The Professions of David Orel Kruvand (1805-?)

Below are some index records I found on Ancestry pertaining to my third great grandfather, David Orel Kruvand. I do not believe the original records are accessible anywhere online, yet. 

The first record is from 1840, and the second 1852. In those 12 years he went from being a Miller to being a Butcher. What caused this change of occupation? What happened to the mill? Nothing certain, but one can certainly imagine several hypotheses.  In the first record - a census - he was 35 years old, and the second 47. It seems rather late in life, in that era, for a career change. But it is possible the mill belonged to his father, and he was not successful in keeping it up.  Or one of a multitude of other possibilities.

I recently found both records in a search, but it is interesting to speculate what I, or another genealogist, might conclude if only one record had turned up. If one only knew about his job as a Miller, one might conclude the family was, if not wealthy, successful. The physical requirements of a mill probably limited the number of millers in a town, and limited competition. This is not necessarily the case for butchers. So his success as a butcher might have depended upon the amount of competition he had as well as his skills. 

Butcher is a slightly humorous occupation for him to have gone into. Why? I learned a few years ago that the Lithuanian word, "Kruvinas," means 'bloody," and the town Kruvandai was named after a particularly bloody war. Kruvandai is near Cekiske, and everyone in town would have known from where the family got their surname. But there would likely have been a slight chuckle among residents that someone with that surname was a butcher. Under Kosher dietary laws blood has to be drained from meat, so "Kruvand meat" might have had negative connotations, even if everyone understood the origin of the surname.

I don't know yet when David Orel Kruvand passed away. The next generation started immigrating to America in the 1870s and 1880s.

Civilian Occupation Codes II - NARA Discovered their Error in 2005

Last week I discovered that NARA and Ancestry had changed the Civilian Occupations on all of their World War II Army Enlistment Records.  These records are transcriptions derived from microfilmed punch cards - so they were prone to human error from the start. However, it was apparent that the list of occupation codes that was originally used to interpret the cards was wrong.  I found a copy of the original list, and the current list.

What I didn't know was when the discovery was made.

The below release from NARA is dated in December of 2005.
The records I retrieved from Ancestry.com with the wrong occupations  - I retrieved from May to October, 2007.
I still don't know when Ancestry's records were updated.

The following comes from the "Reference Copy of Technical Documentation for Accessioned Electronic Records." (PDF available from NARA.gov)

Supplemental User Note 5

Army Serial Number Electronic File, ca. 1938 -1946: Merged Processed File NN3-064-03-008

Civilian Occupation Codes

Following numerous user complaints that the Civilian Occupation Code interpretations did not match what was known from other sources, an investigation was conducted into the sources of the code books and keypunch operator manuals used when punching the Enlistment card's Civilian Occupation Code field.

There were several code books and operator's manuals in use during Wodd War II for coding civilian occupations, depending upon which War Department form or IBM punch card was being punched. Two codebooks were discovered in the records of the Textual Records Division, Modem Military Records (NWCTM) and Modem Civilian Records (NWCTC): Civilian Occupational Classification of Enlisted Personnel (TM 12-426) (War Department 1 July 1944) and Army Regulations No. 615-26 (AR 615-26) (War Department September 15, 1942). These employed two civilian occupation coding systems, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and the US Army's Specification Serial Number. The latter was considered by Army to be a better way to match soldiers' civilian occupations with their military occupation specialties (MOS). Both were used when keypunching W.D., A.G.O. Form No. 20, the Soldier's Qualification Card. Both coding systems were mistakenly used together when assigning interpretations to the Civilian Occupation Codes found in the Army Serial Number Electronic File, ca. 1938 -1946: Merged Processed File. When used together, the two coding systems frequently assigned two different interpretations to the same code, resulting in user confusion.

