Jean Cloth Shoes

[1stAzFireZouaveFusilier]

Perhaps someone can clarify this. On a trip a couple of days ago to the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, my buddy and I say a pair of original jean-cloth shoes. I took a few notes based on what he was saying, so here goes...
Wooden sole
2 paperback tin buttons
Thin leather reinforcement (not sure where- we had'nt eaten all day and I had been driving an awful lot :o )
Ideas, anyone? I was always sure that canvas and leather were the only two materials used to make military shoes back then. Any help will be appreciated.

Matt, you must sign all posts with your full name - Mike Chapman

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Question: Were these shoes in the exhibit "The Confederate Nation"?

My hypothesis if they were: They MAY have been carpet uppers, wooden soles. And since I wasn't there and haven't been to see "The Confederate Nation" yet, I don't know what they were, just taking a stab.

[1stAzFireZouaveFusilier]

As I remember it, they were in the Confederate Nation section. They also had a few oddities, foremost among these being a pre-war jean-cloth men's suit. They claimed it was a plantation owner's. Now, I'm not going to cast doubt on the museum's historical correctness, but wasn't jean-cloth limited to the abosolute poorest of the poor and slaves?

[Cracker Line]

Hmm....just used by the poorest of the poor and slaves? This is excerpt is taken from an article on the civi usage of jean cloth written by Jason Huether. The link is below also.

"Mollie Dawson was a slave in Texas late during the 1850s. She remembered, “Of course, Marser Newman and his folks wore a little bettah clothes den de slaves did, but de clothes dat dey wore fer everyday on de farm was jest like ours…” She then goes on to point out that the clothes that they wore “fer special occasions” was store bought, and of a much better cloth and quality. "


http://www.geocities.com/niterburo/slavecloth.html

Cheers,
Adam Cripps
CLG

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

I have to say, living in Richmond VA allows for alot of opputunites for museums and historic sites relavent to the period. The use of the word plantation owner may not be wholely understood. Despite what many people may believe not all plantation owners had a host of slaves at their beck and call. There is a farm-house down the road from here, named Meadow Farm, this farm which consisted most of Glen Allen, VA several hundred acres, yes slaves worked but it was also a family farm probably considered a plantation. They have original clothing in their collection with examples of Jean/Cheap cloth. So I take this as work clothes being as poor and durable as jean cloth and such, however the clothes they wore to town or to church would probably have been of a much higher quality/delicacy.

Paul B. Boulden Jr.

RAH VA MIL '04