52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 41: Context—William C. Hork Worked For the WPA

This is my second year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

The first hint that my paternal grandfather, William C. Hork, worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was the entry for him in the 1940 Federal Census. He stated he was a laborer for the WPA.[1] The WPA was a New Deal agency that helped employ millions of out-of-work men and women, mostly unskilled. It was established on 6 May 1935 and dissolved on 30 June 1943.[2]

The second piece of information that gave reference to the WPA was his World War II draft registration, conducted on 16 February 1942. He stated he worked on the WPA. project #12322-S at the Ontario Municipal Airport in Ontario, San Bernardino Co, Calif.[3]

So he worked for the WPA. How can I get these records? In checking with the NARA website, I found that in submitting NA Form 14137 “Request Pertaining to Works Progress Administration (WPA) Personnel Records” I could get copies for a fee through the mail. Their website has a few sample WPA documents.

I did not send away for his records, but rather the next time I visited St. Louis, Missouri, I arranged to view the records at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), where I took photos of them.

There were sixty cards in his file.[4] The first card was an “Assignment Slip.” It appears from this first card and the cards detailing his pay, that he started with them in November 1935 and worked through to March 1942, though not necessarily continuously. There were cards terminating him due to being absent or failing to report.

Currently, I am working through the cards and transcribing them. From this first glance, he worked in public projects in Ontario, California, which is the county seat of San Bernardino County. The biggest project was the demolition of Chaffey Junior College. It had been founded as a private college in 1883 and publicly funded since 1916. An earthquake centered in Long Beach in 1933 damaged many of the buildings.[5] Many of the projects of the WPA and the SERA (State Emergency Relief Administration) funds were the demolition and rebuilding of the liberal arts building, the science building, the auditorium, gym, and library.[6]

Some jobs he worked as a foreman, others as a pipe fitter or laborer. Each of the positions might last a few days or weeks, and they each had a different rate of pay. Here are some sample cards. Many are slightly out of focus, so I chose ones that were clear to read. The first two are job assignment or reassignment.

This card shows the pay record.

One of the uses of these cards was I figured out when the family moved from one address to another. I knew they had moved from city directory and voting registration records, but these cards will help narrow down to a closer time frame.

After further analysis of the cards, I might learn more about my grandfather’s work. The notices about not showing up to work might point to his drinking problem. Sometime 1939–1940, he was separated from his wife and children.

---

All websites viewed 12 October 2019.

[1] 1940 U.S. census, San Bernardino Co, California, pop. sched., Ontario, ED 36-63, sht 64A, p 903, William C. Hork, digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), NARA T627, roll 290.

[2] “Works Progress Administration,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration).

[3] World War II Draft Registration Records, Selective Service Records, National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri, D.S.S. Form 1, William Cyril Hork, ser. no. 849.

[4] Works Progress Administration (WPA), Personnel Records, William C. Hork, San Bernardino Co, California, ID no. 0436-8086, National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri. These cards were copied from microfilm prior to my arrival, and it is possible that some cards might be missing. I could see the top of the next card, but one such card was never copied.

[5] “A History of Chaffey College,” Chaffey College (https://www.chaffey.edu/general_info/cchist.shtml).

[6] “Chaffey High School and Old Junior College—Ontario CA,” The Living New Deal (https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/chaffey-high-school-and-old-junior-college-ontario-ca/).

Copyright © 2019 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.