Civilian occupation information was furnished by the enlistee or inductee during their interview at the Recruit Reception Center. Based upon the individual's statements, the interviewer wrote down an Occupation Code that was looked up in was looked up in Code No. 30, Civilian Occupation, in Technical Manual 12-310 (15 January 1944). Code 30 was supplemented by Code 30A, Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). This code written in a box on the individual's Enlistment Record (W.D.A.G.O. Form 22) or the Report of Physical Examination and Induction (Armed Forces' Original D.S.S. Form 221). Though no complete version of Code 30A was found during our investigation of the coding errors, three pages were found in a draft version of Technical Manual (TM) 12-310 that was circulated on July 7, 1942. Later (1945) WD AGO Form 372 keypunch operators were instructed by the Machine Records Operation Technical Manual (TM 12-305), 1 November 1945, that ''the first three digits ofthe codes in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles will be used."

Upon discovery that Civilian Occupational Classification of Enlisted Personnel (TM 12-426) (War Department 1 July 1944) and Army Regulations No. 615-26 (AR 615-26) (War Department September 15, 1942) were intended for use with the Soldier's Qualification Card, these folders were removed from the documentation. They were replaced by copies of portions the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, Part I of III, Definitions of Titles, Prepared by the Job Analysis and Information Section Division of Standards and Research (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1939, 1943 and 1945).

Accession No: NN3-064-03-008
Prepared by Lee A. Gladwin, Archivist
Date: December 28, 2005

Civil Occupation Codes: What's Going On Here?

If you copied the transcriptions of WWII enlistment records from Ancestry.com in the past, it might be prudent to do a search and see if the "Civil Occupation" has been changed.  

Depending upon when you made the copy, there is a very good chance that it has.  I don't know yet the date the records were updated/corrected.

As I mentioned in my post earlier today, I noticed that Ancestry's WW2 Enlistment record for my Great Uncle, Mandell Newmark, had changed since I copied it in 2007.  The Civil Occupation had been changed from "Bandsman, Oboe or Parts Clerk, Automobile" to "Salespersons."

It was my belief that the original transcriber of the record had misread the Occupation Code.  That is no longer my belief.  The Civil Occupations on other Enlistment Records I screen-grabbed back in 2007 are now different too.

Mandell Newmark
Formerly "Bandsman, Oboe or Parts Clerk, Automobile"
Now "Salesperson"


Seymour Feinstein
Was: Railway Signal Operator
Now: Salesmen and sales agents, except to consumers


Sidney Feinstein
Was: Foreman, Laundry or Foreman, Auto Repair Shop
Now: Foremen, services amusements



Cruvant Altman
Was: Barber or Lawyer (Attorney or counselor at law)
Now: Lawyers and Judges


It seems that the Occupation Code List has changed as well.

The original list can be seen on the Kansas GenWeb site

Their citation: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 [Electronic Records]; Data Table: ENLISTMENT RECORDS; Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration; Series: World War II Army Enlistment Records, 6/1/2002 - 9/30/2002. (Online version on July 16, 2005 at http://www.archives.gov/aad/index.html.)

The current list can be found at archives.gov (as/of today: Aug 31, 2011)

Their citation: File unit: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records)
in the Series: World War II Army Enlistment Records, created 6/1/2002 - 9/30/2002, documenting the period ca. 1938 - 1946. - Record Group 64

The two lists are significantly different.

Comparing the old and new descriptions to the old and new Occupation Code lists reveals that in none of the cases above did the occupation code change.  The transcription error was not in reading the code.  The transcription error was apparently using the wrong list. Meaning this wasn't an error in one or two records. The error would have been in ALL of them.

Did Ancestry.com or the National Archives ever make an announcement that they had erred, and that those who had looked up records before should look again?  It's very possible they did and I missed it.  Maybe others did too.

Workday Wednesday: Occupations of Selig Feinstein

Recently Denise Spurlock of Denise's Life in the Past Lane began a new meme: Workday Wednesday.  She writes:

Sometimes it seems like all my ancestors were farmers, but the records tell me differently. Some of the occupations I've found: shoemaker, milliner, wheelwright, mine worker, preacher, and sawmill owner. My dad was a sheet metal worker; I have several photos of him at work. I will be using the "Workday Wednesday" theme for sharing photos, stories, and records related to my ancestors' work lives. If you like, join me in posting on your own blog, or as a comment here, how your ancestors spent "Workday Wednesday!"

