My Grandfather Was a Carpenter

Although my grandfather, Tom J. Johnston, worked many jobs, mostly he was a carpenter, able to make things with wood. Many of the pieces of furniture in my grandparents’ home were made by him: tables, lamps, picture frames, and even a bar. This photo of my two grandmothers shows the two tables and lamp that he made.

An ad in the Stephenville Empire-Tribune in 1940 explained his occupation before the war.[1] He and my grandmother had been married for seven years with one child and lived with her parents, Warren and Leah Lancaster. His occupation was listed as the owner of a wood shop and his income the previous year at $1440.[2]

When he was drafted into military service, he gathered up letters of recommendation, probably to aid in getting a carpenter gig in the U.S. Navy. These letters stated he worked the following positions:

Worked as a carpenter from August 15, 1941, to December 16, 1941, at the construction of the Fort Worth Aircraft Plant No. 4. Written by J.S. Tait, project construction superintendent for the Austin Company, an engineer and builder of defense facilities for the War Department.

He worked for the Harry B. Friedman Building Construction as a carpenter on the Fort Worth Quartermaster Depot project. Harry Friedman said, “he was an energetic worker and his services were satisfactory.”

Other letters were from businesses in Stephenville, Texas. One was from R.U. Anderson, the manager at the Clay Building Material Company. He said “he had known Tom Johnston, Jr. for the past five years and had quite a lot of dealings with this boy in line of our business; and I have found him to be A-1 in every respect.  He is a mechanic above average and is an especially good finish and trip man as well as an expert cabinet workman.”

Another letter was from Paul Higginbotham, one of the owners of Higginbotham Bros. & Co. He said, “We have known him for the past twenty years. He is a good carpenter, a hard worker, and we have found him to be honest in every respect.”

The District Judge for Erath County, Ernest Belcher, also wrote a letter. "This is to certify that I have known this young man for several years and that I have had the opportunity to observe his actions and the nature of his work: that I know him to be honest, upright and trustworthy; that he bears an excellent reputation for being a peaceful and law-abiding citizen; that he is punctual, energetic and efficient; that he is strong mentally and physically and that he is intelligent and has good sound judgment.  He is a good Loyal American Citizen."

Lastly, the letter from John Rideout of J. H. Pomeroy & Company, a general contractor firm in San Francisco, wrote, “. . .has worked on jobs under my supervision for the last five years.  Our work has been on both steel and wood in hangars, bridges, and general construction.  Mr. Johnston has acted in the capacity of pusher both on carpenter and rigger gangs.  He has shown his ability to handle men in a marked degree and has proven extremely valuable in every capacity in which he has served.....”[4]

During the war but before being drafted in 1944, he worked construction jobs in Texas, Idaho, and California. He was in Sand Point, Idaho at a Naval installation when he got the notice and was sent back to Idaho once he was inducted. He was discharged four months later due to a stomach ulcer.

After a stint with his brother owning a pool hall and taxi service, he worked for the Contra Costa County Community College District as a carpenter on the Diablo Valley College campus. He was a member of the Carpenters Union No. 2046.[5]

It is sad, but I have no photos of Tom with his carpenter tools or of his shop. After his death in 1973, his tools came to our house and my brother was more interested in the lathe than my father.

#52 Ancestors: Week 36: Tradesman

This is my sixth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

---

[1] "Announcement," Stephenville (Texas) Empire-Tribune, 2 Feb 1940, p. 6, col. 7, digital image, The Portal to History (http://texashistory.unt.edu/).

[2] 1940 U.S. census, Erath County, Texas, pop. sched., Stephenville, ward 2, ED 72-7, sht 4A, household 75, Warren G Lancaster household; NARA T627, roll 4029.

[3] “To Go to Fort Worth,” Stephenville (Texas) Empire-Tribune, 31 October 1941, p. 1, col. 2, digital image, The Portal to History (http://texashistory.unt.edu/).

[4] Letters of Recommendation for Tom J Johnston, Johnston Family Collection, privately held by Lisa S. Gorrell, [address for private use].

[5] Carpenters Union No. 2046 membership card, Johnston Family Collection.

Copyright © 2023 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.