Samuel Gompers signature

It looks to me like an abbreviation to "Saml Gompers." You can clearly see "Sam" and then I think the "l" sits as the connector between the first and last name. "Saml" is also a common abbreviation for Samuel. 

Abby

By the People Community Manager 

I agree with Abby. It looks like Saml. Plus I googled it and below is what came up. Henry

Thanks Abby and Henry.  I agree.  I think we have a consensus (properly spelled).

So if we are reviewing previous work, is this something we should correct to "Saml. Gompers"? Sometimes that is the only edit needed. 

HI Doreen! We recommend if you review a page where "Sam" instead of "Saml" is the only error, you should still be accept the transcription. This is a very minor error that does not change the meaning or historical understanding of the document. Any researcher searching for Samuel would also be likely to search Sam in addition to Saml, so I don't expect it to substantially impact search. However, if I was already reopening a page for other reasons, I would probably correct it (much like missed line breaks).

Personally, if a page does not need to be reopened and you are just editing, I would make the change. 

After 30 years on the Samuel Gompers Papers, I can say with confidence that it is Saml

Does this help with my family and military history

Hi there,

The American Federation of Labor collection where these pages are located is related to the history of one of the largest labor unions in the US. So if you had a family member who was involved in the union then it may be related to your interest! You can find more information about the material here: https://www.loc.gov/collections/american-federation-of-labor-records/about-this-collection/. 

If you have a specific research question about the AFL collection or other Library of Congress materials, you can always submit it via the Library's Ask-a-Librarian service: https://ask.loc.gov/. 

Best,

Abby

By the People Community Manager