Evolution of Shoemaking
Christopher Nelme, an English shoemaker, sailed to Virginia from Bristol in 1619, the earliest recorded named shoemaker in the American colonies. In 1648, Boston cordwainers became the first American shoemaking guild. Cordwainers, often misidentified as cobblers who repair shoes, made shoes by hand in groups of masters, journeymen, and apprentices.
Mesopotamians (c.1600-1200 BC) possibly wore soft mountain shoes. Ogg created better footwear so he could keep up while hunting. Everyone wore sandals in Jesus’s time.
Footwear Icons
Peter Moore designed the first Air Jordan in 1985. His "Jumpman" logo helped make Jordan shoes a multi-billion dollar industry. Adolf Dassler nicknamed Adi founded adidas, using Adi and first three letters of his last name.
Pioneers in Shoemaking
Shoemaking is an "extravagant, sensational art". Fashion grew alongside shoemakers’ skills and whims, resulting in modern footwear. James Beard settled in Salem then Portsmouth as an early American shoemaker. Other colonist shoemakers followed. James Everett, arriving 1634, was a leather dresser, shoemaker, landlord, and selectman. His estate inventory showed a good stock of shoes.