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Good things come to those who blog/share! This good luck token was
received by Lillian C. Gauer at my great-grandfather's store in
St. Louis, Missouri. The penny is dated 1947. Her granddaughter
shared the photos and sent me the token after finding my blog post
about Charles Giddens' store in St. Louis.
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Was it common to find people with the surname Giddens
owning or working in stores? I ask this question as when I research the
Giddens family, I frequently find merchant listed as an occupation. In my Giddens family,
Mitchell Giddens, my 3rd great-grandfather, made and sold shoes. My 2nd great-grandfather, George Giddens, has been
found owning stores in three North Carolina counties and, my great-grandfather,
Charles Giddens sold men's clothing and shoes in his stores in Virginia, New
Jersey, and Missouri. Cousins and other extended family members were also merchants.
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George Lullen Giddens, my 2nd great-grandfather, wrote this receipt on
December 28, 1884. At this time, he may have owned a store in
Duplin County or Sampson County in North Carolina.
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Occupations are not found recorded on the United
States Census until 1850. A look at heads of households named Giddens on the 1850,
1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910 United States Census population schedules answered my question. There were only three merchants with the name Giddens in 1850 and six
in 1860. Of the thirteen Giddens merchants found in 1870, at least five were connected to my
North Carolina Giddens family. In 1880, farming was the number one occupation
of Giddens living in America with 77 farmers counted. Only 17 merchants were
counted. And, in 1900, I counted 122 farmers with the last name Giddens, 18
laborers, 17 merchants, two ministers, one capitalist, one dentist, one police
officer, one railroad worker, one fisherman, and one lawyer.
Over 300 heads of
households were counted in the 1910 census. There were 120 farmers, 44
laborers, 5 clergymen, and a smattering of other occupations that included
dentists, electricians, mail carriers, police officers, cooks, miners, and
railroad workers. Only 18 Giddens were merchants and of those 18 at least 6 were
connected to my Giddens family.
When I began this search, I expected to find a much larger number of Giddens as merchants on census records. I now know the name Giddens is not synonymous with the occupation of merchant. However, the occupation of merchant is a common occurrence in my Giddens family. Many of the merchants found, several in other states, were descendants of my 4th great-grandfather, John Giddens (occupation unknown) of Wayne and Duplin counties in North Carolina.
Large ad for Giddens Inc 1947 Wed, Jun 11, 1947 – 5 · Naborhood Link News (St. Louis, Missouri) · Newspapers.com - Charles Giddens (my great-grandfather) owned this store in St. Louis.
1850 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020.
1860 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020.
1870 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020.
1880 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020.
1900 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020.
1910 U. S. Census, population schedule. Database with images. Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com : 2020.
"Father's Day." Naborhood Link News (1945): 5. Newspapers.com.
"LD Giddens" Goldsboro Messenger (1885):2. Newspapers.com.
"Ringgold." The Shreveport Journal (1935): 13. Newspapers.com.
Clifton, John L. Papers, 1784-2001 and n.d.; (bulk 1830-1889) [manuscript]. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Giddens Drug Store in Ringgold Tue, Jul 30, 1935 – 13 · The Shreveport Journal (Shreveport, Louisiana) · Newspapers.com - Jacob Giddens, brother of my 3rd great-grandfather, Mitchell Giddens, left North Carolina and settled in Ringgold, Louisiana. 