1925 city directory, there is an Earl B. Brown listed as a colored upholsterer. In the 1937 city directory, there is an Earl Brown, colored carpenter.
BACKGROUND:
African American cabinetmakers in Kentucky were not always recognized as cabinetmakers in census records, city directories, and other sources. The U.S. Census records do a better job of identifying African American cabinetmakers in Kentucky than most other sources. A challenge for researchers regardless of the source requires deciphering if the cabinet maker's other occupation was recorded as the primary occupation (see the three listed cabinetmakers above). For those who were cabinetmakers during the enslavement period in Kentucky history, if/when the person was free, then it would be a bit easier to locate and trace their names through time. If the person was enslaved, then other sources need to be consulted, such as a slave holder's archival collection, business records, and/or property records. The names of enslaved cabinetmakers will not be found in sources such as A Checklist of Kentucky Cabinet Makers, from 1775-1859, by Edna Talbott Whitley.
Listed below are only a few of the names of African American cabinetmakers in Kentucky. The information about them comes from census records, city directories, and newspapers. Many were born before enslaved African Americans gained their freedom in Kentucky, and as previously stated, it is in later sources that their occupations are noted. It should also be noted that all of the persons listed are assumed to have been males.
There were female cabinetmakers in the United States before the year 1900. It is not known how many of the females were African Americans or how many were pursuing their trade in Kentucky. There were 712 female cabinetmakers in 1870; 480 in 1880; 24 in 1890; and 67 in 1900, according to the Occupations at the Twelfth Census, Statistics of Occupations, Table IV, p. lii (online .pdf at census.gov website). Cabinetmaker data for 1860 reveals 29,223 "Free Persons Over 15 Years" from Table V, p. ix. For more information see "Women Cabinetmakers - the inventiveness of the pioneer women," a Kalamazoo Public Library webpage.
AFRICAN AMERICAN CABINETMAKERS IN KENTUCKY
|
NAME |
KY LOCATION |
BIRTH |
SOURCES |
|
Andrews, George |
Bowling Green |
1825 |
1870 U.S. Census |
|
Bailey, Charles |
Lexington |
1864 |
1880 U.S. Census |
|
Bank, Cartenius |
Lexington |
1871 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Bank, John |
Lexington |
1850 |
1900-1910 U.S. Census |
|
Birch, Eddie |
Winchester |
1889 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Birch, Earnest |
Winchester |
1884 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Kentucky |
1802 |
Northern Kentucky Tribune, 2/11/2019 (online) |
|
|
Bradshaw, Abraham |
Lexington |
1875 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Brice, J. F. |
Lexington |
1857 |
Lexington Leader, 2/28/1907, p. 5, col. 3 |
|
Brown, Will M. |
Louisville |
1867 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Casey, Will |
Clinton |
1883 |
1930 U.S. Census |
|
Conner, George |
Mercer County |
1804 |
1850 U.S. Census |
|
Cousins, Richard |
Bowling Green |
1833 |
1860 & 1900 U.S. Census |
|
Davidson, Harvey |
Stanford |
1884 |
1930 U.S. Census |
|
Davis, Charles |
Covington |
1880 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
First, Downer |
Russellville |
1840 |
1870 U.S. Census |
|
Hall, Fred |
Covington |
1887 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Hardesty, Joseph |
Louisville |
1855 |
1900 U.S. Census |
|
Hardin, William |
Louisville |
1900 |
1930 U.S. Census |
|
Harris, John H. |
Lexington |
1872 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Harris, William H. |
Louisville |
1875 |
1920 U.S. Census |
|
Hinton, Spencer |
Maysville |
1858 |
1930 U.S. Census |
|
Jackson, Sam |
Lexington |
1831 |
1880 U.S. Census |
|
Lillard, James |
Bowling Green |
1839 |
1900 U.S. Census |
|
Madison, Thomas |
Louisville |
1877 |
1920 U.S. Census |
|
Marshall, Quiller R. |
Mt. Sterling |
1854 |
1870-1880 U.S. Census |
|
Martin, John |
Covington |
1881 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Martin, John C. |
Louisville |
1863 |
1880 U.S. Census |
|
Miller, Essex |
Market House |
1829 |
1870 U.S. Census |
|
Miller, Harrison |
Lexington |
1848 |
1900 U.S. Census |
|
Moore, J. Columbus |
Hickman County |
1839 |
1870 U.S. Census |
|
Payne, A. |
Louisville |
1840 |
1880 U.S. Census |
|
Paul, Milton T. |
Lexington |
1921 |
1950 Lexington City Directory |
|
Robertson, Laswell |
New Roe |
1858 |
1880 U.S. Census |
|
Sadler, Alvin |
Shelbyville |
1893 |
1920 U.S. Census |
|
Scriblin, Jona |
Logan County |
1826 |
1860 U.S. Census |
|
Smith, Paul V. |
Lexington |
1887 |
1937 Lexington City Directory |
|
Smith, Shirley |
Louisville |
1898 |
1920 U.S. Census |
|
Tate, James L. |
Louisville |
1876 |
1910 U.S. Census |
|
Taylor, George |
Louisville |
1838 |
1860 U.S. Census |
|
Thompson, Alex |
Hopkinsville |
1844 |
1880 U.S. Census |
|
Thompson, Julius |
Louisville |
1837 |
1870-1880 U.S. Census |
|
Turley, Daniel |
Louisville |
1832 |
1870 U.S. Census |
|
Wayne, John |
Mason County |
1859 |
Freeman newspaper, 12/22/1894, p. 5 |
|
Woodridge, W. N. |
Louisville |
1851 |
1880 U.S. Census |