Name/Title
Walking CaneEntry/Object ID
2006.5.0124Description
Wooden, knotted cane with a carved brown alligator handle and metal bottom tip.Context
Donated by a Mann-Simons descendant, the family believed this cane was carved by John Lucius Simons, Sr. (1859-c.1925). According to Columbia City Directory listings, John Lucius held various jobs from 1888 until 1924. Most were related to his small store at the Mann-Simons site, which operated as a grocery (1891), restaurant (1904), and confectionery (1906). At times, he also earned a living as a “manufacturer of walking sticks” (1888) and as a “cane maker” (1917).
Much that is known about John is information relating to his mother, Agnes Jackson Simons (1831-1907). Agnes and John's father, William Simons (1810-1878) married sometime between 1853 and 1858. Agnes was the daughter of midwife Celia Mann (1799-1867), the wife of boatman Ben Delane (1800-1890), previously enslaved people born in Charleston who settled in Columbia in the 19th century. Their property on the corner of Richland and Marion Street in the present-day Mann-Simons Site.
John was recorded as being married to one woman, Martha (1865-1921). Additionally, according to the 1888 Columbia City Directory, John is listed as a manufacturer of walking canes, before becoming a colored grocer at 58 E. Richland Street as listed in the 1891 Directory. By 1910, John had moved to live next to his brother Charles Hall Simons (1865-1933), at 1912 and 1910 Marion Street, respectfully. At that time, John was running a lunch counter at 1914 Marion Street and remained there until he moved in 1913 to Calhoun Street, on which he stayed until Martha's death in 1921. He then moved one more time to a home on Henderson Street before setting in Cayce, South Carolina, by 1929.
Both John and Charles were deacons at the First Calvary Baptist Church. According to Robbie Atkinson, a family descendant, "Uncle Charlie [Charles H. Simons] and Uncle Laces [John Lucius Simons]…those two…were the two, who was always in competition. Sibling rivalry..." Additionally, Robbie stated "Uncle Laces’ [John Lucius Simons’] children … [were] well dressed, because he [John] was a tailor” (Atkinson 1998:9). Although a bolt of cloth is substantially less expensive than pre-tailored clothing available at a retail outlet, it is interesting to note the contradiction between preference for national brand grocery items and the home production of clothing.Dimensions
Height
35-3/8 inWidth
5-1/2 inRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
John Lucius Simons
