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 H.J. Justin - Nocona Cemetery - Nocona, TX
N 33° 47.342 W 097° 44.493
14S E 616505 N 3739476
H.J. "Joe" Justin is buried in Nocona Cemetery, Nocona, TX. You can't go into a boot store and not see his name.
Waymark Code: WMYNJC
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/03/2018
Views: 0
Mr. Justin and his wife, Annie, are among the many Justin family members buried in the cemetery, and their daughter, Enid, who was famous in her own right as the founder of Nocona Boots, is nearby. Their plot is anchored by a gray, granite headstone with the family name on the front, and two flowers at the top. Each has their own footstone, indicating "Father" and "Mother", and their headstones read:
H.J. Justin
1859-1918
Annie Justin
1865-1939
Contrary to popular belief, Justin, TX is not named for Mr. Justin or any of his family members, although you can buy Justin Boots there (see a photo in the gallery).
Description:
Herman Joseph Justin was born in 1859 in Lafayette, IN, the son of German parents (who spelled their name "Justen"). His father was a cigarmaker, and as that wasn't what Joe wanted to do in life, he moved to North Texas in 1877, learning the trade of a shoe repairman. He moved to Burlington -- later Spanish Fort, a ghost town today -- just a year later, and with a loan from a local barber, he was able to open up his own boot shop in 1879. Word soon spread as to his reputation as a quality boot maker.
With the arrival of the railroad in Nocona, to the south, Mr. Justin realized that he would be best served by relocating there, and by 1889, with his wife and a son, he continued to develop his business. While the days of the Chisholm Trail were about over, his proximity to the Red River and to the many ranches in the area was good for his business, and in the 1890s, his wife developed a do-it-yourself kit, by which potential customers could take their own measurements for ordering boots. From as far away as Montana, cowboys took their own measurements, picking up their orders while passing through on cattle drives. Justin's best salesmen were his own customers, cowboys and ranchers, who often toted that kit.
By 1908, the Justin children were working for "Daddy Joe", and the company had become "H.J. Justin and Sons." Newer technologies assisted in the further development of the business, and by the time Mr. Justin died in 1918, Justin boots were sold in multiple countries and over twenty of the United States.
When Mr. Justin died, the story didn't end there. There was a parting of the ways between the brothers, who decided that Fort Worth was the place to continue the business, and Enid Justin, who felt that their father would have wanted to stay in Nocona. With the help of some of the employees who stayed behind in Nocona after the business left town in 1925, she launched Nocona Boots, itself a major brand today. "Daddy Joe" had been visionary enough to register many of the company patents under the names of all his children, and when the boys in Fort Worth told Miss Enid to stop using a particular method of stitching, she looked up the patent, found her name on it, and ignored them.
Date of birth: 04/07/1859
Date of death: 07/14/1918
Area of notoriety: Other
Marker Type: Horizontal Marker
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight hours
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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