I recieved this note a few days ago, Has anyone here ever heard of such a practice
in NY?....Jim


"Your web site is super, and I'm going to pour over it when I have more time.
I've been searching for ways to find out the custom that prompted people
100-200 years ago, to put a single shoe (not a pair) and sometimes what
appears to be a single shoe for each member of the family, within a wall that
was then sealed up.  These are being found in homes and farmhouses dating from
the late 1700s to late 1800s, and no one knows why this was done.

I'm a member of the Chester (New Jersey) Historical Society, and we've had
several homes in Chester and the surrounding area with walls opened for
restoration which revealed shoes....and we're happily challenged to find out
the tradition behind this.

Could you give me some information, or refer me to another source or two?
Thank you for any attention you can give this.  Again, I love your web site!
Good luck with your work."

       Barbara Gibb