THE LIFE OF LEMUEL ASHPORT

In 1870 there was a 26 year old black soldier named Lemuel Ashport stationed at Fort Clark Military reservation in Kinney Texas.  He is listed as being in Co. D 25^th regiment U.S Infantry.  He probably joined to fight in the Civil War and was now a part of the reconstruction military presence in Texas. 

Like most soldiers, after most wars, he chose not to make the military his career.  Rather, sometime in the 1870’s he chose to return to Massachusetts where he had been born and raised and where his parents had also been born and raised.

In 1880 he had settled in at 133 Court Street in Brockton Massachusetts, a neighborhood that was made up mostly of whites.

He worked in a shoe shop.  Not unusual in that Brockton was one of the largest producers of shoes in the United States until the end of the 20^th century.  What was unusual was the fact that he worked in a small shoe shop and not a factory.  What was also unusual was the fact that of the 1671 shoe workers in Brockton only two were black – Lemuel and his brother Frank.

Three houses down at 136 Court St. lived 58 year old Isabella Ashport who was a homemaker.  She had lived in Massachusetts for at least 24 years but was born in New Brunswick and her parents were born in England.  She was white and lived with her two sons both had been born in Massachusetts.  Their last names were McCarty.  Both of them were white and worked in a Shoe Shop where Robert was a bookkeeper.  Was it the same shop Lemuel worked in?

Are they related? 

Was he related to Cuff Mitchell who was a slave of Nathan Mitchell in 1729 and bought his freedom and for some reason changed it to Ashport

The mists of time have covered this man and his family and only fragments remain in the records.

Yes we know more about Cuff Mitchell who served in the Revolutionary war. We also know that Lemuel woud get married and stay in Brockton probably for the rest of his life.  He worked with shoes until he retired. We will tell you more in a month.  Meanwhile if you care to help us reconstruct this family feel free to contribute.