April, 2009 Workshop
Haverhill Historical Society, Haverhill, Mass. (repeated December, 2009)

Documents for the If the Shoe Fits...shoemaking in Essex County before the Industrial Revolution Lesson

Lynn, Haverhill, Peabody, Salem, Beverly, Wenham, Danvers – all of those communities count shoemaking as a major profession in the late 18thc and early 19th century. In fact in Essex County during the late 18th and early 19th century shoe making employed more people than any other profession; even textiles. Many of these communities have remnants of this industry left behind in the contents of their historical societies. In fact even in areas like Gloucester and Marblehead shoemaking served to fill less busy times for the other major occupations, like fishing or farming.
Originally making shoes was done in the home and later in small “ten footers” (so named because many of them were 10 feet square), but as time wore on, specialization began to occur as in many industries. Women, at first relatives of shoe makers, began to be employed in “binding” or sewing the upper parts of shoes, and men took on the job of “finishing” them. Certain areas also began to be noted for specific types of shoes – men’s, women’s, fancy or work shoes. Lynn and Haverhill, as well as Danvers and Salem, were well known in the time as centers of shoe making.
Shoes from Essex County were shipped out to many parts of the United States and the world. Work shoes, called brogans, and boots with thick soles were made to be shipped for sale in Georgia and Ohio, Cuba, Haiti, and Chile. Some were intended as “slave shoes.” Fancy turned shoes (sewn with fine seams and then turned so they would not show – similar in style to a slipper) were also produced here. And quantities of shoes were packed in barrels and shipped to places like Philadelphia and Baltimore.
The primary source materials collected here will served to give a many-faceted look at the shoe industry prior to the mechanization that moved shoe making into a true factory setting. Account books, a diary of a shoe binder, photographs of actual shoes and a ten footer, as well as images of shoe shops and a poem, all serve

Images ...from the Haverhill Historical Society, Haverhill, Mass. and private collections

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• Fancy "turned shoe" c. 1840
• These shoes are typical of a fancy shoe for women in the mid-nineteenth century. Labelled a "turned shoe" because they are constructed inside out and the "turned" - therefore allowing all the stitching to be hidden. They were often made of black silk or leather with narrow ribbons to tie around the ankle. Pairs like these were produced throughout Essex County - commonly found in communities like Haverhill and Lynn.

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• Reproduction brogans or workshoes (private collection)
• Work shoes like these were made for both man and women. They are straight lasted - meaning they were constructed identically and become a right or left shoe with wear. This was an economical way to construct shoes - as they could be made quickly without regard to actually close fitting an individual. These ahoes are partially sewn and partially pegged on the sole.

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• Bottom of a Brogan that has been studded c. mid nineteenth century
• The sole of this shoe has been studded with nails to help increase traction and extend the life of the sole. This is a small work shoe that might have been made for a child. It shows a great deal of wear. The upper is similar to the brogans shown above.

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• Photos of the Daniel Hunkins' Shoe Shop, Haverhill Historical Society
• The Hunkins' shoe shop is on the property of the Haverhill Historical Society. It is a typical "ten footer" -- a small shop usually employing several men to put soles on shoe uppers already sewn by women in their homes. This was the beginning of a factory system, whereby shoes were not made individually for customers, but were made in bulk for sale in a store.

Documents ...from the Haverhill Public Library, Special Collections **** Note account books are meant to show balances that equal on both sides of the ledger - one side is for money owed to the person the other is money to be paid by them.

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• Account book page for Abel Page, 1831-1832 (includes transcript as .pdf)
• This selection of the Edmund Rowell account book is for amounts owed to or from Abel Page. Mr. Page made shoes for Mr. Rowell and collected goods as payment. In this set of accounts Page makes 250 pairs of shoes in the first part of 1831 and 510 pairs in the second part. He takes in items used in his work as well as other goods and cash as payment. This account book shows the bulk production typical as a precursor to the industrial revolution.

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• Account book page for Hannah Rowell, 1828-1831 (includes transcript as .pdf)
• This selection of the Edmund Rowell account book is for amounts owed to or from Hannah Rowell. She is sewing the upper parts of shoes, mostly to be paid in cash. In 1828, she sews 150 pairs, in 1829 - 80, and in 1831 - 150 pairs. Not much is known about Hannah, she may be a female relation to Edmund... possibly a daughter, or niece. sewing shoe uppers is probably not her only daily work.

Documents ...from the Beverly Historical Society

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• Daybook of J Morgan, 1824 (includes transcript as .pdf)
• This excerpt from the daybook of John Morgan shows the accounts of a custom shoemaker. It is included as a contrast to the accounts mentioned above. Morgan makes and mends shoes and boots for specific customers and charges accordingly. The two types of shoe makers co-existed in communities in the early 19th century.

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• Excerpts from Sarah Trask's Diary (1849)
• Sarah Trask sewed shoe uppers as a way to earn a little money. She was not especially happy about doing so. On one occasion she counted the number of stitches required - it seems a daunting amount!

Documents ...from the Lynn Museum and Historical Society

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• Letters to Amos Rhodes, April and May, 1793 (includes transcript as .pdf)
• These letters include discussions of the market for shoes in Philadelphia. Students will gain an understanding that the successful sale of items require more than just producing them. Consideration of fashion and supply and demand as drivers of sales are evident here.

Documents ...from the Salem In History Website

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• First Shoe Pegged by Samuel Preston’s Machine, 1833. Peabody Essex Museum.
• This image from the Salem in History website shows an example of a man's "brogan" shoe, a sturdy variety used for work. The machine used to make it was created by Danvers by
  manufacturer Samuel Preston, who patented his pegging machine.

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• Image of Lye Tapley Shoe Shop, Peabody Essex Museum from Salem in History Website
• The Lye Tapley Shoe Shop is part of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. This document includes information on shoe shops in general and this shop from Lynn specifically. It is part of an artifact guide compiled for the Salem in History grant.

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• Image of Pray's Stitching Shop, Salem, c. 1863, from Salem in History Website
• “The first widespread technological revolution in the shoe industry came with the invention of the sewing machine. Beginning in the 1850s, the use of the sewing machine in shoe manufacturing allowed local businesses to create women’s slippers to compete with French imports then the rage among well-shod consumers. The first sewing machine was installed in a Lynn factory in 1852 and was used to stitch shoe uppers.” Quoted in Richter, Paula Bradstreet, “Following the Footprints of the Past: The Shoe Collection of the Essex Institute.” Essex Institute Historical Collections (April 1991): 123-4.

...Web links for Related Subjects - posted October, 2009 - links not tested after August, 2010

Poem, Hannah, Binding Shoes by Lucy Larcom --Lucy Larcom, born in Beverly, wrote this poem describing an elderly woman who waits for a lost fisherman and sews the upper parts of shoes.

David Johnson Recalls the Shoemakers’ Shops of Lynn, Massachusetts--This primary source from the History Matters site describes the shoemaking profession in one of the foremost shoemaking areas in Essex County.

Paper Explaining the Honorable Cordwainers Company --This .pdf explains the term cordwainer and why cobbler is not a very flattering word choice for a shoemaker!

All About Shoes, The Bata Museum, Toronto-- Website containing a large number of photos of early shoes, also lessons - note especially the activity "How to read a shoe..." and the bibliography of shoe related stories.

Colonial Williamsburg, shoe page--Good website for an early colonial look at shoe making as a craft. Images of women shoemakers available also.

Old Sturbridge Village, shoe shop --This website gives insight into the period being discussed in this lesson. Good images of a shoe shop of the early national period.There is also a section of frequently asked questions.