I like this idea. I, too, have been surprised by both the unique, and often repeated occupations of my ancestors. Most of what I have learned about recent ancestors hasn't been 'news' to my family, though I have uncovered documentation, and some extra details. Perhaps the biggest revelation has been in the case of my second great grandfather, Selig Feinstein.  The paternal grandfather of my paternal grandmother, Selig arrived in America in 1890.  The family remembered him as being active in both real estate and in the laundry business.

My research uncovered he had been in the US for 16 years when he entered the real estate business in 1906 (at the earliest).  It may have been 1911 before he opened his first laundry. His trade in the 'old country' is unknown, though he is listed as a 'laborer' on the arriving passenger manifest, and 'schlosser' on the German departing manifest, which translates to either 'locksmith' or 'metalworker.'

Occupations and Business Partners of Selig Feinstein (1860-1915)
(Unless otherwise indicated - Source: St. Louis City Directories)

• 1892-1898 - Feinstein and Wieselman - Shoers 
• 1898 - Feinstein and Wieselman - Inventors (source: patent database)
• 1899-1900 - Feinstein and Wieselman - Blacksmiths
• 1901-1902 - mgr The Western Junk Shop
• 1903 - Feinstein and Schriber, Junk
• 1904-1905 - Junk
• 1908 - Feinstein and Broude - Real Estate - Selig Feinstein, (his son) Harry Feinstein, and Sergius Broude
• 1909 - Feinstein Real Estate Co - Selig and Harry
• 1911 - Royal Laundry Co - Selig and (his son) Herman (Selig: Pres., Herman: Mgr) 
• 1912 - Central Laundry Co. (source: newspaper clipping)
• 1914 - Famous Laundry Co - Annie Feinstein (wife), Pearl Feinstein (daughter), Selig Feinstein incorporators 

My interpretation of these facts is that following the successful patent of improvements to fire hydrants, shoers Feinstein and Wieselman promoted themselves to blacksmiths and experienced enough success that Feinstein opened his own junk store. Then, at the age of 46, Selig left the junk store business.

Selig seems to have entered the Real Estate and Laundry industries just as his children were starting out in these industries themselves.  This leads to questions concerning his role in these ventures. His participation may have been a means of passing on his business management experience to his children.

The Chicago Key Puncher's Finish - a poem

A poem found in my maternal grandmother's collection. The type of office humor that still gets passed around today. The poem is attributed to "Anon," and I have been unable to find references to it online.

Her saving the poem suggests my grandmother was familiar with the operation of a keypunch in the 1920s and 30s when she worked for the Post Office.

(click to enlarge)

Van Every Apiary

The photo on the left is a small part of a larger photo that I'd seen in my grandmother's collection, but I had no idea who the people were, or where they were. Last night my mother suggested they were surrounded by bee colonies. It made sense - my great grandfather, Melvin Van Every, was an apiarist. I looked up images online, and there is no question in my mind. This is quite likely a bee yard (or apiary).

However, I still don't know who the women are. I'd like the approx 5 year old girl to be my grandmother, Myrtle Van Every, and the older woman to be her mother, Margaret, or older sister, Minnie. That would date the photo to circa 1905. Minnie would have been 21, and Margaret 37. However, I don't know if Melvin Van Every was a beekeeper yet. I do know that by 1914 he was "one of the most extensive apiarists" in the state of Texas. It's a logical conclusion that the apiary belonged to my great-grandfather, but without any labeling, and without recognizing either of the two people, it's not certain.

My maternal grandmother labeled less than half of the photos in her collection. Of course, it could be worse. She could have labeled none. Here's the full photograph:

National Archives Archival Databases

The National Archives (NARA) provides free access to their Archival Databases.There are a large variety of records there, including the WWII Enlistment Records. (I know I've browsed through their records before, but I hadn't double-checked the data I had previously retrieved from Ancestry.com.)

They list my great uncle, Mandell's occupation as salesperson, which suggests the person who entered the data at Ancestry.com did mistake a '175' for a '170' (see previous entry). It also suggests that there was some way to indicate on the record which of several occupations in a particular category applied.

Confirming this is that a first cousin of my grandfather, Cruvant Altman, was a lawyer. He was classified under category 22 on his enlistment record. On Ancestry's record it says correctly, "Barber or Lawyer". However, NARA is more specific with "Lawyers and Judges".

