John Dempsey, Page One

John Dempsey (looked 11 or 12) years old. Said he helped only on Saturdays. Jackson Mill, Fiskeville, R. I. (One of the B. B. and R. Knight mills). He was working faithfully in the mule-spinning room, a dangerous place for boys. I found no others below 14 in this mill. Location: Fiskeville, Rhode Island, April 1909, Lewis Hine.

"Officer Colvin captured two boys at the investigation of their parents who ran away from the Fiskeville Mill last Tuesday. They were thoroughly frightened and were ready to resume their work at the mill." - Pawtuxet Valley Daily Times, Jan 6, 1893

According to research posted on the Bryant College website, the Fiskeville Cotton Mill was founded in 1812, by Dr. Caleb Fiske. It was located in Scituate, Rhode Island, along the Pawtuxet River. It closed in 1900, but soon after was purchased by B.B. & R. Knight Company and became part of Jackson Mills. It closed permanently in 1929, and burned down in 1939.

The pictures of John (other on next page), dwarfed by the spinning frames, were typical of Hine's work, but they were not easily earned. Most mill owners would have been wary of such intrusions, since the last thing they wanted was to have their child labor practices caught on camera. So Hine used a clever trick. He would tell the supervisors or other management staff that he was an industrial photographer taking pictures of machines. He would set up his camera, and at the last minute, ask if a child could stand near the machine to give a sense of scale, so people could tell how big the machines were.

It turns out that the weary-eyed boy that Hine said looked 11 or 12 had just turned 10 when he was photographed. I had very little trouble tracking down one of his sons, who still lives in Rhode Island. According to James Dempsey, his father was headed for a tough life.

John was born in Rhode Island on February 17 (or 20), 1899, the son of Edward and Grace Dempsey, who were married about 1893. In the early 1900s, they lived at 98 Park St, in Pawtucket, and Edward worked as a dyer in a textile mill. By 1910, they had eight children. By 1930, Grace was a widow.

On his WWI draft registration card in 1918, John was listed as working as a timekeeper at the American Machine Company in Pawtucket. He married Evelyn in 1924, and in the 1930 census, they lived at 155 East St, Pawtucket, and had three children. John worked as a shipping clerk in a textile mill. He died in Pawtucket in February of 1970, at the age of 70 or 71.