The discovery of business papers and daybooks, dating from 1833 to 1844, shed light on an unexpected character. Anthony Carter was a freed Black businessman of Lewisburg. We know Anthony as a husband, a father, a cobbler, and a landowner through studying his papers and Greenbrier County court records. These resources allow a rare glimpse into a freed working-class Black family’s determination to thrive in a slaveholding society.
WORKING & WASHING
Anthony Carter, his wife Fanny, and their three children were owned by Henry Erskine until July of 1837. It is unknown why Erskine emancipated the Carter family when Anthony and Fanny were still valuable property at ages forty and thirty-seven. Two years after emancipation, Anthony learned a new trade, cobbling. Cobblers were essential in nineteenth-century society because shoes needed regular mending. Anthony rented basement space beneath various shops downtown. He began to cobble for some of Lewisburg’s most prominent families and their enslaved people, including Star Hotel owner, James Frazer.
Fanny contributed to the household as a laundress, at times making more money than Anthony. She spent long days tending and boiling the wash, using harsh lye soap, starching and ironing clothing. Anthony’s daybooks recorded how many dozens of pieces of laundry Fanny was doing and how much money he would be paid for her efforts.
Fanny contributed to the household as a laundress, at times making more money than Anthony. She spent long days tending and boiling the wash, using harsh lye soap, starching and ironing clothing. Anthony’s daybooks recorded how many dozens of pieces of laundry Fanny was doing and how much money he would be paid for her efforts.
A business-paper showing how many dozens of pieces of laundry Fanny was washing in 1839.
A tax record showing the amount of property tax Anthony owed for his acre of land and his use of two enslaved laborers in 1842.
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Cobbler’s hammer circa early 1800s. Handmade of local wood and forged iron. Used by a cobbler to tack layers of leather together while rebuilding shoes.
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Sole Knife circa early 1800s. This handmade tool of wood and forged metal would be used by a cobbler to cut and slice leather for re-soling shoes.
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A business-paper showing how much Anthony was paid for digging a well for Johnston Reynolds in 1841.
A Greenbrier County Court document summoning Anthony to appear in front of the court following his emancipation in 1837.
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Iron shoe lasts circa mid-1800s. Hand forged and welded shoe forms made of iron. They replicate a human foot and were covered with leather, trimmed and sewn to form shoes.
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Tack remover and awl circa early 1800s. Handmade tools of forged metal and turned wooden handle; the corncob handle also indicates substitution of available materials. Used for repairing (cobbling) shoe soles and heels.
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STRUGGLING & SUCCEEDING
Less than a year after emancipation, Anthony was summoned before the court to defend his family’s right to remain in the county. Since 1806, Virginia law mandated that any freed Black person was required to leave the state unless granted special permission. Even with approval to stay, Anthony was brought before the court multiple times between 1838 and 1842. Despite this harassment, he continued to work and make payments to purchase an acre of land just east of Lewisburg for his homestead.
The end of Anthony’s life was encompassed by misfortune as he faced bad health, debt, personal demons, and possible estrangement from his family. After Anthony’s death in 1844, Fanny continued to live locally according to the 1860 Census.
Anthony’s business papers are important because they highlight the day-to-day life of a freed Black family. Anthony and Fanny Carter’s fierce determination presented an alternative to a community burdened by enslavement.
The end of Anthony’s life was encompassed by misfortune as he faced bad health, debt, personal demons, and possible estrangement from his family. After Anthony’s death in 1844, Fanny continued to live locally according to the 1860 Census.
Anthony’s business papers are important because they highlight the day-to-day life of a freed Black family. Anthony and Fanny Carter’s fierce determination presented an alternative to a community burdened by enslavement.
A Greenbrier County Court document summoning Anthony to appear in front of the court in 1840.
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A business-paper showing Anthony making payments for his one-acre lot of land.
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Anthony Carter's 1841 daybook and handmade shoes on display.
Wooden shoe lasts circa early 1800s. Hand carved wooden shoe forms made of wood. They replicate a human foot and were made in various sizes. They were covered with leather, trimmed and sewn to form shoes.
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Wooden clamps circa early 1800s. This handmade tool was used to keep layers of shoe leather in place as they were sewn together.
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Cobbler’s workbench circa early 1800s. The wooden workbench features a leather seat and plenty of storage space for tools, including a drawer.
