JOSEPH CLARK SHOEMAKER 1881-1956 AKA Joseph C. Shoemaker

JOE SHOEMAKER'S AEROPLANE NUMBER 3. The scion of Bridgeton's Cumberland Glass manufacturing family, Joseph Clark Shoemaker, a 1903 Princeton grad, made his first solo flight in 1911. Several of his aircraft were preserved to become part of the Smithsonian collection.. From "Images of America: Bridgeton in and around the old county town" by Bill Chestnut - 1996

 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 12-20-05      Joseph Clark "Joe" Shoemaker was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey on January 8, 1881. His father was Clement Waters Shoemaker and his mother, Rebecca Ellen Clark. He was named after his mother's father, Joseph Archibald Clark.      He married Rae in Cedarville, New Jersey in 1920 and they had two children, Rebecca "Becky" Shoemaker, born 1921 in New Jersey and Mary Shoemaker, born in New Jersey in 1923.      In the "Population Schedule" of April, 1930, Joe is listed as the head of the household. Listed also is his wife Rae, 46 years of age, and two daughters, Rebecca, 9 years old and Mary, 7 years old. Joe is identified as a farmer, active in General Farming. They were all identified as having been born in New Jersey, as were their parents.      In addition to his exploits in aviation, Joe had a world-renowned asparagus farm in Fairton, NJ, and shipped it all over the world.

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Joseph C. Shoemaker", using the Google search engine, (12-20-05), you will find about 82 links. Perhaps the most helpful is the following. The remainder are not identifiable as being relevant.

Herring-Burgess      This page on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website offers a beautiful photograph of the plane and this brief, but important mention of Joseph Shoemaker: "The Herring-Burgess airplane was sold to Joseph C. Shoemaker sometime in 1910 or early 1911. Shoemaker, along with Fred C. Cannonhouse, modified the Herring-Burgess design by eliminating the fins on the upper wing and removing the forward elevator. The landing gear was also rebuilt. Shoemaker soloed his modified Herring-Burgess Model A on June 3, 1911, and by August, the airplane was capable of executing basic flight maneuvers, including circles and figure 8s, in addition to achieving distances up to 14.5 km (9 mi), altitudes up to 30 m (100 ft), and flight durations of ten minutes. After a crash on September 2, 1911, which resulted in slight damage, the airplane does not appear to have been flown again. The Herring-Burgess biplane was donated to the Smithsonian Institution by the Shoemaker estate in February 1961. "      You can access the page by clicking on the title above.

 

Shoemaker-Cannonhouse           This page on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website offers a beautiful photograph of the plane without comment. You can access the page by clicking on the title above

 

Joseph C. Shoemaker died in 1956 From The Early Birds of Aviation Roster of Members January 1, 1993   Editor's Note: If you have any information on this Early Bird, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper   Back