What an unusual job... - 52 Ancestors challenge

 This is a prompt from 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Information on the Topic

This week's theme is "Labor." How did your ancestors make a living? Have you found an unusual occupation in your family tree? Don't forget about the often unsung labor of female ancestors.

We've had a range of jobs in the family and I do mean range. 

Maternal Side

My mother was a homemaker (aka stay at home wife and mother) until she divorced and then she could only get a job as a bag catcher at a local place which made first paper bags and then the gift bags everyone buys at the stores. She did lose her job once from here, but then was rehired a few years later. She was made disabled from there due to her knees and arthritis. Within a few years she just retired outright. 

My mother in 1996 after getting off of a 12 hour shift. Credit: J. Fitzgerald

You had her mother (my grandmother Janet) who was a seamstress and made women's undergarments prior to getting married and then was a stay at home mother until after she had her children before making hats at home to supplement what my grandfather was bringing home. This didn't last very long before she stopped and had other health problems. 

1934 Business listing for my grandmother Janet and her sister Pauline. Credit

This is the company in 1931, but shows you what the jobs were. Credit as listed.

My grandmother Janet's Social Security Application in 1937 for Morris Kahn. Credit: Social Security Admin

If you look at the above article, you will see who owns the place my grandmother was employed in 1931. Further, 2 of her other sisters were now working there and were musical. Credit as noted.

In 1946, my grandmother was making hats and bags to sell from home. Credit as noted.

From there, my great grandmother Bernice, who was the typical housewife and mother. Not that there's nothing wrong with that! 

Her mother (my 2x great grandmother), Valerie, was a midwife and then in later years was a Housekeeper according to her death certificate. 

1920 US Census showing Ostrzycki family with Valeria (aka Valerie - line 70) as a midwife.

Valerie's death certificate showing her occupation which she worked right up until just before she passed. Credit

The only documentation I have about my 3x great grandmother, Rosealie Rutkowski Michalski, was from Valerie's marriage entry. It says when the marriage ceremony took place and the signing had to be done, they couldn't sign it because they were illiterate so it was read to them to agree to. Usually this meant they were a peasant worker or farmer. This was within the translation from Russian to English of the document. 

If you are talking about the paternal side of my mother, Boy is there a lot of occupations and I can go back to the 1700s, so I'll give you a list of occupations. 

My grandfather, Louis, who was brought up doing farm work on a dairy farm. He was then kicked off the land at age about 15 or 16 and tried his hand at working on a chicken farm for a short time, then on the railroad as a painter on and off all over the eastern states. Finally when the trains stopped hiring then he started his own business of cleaning furnaces and chimneys before going into plumbing in 1954. This ultimately killed him because he died of Mesothelioma. 

In 1924, at 15 years old, he's now living on Water St in Newburgh by himself and no work listed. Credit

By 1925, he's secured working at a chicken farm. Credit as noted. 

An advertisement showing the type of work at the chicken farm. Credit as noted. 

Then in 1926, he's now working for Erie Bridge Co which is his start of employment with what is to become Erie Railroad. Credit as noted above. 

By 1949, the railroad's slimming down on employment, so he starts his own business, which later results in his death in 1975. 

His father (my great grandfather), Jules Gauquie, was a dairy farmer and businessman. 

His father (my 2x great grandfather), Aloysius Gauquie, was many things during his lifetime. On the documents I have, he was first drafted into the Belgium militia and he's a rifleman there. By the time his second son comes along he was an storekeeper. Then within a year he was listing himself as a comedian or entertainer. This was the time of Vaudeville which was in the mid-1890s prior to this it was called Polite Vaudeville. Next, they went to the US. There he worked for a creamery which was another common occupation for the area they settled in - the Hudson Valley region. After this, its gets a bit confusing because he changes names and stays with family. I do know that in 1910, he lists himself as a farm labourer while living with his son. Then in 1916, he lists himself as a laborer, but destitute according to the almhouse (poor house) document. 

