I am confused about what are the joist and not the joists in my basement. It is a 100 year old house. I have one main bean that runs front to back (supported by columns- the kind with a large cement bottom you might see when building a deck, the term is escaping me at this moment- in basement) and then other ones that run perpendicular (side to side) to that main beam. Are the load bearing walls most likely the ones that also run perpendicular to the large main beam or the ones that run perpendicular to the smaller side to side beams?
I have a wall in the kitchen that runs side to side (perpendicular to that main beam, but with the smaller beams) that we would like to remove a section of. When I look in the basement there is one column under that wall (but also under the main beam and next to a fire place that is being removed) and then a small metal floor jack where there is a vent going up to the second story. There are also other random floor jacks around.
My neighbor is a self employed carpenter and has offered to come look, but I thought I should ask here as well. More opinions=more certainty