Toenail Smith's funeral

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June 27, 2019 · 

This photograph - taken February 5, 1949 - shows members of Camp 970, Woodmen of the World saluting John "Toenail" A. Smith's grave after his funeral. The Woodmen were pallbearers and conducted graveside rights that day at Piney Grove Cemetery in Swannanoa. According to Gene Mills, in his book Another Time, Another Place: Growing Up in Swannanoa, Toenail ran a combination hardware and candy store. Mills wrote, "His store was on the corner of the busiest part of [downtown Swannanoa]. Any way you were going...you had to pass Toenail's store first. Toenail had a steel post in front of his store, and every day he would be leaning on this post. He would greet everybody that came by with a 'yes suh,' nothing else, not good morning or good day, and you always felt like it was an imposition for him to go in the store and sell you some candy, but he had the best candy of anyone...and we forgave his peculiarities and always went back for more." In 1940, as a 79-year-old, Toenail was still working. His daughter, Nellie Wilkins, lived with him and worked as a clerk at his store. Do you know how he got the nickname Toenail? Let us know in the comments below.

Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center The photograph's donor told us: "Dad told me that Toenail had the nickname because at one time he had a problem with his toe. Perhaps the nail was injured or something, Dad does not know. What he does know is that because of the discomfort, John cut off the top end of his shoe so that it did not hurt his toe. As you know, John stood at the steel post and saw everyone passing. There John stood with the toe cut out of the top of his shoe and someone called him "Toenail". The name caught on and was repeated enough until John had the full fledged nickname, "Toenail". I asked Dad if Toenail minded the name. I know I would! But Dad says he never seemed to mind and that he thinks the man liked it. Dad said Toenail and his daughter lived above their hardware store. I asked him why Toenail was always outside. He said that the store was dimly lit inside, Toenail tended to be outside in the light and because he used to watch and greet people or cars passing."

Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center Bert Brown just called to tell us that he had heard that Toenail got his nickname from a visor that he always wore that was shaped like a toenail (as most visors are).

See this post about Piney Grove Cemetery. Sharing with Sepia Saturday this week.