Aloyse's national military form 1871. Credit Belgium Archives

In French, after Aloyse's name, it says his occupation in 1876. Credit Belgium Archives. 

In his intention to become a US citizen, Aloyse filled out this form listing his occupation. Credit: Orange County Register

In this 1910 US Census, he is now known as Charles. He lists his occupation as a farm hand. Credit: 

US Census bureau 

By 1916, he was now destitute according to this Almshouse or poorhouse admittance form. 

Credit: Ancestry 

Going back from here: 

My 3x great grandparents - both of them - Desiderius and Catherine were bakers and owned their own bakery shop. This below is from an email from a cousin in Belgium in 2016. 

My 4x great grandfather, Joannes Jacobus, was a workman in Belgium. In his later years he was an innkeeper or shopkeeper according to his death entry. 

My 5x great grandfather, Jacobus Josepha, was a garde champetre or a rural policeman. His brother was a farmer. This is according to his death entry made as his brother was noted as being there when he died. 

This document was from my cousin H. Costille. Above are 2 separate translations of it. 

The Gauquie side has a whole list of occupations from housewife, to dancer/singer, to soldier/military, to reverends, veterinarian and even politicians and mayors! 

The Jagodzinski side, or also known as Berry/Barry, (my great grandfather's Appolanus Jagodzinski's and my grandmother's brother's) information. This was tricky information to get as when I started to research, I didn't know my grandmother had any brothers or many sisters. I was proven wrong. She had many. 

Pauline, Genevieve, Thelma/Valerie I had included above with my grandmother and their sister, Janet. At one time or another they all worked with my grandmother. 

However, when it comes to their brothers, well that was much more complicated as I could only find them in obituaries. As you can see below I found they had 4 brothers. 

Stefan - I will start with him first. He died as baby at 1 year and 20 days on Oct 16, 1916 of enterocolitis. It sounds like a horrible way to die. 

Credit

Appolonius Jr or Jug can be found on Find A Grave. 

Credit 

Notice the names in the obituary. They are spelled wrong but are close enough and line up to all the information I have. 

Alfred was a bit tougher to locate as I could find no obituary for him but could find a Find A Grave website for him. The date of birth lined up and so did the place he was living according to other obituaries I could find. 

Credit

This lines up with what is in Jugs obituary too. 

Edward was a bit easier to find and link up. Although, I never would have thought to look in Asturia, NY for him. This time I was able to find an obituary for him too. 

Credit

He's one of the ones I have to research in Florida, or ask someone to, and create of Find A Grave entry for him. Apparently he moved 4 years before his death from NY to Miami, Florida. I think it was to be closer to his daughter who resided in the area according to the above obituary. 

My great grandfather,  Appolanus Jagodzinski's aka Leo Barry/Berry along with some other names he went by, was and is a question mark. However, about 2 years ago I finally found his obituary and about 18 months ago, I found his grave. Shocked me as I really didn't know anything about him. My uncle Jimmy did tell me what little he knew about him though which was nice. According to his obituary he worked at Hotel Lexington as a chef in NYC. 

Credit

Prior to this I know in the 1940s he worked in several bars in and around the same area. 

Credit: Alien File of Naturalization services

Credit

Credit: Alien File of Naturalization services

Credit: Alien File of Naturalization services

What I have been doing is going back through people I've found on Find A Grave and linking family members where I can. If I can't find them on there, when we get back to the US (which hasn't been much) I try and visit where I believe their resting place is and create an entry and link them up. At least in death they are linked up once again somehow. 

Paternal side:

On my father's side, I haven't done much research but I've done a tiny bit. My uncle was a teacher his whole life same as his wife. I've mentioned them before on this post. His children is a chef and accountant/small business owner. I've mentioned my cousins at the end of this post. 

Going back from there was our grandmother who was a wife and mother before going into small businesses until Urban Renewal of the area started. 

1939 Business directory which lists Jean (my grandmother) under Retail Grocers in NJ. Credit: Elizabeth, NJ City Directory 1939 (Ancestry)

The old owners looking for a new owner just before they bought it in Nov 1945. 

