Jones Co., TX - Obituaries - M. McLaughlin *********************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Dorman Holub Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************** M. McLaughlin M. McLaughlin, famed bootmaker, died in Amarillo last week at the age of 82. Mr. McLaughlin was an uncle of Mrs. Carl Day of Stamford and travelled this territory years ago by hack, taking orders for boots. In later years he has been out here on fishing trips and was known by a number of people in this section. He had made boots for many famous people. Mr. McLaughlin was born in Ireland and came to this country with his parents when he was 15 years old,, settling in Chicago. He later went to Dayton, Ohio, where he learned the bootmaker's trade. About 1889 he came to Texas and made cowboy boots on the Matador Ranch for a time. He lived successively in Texline and Tascosa before going to Amarillo in 1892 where he maintained a bootshop until he retired from active work in 1932. Mr. McLaughlin made boots for the late Will Rogers when he was connected with the 101 Ranch in Oklahoma. He made boots for the late Tex Rickard and for Belle Montana, cowgirl. But he probably made more boots for Tom Mix, the cowboy movie star, than for any other cowboy. He made the first pair of boots for Tom Mix when Mix was a child of 10 and he filled his last order of Mix when the movie star ordered a dozen pairs before leaving on a European tour several years ago. Mix wrote the bootmaker that he was taking 31 pairs of boots made by McLaughlin on the tour with him. Source: The Stamford American September 25, 1936