Bootmaker
T. C. McInerney
T. C. McInerney was an early Abilene, Kansas bootmaker pictured in an 1871 newspaper advertisement for what may be among the first true cowboy boots, possibly predating Charles Hyer’s. Accounts describe him employing as many as twenty men in his shop during the summer, making high-heeled, red-topped boots that sold for $12 to $20 a pair.
Known for
Early 1871 cowboy-boot advertisement; up to twenty men in his shop
Related: C.H. Hyer
Biography
History
T. C. McInerney was a bootmaker in Abilene, Kansas, named in several accounts as a maker of the early American-style cowboy boot. Wikipedia's account of the cowboy boot cites an advertisement for his boots in the Abilene Weekly Chronicle of 7 December 1871. Kansas Public Radio repeats that date and says he may have made a cowboy boot even before C.H. Hyer of Olathe, Kansas.
Historian Richard W. Slatta, citing David Dary's Cowboy Culture, gives his name as Tom C. McInerney and says that during the summer months he employed as many as twenty men in his Abilene boot shop. Slatta describes the boots made there as high-heeled and red-topped, “with tolled Lone Stars and crescent moons” (sic), selling for $12 to $20 a pair.
Sources differ on his name: Wikipedia and Kansas Public Radio give the initials T.C., while Slatta's account gives Tom C. No birth or death year has surfaced for him.
Sources
Identification and markings
Maker-specific markings guidance has not been documented yet. Preserve the complete stamp and compare it against dated sources.
Sources and references
Historical references are cited with the history above. Each catalog record includes its own supporting evidence.
Encyclopedia references: CowboyBootsDB and maker archives linked where available. Historical dates and attributions can vary by source.