Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Ernest W. Peterkin Papers, Manuscript #MS 1995.1 20C, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Acquisition Information

Gift, 1995

Biographical/Historical Information

Ernest Wilson Peterkin was born in Enfield Wash, England to American parents. He was raised first in the Boston area, and then Detroit. Peterkin was a graduate of the Lawrence Institute of Technology (in Detroit) and the University of Maryland. During World War II Peterkin served in the Navy and continued as a member of the Navy Reserve until 1980, when he retired as a captain. A 35 year employee of the Naval Research Laboratory, Peterkin retired in 1978 as manager of a project that measured solar activity.

During the 1950s Peterkin became interested in shoemaking, and apprenticed under Frederich Engleke in the 1960s. This new hobby set the stage for a second career as a historian and re-creator of colonial and civil war era military dress and shoes. After retiring, Peterkin pursued his work as a consultant on military history for several organizations.

Peterkin was a fellow of the Company of Military Historians and co-founder of the North-South Skirmish Association, which demonstrates Civil War-era weapons. As part of his involvement with war reenactment groups, he helped plan major battle anniversary programs. Additionally, Peterkin was considered an authority on Civil War monitors. His writings included two books on arms and ships and several articles, and he contributed to other authors' works concerning shoes and military dress. Each year he demonstrated his knowledge of antique footwear at a festival in Westford, VA

Peterkin and his wife Betty were married for 47 years and were the parents of three daughters. He died January 6, 1995 at the age of 74.

Source Consulted: Washington Post, January 10, 1995

Scope and Content

A series within the 20th Century Collections of the Library, the Peterkin Shoe papers have been divided into five subseries: Correspondence, Patterns and Sketches, Photographs, Reference Material, and Research Files.

Correspondence between Peterkin and other members of the military and shoe communities is arranged in chronological order. Prominent in this subseries is the well-documented struggle Peterkin had in order to replicate a pair of shoes for an exhibit at the Smithsonian.

The Patterns and Sketches subseries contains those items created and gathered by Peterkin as he replicated shoes over the years. Folders relate to specific styles from specific time periods. Peterkin's descriptions were retained as much as possible.

While Photographs of shoes and boots can be found throughout the series, those with no associated documentation have been compiled into a separate subseries. Many include handwritten notes from Peterkin, providing additional style and age information for the pictured shoe.

Documentation, primarily secondary source material, acquired by Peterkin over the years comprises the Reference Material subseries. Much of this information has been photocopied. Also found in this section is information provided to Peterkin by fellow shoe enthusiasts Fred Gaede and Al Saguto.

Peterkin's publications, and the work leading up to them, highlight the Research Files subseries. Writings such as the United States Army footwear chronology can be found here.

Arrangement

Arranged in series.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Gaede, Fred
• Peterkin, Ernest W.
• Saguto, Al

Subjects:

• Boots - history
• Military uniforms--Virginia--History
• Shoes - History