Washington District of Columbia

Washington Navy Yard
Painters Department Civilian Payroll 1854
Furnished by : John Sharp

The Washington Navy Yard
Painters Department Civilian Payroll
for 1 to 15 September 1854
- Employees listed include
African American diarist
Michael Shiner -

For historians and genealogists the Washington Navy Yard civilian payroll records (RG 45) reflect the changing nature of work in the 19th century. This 1854 payroll record of the WNY Painters Department demonstrates that the naval yard was changing from an organization that focused on the construction and repair of sailing vessels to a center for the testing and manufacture of naval ordnance. Instead of ships, WNY painters were assigned to paint the new ordnance foundry, the steam engine and saw mill. As part of this transition to a new ordnance technology, yard management began to more closely track costs and to monitor how employee's time was allocated. This 1854 payroll document tracks the WNY Painters Department payroll for a two week period. In 1854 WNY per diem employees typically worked a ten hour day and a six day a week. While painters' wages were relatively modest when compared to the pay of carpenters and machinists who were paid $2.50 to $3.00, painters work tended to be steady and less subject to seasonal fluctuations (many shipyard workers, i.e. carpenters and joiners were routinely laid off in winter but painters could work indoors). The example below shows a two week period when naval appropriations were reduced and work hours by necessity were very much reduced. Even with these uncertainties WNY employees tended to be better off then the majority of District workers. When the listed names were compared to the 1850 and the 1860 District of Columbia census, it was found that three of the painters below, namely J ohn Peake, Henry Walker and Michael Shiner, were able to own real estate and support growing families. The notes following the document were derived from these census returns.

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Return of the men's time and of the work done at the Painters Department from the 1st to the 15th of September 1854, inclusive; on account of Ordnance Foundry & Machinery in the new Saw Mill.

Names Pay for Day Number of Days Amount of Wages Painting the
Brick Work on the
Ordnance Foundry Painting
Steam Engine & Machinery
in the Saw Mill

$ Days $ Days    $ c Days    $ c

John H. Peake 3 2 ½ 7.5 ½       1 50 2          6 00

James Jones 2 ½ 1 ½       1 00 2          6 00

John Angel 2 4 8 1        2 00 3          6 00

Robert Peake 2 1 2 1        2 00 3          6 00

Thomas Dwyer 2 5 ½ 9.62 ½ 1        1 75 4 ½     7 87 ½

Henry Walker 1.75 6 ½ 11.37 ½ 1½     2 62 ½ 8         7 75

Alex Kibby 1.75 4 6 1½     2 62 ½ 4          6 00

Michael Shiner 1.5 3 ½ 4.76 3        4 00 ½            76

John Bright 1 1 1 1        1 11

(Total) 16.36 28 ½ 51. 36 9 ½    15 95 19       33 31 ½

W. P. Sanger Esq
Construction Engineer
Navy Yard, Washington Very Respectfully
Your Obedient Servant
John H. Peake

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Notes
John H. Peake was born 1817 in the District of Columbia and in 1854 was 37 years of age. On the 1850 census he stated he owned his own residence valued at $ 900.00 in Ward # 6. John H. Peake was married and had one child. He continued to work for WNY for many years. Peake later opened a paint store and by 1870, he owned real estate valued at $6,000.00; he died sometime after 1880.
James Jones was born in the District of Columbia in 1823. In 1854 he was single and living in Ward # 6.
John T. Angel was born in the District of Columbia about 1834. In 1854 he was 25 years of age, single and living with his parents in their house in the 7th Ward.
Robert Peake was born 1832 in the District of Columbia; he was single, 22 years of age in 1854 and living with his parents at their home in Ward # 6. He is most likely the younger brother of John H. Peake.
Henry Walker was born in Maryland in 1820 and was 34 years of age in 1854. Henry Walker was married with two children and owned real estate valued at $200.00.
Michael G. Shiner is famous for his diary which chronicles events at the Washington Navy Yard and District of Columbia from 1814 to 1869. Michael Shiner was born in MD in 1805 and his early years were spent enslaved. In January 1828 he was sold to Thomas Howard then Chief Clerk, WNY. Thomas Howard had Michael Shiner leased out to the WNY Paint Shop where over the next decade Shiner learned his trade. On Thomas Howard's death in 1832 a provision in Howard's will stipulated that Michael Shiner was to be manumitted in eight years making his manumission date circa 1840 (his exact manumission date is unknown). In gaining his freedom, Michael Shiner mostly likely had come to some financial arrangement with the Howard family (such arrangements were often know as ’working out” or purchasing one's freedom for a specified sum.). The 1850 District of Columbia census enumerated Michael Shiner as living in Ward # 6 and he was listed as a free Blackman, age 46 years. His family was enumerated as: Jane 19 years (2nd wife), Sarah 12, Isaac 5 and Braxton 6 months. Michael Shiner continued to work at WNY until 1869 and in his later years he became prosperous and a leader in the black community. He died in 1880 at the age of 75 during an outbreak of smallpox.
William S. Sanger worked as a Civil Engineer. He was born in Massachusetts in 1812. In the year 1855 William Sanger was 43 years of age, his household based on the 1850 District of Columbia census consisted of his wife Martha, their sons and Anny Joiner, age 28. 1850 District of Columbia census enumerated Anny Joiner as ’mulatto” female . Anny Joiner was most likely free and a servant of the William Sanger family. Sanger lived in Ward # 1 and continued working at the WNY for many years. By 1870 his estate was valued at $7,000.00 He died sometime after 1870.