OCCUPATIONS of Anthony & His Brothers

While Anthony and others he knew likely came to Grand Rapids for the economic opportunities, most of the jobs available to immigrants without a lot of education were in the factories on the Westside of Grand Rapids, within walking distance of where they lived. Immigrants were more likely to work in the brickyards, gypsum mines and furniture and other factories than native-born Americans of British descent. The Dutch also worked in the factories but they had arrived much earlier so were making better wages and getting better jobs. (Information from “The Poles, the Dutch and the Furniture Strike of 1911”, Mary Patrice Erdmans, Polish American Studies, Vol. 62, No. 2 (Autumn, 2005), pp. 5-22) ***** It is evident when doing family genealogy that Anthony was one of many immigrants who made their way from Tomaszow Lubelski Poland (and other parts of Poland) to the opportunities available in Grand Rapids. Polish people increasingly came to Grand Rapids, Michigan from the Russian and Austrian Partitions. In the 1920 census, there were 4,269 foreign-born Poles counted. The Dutch greatly outnumbered the Polish except on the Westside where they lived and many factories were located. Polish Catholics were more likely to vote against prohibition, regulations on theaters and other entertainment and more likely to vote for an eight hour work day. (Information from “The Poles, the Dutch and the Furniture Strike of 1911”, Mary Patrice Erdmans, Polish American Studies, Vol. 62, No. 2 (Autumn, 2005), pp. 5-22) ***** Most of the jobs that Anthony and his brothers had were part of or in support of the furniture industry which was a major industry in Grand Rapids. Mr. Foote, who worked for a Grand Rapids manufacturer, testified in 1910 about the proposed increase of freight rates and the effect it would have on Grand Rapids as a market. When asked about the relative importance of Grand Rapids as “a center of furniture manufacture and sale” he said, “Grand Rapids is undoubtedly the greatest furniture market in the United States.” Besides 45 local factories, 275 manufacturers came to Grand Rapids twice a year with buyers and salesmen. He described the furniture factories and associated businesses, including “manufacturers of varnish, glue, veneers, lumber, and all the products used in the Grand Rapids Furniture business.” “The centering of the furniture factories at Grand Rapids has had a tendency to build up a great many other industries there. We have factories for manufacturing brass ornaments for furniture, factories for trucks, veneers, hand screws, clamps, dry-kiln equipment, tanners of hides, and various things like that; finishing material and so on. Besides these, we have the largest refrigerator factory in the world, one of the largest casket factories, a factory for making piano cases, interior-finish factories, factories for the manufacture of office furniture and office fixtures, and office equipment of various kinds . . . “ He also talked about the cheap lumber and cheap labor available south of the Mason Dixon line and the less expensive furniture lines that they couldn’t compete with and which would eventually contribute to the demise of the Grand Rapids market. ***** When they came to the United States in 1912, Anthony and Joseph said they were farm laborers. In the earliest Polk Directory I could find that listed him (1914), Anthony is a laborer, John is a cabinetmaker at Phoenix Furniture Company which in 1988 was razed by Grand Valley State University for part of their downtown campus. A large section of the 1873 building was salvaged by the Grand Rapids Public Museum. http://www.furniturecityhistory.org/company/3773/phoenix-furniture-co Joseph was a tacker at Keifer Tanning Company (260 Front St. SW,owner Irving Orr, 915 Cambridge Dr SE leather works.) In 1915, Anthony was a polisher and John was a shoemaker at Adolph Montrim (shoe repairer.) https://www.periodpaper.com/products/1920-ad-robert-w-irwin-co-phoenix-furniture-factory-grand-rapids-michigan-gf5-222755-gf5-231 John worked here in 1914--Phoenix ***** Picture on right: Johnson Furniture Company where John worked in 1917. http://www.furniturecityhistory.org/company/3645/johnson-furniture-co In January, 1916 when John (26) got married, he was still a shoemaker and his fiance, Frances (25), was a dishwasher. Later that year in June