Ellis Island

What’s Your Dream Non-Lawyer Job of Yesteryear?

For me, this is an easy one.

It’s the job of one of the apocryphal Guard-Inspector-Examiners at Ellis Island–America’s huge immigration station from the 1890s to the 1950s–who altered existing immigrant names or gave out new ones. I can see myself clearly doing this job:

“What? Whatever…. Your new first name is Steve. Why? Why not? Your new last name is Alden, Smythe, Pennington or Hall. Pick one.”

What’s your dream non-lawyer job of yesteryear?