Saturday, February 19, 2011

Farming,.. craftsmen,... tradesmen,... and entrepeneurs.

The main focus of this blog is individual members of a typical American family of European immigrants.  However where individual stories are often thin the farther back you go, a much about their lives can be concluded by looking a the society in which they lived.  So from time to time I'm going to include some basic historical information on the times in which family members lived that can give us a better window into their lives.

One thing that struck me on reviewing birth, death and marriage records, census data, and other information is this: almost all of my ancestors prior to 1900 are listed as "farmers."  I realize this kind of generic term would have been widely understood or the census takers wouldn't have used it.  We don't find much in the way of descriptors, such as "tobacco farmer," or the like.  So occupations often have to be guessed at from clues one can pick up on.

Several of our ancestors lived in Shenandoah County, Virginia and the surrounding counties.  This probably indicates that they were largely subsistence farmers, meaning they grew or raised everything they needed to feed their own families, but that many probably raised grain (wheat, oats, barley) for sale.  Throughout the 19th century, the Shenandoah  Valley was such a prolific source of grains for human and animal consumption that it was known as the 'granary' of the South. 

Growing wheat was so widespread that it was in the Valley where Cyrus McCormick developed his famous reaping machine (actually at Steele's Tavern in Rockbridge County).

The region had been dominated by tobacco farming in the 17th and 18th centuries, but methods used at the time required tobacco farmers to constantly find new land since this valuable cash crop quickly exhausted lands it was raised on.

Because of these factors, I suspect that even if our earliest ancestors in America were tobacco farmers, they switched over to other principal crops by the 19th century.

Many of the family farmers moved from northwestern Virgina and southern Maryland into mid- and western West Virginia prior to or around the time of the Civil War.

What skills would a 'farmer' of the 19th century have had.  Obviously the skills to till the soil, plant and harvest crops, probably buying, raising, breeding, slaughtering and processing farm animals such as cows, pigs, goats and sheep, likely the purchase, breeding, and using horses and oxen for farm work and transportation--all of these were needed.  We live in an age where specialization usually divides the various tasks associated into trades or service categories, but it's likely that most everyone had to have basic knowledge and skill in every area, and real specialists were few and far between.

Even lumbering and carpentry, early mineral extraction and blacksmithing were probably much more familiar to all men, though the expense of tools and resources, and the efficiency of specialists caused these areas to specialize earlier than others.

By the mid- to late-19th century, my ancestors were often identified by profession, e.g. carpenter, miner, etc.  Many were still 'farm laborer,' or simply 'laborer.'  Others found the mines of West Virginia a place to earn a living as this industry got started and grew.  West Virginia archives indicate that life and work in the mines was horrifically hard and dangerous.  It's been said that during World War I, U.S. soldiers had better odds of surviving on the front lines than miners did in West Virginia coal mines.  Mine disasters were frequent; hazardous conditions were the norm. In 1907, the Monongah mine explosion claimed the lives of 361 West Virginia miners.  Day-to-day life often resembled serfdom, with management controlling vast swaths of the miners' lives.  

Given that kind of record, it’s not hard to understand my grandfather’s aversion to working in the mines, not to mention the family’s strong pro-union sympathies.  (He was 22 and working in the mines in the 1920s when the Battle of Blair Mountain took place killing hundreds of miners in open warfare.)  Interestingly even today, long after unions have ceased to be needed, many in our family hold these sympathies despite living lives totally different from those of early miners and laborers.  (By the way, mining today is NOTHING like what it used to be--today it's much, much, much safer and as technology dependent as every other form of manufacturing today.)

The advent of the industrial revolution in America came with the expansion of economic activity from the self-sufficient farm to more broadly organized production and exchange of goods and services.  This brought rise to the entrepeurial opportunity on a scale previously uncommon.

Looking at my ancestors career choices, many appear to have done whatever they could to find a better source of income and a better way of life.  In some cases, this meant moving into the exchange market.  My grandfather's roots in Hamlin, West Virginia no doubt saw him grow up in a world of farm work--lots and lots of farm work--until he got old enough to get a job in the mines.  But he and his relatives were widely dissatisfied with the hardships of mine work, so he embarked on an entrepeneurial life in a variety of avenues.  At one time he bought trucks and started a trucking company.  Later he returned to farm life, but with a clear entrepeneurial slant to it as he produced milk for sale to dairies, beef cattle for sale and even other produce for sale from time to time.  I'm still looking for other information on family members participating in entrepeneurial activities but the spirit of the age seems to indicate that many must have.

6 comments:

  1. Just dropped by from Miss Mustard Seed's. I wanted to tell you what an inspiration your blog is to me.

    I have become my family's next historian, with the passing of my uncles, and have been researching and chronicling my findings in Ancestry.com. Although a great tool for research, it doesn't come close to the power of the narrative - as evidenced by this blog!!

    I think I've discovered a reason to blog. Thanks for being a model!

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  2. I'd have to say ditto to the above comment. I have been thinking of starting a family history blog, as I have been playing at genealogy reseach for our family. I'll be checking in on you now and then!

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  3. Hello,

    I think this information is very interesting. I am from West Virginia, originally from Lincoln County. I now live in Hurricane, close to Hamlin. My grandfather was born in 1905 and worked in the mines of Logan county when he was only 11 years old. His father had died and left him with the burden of supporting his brothers and sisters.

    My grandmother's two brothers also died in World War II. Life was so tough in this area. It really makes you appreciate your own life more.

    My Aunt really loves to do geneoly, and it is very rewarding for her. Keep up the good work!
    I enjoy reading your daughters blog.

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  4. Thanks for the kind comments and my advice is "go for it!" The more of this information to be recorded somewhere is that much more our decendents will be able to find somewhere. I think it will help them some day.

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  5. RJ: This is Carolyn (from the first comment) and I just stopped back to tell you that thanks to your example, I've started a family genealogy blog myself. (http://progenitorfiles.blogspot.com/)

    After I read through your blog, I realized that I had been under a vague impression that everyone's ancestors came from Ireland and worked in the textile mills in New England. It's easy to think that when you're surrounded by others with the same type of family history. Reading your blog made me realize that I was being a bit myopic in that regard.

    My siblings and cousins are really thankful for the information I'm providing. Thanks again for the inspiration!

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  6. Thanks Carolyn, your blog is great, exactly what I'm trying to do here. Best, Jack

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