Of all the historical occupations that could be found in a family tree, few were more pungent, more physically difficult, or more socially isolating than tanning. While farmers, blacksmiths, and even coal miners occupied central places in their communities, the tanner often worked on the outskirts—literally and figuratively. Tanning was essential to everyday life, producing the leather needed for clothing, shoes, belts, saddles, bookbinding, harnesses, and more. But because of how it was done—using rotting flesh, animal brains, and gallons of urine—it was also one of the filthiest and most unpleasant jobs in history.
Yet, for centuries, it was vital. Leather was life: warm, durable, flexible, and necessary. And the people who made it weren’t forgotten in the records, even if they were avoided in the streets.
The Ancient Roots of Tanning
Tanning is one of humanity’s oldest professions, going back more than 5,000 years. Archaeological evidence shows that leather goods were being made in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley. Early tanning methods were simple but brutal—scraping hides clean of flesh, soaking them in animal fats or plant tannins, and drying them in the sun.
By the time of the Roman Empire, tanning had become more refined. Romans used oak bark, gall nuts, and even excrement to process hides. In large cities, tanneries were located far from residential areas. The stench of soaking hides, mixed with animal brains and urine, was so overwhelming that ancient Roman laws restricted where tanners could set up shop. The hides themselves were scraped with crescent-shaped knives, then soaked in vats of foul mixtures to soften them and preserve the leather.
The word “tanning” comes from the use of tannins—organic substances found in tree bark and plants that help bind proteins in animal skin, turning it into a durable, rot-resistant material. Before industrial chemicals, these tannins were extracted from oak, hemlock, chestnut, and sumac.
Tanning in Medieval and Colonial Times
During the medieval period in Europe, tanning became more structured as part of the guild system. Tanners belonged to specific trade guilds and often passed their skills down through generations. Towns grew, and so did the demand for leather—for everything from armor and saddles to book covers and scroll pouches. But tanners were still forced to operate outside town walls, usually near rivers, both because they needed water and because no one wanted to live near the smell.
In colonial America, tanners were a necessary part of nearly every settlement. Every community needed leather, and tanners were sometimes among the first tradesmen to arrive in new towns. Tanneries were typically built along streams or creeks and featured long drying racks and pits filled with foul-smelling liquid. Hides were sourced from nearby farms, and the tanning process could take up to a year for a single hide. It wasn’t efficient—but it worked.
Workers started by removing hair and flesh from the hide, then soaking it in urine to soften it. Next, the hide was treated with animal brains or lime to loosen the fibers, and then finally soaked in tanning solution made from bark or plant material. The hides were then stretched, dried, and finished—sometimes dyed or oiled for specific uses. The smell lingered on both the product and the worker.
Ulysses S. Grant and the Tanning Trade
One of the most well-known Americans with a background in tanning is Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. Born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, in 1822, Grant grew up in Georgetown, Ohio, where his father, Jesse Grant, owned and operated a tannery. As a boy, Ulysses was expected to work in the tannery—and he did.
He hated it.
The young Grant despised the smell, the mess, and the feel of animal hides. He reportedly tried to avoid the tannery work whenever he could, often asking to be assigned to the delivery side of the business, where he could take finished leather goods to customers. Despite his aversion to the job, the experience shaped his character. He once remarked that he would have rather become a farmer or soldier than work with hides again. And he did both.
Still, his background in tanning remained a part of his family’s story and the broader American experience—proof that even future generals and presidents started with dirty, humble work.
Life in the Tannery
The tanning trade required immense physical strength and endurance. Workers stood for hours in pits of caustic chemicals, pulling soaked hides from one vat to the next. They scraped hides by hand, twisted and wrung out wet leather, and hauled heavy piles of material up to drying racks or leather sheds.
Because of the stench, tanners were often viewed with suspicion or treated as outcasts. In some cultures, tanning was associated with lower social status or impurity. In parts of India, the job was relegated to specific castes. In Europe and early America, tanners were respected for their skill but avoided in polite company.
Still, the job paid. In some places, tanners earned a stable, if modest, income. In others, they ran successful shops supplying leather to shoemakers, saddlers, and tailors. Tanning was one of the trades that made small towns economically self-sufficient. A tanner might have a small crew of apprentices or journeymen, and the tannery was often located close to the town’s edge, near a steady water source.
Finding Tanners in the Records
If you suspect a tanner in your family tree, there are plenty of places to look:
- Census records: The U.S. federal censuses from 1850 onward list occupations. Earlier state or county censuses might mention tanners if they were among the few skilled tradesmen.
- Tax lists: Tanners sometimes paid business or production taxes, particularly if they processed large volumes of hides.
- Apprenticeship documents: Tanning often ran in families or was passed down through apprenticeship. Court records may list contracts between a master tanner and a young boy.
- City and county directories: These often listed business owners and tradesmen, sometimes with advertisements for services like leather tanning, saddle making, and boot repair.
- Property records: Tanneries required land and water. Deeds might mention a tannery or outbuildings used for tanning.
- Newspapers: Tanners occasionally ran ads or were mentioned in local business directories, legal notices, or obituaries.
The Shift to Industrial Tanning
The industrial revolution changed everything. In the 19th century, chemical tanning began to replace the old bark-and-urine methods. Chromium salts shortened the tanning process from months to mere days. While the newer method was faster and more profitable, it was also toxic, and early industrial tanners often suffered from chemical exposure.
Tanning moved into factories. Large operations in cities like Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Chicago replaced local tanners. Leather became a national product. The introduction of machines for splitting, stretching, and finishing leather meant fewer workers were needed, and small-town tanneries began to disappear.
By the early 20th century, tanning had become heavily industrialized. Labor unions began advocating for safer working conditions, but the job remained hard and dirty. And in many places around the world, traditional tanning methods continued—especially where large-scale operations couldn’t reach.
Tanning Today
Modern tanning is divided between mechanized factory operations and small artisan shops. In the U.S., tanning has largely moved overseas due to environmental regulations and labor costs. Countries like India, Bangladesh, and China now handle much of the world’s leather processing—often under dangerous and poorly regulated conditions.
However, traditional and artisan tanning is seeing a resurgence. Some craftspeople specialize in vegetable-tanned leather, using old-world methods to produce high-quality leather goods without harsh chemicals. These tanners often pride themselves on using sustainable practices, natural dyes, and heritage tools.
And yes, it still smells.
Why Tanners Matter in Family History
If you find a tanner in your family tree, you’ve uncovered a trade that shaped economies, outfitted soldiers, clothed farmers, and built towns. Tanners may not have always been admired, but they were always needed. Their work connected farms to cities and raw nature to refined craftsmanship.
Your tanner ancestor may have endured the stink, the labor, and the social distance—but they left a mark. Perhaps literally. Leather stamped with a tanner’s initials sometimes survives in old shoes, belts, and saddles. Family stories of the smell that never went away. Photographs of drying racks and long-forgotten sheds at the edge of town.
Tanning was never clean work. But it was skillful work. And it was proud work. The tanner stood at the crossroads of survival and civilization—turning waste into something usable, durable, and valuable.
Coming up next in our Tracing Dirty Jobs of the Past series, we’ll take a look at the rag-and-bone collector. Early recyclers, urban scavengers, and forgotten traders of ash, bones, and grease—these folks lived on the edge of town and the edge of society, but their story is worth remembering.
