Rebecca B. Cleggett was a well-known and respected hairdresser in Appleton. She was born about 1831 in Pennsylvania and was the wife of barber William S. Cleggett.
Members of the family are listed as mulatto on the 1860 census when they lived in Stevens Point and also on the 1870 and 1880 census schedules when they lived in Appleton. However, in both the 1900 federal census and the 1905 Wisconsin census they are black. By 1910 they were back to mulatto.
Daughter Mary's entry in the Lawrence College Alumni Record, 1857-1905 states the family is of "Scotch-Irish-negro ancestry."
The family lived at 510 S. State St. as early as 1884.
By 1892 both Cleggetts were living with their daughter Ada, a teacher, at 438 State (now 522 S. State St.)
The April 30, 1932 issue of the Appleton Post Crescent featured an article about early merchants in Appleton and specifically mentioned women merchants.
