In 1930's speak, what is a "lineman," and what does an "O.W." notation on a birth certificate mean?

Question

A few months ago, my father and I obtained a copy of my (deceased) grandfather's birth certificate, in order to find out about our family. My grandfather was a ward of the state as a child, because his family didn't approve that his mother had given birth to him while in a psychiatric facility.

From the birth certificate, we also found out that the man his mother was married to is not actually his father, although he was given his last name. There isn't much to go on about the real father, other than his name (which is very common), the state he lived in, age, and his occupation, which is listed as "lineman."

By 1930 standards, what is a "lineman"?

Second, there is a notation on the birth certificate that says "O.W." in the 'comments' section. Is it possible that this stands for 'out of wedlock'?

Answer 1

****I would tend to agree with you.  I think it means out of wedlock from the information you give.  You could contact the place you obtained the birth certificate from and ask them if it was a common abbreviation in that time frame.

Answer 2

As for lineman, I think it means now what it meant then,.

A lineman is a person who works for an electric company stringing high voltage lines above and below the ground.

As for part two, O.W., I have no idea.

Good Luck though

Answer 3

Do you recall Glen Campbell's big hit, "Wichita Lineman?" A lineman is a  telephone wire technician, usually working the countryside repairing the lines on the poles.

O.W. could mean, "other than white," but I'm uncertain.

p.s. Linda's assessment of O.W. sounds best.