U.S. Census reports

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Hi Everyone,

I just started taking a look through the 1930 U.S. census. I'm looking specifically at Wiscasset and learning who worked for the railroad or otherwise there. It's very interesting. I invite anyone who's interested to take a look for themselves and see what they find.

For example, Everett Jackson, who I believe was an engineer for the WW&F lived on the Old Sheepscot Road in a home he owned. He lived there with his wife Mary, his son also named Everett, and his mother. The family lived on a farm, and they did not own a radio set (sorry Stewart!) Everett was 24 when he Married Mary, who was 21 at the time. Everett's son must have seen the writing on the wall, because he was employed as a truck driver for the Grain Mill.

https://archive.org/stream/15thcensus835unit#page/n951/mode/1up

Enjoy,
Steve

[Stephen Piwowarski]

A few more interesting things I uncovered while searching the census records (I don't know if any of this has been looked at before... some of it might be in "Two Feet to Tidewater"

From the 1910 Census:
Engineer William A. Maloy, 24 years old lived with his Stepfather William Mason who was a laborer in Wiscasset. William, like his mother Regina was born in Canada and spoke English as his native language. They took Manley Glidden, also an engineer on the WW&F, and also 24 years old as a boarder.
Their neighbor in Wiscasset was Fred Coffin, then employed on the WW&F as a car inspector.

By this time Sam Sewall was working as General Manager on the WW&F with his brother Charles serving as Assistant Manager. They lived just down the street from each other. Sam was still living in his parents house with his wife Katherine and their daughter Elizabeth. Sam's dad Fred was the cashier at the bank. By 1930, Charles had moved on and was Principal at the High School.

Others who worked for the Railroad (either WW&F or MEC, the census isn't specific) in Wiscasset at this time were:
Charles Metcalf as a car inspector,
Charles Stuart as a watchman,
Warren Pushard(sp?) as a section hand,
George Lincoln as a brakeman,
Frank Grey as a Station Agent,
Simon Wall as a Section Man,
Charles Tibbetts as a conductor,
Henry Pushard as a fireman,
Wider Lewis as a baggageman,
John Wright as a carpenter,
Europe McKinney as a section foreman,
Addi Berry as a section hand,
George Poole as an engineer,
William Rimes (sp?) car shop machinist,
James Maloy as laborer,
Richard Maloy as a section hand,
Everett Jackson as a locomotive engineer,
Arthur Brown as a bridgetender (I assume for the MEC),
Herman Dodge as a clerk;

All told that is 23 folks working for the railroad in Wiscasset in 1910!

If anyone on here can confirm the accuracy of these records, it would be much appreciated!

Take Care,
Steve

[Tom Casper]

A few more interesting things I uncovered while searching the census records (I don't know if any of this has been looked at before... some of it might be in "Two Feet to Tidewater"

If anyone on here can confirm the accuracy of these records, it would be much appreciated!

Take Care,
Steve

Steve, Government records are impeccable!  Interesting research never the less.

Tom C.

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for doing the census research.  Interesting stuff, especially some of the questions that were asked back then.  Good list of names, some of those people should be in the old photos taken on the WW&F.  Just have to put names with some of the crew members if possible.

Start

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Thanks Stewart.

I was inspired to start looking at the census records by the work of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York. They used the census records to discover who lived in their tenement building at different points throughout history. They then got in touch with the families and were able to recover stories and artifacts to help tell the family stories at the museum.  For those of you who have not been, it is well worth the visit.

Steve

[Eric Larsen]

Looks like William A Maloy may have gone on to Portland and hired on with the MEC as an engineer in the 1930 and 1940 census?  Probably came down from St. John, or St. Stephens NB where there were some other Maloys.  Possibly named Augustine William Maloy?

Edit:  Found his son William E Maloy's birth record in Portland.  It says his father (William A Maloy) was from Spring Hill, NS. 
After working as an engineer of the WW&F or possibly the MCRR?? he went to Brunswick and then on to Portland.  he was still working for the MCRR in 1940 census.  He appears to have had two brothers in the Wiscasset/ Alna area.  A John and a Richard.  Richard married a Lydia Rhines....

[Philip Marshall]

Great research Steve, and also Eric. Census records are a gold mine of information.

I was doing some genealogical research of my own a few years ago and found my grandfather (who was born in 1915) in the 1920 census, in which he was listed as living with his parents and brother in New York City. One of the questions asked that year was whether each person was able to read and write, and the census enumerator dutifully recorded my 5 year old grandfather as "illiterate". Of course he did eventually go to school and learn to read, but that just hadn't happened yet as of 1920.  It's a snapshot in time.

-Philip Marshall