Labor

    The theme this past week was; "Labor" for 52 ancestors in 52 weeks. It is a weekly writing prompt for folks researching family histories. So that is me I guess.  Thinking about the history and times that my ancestors lived in has always interested me. I enjoy finding out about the stories  more that the who begat who stuff, although I will do some of that as well as the year progresses. For this prompt I had to decide how to interpret the term labor. Having Children? Jeez there was a lot of that. Occupations? How did they make a living and get by in the situations they found themselves in.  I chose occupations. So I set out to back track through the two sides of our families, my wife's being the Millers and mine the Downing side, to see just what these folks did for a living.

    I've listed the names, date of birth and occupations I found in a several  sources. The best source for this was Federal  and State Census information. Ive also listed some occupations that might not have appeared in legal forms but have come from family lore.

Here are some of the ways people in our families chased the American Dream

 

                The Millers and Nolls have been farming for a long time! Kansas was a territory when they arrived.

                                                    Photo courtesy Kansas Historical Society

                                            Blauss Noll Farm circa 1918 Winchester Kansas

    * Andrew (1861) Farmer. Lizzie (1867) Keeping House 

    * Peter ( 1890) Farmer. Clara (1898) Housewife

    * Leoba (18) H.W, Keeping House

    * Blausis (1846) Farmer, Farm Manager. Mary (1855) "none"

    * Lawrence (1894) Farmer. Minnie (1895) "H.W." "At Home.

    * Sylvester Miller (1920) Farmer, Night watchman. Helen Noll Miller (1927), Hair Stylist, "Farm Partner".

    * John Shaltz (1868) Farmer.  Mary Wertin Shaltz (1876) "blank"

    * Thomas Corpstein (1856) Farmer. Kate Corpstein "none"

    

        The Downings and Moores have been doing a  little bit of everything.

    * Michael Downing (1868) Laborer, Catherine Riordan Downing (1864) Grocery Store, House Work. Boarding House, At Home.

    * Louis Moore (1893) "Unemployed", Private Detective, Clerk, Laborer. Lucy  Sinclair Moore (1901) "None" , "HW", Small Time Bookie.

    * Asa Moore (1857) Carpenter. Augusta Johnson Moore (1865) "none"

    * Lawrence Downing (1899) Runner Brokerage NYC, Bartender, Bar Owner and Speakeasy. Eleanor Castle Downing (1904) Nurse, "none. Alice Downing (1899) Teacher, HW.

    * Lucius Castle (1881) Carpenter, Farmer. Sarah Cummings Castle (1872) House work, Housewife , "none".

    * Daniel Castle Jr. (1849) Farmer. Fannie Castle "none" 

    * Lawrence Downing Jr. (1927) Police Officer. June Moore Downing (1928) Paralegal, Clerical Secretary, News Reporter, 

    * Richard Sinclair (1846) Actor, Model, Bartender, Barman, Watchman New Buildings, Gardener. Ellen Gordon Sinclair

 

                                                Brooklyn , Flatbush Avenue 1920s

Richard Sinclair in a Camel Cigarette ad 1923 Brooklyn

                                                    Timothy "Ted" Downing NYPD 1922

                            Lawrence Downing and fellow Officers 1970s Far Rockaway NY

                                    June Downing on assignment as a reporter Flatbush Life 1960s

                                        Jeannette Moore Fashion Retailer 1910s Brooklyn

                                                    Fireman Bill O'Leary and sons Brooklyn 1960s

In looking at the information two things jumped out at me.

1. The work of  the women  both on the farm and elsewhere was not seen as an "occupation". I was not raised on a farm, my wife was and I have seen that a farm doesn't run solely on the labor of the "head" of house. Farming is a labor intensive three hundred sixty five days a year profession that requires the knowledge, skills, and ingenuity of both people in the home, and the added labor of the children. The contributions of women to farming were undervalued when listed as "none" or "at home" or left blank as it was in at least once for each couple over time.   I shared this  list with my wife. She shared a story with me about her parents Sam and Helen. At some time in their past Sam and Helen  had this discussion; Helen asked Sam "just what is you think I do here. what is my role? Sam Replied "You are may partner in the farm, of course". Sam was a wise man.

                                             Sam and Helen Miller Jefferson County Kansas

2. Our ancestors who immigrated to farm country until this present generation pretty much stayed in that occupation. Our ancestors who immigrated to cities had many more "occupations" making ends meet. Laborers, actors, vaudeville performers, clerks, cab drivers, sanitation workers, lawyers, bartenders, watch polishers, pattern makers, nurses,  police officers, and fire fighters. Stories of speakeasys, bootlegging, and bookie making also  filled the air of family dinners in the past. Police work or "on the job' as its known has been in my family for over a hundred years. In searching records I found my Grandmothers maternal Grandfather was a New York Police Officer  in the late 1800s. I had a Great Uncle who was a Detective, Two Uncles and My Father all worked for The NYPD,  my Aunt  worked in corrections, Uncles who were NYFD Firefighters, and my Uncles mother was one of the early "Police Matrons" in New York. For most city immigrants working in some capacity for the city even in construction was pretty constant until the present generation as we have spread out across the country.

NYPD uniforms through the years. Illustration courtesy NYPD History site.