Earl Justin · History

History

Earl Justin was the older of two Justin brothers who, with their father H.J. “Joe” Justin, built the family’s boot business in Nocona and later Fort Worth. Jane Pattie’s article in the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains reports that John and Earl became partners with their father in 1908, supervising ten to twelve men in the shop while Joe traveled with samples.

In 1916, when Joe’s health failed, he turned the company over to his sons John, Earl, and Avis; in 1925 the sons moved the growing company to Fort Worth. Pairs made by the firm are catalogued under Justin rather than under Earl’s name. No birth year, death year, or later solo shop survives for Earl.