Family recollection: Irving Gilbert Oak's schooling and first job

Family recollection

About Irving Gilbert Oak 1901–1981.

Family recollection According to a family recollection, Irving left school at 12 or 13 to work as a cook in a logging camp and help his mother with the younger children.

Unconfirmed evidence: show why

He left school when he was 12 or 13. The departure age comes from the family recollection. The census does not establish when he left school.
He went to work as a cook in a logging camp. No located record identifies the camp, employer, or cooking job.
He went to work to help his mother with the younger children. Helping his mother is the reason given in the recollection. Both parents appear in the 1910 and 1920 households.

All the evidence for this recollection · What the labels mean

Census records show him attending school in 1910

Confirmed evidence: show why

Why: The 1910 census of Skowhegan lists Irving G., age 8, as a son in his parents' household, marked as attending school.

Records:

1910 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 237, sheet 12B, lines 56-62: Irving G. Oak, son, 8, attending school. NARA T624, roll 546, page 12B; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)

Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.

What the labels mean

and working as an electric-railway conductor at 18 in 1920.

Confirmed evidence: show why

Why: The 1920 census of Skowhegan lists Irving, 18, as a son not attending school, occupation conductor on an electric railway. No employer is named.

Records:

1920 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 118, sheet 1A, lines 35-42: Irving Oak, son, 18, conductor, electric road. NARA T625, roll 648, page 1A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)

Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.

What the labels mean

His 1940 census entry appears to record fifth grade as the highest he completed.

Likely evidence: show why

Why: The 1940 census records the fifth grade as the highest he completed, with the informant mark beside his own name. This rests on a single census answer; no school record has been found.

Records:

1940 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 13-61, sheet 18A, line 15: Irving Oak, 38, lineman; highest grade completed, 5. NARA T627, roll 1492, page 18A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)

Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.

What the labels mean

The camp work and his reason for leaving school remain part of the family account, without documentary confirmation.

About this recollection 6 statements: 2 Confirmed, 1 Likely, 3 Unconfirmed

Where it comes from: A family member recorded this account in 2026. Its original teller and whether Irving told it himself are not recorded. Who first told the story, and whether it came from the person it describes, is not recorded.

Remembered He left school when he was 12 or 13.
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Why: The departure age comes from the family recollection. The census does not establish when he left school.
Records:
- Family recollection: Irving Gilbert Oak's schooling and first job
- 1940 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 13-61, sheet 18A, line 15: Irving Oak, 38, lineman; highest grade completed, 5. NARA T627, roll 1492, page 18A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
- 1910 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 237, sheet 12B, lines 56-62: Irving G. Oak, son, 8, attending school. NARA T624, roll 546, page 12B; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026.
What the labels mean
Remembered He went to work as a cook in a logging camp.
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Why: No located record identifies the camp, employer, or cooking job.
Records:
- Family recollection: Irving Gilbert Oak's schooling and first job
- 1920 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 118, sheet 1A, lines 35-42: Irving Oak, son, 18, conductor, electric road. NARA T625, roll 648, page 1A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026.
What the labels mean
Remembered He went to work to help his mother with the younger children.
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Why: Helping his mother is the reason given in the recollection. Both parents appear in the 1910 and 1920 households.
Records:
- Family recollection: Irving Gilbert Oak's schooling and first job
- 1910 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 237, sheet 12B, lines 56-62: Irving G. Oak, son, 8, attending school. NARA T624, roll 546, page 12B; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
- 1920 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 118, sheet 1A, lines 35-42: Irving Oak, son, 18, conductor, electric road. NARA T625, roll 648, page 1A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry) (context)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026.
What the labels mean
Records In 1910, aged eight, he was attending school.
Confirmed evidence: show why
Why: The 1910 census of Skowhegan lists Irving G., age 8, as a son in his parents' household, marked as attending school.
Records:
- 1910 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 237, sheet 12B, lines 56-62: Irving G. Oak, son, 8, attending school. NARA T624, roll 546, page 12B; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.
What the labels mean
Records His formal schooling ended at about the fifth grade.
Likely evidence: show why
Why: The 1940 census records the fifth grade as the highest he completed, with the informant mark beside his own name. This rests on a single census answer; no school record has been found.
Records:
- 1940 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 13-61, sheet 18A, line 15: Irving Oak, 38, lineman; highest grade completed, 5. NARA T627, roll 1492, page 18A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.
What the labels mean
Records In 1920, aged 18, he was a conductor on the electric railway.
Confirmed evidence: show why
Why: The 1920 census of Skowhegan lists Irving, 18, as a son not attending school, occupation conductor on an electric railway. No employer is named.
Records:
- 1920 U.S. census, Skowhegan, Somerset County, Maine, ED 118, sheet 1A, lines 35-42: Irving Oak, son, 18, conductor, electric road. NARA T625, roll 648, page 1A; image held with the family tree (record page · view at Ancestry)
Review: assessed 09-25-2026; evidence: Image examined.
What the labels mean

Each statement has an evidence label. The remembered account is preserved when an assessment changes.

Statements that use this recollection

He left school when he was 12 or 13. (Irving Gilbert Oak 1901–1981; remembered in a family recollection) Unconfirmed
He went to work as a cook in a logging camp. (Irving Gilbert Oak 1901–1981; remembered in a family recollection) Unconfirmed
He went to work to help his mother with the younger children. (Irving Gilbert Oak 1901–1981; remembered in a family recollection) Unconfirmed

A remembered family account, preserved as contributed. See the evidence notes for the assessment of each statement. What the labels mean.