Rope Soled Footwear?

[KenH]

Hi Folks. I;m working up an impression as one of the 'refugee rangers" of the Flrida Ranger, a Union Army authorized, Union Navy supported fifth column who had been huned and driven into the back country, swamps and eventually the islands of the Florida Gulf coast near Fort Myers. They were civilian dressed and armed scouts, guides and combatants.

Many of them had contacts with Spanish Cuba before the war.

I'm wondering if anyone has seen photos or documents of such civilian soldiers footwear. Living is the always damp-to-drenched climate I can't see them wearing the usual brogan type shoes, but something more like the espadrille - canvas upper with a rope sole whih were common, as far as I can determine, in Cuba at that time.
Would they, could have even worn something akin to the Seminole moccasin?

[Spinster]

We can document an occasional white person wearing mocs in the western frontier areas at this point. While Florida is not western, one can make some argument for it being 'frontier' simply due to the unsettled nature of many areas. By this time, many Natives are wearing 'white' clothing, especially in the east. It's a reach, but if you go with this choice, a center seam pucker toe moc would be the dominate pattern in the southeastern tribes. A leather moc will rot as quickly in damp as a brogan.

Barring any diary or image evidence of the espadrille, I'd strongly consider a wooden soled shoe. The old style sabot' was still in use in the former French colonial areas, and was both a wartime shortage expediency and a grand way to save shoe leather.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

There is some evidence of homemade and ersatz shoes being worn by the civilian population of Florida, particularly the rural poor, but brogans and boots of leather were still the predominant style of worker's footware. Leather was plentiful still in Florida throughout due to its cattle production, and it was far more common to find a household still making leather shoes and boots for themselves than to see someone wearing something that would only last for hours or days. As Mrs. Lawson stated, there are some known examples of wooden soled shoes among the labor class to save the thicker leather for accoutements and saddlery. Outside of the coastal folks who had some contact via the fishing and nautical trades, the general Cracker was wearing traditional footwear. There are enough records militarily (on both sides) to support regular issues of shoes to troops both regular and militia. As far as your theory of contact with Spanish Cuba prior to the war, keep in mind that the trade with them, particularly cattle, had really just opened in the late 1850's, and the only real contact they had was with a handful of sailors in Florida or the dockworkers in Cuba. There wasn't really that much of a relationship with Cubans until later after the war, when Summerlin, McKay, and Hendry resumed shipments out of Punta Rassa. The general Cracker population was much more Scots/Irish rural rather than "native", and were dressed and equipped much like their Georgia, Alabama, and deep south brethren. Unless you're portraying Key West Conchs, West Florida fishermen, or Cuban immigrants, I would rethink the rope shoe thing. As before, feel free to PM me about what I've turned up at the History Center on citizen/soldiers of Florida

[Dkjarnagin]

I would like to clear up a point. Wooden soled shoes were used for anyone that worked in a damp environment, and was not a poor class shoes. With that being said it was common for slaves to have this style of shoes, and most of them were made in the northern shoe companies. There is evidence that southern companies made them but not on the level as made up north. I have a tannery picture taken around 1860 and these workers are wearing the wooden soled shoes, there is written evidence that they were used in the damp areas of Philadelphia. Blacksmiths would have liked the shoes as well since stepping on hot coal would come through your shoe.

In researching shoes in the US I have yet to come across anything about rope soled shoes that is to say there may have been a few pairs but I doubt there were very many at all. When looking at old records is watch for extra notes for people tend to note the different things about something.

[Spinster]

Thank you Mr J!! That is excellent information.

I often find myself fighting the 'battle of the wooden shoe', as ladies who only understand urban eastern upper class seem convinced that only nice well crafted leather shoes were made and worn.

Women's diary references in the Deep South describe 'wearing our grandmother's shoes' due to shortage, ( describing the French sabo that I clatter about in when playing French Alabama in 1750) and voicing the same complaint I do when wearing them.

To know that these were a common working class shoe is quite helpful.