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Ship Manifests : Profession " painter " - What does it mean ? #general
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My grandfather was a religious scholar in Lutsk i.e. as far as I know , he did not have a marketable skill when he arrived in the U.S. in 1902 . Eventually, he worked with others as a house painter , I don’t know if that was inside or outside , but my father told me that he didn’t make much money because he was always taking time off for the yom-toyvim or to daven during the day . On all the documents such as census etc . his profession was listed as “ painter “ . However , I just noticed that on his ship manifest his profession was also listed as “painter “ .
Some cousins have speculated that he was a “ portrait painter “ in Lutsk . I doubt that , not only because the rabbis frowned upon painting the human form , but also because it was not a good way to make a living . When I looked at other ship manifests , I noticed that there were a lot of people who put down their professions as “painter” . This leads to me to believe that American relatives had told people that “painter” was an acceptable profession for the American immigration authorities . I can’t believe that there were so many Marc Chagalls among Eastern European Jews . Does anyone know what “ painter” was likely to mean to Americans and Jewish immigrants in the early part of the 20th century and if it was indeed a profession that relatives told new emigrants to use ? -- Henry H. Carrey
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karen.silver@juno.com
A painter then is the same as a painter now, somebody that puts paint on a surface. It didn't matter if it was applied inside or outside a building or to a canvas on an easel. If the person were a rabbi, the manifest would list his profession as a teacher.
There was no requirement to have a marketable skill listed on the manifest in 1902. The only requirement was to be able to verify the occupation and other facts listed on the manifest when questioned upon arrival. All of my relatives were truthful in listing their occupations and among all the people I have found manifests for in my various trees, only one was listed as a painter. And that person continued to work as a painter after arriving.
Karen Silver
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tom
my late father used to refer to "ship painters" - a mildly derisive term for people who decided that they were "painters" during the voyage to america.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
....... tom klein, toronto
At 13:49 -0700 8/9/20, main@... wrote:
My grandfather was a religious scholar in Lutsk i.e. as far as I know , he did not have a marketable skill when he arrived in the U.S. in 1902 . Eventually, he worked with others as a house painter , I don't know if that was inside or outside , but my father told me that he didn't make much money because he was always taking time off for the yom-toyvim or to daven during the day . On all the documents such as census etc . his profession was listed as " painter " . However , I just noticed that on his ship manifest his profession was also listed as "painter " . --
....... tom klein, toronto
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Barbara Ellman
My grandfather and his brothers were in real estate in NYC with many apartment buildings. The brothers employed all of their relatives as they arrived as shmirers (house painters). The relatives worked as painters until they could establish themselves in another buisiness.
-- Barbara Ellman Secaucus NJ USA HASSMAN, SONENTHAL, DAUERMAN, LUCHS - Drohobycz, Ukraine HIRSCHHORN, GOLDSTEIN, BUCHWALD - Dolyna, Ukraine ELLMAN, COIRA, MAIDMAN - Minkovtsy, Ukraine KAGLE, FASS - Ulanow, Poland
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Sally Bruckheimer
"A painter then is the same as a painter now, somebody that puts paint on a surface. It didn't matter if it was applied inside or outside a building or to a canvas on an easel. If the person were a rabbi, the manifest would list his profession as a teacher."
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the Christian clerks who wrote the records did not consider rabbis teachers, but ministers or priests of the 'old religion'. In Poland teachers were bakalarz or nauczyciel, and rabbis were duchowny, clergymen. But yes, a painter is a painter, outside, inside, wherever. Sally Bruckheimer Princeton, NJ
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Harry Boonin
My 16 year old uncle was an art school student in Yelizavetgrad, Russia in October 1905 when the pogrom broke out, and his older brother was killed.
He boarded a ship in Trieste, Austria. The manifest says he was a “painter.” ”He maintained his artistic interest throughout his life time.” Harry D. Boonin Warrington, PA
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Stephen Weinstein
My great-grandfather was a house painter in the old country and a portrait painter in the U.S. The two aren't mutually exclusive.
Stephen Weinstein Camarillo, California
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