Bootmakers

[ziksby]

My ancestors include six generations of bootmakers. In my gg grandfather's obituary, it quotes from his diary .....

The Tailor and the Shoemaker may lift their heads as men
Better far than Alexander, could he rise to life again -

And think of all his bloodshed, and all for nothing too,

And ask himself "What made I, as useful as a shoe?"

I've tried searching for these lines elsewhere, but Google doesn't recognise them. Any suggestions?

[Greenseeker]

I have recently discovered that my Grandfather was a Bootmaker in London. I also suspect he was Jewish. Do you have any idea how I may trace information on my Grandfather Bootmakeing business?

[ziksby]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/ziksby/CIMG0437.jpg

My ancestors were well known as bootmakers for six generations ending with my grandfather, so not too difficult for me, as they owned their own business and advertised in the local press and were named in trade directories. This is where you should look if you know the dates when your ancestor plied his trade. The trade associations may not be too helpful as individual bootmakers have been few and far between for half a century or more. Most of the history died with them. By all means try them .... if you Google "bootmakers associations" you should get a few addresses. Look for "St Crispin House" He was the patron saint of shoe makers.

[AnnB]

I've tried everything I can think of to find out more about the verse from your gg grandfather's obituary/diary, but |banghead| I've hit the proverbial! The only thing I can come up with in the way of a suggestion (other than the fact that he may have written the lines himself....) is that it does read a bit like some of the entries I've found in a couple of old autograph books.

Best wishes
Ann

[ziksby]

Thanks for that Ann. I've searched many times and although there are references to Tailor and Shoemaker in the same context (Hans Anderson etc.) those actual lines remain elusive. As you say, he may have written the lines himself, though his obit. prefixes the lines with "As the poet says .." which makes me think he had read them somewhere.
You mention autograph books .... my grandfather wrote in mine ....

By and By our little clocks will cease to tick
And we shall have no more of the Golden minutes
Freely given to us by God.

My mother wrote ....

The only real failure is to give up trying

Both very apt on this forum
Best regards

[[email protected]]

Andrew LOOSE 1850 - 1890, wife Elizabeth Harrison