John Morton Cloudy, also known as “Hippo” and “Pretty Beaut” was born 3 Oct 1883. Cloudy was a well known shoe shiner (bootblack) in Henderson who had a stand at the corner of N Main and Second Streets.
Cloudy was a large man who in 1913 joined a carnival as a star attraction as the “Fat Boy.” He was then about 364 pounds. Homesick, he returned to Henderson and picked up his shoe shine business again.
He lived in Berry Alley, which runs between First and Second behind 116 Water Street.
Cloudy died 30 Sep 1950 and was buried in Fernwood Cemetery.
Obituary:
John Cloudy, familiar “land-mark” on the Henderson streets for more than 40 years, was found dead in his yard in an alley back of the Irvine LaRue home on Water Street Saturday. Cloudy had operated a shoe-shine stand at the corner of Main and Second as far back as most Hendersonians can remember. He included in his daily duties the raising and lowering of the awning on the building now housing the Belk-Henderson store. When he started this task the building was the Mann Brothers store. Cloudy once travelled with a carnival as “the heaviest man in the world.” He then weighed 425 pounds, but he began to lose his supremacy when homesickness took scores of pounds from him. He returned home to take up his stand at the Mann Brother corner, but he never regained his weight. For years he weighed no more than 250. John’s brother, Eugene Burbank, was famed as a chef at the Palace restaurant, a walk-up dining room on Main street, operated for men only. It is interesting that both Cloudy and “Uncle John” Blakemore lived, and died, in the same alley which runs from Second toward First back of the LaRue property on Water. “Uncle John” who died several years ago, was another familiar “landmark” of the Henderson scene.
References:
The Gleaner • Thu, Apr 01, 1909
Henderson Morning Gleaner • Thu, Nov 21, 1912
Henderson Morning Gleaner • Fri, Apr 11, 1913
Henderson Morning Gleaner • Tue, Jun 03, 1913
The Gleaner • Fri, Jun 06, 1913
Henderson Morning Gleaner • Tue, Mar 25, 1919
Henderson Morning Gleaner • Fri, Nov 10, 1922
Henderson Morning Gleaner • Thu, Dec 27, 1945