when Anthony got married, he was a laborer/polisher and his fiance, Clementena, was a factory hand. When they registered for the WWI draft the following June,1917, Anthony (22) was a Tanner at the tannery. Joseph no longer was at the tannery and was a cabinet maker at Grand Rapids Piano Case Company. Jan was no longer a shoemaker and was a cabinet maker at Johnson Furniture Company. ***** In 1921, John and Joseph were still cabinet makers. Anthony left the tannery and was a clerk at Charles (Powlski) Powlowski’s Billiards at 612 Bridge St. NW. This location had opened in 1916 as the Buddy Theater, opened by the Buddy Brothers. It seated 500 and was “handsomely decorated in old rose and white.” **Pool halls must have been a popular entertainment with 13 listed in the city that year. Charles Powlowski was from the same part of Poland, immigrated to Grand Rapids and married his wife the same year Anthony married Pauline. He also had a soft drink store at 511 Bridge St. NW. By 1922, the city had 30 billiard halls and Anthony (Radzkiewicz) was listed in the city directory as the owner. He had five competitors on Bridge Street alone. In 1923, he was co-owners with Mr. Czarnopis and there were 33 pool halls in Grand Rapids. This was likely Stanislaw Czarnopis who came to the US with Anthony’s brother Jan.. The family legend is that he made $100 a day and was often raided. Shirley remembers hearing these stories but it was “before her time.” Interestingly, Grand Rapids had gone dry, at midnight, April 30, 1918 and the state soon followed with Prohibition voted in until it was repealed in 1933. It is unclear if gambling or alcohol contributed to the money made or the demise of his business. By 1924 the number grew to 34 but sadly, Anthony was no longer running one of them and there was no longer a listing in the city directory. ***** By 1925, Anthony was listed as a laborer. In 1928 Anthony was still a laborer, Joseph a cabinetmaker and John is no longer listed. By 1929 Anthony was a worker ***** By 1930, Joseph was listed as a veteran. Anthony worked at Keifer Tannery as a tacker and made $6500. “The early 1930's, of course, were the years of the Great Depression. With its onslaught in 1929 and its relentless persistence, the community of St. Adalbert's suffered many setbacks, beginning with the closing of the Polish-American Bank, located at the intersection of Bridge, Lexington, and Stocking. As a result of its closing, many parishioners lost a large share of their life's savings. The setbacks continued with the folding of small businesses and the slowdown of larger industries, resulting in layoffs and, at least, cutbacks in working hours.” http://www.mipolonia.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/St.-Adalbert_1881-1981_Grand-Rapids_MI.pdf ***** Anthony worked 40 weeks in 1940 for $1,000 continuing his work as a Lacquer at a tannery. He continued as a tanneyr worker and lacquer through 1959, the latest city directory I can find. Daughter Shirley remembers him bringing home castoff pieces of leather and her sister Lorraine had some of them in her home. If he worked in Grand Rapids from 1914 to 1959, he worked for at least 45 years until age 64. According to daughter Shirley, this was about the time he must have had to retire. She remembers that I (Paulette) was supposed to have eye surgery as a toddler and it got canceled due to a family emergency of her father having a ruptured esophagus and having surgery for it. She said it was uncommon to recover from this. ***** In 1942, when he registered for the WWII draft, Anthony still worked at Keifer Tannery at 240 Front St. NW which was owned by Irving Orr who lived at 915 Cambridge Dr. SE., a 3,000 square foot home built newly built in the affluent city of East Grand Rapids. ***** Occupation information is available only through 1928 for Joseph. While he originally lived with John, may have lived on his own, by 1940 Joe was living with Anthony and Pauline and their family. According to the census that year, Joe was receiving some income other than wages. It is believed that his sister-in-law Pauline had helped him to apply for some sort of support. ***** When she arrived in October of 1923, Marion, Anthony’s sister, had been a farm laborer. When she got married in 1924, she was a factory worker in Grand Rapids and her fiance Frank was a core xx maker in Muskegon. *****