Thirty-year-old George Washington Nash died this date, August 21st, in 1846 after being hit by a train while crossing tracks* and was buried at Bethel Burying Ground. The Nash family lived at the same address as a fabric shop for which they paid $52 a year. Ms. Nash occupation is recorded as a shopkeeper. It is logical to assume that she work at the shop that was located at 166 S. 5th Street across the street from Independence Hall. She was paid $3.40 a week. They had one child.
Mr. Nash was a bootblack with his business located in the 200 block of Chestnut Street only a couple blocks from his home. He earned $3.50 a week to add to the family’s income. Bootblacks polished shoes, boots, and military leather accessories. It was a trade often learned while enslaved.
*Dollar Newspaper, August 19, 1846, p. 2.
Black men often pooled their resources to open shops in busy parts of the city.
Bethel Burying Ground Project 