Mothers had to prove they were dependent on their sons to receive a pension based on their deceased sons' service. This usually involved mentioning how much their sons earned before enlisting. I don't know how accurate these reports are, but summarize them here. (Note also that I do not know how many hours (or days) the men worked, and that in some cases they may have been apprentices--Rudolph Maidel's mother's file actually says that he was an apprentice and joined the army to be able to support his mother.)
I have not yet looked at these two reports, which have some relevant evidence:
Joseph D Weeks. Reports on the statistics of wages in manufacturing industries with supplementary reports. Washington, DC: 1886. Serial Set volume 2150, 47th Congress, 2nd session, session volume 13. House Miscellaneous Document 42 part 20 Nelson W Aldrich. Wholesale prices, wages, and transportation. 52nd Congress, 2nd session, SR 1394. Washington, DC: 1893.(click on the heading to sort the table by that column)
| name | occupation | weekly earnings | comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tierney, James | currier | $10 to $15 | |
| McNulty, Bernard | laborer | $10 to $12 | |
| Simpson, Robert | glassblower | $20 to $25 | |
| Drew, Michael | glassblower | $15 | 1852-1861 |
| Andrews, Joseph H | machinist | $02.50 to $03.00 | |
| Andrews, Joseph H | laborer | $05 | $1 per day |
| McDermott, James | laborer | $07 | |
| Cahill, Patrick | light laboring | $05 to $06 | another report: $3/wk |
| Armstrong, Robert J | clerk | $10 | |
| Ginther, David | laborer | $10 | |
| Lammey, Francis | printer | $04 | |
| Mellor, Charles A | machinist | $06 | |
| Flynn, John J | printer | $03 | |
| Lutz, William | gardener | $12 to $14 | stonecutter by trade; gardener by occupation |
| Whartonby, Daniel | worked in pottery | $04 | |
| Ogden, Edward | varnisher | $09 | |
| Carrigan, Francis | plasterer | $15 | for years |
| Scott, Thomas B | clerk [dry goods] | $07.50 | $1.50/day 'or whatever the regular wages were at that time' |
| Mathers, Henry G | clerk [grocery] | $05 | replaced by someone earning >$5/wk |
| Brown, Andrew | morocco finisher (apprentice) | $05 |