Grayson County TXGenWeb

Pittman Handle Company
Denison, Texas

George Washington Pittman was born February 22, 1865 at New Castle, Henry County, Indiana, son of Ithamer Warner Pittman and Rebecca Carpenter. There he married Mary E. "Mollie" Dykes on 29 November 1885. Their children were:
Zola Ione Pittman, born 1886
Byron Harrison Pittman, born 1888
James Warner Pittman, born 1896

By December 1908 George & Mollie, 2 sons, and daughter and son-in-law along with their only son, George Julian Roberts had moved to Precinct 2, Denison, Grayson Co., Texas, residing at 1027 W. Bond Street. (The Sunday Gazetteer, December 20, 1908 ) Two years later they had moved to 926 W. Morton street. Moving again in 1913, they returned to live at 1027 W. Bond Street.

Two boys riding a donkey
1911

anuary 14, 1915
Postmark - Denison Texas, Jan 14, 1915
Julian and his mule
Mose and my driving horse Fred in front of the office
We are all well and having fine weather but not running the factory
Will write you soon
George

George was the manager of the Pittman Handle Factory; Byron was a bookkeeper for the handle factory. However, the 1917 Denison City Directory lists George W. as owner of the handle factory; the factory was located at 131 E. Morton Street. James W. was a clerk for Southern Surety Co. and living with his parents.

The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, January 26, 1908
pg. 4

Last Monday an accident occurred at the Denison Handle Factory, which was accompanied with amusing features. It was what is called a runaway engine (this time a stationery engine). The governor belt blew off, thus throwing all the steam into the cylinder, resulting in the engine running so fast as to shake the entire building, and the houses in the neighborhood like a small earthquake. The whole neighborhood was alarmed, and women and children ran out of doors. The men and boys in the factory piled out of the building pell-mell, some of the men jumping out of the windows in their haste to escape. Fortunately no one was injured and what might have proved serious only furnished incidents for laughter after the trouble was over.

A fifteen year old boy operating a dangerous boring machine

This factory has a number of unprotected belts and dangerous machines. One other boy, about the age of this one, was doing
all kind[s] of work, taking away the handles from a huge rip saw, etc., and constantly exposed to danger.

Library of Congress
Lewis Hine photograph

Caption
Lewis Hine was a sociologist-turned-photographer.
Lewis Hine depicted child labor in Texas in the early twentieth century ..
(an exhibit with his work was shown) ..a few years ago at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth.
...His collection is in the Library of Congress.

In 1908, Lewis Hine became the photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). Over the next decade, Hine documented child labor in American industry to aid the NCLC's lobbying efforts to end the practice. He traveled from Maine to Texas documenting children working in factories, mines, mills, farms, and in street trades. He photographed their living conditions as well. His photographs did not embellish the child laborers’ destitution, instead showing accurate and poignant depictions of their circumstances. In 1913, Hine traveled the country documenting worker abuse for NCLC. In September, he visited Grayson County, Texas, and in October, he was in Dallas.

The 1909 and 1911 Denison City Directories lists George W. and Mollie living at 926 W. Morton and co-owner of G.W. Pittman & Co. along with his son-in-law, Curtis Earl Roberts.
The 1913 and 1917 Denison City Directories provides information about the G. W. Pittman & Co. handle factory at 131 East Morton Street. George W. Pittman and Curtis E. Roberts owned the factory. George's wife was Mollie D. Pittman; they lived at 1027 West Bond Street. Boarding there were sons Byron Pittman, clerk and James W. Pittman; son-in-law, Curtis E. Roberts and his wife, Zola I. Roberts. Curtis was an inspector for the Southwest Surety Insurance Company

By 1920 George had moved to Waco, McLennan Co., Texas , where he lived wit his wife, widowed daughter, Zola Roberts and grandson, Julian Roberts; he continued to live for approximately 20 years, living at 1817 Columbus Street. George was owner and manager of a manufacturing company.
The family moved to Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas before June 1940 where George again owned and operated a handle factory. The 1949 Little Rock, Arkansas City Directory George and Mollie living at 496 Ridgeway Avenue and manager of a handle manufacture at 400 Olive.
George died May 18, 1952 in Little Rock, Arkansas; just short of 5 months later, his daughter, Zola Ione Roberts died; Mollie died
July 21, 1958, all are buried at South Mound Cemetery.