Russet Brogans

[David Jarnagin]

Moderators if this is not the right spot for this post please move it. Thanks

In Fred Adolphus’s article on the Houston Depot, printed in the CMH Journal many years ago, he talked about the fact that russet brogans were considered slave shoe and were not liked by even the slaves themselves. I wanted to see if I could find out more about russet brogans when I began do shoe research so as I would find period sources about the manufacturing of shoe little tidbits began to show up. I am sharing the part I have found about russet brogans and the unlikely places of their manufacturing.

The firm of T. & E. Batcheller & Walker is the first company to make russet brogans in Massachusetts. In 1831 they introduced the trade of russet brogans, especially for the southern trade. They soon became a leading product in the shoe trade and continued to be so until the outbreak of the Civil War.

Dewing and Edmands commenced the shoe making business in 1835, making only russet brogans and course thick boots designed especially for the southern trade. In 1837 to increase and facilitate their trade they established a shoe and boot manufacturing in Mobile, AL. They had a large trade with planters along the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers, furnishing boots and shoes for their slaves, many of whom had feet of enormous size. On the large size shoe were often marked Tom, Pete, Sam and Joe, it seems the large size shoes were made in Mass and sent back south. The largest shoe made was for a former African chief that wore a size 18.

The fisherman of Massachusetts tended to do two different trades depending on the season of the year in the warmer months they fished and in the winter many found work as cobblers. As you can see from this quote that many made these cheap brogans; industrious cobblers sat at their door with his hands occupied in stitching russet brogans or boots for the southern negroes. The heavier kind of shoes and the coarsest kind usually called brogans are made a Danvers, Mass. These brogans are chiefly manufactured for slaves in the southern markets.
This type of trade continued until 1861 when the southern states succeeded from the Union and caused quite a problem in the cheap shoe trade which was mostly southern markets. There were several southern companies that made slave shoes. Along with the one mentioned in Mobile there were other that I have found in Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana. Many of these firms made both slave (russet) shoes and common shoes (no right or left for common people). The workers in many of the factories were slaves themselves along with a few free men who over saw the operations.

The army shoe of the time was called a bootee. Here is the definition of a bootee: a boot without a top or a shoe made like a boot without a leg. The word brogan is an American word. Brogans means: to distinguish a heavy, coarse shoe, between a boot and a shoe.

David Jarnagin
djarnagin@bellsouth.net
Leather researcher and conservator

[David Jarnagin]

When I first posted the information on russet brogans I did not have time to post the source information. I have listed below where I got the information from and you will note that these are all period sources.

The History of North Brookfield Massachusetts, by: J.H Temple; published: Town of North Brookfield, 1887

A Second Visit to the United States of North America, by: Sir Charles Lyell; published: John Murray, Albemarle Street, London, 1849

The Commercial review of the South and West, Edited by: J.D.B. De Bow; published: Weld and Co. 68 Camp Street, New Orleans, 1850

David Jarnagin
djarnagin@bellsouth.net

[Citman05]

Nice example of the North profiting off the south and slavery...

[DBURT]

Lovely research David.
The Confederacy also imported tens of thousands of 'Russett' English Army blucher shoes from S. Isaac Campbell & Co, and their factory in Northampton in England. (The McRae Papers) The factory at the time was owned by the Turner Brothers, and was called Turner Bros, Hyde & Co. It is believed 'Hyde' was indeed Samuel Isaac himself.

Dave Burt

[ACo.]

Excellent post David, thank you.

[David Jarnagin]

There is more than you think to sales to the south from the northern states. There was quite an industry selling shoes and other items to the south in years before the war. During the 1850’s there was quite a bit of talk and experimentation to see if the slaves from a plantation could be taught to make shoes. There were several factories opened during this period in Louisiana and Georgia. Several well-known northern harness makers opened plants in the south to better take advantage of the market, just like Dewing and Edmands had a couple of decades before.

There was a glut on the market in 1861 as the southern state succeeded form the Union, due the loss of the sales in the states there seems to have been a greater sales overseas in both shoes and finished leather. This loss of sales caused for the short term many companies to almost go broke. Most of the sales made on shoes allowed six months to pay for them and most of the companies after the states left the Union did not pay the outstanding bills to northern companies.

Both finished leather and shoes was sold from New York through other countries to the south. I am sure the other states were involved but the only state I have found records for was NY. The number of shoes exported to Mexico increased a tremendous amount after the war broke out. Mexico in 1861 imported 45 cases of shoe worth $2,564.00 whereas in 1863 2,283 cases of shoes worth $222,325.00. Now that is a population increase for only two years.

David Jarnagin
Leather researcher and conservator

[FloridaConscript]

Thanks for the information. It is stuff like this that can make an impression.

[BShajari]

Interesting read on the Houston Depot system I found while looking into this as well:

By January 1864 the army operated several major quartermaster depots and shops in Texas. Houston was the principal state depot, with shoe, tailor, tent, tin, and carpenter shops producing clothing, shoes, tinware, and wagon equipage. The Austin branch of the Houston depot produced shoes (principally), clothing, and miscellaneous items. The Tyler depot produced shoes and equipage. The San Antonio depot, tannery, and general shops produced shoes and general quartermaster supplies. Jefferson had a shoe factory and depot.

Citation:
James L. Nichols, "CIVIL WAR INDUSTRY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/o...articles/dzc01), accessed April 22, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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