Can you help with this census entry?

Question

I can read the word Manager, but what was he the manager of?

Answer 1

It could possibly say "Lumber Ministry", which doesn't seem to make much sense, but this source - http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:yliNENQnCYUJ:files.usgwarchives.net/tx/jones/history/avoca-history3.txt (if the link works for you) - says this: 

Captain Johnson and J.S. Culwell purchased the general Mercantile store owend by
Nettles and Crow, at Avo, and moved House and stock to Avoca. Brazelton Pryor
Lumber Co., had an up-to-date Lumber yard operated by Judge Stoll and 
George Henderson. By the way, the lumber office was sold to J.C. Williams
for his first dwelling when he came here in the fall of 1900. In 1901, Mr. Wilson
operted the lumber yard and Rev. H.E. Grimes succeeded him, building a new 
office building. Mr. Bryant succeeded Rev. Grimes then H.D. White succeeded 
him, after some 10 years of serve the yard was moved to Stamford and combined 
with a yard there.

Was Henry operating the lumber yard and running his ministry at the same time?

Comments

Was Henry operating the lumber yard and running his ministry at the same time?

It was not unheard of for a minister to have a week-day job, and to take to the pulpit on Sunday.   Having full-time ministers wasn't always a financial possibility for smaller churches.

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Great find! I think it would be very possible for him to have been doing both. His grandfather and two of his uncles were farmers/ministers who did not believe in taking a salary from their role in the church.

Answer 2

In 1920 census it says minister , but this doesn’t look like that.

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/21884778?h=ede14d&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

Comments

I keep seeing that first letter which appears to be an "L".

So my initial guesses were Labor, although Lumber is possible. Add that to Ministry?

Labor Ministry? Lumber Ministry?

Still not sure either is correct, but it may be something along these lines.

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In 1930 census son Joel is a Baptist Minister  - scroll down a couple of entries from Henry

"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CSCN-5PZ : accessed 27 October 2020), Henry E Grimes, Precinct 2, Jones, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 8, sheet 10B, line 53, family 204, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2365; FHL microfilm 2,342,099.

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I think it is Labor Ministry also.

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My brain wants to read the word as labor but the r on the end of the words Manager and Master end up and not down so it's got me questioning that interpretation.

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I would have to look at more of the persons writing to try and compare the letters.

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Here's a link to the full page for those who want more of the enumerators' writing to make comparisions. I made the image from Ancestry because it was darker. Here's the sharing link for that image.

I do know he became a minister, but I'm not sure what year exactly. I thought "labor" and "lumber," too, but the fact that it is written LBr. with the B capitalized makes me think it may be referring to a specific business which, to the enumerator, would be familiar, but not to those of us who are looking at the record 110 years later. The word which starts with an M...I have no ideas.

I really appreciate all who are looking at this!

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I think that has to be a specific business name. Unfortunately it seems to be an anomaly in the handwriting, sorta looks like a g but not loopy enough, sorta looks like the y but not as precise as the rest, etc.

Try to find a city directory or a business listing in licenses or something, see if you can find a "L Brown" or "L Brothers" something.

What kind of industry was around then? Mercantile came to mind, but that doesnt have a y or g at the end, and there is a "dry goods store" on an entry down the page, so why would the enumerator differentiate? Maybe its a law office and thats one of the names?

Good luck, thats quite a puzzle

Answer 3

L.Br Mercant/  Definitely not 'Ministry."