Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Working Arrangements


Not everything saved in Bill Bean’s box was a photograph. There were other items—old letters, membership records, identification cards. For whatever reason, Bill had chosen to save odds and ends like these. Each one becomes a token for me of what was important to him in life.

Bill Bean port identification card 1942
After finding a photograph of a cigar-smoking young Bill Bean on board a boat named, I presume, the Empress, I later found a San Francisco Port identification card for Bill. The card, complete with an updated photograph, was issued in 1942—much later than the time of that first picture—and bore the occupational label of “Garage Owner.”

The card included a watermark from the United States Coast Guard. The reverse of the card showed Bill's age to be 46, his height at five feet eleven inches, with hazel eyes and “grey” hair. The card confirmed that he was a natural born citizen by the initials, “N. B.,” and listed his place of birth as Redwood City in California. Under the entry for his serial number were the stern words, “Federal Fingerprints Taken.” A sample of the proof was entered just to the right of that, with the print from Bill’s own index finger squarely planted in the designated box.

The card was issued to Bill during the war years. It was no surprise, during that time, to see the government duly cautious about identifying those with business in and around the ports of the Bay area. Of course, Bill had been working in the automobile business for years; perhaps he was required to go to the ports to accept shipments for his business.

Whether saving the picture of himself from those earlier working years in and around the Bay, or this token from his more successful later years in his car dealership, Bill’s choice in what he tossed in that box for safekeeping becomes in itself a spyglass for those like me who, at a distance, try to piece together the lives of our long-gone relatives.

from Bill Bean photograph collection

15 comments:

  1. Comparing photos from two different stages of life is always fun and interesting.

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    1. Wendy, I've always liked to do that comparison when there are new babies in the family--comparing the previous generation's baby pictures with those of the newborn.

      In this case, though, it was pretty unexpected seeing the "before" and "after" shots. Of course, the ID photo looks quite similar to the way I remember Bill looking. At the same time, he was at a stage where I can now see similarities with his dad, Leon.

      You would never have thought, at that earlier stage of life, that he would have morphed from such a narrow face to the round face of his later years. Perhaps that comes from living the lifestyle of the successful...

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    1. Definitely, Colleen! Both for the photograph, and for the many details found on the back of the card.

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  3. Love that last photo..very self assured wasn't he! :)

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    1. You've nailed it, Far Side! He did come across as absolutely confident in himself. Quite a study to get to know him.

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  4. I was sorting through old photos and school projects of my own kids the other day and deciding what to save and what to keep. The more I get into genealogy, the more I have a hard time throwing things away. What do you think my shoe box will say about me in 100 years?

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    1. Fair enough. I'll try to leave a few shoe boxes, a blog and maybe a memoir!

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  5. Given the Oakland - San Fransisco bridge wasn't opened until November 12, 1936 - This might be Bill on a cross-bay ferry boat. There is still a ferry service running between Alameda and San Fransisco today.

    But if not, he is out on a grand cruise!

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    1. Good thinking, Iggy. I've ridden the ferry from Oakland to SF, myself, but hadn't even thought of that possibility.

      By that point (1936), Bill would have been forty years old. I know his hairline receded prematurely, so I am thinking, from his appearance, that at that time he was younger than forty and that the photo most likely predated that date of the bridge opening.

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  6. The logo on the lifeboat, the flag with the "W" in it - should identify the shipping line - but I've no luck with this (yet).

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    1. I wonder if it could have been from a shipping line that is now defunct.

      To complicate matters, Bill was quite the traveler, although mostly in later years, so this isn't necessarily isolated to the Bay Area.

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    2. I am assuming the photo dates to about 1925 +/- 5 years or so...

      I find the lifeboat size to be interesting. On a large passenger ship, the boat would have likely been much larger (the boat is marked 9 passengers).

      I'm not sold on this story being the "right boat" but you may find it interesting anyway:

      http://books.google.com/books?id=UHZaAAAAYAAJ&lpg=RA4-PA12&ots=CA7JTQ4ADC&dq=Empress%20Lauritzen%20antioch%20-chinese&pg=RA4-PA12#v=onepage&q=Empress%20Lauritzen%20antioch%20-chinese&f=false

      The boat pictured has two lifeboats of approximately the right size. Perhaps this is how Bill got to points east from his home "back in the day"?

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  7. Doesn't that second picture of Bill Bean look a little like the guy in that first photo (series of five) who is sitting down on a rock? Something about the jaw line. I get the picture of a low-key guy who enjoyed life and did a lot of things.

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