RootsChat.Com

I think the last word could be the signature Mom (or Mum). The mark in front of it could be just an arrow pointing to the word “Love”. And the word before Wilson could be Missus or some spelling variation.

Steve

It looks like “Coke” way to me, and an online search found several references to “coke way” referring to the conveyor belt that transports coke to the railway cars. It seems he got caught between the conveyor and the hopper car that was being loaded.

Steve

I cast my vote for "Travelling Fakir" [with an alternate spelling of "faiker" in this case"]. "Fakir" was sometimes used to mean "salesman" but could also mean "beggar". The "F" is written differently from others on the page, but the rest of it fits "faiker" better than "tinker" (the short cross-stroke in the middle of the 'F'; the stretching out of the 'a'; the placement of the dot over the 'i'). And if this was a family of "travellers' as one person said earlier, then that would also fit the idea that they were frequently on the move and raising funds however they could.

Steve

Yes, I agree. Seeing it in bigger context now, it’s clearly a birthplace code.

I see the surname as “Hirtoos”. Spelling variations could include Hirtus and Hirtes.

Steve