They (my grandparents Matthew and Jean) had taken the bar over in early 1946. 

This was still the same address but had to change the business from a bar and grill to renting out furnished rooms to people. This was due to the loss of liquor license.

This is when Newburgh city gave her money for the furnished rooms, she used part of it to open a bar and grill with her new partner, Charles in 1965. 

This is when she retired from owning businesses due to her partner dying. It does list the business he was co-operator of when he passed in 1970. 

Her father and mother(my great grandparents), once they came to the US, had a small Polish deli and grocery store. Prior to coming to the US, they grew up on farms and became my great grandfather became a farmer according to their marriage entry. 

This is Adam and Mary's wedding entry. One side is in Russian or Polish and the other is one of the translations done for me. Credit

His mother (my 2x great grandmother) was a flour mill owner and mentioned in the same marriage entry(above). 

His wife's parents (my 3x great grandparents) owned a small farm in a tiny town not that far from their farm. This came from my great grandparents wedding entry in 1905 which was in Russian I believe (above). 

Not much else from that side of the family at this point, but I do know my great grandfather had a brother who was part of the underground Polish Army according to my father. I do remember when I was growing up my grandmother had a very small picture of my great grandfather and his brother and she told us he was part of the underground not that it meant anything to me at that point. 

Anyhow my grandfather (my father's father), Matthew, had many jobs. He was a carpenter when he arrived in the US according to his manifest when he arrived at Ellis Island  and citizenship papers. Over the time, he was a painter in a NYC hospital, in the military (although I'm still trying to confirm exactly where he was but was told served within the hospital area), ran the bar and grill with my grandmother Jean. I do know he worked other places but so far cannot locate them. 

his is the entry in 1926 when he first arrived at Ellis Island. Joiner is a carpentry term. Credit

His 1926 Intention for Naturalization Papers. You can clearly see his occupation. Credit: US Naturalization 

His occupation on his first wedding certificate. Credit: FamilySearch.org 

His occupaton as a painter on his 2nd naturalization document. Credit: US Naturalization 

The 1940 US Census listing his occupation as painter in NYC hospital. Credit: US Census

1946 They now own the Bar in Grill in Newburgh, NY. 

He's now employed at C-PLM Co (above) as you can see from this business directory. Credit 

While I cannot find any documentation (as yet) that shows his military service, I do have a few newspaper articles where he served in the UVA  but him having a background in the military would have benefited the group. 

Then he just disappears. I was able to find his Social Security Death Index which backs up what my father said was that he was in the Veterans Affairs hospital in Beacon just before he died. This was the last time he saw him. I still don't know where he's buried. 

This birth entry of my grandfather Mathias was found by researchers in Germany. As you can see by the translation. 

When I looked back further, I found within my grandfather Mathias' birth entry, that his parents were farmers but the name trail keepers mean something different now in the year 2020. I was handed a family tree of this side (not confirmed by me though) and if I take it as it is (which I should as the source is from certified genealogists from Germany who found it with my grandfather's birth entry), then when you follow the line back, they all come from the mountain range around Rheinland which I found the major occupation is farmer. You can see this by the map I've done and where my ancestors had lived. 

A map of Rheinland where my ancestors come from. You can see how much they moved from my grandfather, Mathias' birth area back at least 3 generations. Map Credit: Google Earth

As you can see it was some great area (nice and green and looks pretty flat) for farming (the brown areas are different farms there today 2020 according to Google Earth). 

Right on the map - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

 This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Information on the Topic

Week 38's theme is "On the Map." Location is key for our research. What is a discovery you've made using a map? Any ancestors found a town? What about a family who lived in a town with a strange or funny name?

I used maps to help in several of my family searches and research. Once I find major proven information out (Birth, Deaths, Marriages) I try and go into Google Earth (what a saver!) and plot where people have been by using documents, books or even newspaper clippings. 

