African American Shoe Makers, Repairers, Shiners - Maysville, KY
African Americans were a small part of the overall shoemaking and shoe care business in Maysville, KY, from 1880-1940. In the 1880 U.S. Census, there are three African Americans listed among the 50 or so shoemakers, and there were no African Americans among the five persons listed as being in the "boot and shoe business." Whites who made shoes or cared for shoes in Maysville in 1880 were mostly the sons of immigrants from Germany, Ireland, France, England, Canada, and Prussia, along with a few others whose parents were born in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and other northern locations in the U.S. As for African Americans, there was shoemakers, Harvey Scott, Christopher Williams, and John Williams. After 1880, repairing shoes, shining shoes, and the janitorial jobs in shoe stores were short-term jobs or short-term business ventures for African Americans in Maysville. In the case of Rev. Harry Thomas Keeton, repairing shoes was a side job.
| NAME | BUSINESS | LOCATION | YEAR | SOURCES | NOTES |
| Isaac "Ike" Beatty (b.1867) | Owns Shoe Repair Shop | 1940 | U.S. Census | ||
| Stanley Lee Hamilton (b.1891) | Boot Black at Barber Shop | 1910 | U.S. Census | ||
| Burt or Henry Jackson (b.1901) | Laborer in Shoe Store | 1920 | U.S. Census | ||
| James Jackson (b.1910) | Shoe Shiner | 1940 | U.S. Census | ||
| Isaac D. Jones (b.1909) | Shoe Shiner at Tom and Jerry Haberdashery | 229 Market Street | 1927 | p.98 in Caron's Directory of the City of Maysville, KY. for 1927-1928 | |
| Isaac D. Jones (b.1909) | Porter at Shoe Store | 1930 | U.S. Census | ||
| Harry Thomas Keeton (1880-1973) | Shoe Repair | 137 W. Second Street | 1932 | p.95 in Caron's Maysville, KY. City Directory for 1932-1934 | Rev. Harry T. Keeton was pastor of the Maysville Bethel Baptist Church in 1932, and had been at the church since at least 1927 [source: p.99 in Caron's Directory of the City of Maysville, KY. for 1927-1928]. At the same time, he was pastor at the Baptist Church in Ashland [source: 1930 U.S. Census]. Rev. Keeton was also a shoe repairer in Maysville, KY; a shoemaker and repairer in Ashland, KY (NKAA source); and a shoe repairer in Russell (Greenup County), KY [source: p.648 in Polk's Russell City Directory 1937-38]. Rev. Harry Thomas Keeton is buried in Ashland, KY - Find A Grave. |
| George Frank Lee (1894-1949) | Boot Black at Barber Shop | 1910 | U.S. Census; U.S. Headstone Application for Military Veterans 04/04/1949 | Frank Lee was a barber by trade [sources: p.111 in Caron's Directory of the City of Maysville, KY and Aberdeen, OH for 1913=1914; and 1920 U.S. Census]. He also did a number of other odd jobs and was a WWI Veteran. | |
| Lee Vern Pleasant (1909-1966) | Shoe Shiner at Tom and Jerry Haberdashery | 229 Market Street | 1927 | p.130 in Caron's Directory of the City of Maysville, KY. for 1927-1928; and Ohio Death Index | Lee. V. Pleasant died in Athens, OH. |
| Frank Samuel | Shoe Shiner | 511 Bank Street | 1922 | p.132 in Caron's Directory of the City of Maysville, KY. for 1922-1923 | |
| Harvey Scott (b.1830) | Shoemaker | 1880 | U.S. Census | ||
| Christopher Williams (b.1830) | Shoemaker | 1880 | U.S. Census | ||
| Christopher Williams (b.1849) | Shoemaker - Owns Shop | 1910 | U.S. Census | ||
| John Williams (b.1840) | Shoemaker | 1880 | U.S. Census | ||
| Toliver Young (b.1894) | Boot Black on Streets | 1910 | U.S. Census |