Neither provide the image of the original document, but it looks like NARA's records provide better detail.

WWII Army Enlistment Occupational Codes

When I found my great-uncle Mandell Newmark's army enlistment record at Ancestry.com, under Civil Occupation it said: BANDSMAN, OBOE or PARTS CLERK, AUTOMOBILE.

When I showed this to my parents, they scratched their heads in bewilderment. Everyone knew that he had worked in a local clothing store. Mandell was killed in action in 1945, and while his two brothers survived the war, both are now deceased. However, a close friend and classmate of Mandell's survives, and she has remained in touch with our family over the years. She also has no recollection of Mandell playing a musical instrument.

I found a list of Civil Occupation Codes at a Kansas GenWeb site, which cites the National Archives as its source.

One mistake I made was reading the entry as two answers. BANDSMAN, OBOE or PARTS CLERK, AUTOMOBILE is only one answer. Code: 175. If you fell in either category, you got the same code.

There are other weird combinations.
Code 022 is BARBER or LAWYER. (Some barbers used to be known for 'bleeding you dry', but they used a razor.)

Code 042 is CAMERA REPAIRMAN or CHIROPRACTOR (because repairing your back is the same as repairing your camera.)

Code 024 is BLACKSMITH or BAND OR ORCHESTRA LEADER (Band leader.) or MUSICIAN, INSTRUMENTAL (Bandsman.) or BANDSMAN, CLARINET or BANDSMAN, CORNET OR TRUMPET or BANDSMAN, DRUM, BASS or BANDSMAN, DRUM, SNARE or BANDSMAN, EUPHONIUM OR BARITONE or BANDSMAN, FLUTE OR PICCOLO or BANDSMAN, FRENCH HORN or BANDSMAN, SAXOPHONE or BANDSMAN, TROMBONE or BANDSMAN, TUBA

I am unable to explain why the Oboe isn't under code #024. And what is a Blacksmith doing there?

CLERK, CLOTHING STORE, unsurprisingly, doesn't have a code. It's likely the enlistment official was told to choose a category they thought to be closest. In their position, I might have decided, depending upon my uncle's duties: 055 - CLERK, GENERAL, or more likely, another interesting combination: 170 - ENGINEERING AIDE (DESIGNATED FIELD) or SALES CLERK.

There was also the choice 010 - NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED (But I suspect this category was discouraged.)

Final note: It just occurred to me the Ancestry.com enlistment records don't show the images for the original documents. Someone hand entered all the data, and probably read the code on the document, looked the code up on the chart, and typed out what it meant. Depending upon handwriting a 170 could look like a 175.

Deciphering an Occupation

Can anybody read the occupation on the left? It's obviously the newspaper industry, and some sort of agent. It references Samuel (aka Stanford) Ophan Van Every, a brother of my grandmother. Unless I am confusing two individuals with similar names, and it doesn't appear that I am, he was a conductor (railway) in 1910, and an optometrist from about 1922-1933, so he had a diverse career.

Route Agent as Karen suggests in the comments seems like an obvious choice now. I was trying to come up with something that began with a C or a P for some reason.

a/u

I'm a writer by vocation and avocation. A grant writer (professional beggar) by trade, writing poetry and fiction on the side. So I enjoy words, and how they interact with each other.

So I was thinking today about my paternal great-great grandfathers. Three of them tailors, one of them a blacksmith - or at least he was a blacksmith for a decade. I was reading a description about blacksmithing and came across the synonym, "farrier." I thought to myself, "Wait! Farriers are tailors!" I remembered seeing that occupation on a form for one of my ancestors. And then I remembered, no, it was 'furrier.' (Furriers are basically tailors who work with fur, as farriers are blacksmiths who work with farses horses.)

So if someone asks me what my ancestors did, I'm telling them they were farriers and furriers. Though with some of my friends, they will think that the latter dressed up in animal costumes, and the other in women's dresses while working at a M*A*S*H* unit. And while there aren't any photographs of that, I have no proof they didn't.

(my mother's side adds 'farmers' to the mix, which fits perfectly.)