Just another thought , many of the "newcommers " to these shores were "freemen" and worked at a trad min their countries of origin , England , France , Spain and many others. If you had a trade in europe etc. the chances are you would apply your knowledge and tools to that occupation when comming to America . In fact the sponsors of a settlement would offer certain perks to entice craftmen to settle in their settlements..
Most of the countries of origin had guilds and rules that goverand and restricted what fell under their tittle .The craftmen relized much more freedom in what they could do without having to answer to the guild . So , a cordwainer might just apply his talents to another trade , say , harness making or building saddles etc. If you can obtain some shipping manifests , you,ll find passenger rosters that list the ocupations and status ,such as freemean , indentured servant and others.. In nearly 50 years of genealogy work , the wife and I managed to trace the the direct line of my surname back to 1638 . the list showed that informationed above. So even though a person might have been a member of a guild he would find more freedom in his occupation. I tink that what you do will be up to you with certain restrictions of materils etc. Good luck in your quest and keep us posted as you progress .