For instance, when I found a book on the area my paternal grandmother Jean lived in her life in Poland, I plotted where her, her mother and her parents were known to be in. Then when I read Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present, although very dry, it gave a great insight to what was happening around the time my grandmother and great grandmother left Poland and where the smaller battles were going on. 

Because of this, I could map out where the battles and my grandmother and great grandmother were around the time they lived and started to head towards the coast where the ship manifest is dated from. Add that to the newspaper clipping of when the Danzig port opened and closed, and you get a good sense as to what they went threw by using a map. 

Using the map to show movements all around including the Danzig Port. Map Credit: Google Earth. 

If you look at the date of this, you can tell it's one of the first ships out. The story we were told was that they were the last ship to leave before the port was closed. I'm not sure if they all jumped on board and left early and waited at sea or if they left late and my grandmother was mistaken. Credit Ellis Island.

Also, I've used maps to show what areas I should look at to get more information in. For instance, for my Belgium ancestors, I started to find vital documents (BDMs) which pointed me to other closer towns for more information. This I was able to link up and actually follow the movements of my ancestors on a map. 

Using Google Earth, showing France, where some of my Belgium ancestors come from and Antwerp. 

I have been trying to figure out how relatives in Minnesota and others parts of the midwest are connected. One way was by mapping the people we know emigrated to the US and those ancestors who come from the area like above. In doing this, I found one of the witnesses for some paperwork on Sylvian and Camille had the same last name as one of my ancestors, Joanna Vandesdrissche (my 4 times great grandparent). I think either her brother/cousin signed a form. Also, as you can see they were from a nearby town from Sylvian and Camille. Maybe they had other siblings or cousins which married which is how we're connected. 

Another way maps help or can be used, is to see how history plays a part in what your ancestor did or maybe a reason why they moved or even died. 

For instance, take the map above of Belgium and my relatives. Notice the yellow line? This line is the border between France and Belgium. Wytschaete is especially of interest as we have many people born there to at least 3 generations (and as far as I've gone back which is the early 1700s). 

Now, think about history. I'm not thinking the 'tiny' battles. I'm thinking World War 1. Remember, World War 1 was for 1914-1918. 

Now I'm going to put up a map of World War 1's Western Front. 

Can you see the brown dotted line where the active line would have been? Credit

Thankfully, my direct ancestors had left by this point (they left in the mid 1890's), but they still had siblings and family all around this area. Remember too, the connections with the mid-western Gauquie's were here around this time (the blue dots on the map above). Now think about what would have been happening and all the confusion and death around. 

Another question that once was posed to me was about the French Revolution. The location was in France and wasn't directly by the family, but the area they lived in backed onto France. According to the information below, the one town  (Wijtschate and most people know Dig Hill 80) where we had at least 3 generations of my family living, was around this time (look at the Belgium map above).  

Credit 

The above tells us what role the town had on the French Revolution. I think that might have something to do with our family, but as nothing I've found so far is written down, it could be where we had some influence on that revolution. 

A Drawback

As you can see above, I use Google Earth as a tool to do many different things and help in different ways. However, I found sometimes the developers do something and Poof! All my places I've had mapped out are gone. It's completely gone for all of it. It gets to really be heartbreaking because then you have to go back and put it all in again. There used to be a way to save all of the places at once but that option is now gone. I'm still trying to workout how to combat this without having to redo everything. 

As you can see, maps can be used in many different ways depending on what you want to accomplish. If you haven't used this way of researching a difficult to find ancestor, you might want to give this a shot. 

Warning though. It sometimes doesn't work at all. For instance, my maternal 2x great grandparents were from Belgium and Denmark. They met in the US and lived in the Hudson Valley in New York. However, it took me to find a newspaper article and their naturalization papers to find where they actually got married - St Paul, Minnesota. 

I don't actually have any reason to know exactly why, but I'm thinking maybe my 2x great grandfather went to visit the midwest cousins and on the way back met my 2x great grandmother. It's the only thing I can think of as to why he would be over there. Although it could be he might have been looking into the land scheme for that area as he finally settled into New York as a dairy farmer.