What’s in My Bag: Shoe Factory Foreman’s Everyday Carry from the 1900’s

Q & A with the Grand Daughter of a 1900’s Factory Foreman:

I recently reached out to Cecilia (age 49 and an educator in Alaska, USA) who had posted online about some of her grandfather’s belongings. I was very interested and asked if she was willing to do a brief interview on some of the items. She showed interest and went out of her way to provide me with more information, visuals, and answers on some of the items and her grandfather’s life!

Name of Grandfather: Leo James Wardell

Location: Binghamton, New York, USA

Occupation: Shoe Factory Foreman

Birthdate: 11 Aug. 1897

Date of Death: 10 Aug. 1946

1) Brief bio of your grandfather:

My grandfather, Leo Wardell was the youngest of seven children. He grew up in Binghamton, New York. He met his wife, Grace Gately in 1925. They married and had six children together. As a young man, he began working in a shoe factory manufacturing shoes and eventually became a foreman in the factory.

2) Could you give me a brief description of some of the items in the photo above?

• Most of the items are self explanatory (glasses, handkerchief, coins, peanuts, cigarettes, chewing gum, pen and pencils).
• The 3 knives had different purposes. One was for work, one for food and one for personal grooming (cleaning under fingernails).
• My grandfather enjoyed woodworking so I believe the carpenter’s pocket square was used for that.
• The small leather tablets were used for tracking his employees hours and wages.

3) How did you come across these items?

My grandfather died suddenly from a heart attack at the age of 49. All of the items in the photos were found in his pockets when he died. When the coroner returned his possessions to his family, my mother decided to keep everything. She has kept all of the items in a small cedar box since his death in 1946.

4) What are some interesting facts/stories about your grandfather?

As a teen, my grandfather’s daily chore was to walk along the railroad tracks and pick up coal that had fallen from the trains. The coal was used to heat his family’s home. My mother was 18 when her father died and she remembers him as a fun loving, family man who enjoyed dancing with his wife and children in their living room. However, he was also a strict disciplinarian and kept a tight reign on his children.

5) If your grandfather were to be here today, what would be a question or something you would like to tell him?

If I could speak with my grandfather, I would ask him about his family history. I am an amateur genealogist and have been researching my family’s history for more than 20 years. My grandfather’s line is the only line with missing information.

Below are some close-ups of the items provided by Cecilia:

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