Treasure Chest Thursday: Nathan Garber, 1925 Census

Nathan Garber has been a refreshing departure from the great gaggle of immigrant glaziers - or whatever one should call an extraordinarily large gathering of one occupation - in my family. On my father's side of the family, his father Jack, one Garber uncle (Eddie), grandfather Isidore Morris, his uncles Max and Murray Morris, along with every one of his  grandmother's (Sarah Myers Morris) brothers (Myer, Louis, Joseph and Harry Myers). The only ones who were not glaziers were my grandfather's brothers Nathan and Max who were in the dairy (butter and eggs) business.

One often hears that it is good genealogical practice to go back to records in one's possession and look at them with fresh eyes. In deciding which record to include in today's post I initially thought I would cover the 1925 New York State Census enumeration for my great grandfather Abraham Garber. I recalled that he lived in the same tenement building as his eldest son Nathan's family: 230-232 Madison Street, New York, New York. Nathan's family was not enumerated on the same page as Abraham. They are on the previous page. And when I looked at Nathan's information I was surprised to see something I'd not noticed before: his occupation was listed as . . . glass business.

Detail of 1925 New York State Census page for Nathan Garber; full page, below [1]

230-32 Madison Street, New York County, New York
Assembly District 1
Enumeration District 7

Nathan Garber, head of the family, white race, male, age 40, born in Russia, 15 years in the United States, citizen, naturalization info unknown, occupation glass business, own account.

Yetta Garber, wife, white race, female, age 39, born in Russia, 13 years in the US, citizen, naturalization information unknown, occupation housewife.

Ray Garber, daughter, white race, female, age 18, born in Russia, 13 years in the US, alien, occupation ladies wear helper, worker.

Lillie Garber, daughter, white race, female, age 16, born in Russia, 13 years in the IS, alien, in school.

Irving Garber, son, white race, male, age 5, born in the US, citizen.

Nathan was 40 years old and had been in the United States since 18 June 1910.[2] His family (Yetta, Ray and Lillie) arrived with my grandfather Jack on 2 September 1912.[3] Nathan and Yetta's son Irving was born in New York City.

Nathan became a citizen 1 July 1919. [4] So actually, he, Yetta and both Ray and Lillie acquired citizenship status as a result of his naturalization. Ray and Lillie were not aliens as reported on the census page.

Getting back to the odd part: Nathan is enumerated as a glazier. This is the only record I have of him in this profession. He had a butter and egg store at 242 Madison Street for many years. And when his father, Abraham emigrated in 1922, he worked with Nathan selling butter and eggs. 

The New York City directories in Ancestry's collections from 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1922 and 1933 show him selling butter and eggs. The 1925 New York City Directory includes Abram Garber selling butter and eggs at 242 Madison Street, but Nathan is not listed. I have checked in Ancestry's 1926, 1927, 1928, 1931 and 1932 directories - no Nathan. 

The 1915 New York Census and the 1920, 1930, and 1940 U.S. Census all say Nathan was working in the butter and egg business - most of the time in business for himself. His World War I and World War II draft registrations indicated he's in the egg business.

I will likely have to go beyond online records and check other directories to evaluate the Nathan's occupation in the 1925 New York State Census. Not knowing who provided the information to the enumerator, makes it difficult to evaluate how this information was placed on the census form.

Notes:
1. 1925 New York State Census, New York County,New York, population schedule, New York City, Assembly District 1, Enumeration District 7, sheet 21, entries 19-23, Nathan and Yetta Garber family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 June 2012), citing New York State Archives, Albany, New York.

2. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Uranium, Rotterdam to New York, arriving 18 June 1910, p. 10, line 30, Nuchim Garber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 1501.

3. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 February 2009), manifest, Birma, Libau to New York, arriving 2 September 1912, p. 4, line 17, Itte Arber; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, Roll 1926.

4. Petition for Naturalization of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1865-1937, for Nathan Garber, 1 July 1919; Microfilm Image, Family History Library, Microfilm 1,451,074; from National Archives microfilm Publication Number M1879.