Skilled Laborers
Communities in Athens County provided a place for Black families to seek new opportunities. In Albany, local resident Florence Brown recalled “Many of the colored people desired to send their children to school, and as there were odd jobs to be done, land on which to raise crops and living cheap, this seemed to be an ideal place to settle.”[1] Albany was a town that had opportunities for many kinds of work; the 1860 census lists five shoemakers, two painters, two washwomen, two blacksmiths, a gunsmith, three carpenters, a carriage maker, a housekeeper, a salt boiler, two wheelwrights and a seamstress, as well as multiple farmers and general laborers among its Black residents.[2] The variation of trades practiced in Albany shows a wealth of opportunities beyond the farm, which Florence viewed as the focal point of Albany’s appeal; despite the wider national trend of white workers dominating skilled labor, Albany seemed to host a skilled Black workforce.
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While the population in the city of Athens was not as diverse as Albany's population, its Black residents also found opportunities to work. James Qualls, a local Black veteran, was praised for his work on the Currier house in 1882: "Though James has but one arm, having lost the other during his participation in the assault of Fort Wagoner [sic] during the rebellion, he has evinced in this as well as in many other instances that in industrial effectiveness he is of more avail than are many persons with a full complement of arms."[3] Despite his disability, James was hired as a contractor and proved his skill as a painter.
The Currier House, as depicted in the 1875 Atlas of Athens County. Ohio History Connection.
James was not alone. Despite the growing post-war racial anxieties, Athens' Black laborers found opportunities in various careers. Charles Valentine, the wealthiest Black resident of Athens in 1870, had multiple sources of income. Valentine, who had once been enslaved in Virginia, moved to Ohio and worked as a blacksmith. By 1870, "by industry and shrewdness," he had accumulated $5,000 worth of real estate, as well as $500 of personal estate in Athens County.[4] He also owned a saloon business. However, as he grew older and the Temperance Movement gained popularity, he closed his saloon, a sacrifice noted positively by the Athens Messenger upon his death.[5] Valentine was remembered for his commercial success, as well as his intelligence. Valentine's financial success, as well as the description of his positive character traits by white reporters, imply that Valentine was well-regarded in the broader community.
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Two of Valentine's contemporaries, John and George West, were similarly well-received in Athens. In 1880, the brothers opened a barber shop above a boot and shoe shop on Main Street. The brothers had extensive experience in barbering, and their barber shop was reported to be the largest in Athens.[6] Their business did not disappoint; the Athens Messenger praised their "most agreeable tonsorial service" and noted that the West Brothers' business drew in many customers.[7] The West Brothers' success was not an anomaly. Throughout the nineteenth century, although they competed against white barbers, Black barbers opened their businesses in affluent neighborhoods and sometimes segregated their clients to appeal to a broader white consumer base. Because of this, Black barbers were able to prosper in a time when many white Americans were hostile towards Black business owners.[8] It is not clear whether the West Bros. Barber Shop segregated their clientele, but, like Black barbers in urban centers, they opened their business in a desirable location and enjoyed financial success within the community.
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Notes
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1. Florence Brown, “Things I Remember and Things that Have Been Told to Me About the Colored People of Albany Ohio”, 1955. Perdreau Collection, Chesterhill Multicultural Genealogical Center.
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2. 1860 United States Federal Census. Albany, Athens, Ohio, USA. Ancestry.com Census Database.
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3. “Local Matters,” Athens Messenger, July 20, 1882.
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4. “Local Matters,” Athens Messenger, September 27, 1883; 1870 United States Federal Census. Athens Township, Athens, Ohio, USA. Ancestry Database.
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5. Athens Messenger, September 27, 1883.
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6. “Local Personal,” Athens Messenger, August 26, 1880.
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7. “Local Matters,” Athens Messenger, October 7, 1880.
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8. J.R. Douglas Bristol, “From Outposts to Enclaves: A Social History of Black Barbers from 1750 1915,” Enterprise & Society 5, no. 4 (December 2004): 599-602.
Image: "Currier Place," Atlas of Athens County, Ohio," 1875. Ohio History Connection.
