Odd Jobs of the 1930 Census

The 1930 Census followed the established questions of earlier U. S. Census.  Two questions were asked to determine what a person did for a living.  Questions 25 and 26 asked the individual's "occupation" and in which "industry" they were employed.   Despite the stock market crash in 1929, numerous  members of famous households  listed their employment in brokerage's, banks, and in investment.   It probably says less about the availability and security of these jobs, but that well-healed parents offered their children the opportunity to pursue their dreams.  Many of America's notables came for average middle class families with parents who were teachers, laborers, ministers, and farmers.  The 1930 Census recorded early occupations of the famous and their parents which now appear antiquated.

Mimeographer - Bond House:  Operated the mimeograph machine (a primitive form of copier) at a brokerage.  Folks from who were students before the 1970's will have fond memories of sniffing the ink from recently printed assignments.

Roto-burn Operator - Newspaper:  Part of the rotogravure process that printed photographs in the newspapers.

Vaudeville Actor:  Vaudeville existed all across the U.S.  "Gypsy" not only is a terrific musical, but it also depicts the comic and musical acts that had become the mainstay of vaudeville.  By 1930 motion pictures had started to diminish vaudeville audiences, but it was still Americans' source of live variety entertainment .

Telegraph Operator - Northern Pacific.  Before the telephone and years before Telex, Americans relied on railroad telegraph offices and Western Union to send messages fast across the country.

Accountant - Corset Factory.  The corset had lost favor as a women's undergarment with the flappers of the 1920's.  It was only two years before the 1930 census that Maidenform company was founded and the current sizing of inches and lettered cups was introduced.   The corset all but disappeared with the women's movements of the 1960's and onward. 

Barrel Maker.   "Roll out the barrel!" Barrels were a necessity for the transportation of beer and wine.   They were made primarily of wood; the type of wood often enhancing the flavor of the product.  With the advent of plastics and lighter materials, many industries no longer use wooden barrels.  Beer barrels today are aluminum kegs. 

Topographic Engineer - U.S. Government.  Government Topographers make maps of U. S. territory and also practice map making on the move with the military forces in foreign lands.  Follow this link to an interesting article about topographer's involvement in the Middle East.

Stenographer - Lawyer's Office.  A stenographer, or court report operates a stenograph or stenotype machine to take detailed short-hand notes of long narratives. It's a stenographer you'll see typing on a small machine in the front of a courtroom.

Reptile Curator - Zoo. While this isn't an antiquated job, it's certainly an odd job.  The notable American who held this job in 1930 went on to become one of the most respected animal experts in the United States.