"Along Those Lines"
  George G. Morgan – 9/7/2001

Researching Old Railroads

The westward growth in the United States was accelerated by the introduction and expansion of railroads. People no longer had to depend on moving exclusively by horse or wagon; they could travel more quickly by rail. Coincident with the westward population expansion was the growth in business of all types. Population growth demanded increases in products and services, and the increase in farming, mining, business, and other financial opportunities helped fuel the movement of people westward to seek a better life.

Among the business opportunities, indeed, was the growth of the railroad industry itself. All sorts of lines developed, hundreds of them, and new employment opportunities opened up to support this burgeoning transportation industry. Railroad jobs included gandy dancers who laid tracks, linemen who installed telegraph poles and strung lines, stationmasters, porters, loaders, telegraphers, engineers, firemen, conductors, maintenance personnel, and a host of other occupations. With all these people employed by the railroads, there were personnel records created and payrolls maintained. How, then, can those of us whose ancestors were involved with railroading locate the records that might be of genealogical significance?

Scarcely a week goes by that I do not receive e-mail from readers asking how they should go about locating records from the old railroads. In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let's discuss railroads, methods for tracing the old railroads' records, and some Internet-based resources that may be of help.

Tracing Railroads' Records
The process of locating a railroad's records is completely dependent on tracing its history. A number of my ancestors were employed by what was the Southern Railway running between Alabama and Georgia. The "Southern News Bulletin" dated April 1923, (a publication of the Southern Railroad) published an article commemorating the fifty years of service of a relative of mine, Jared G. Weatherly. The article states:

"The Weatherly family has produced Southern Railway employees in two generations. J.G. Weatherly, Jr., deceased, was an agent on the Birmingham Division and another son, M.S. Weatherly, was employed for a number of years as operator on the same division. A.M. Weatherly, Sr., deceased, brother of J.G. Weatherly, was for years an engineer on the Mobile Division. His son, A.M. Weatherly, Jr., D.S.O., is chief clerk to the master mechanic at Atlanta, and another son, W.C. Weatherly, now assistant secretary and treasurer of the White Furniture Company, at Mebane, N.C., formerly was in the train service on the Mobile Division."

This publication, found among my Grandfather Weatherly's papers, was a valuable pointer toward records for both the Birmingham and Mobile Divisions of the railroad. Perhaps you, too, have documents, service awards/testimonials such as a pin or a watch, or family traditions to lead you toward your ancestors' area of employment. If so, let's discuss a possible methodology for your research.

Keep in mind as you begin your search that there were a number of types of railroads. These included freight lines, passenger lines, livestock and grain carriers, commuter lines, streetcar lines, and others. Their scope of coverage may have focused on a specific municipality, one or more states, on a specific region, or they may have crossed much or all of the country. The smaller railroads developed relationships with other lines to accomplish the economical transfer and movement of people and freight from one place to another. Remember, too, that railroads formed, operated, were sold to or merged with other lines. They may have suffered destruction during the U.S. Civil War, and/or they may have gone bankrupt. Finally, most of the railroads that survived into the latter half of the Twentieth Century may have become part of Amtrak.

Begin your search by determining the time frame during which your ancestor would have worked for a railroad. Next, determine the geographical area in which he would have worked. At this point, you must become a railroad historian. You will need to learn which railroads operated in that geographical area at the time. If you have been told that your ancestor worked on "the Hiwasee Route," you may not know where to begin. Fortunately, the Railroad Retirement Board has a Web page at www.rrb.gov/funfacts2.html that reveals the Hiwasee Route to have been on the Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern Railway Company's line. Another such site is the "Fun With Railroad Names" page at home1.gte.net/stumpie/rrnicks.htm where you can locate nicknames for many of the U.S. railroads.

Your next step is to learn as much about the railroads in the area as possible, including their years of operation, the locations of their lines, their routes, the stations they served, and any affiliations they may have had with other lines. Timetables may even be important in your research. Use the Internet to search library catalogs in the areas where the railroads operated to determine what books or records a library may have in their collection. Remember that there may be papers in a library's vertical files which are not included in their catalog, so you may also want to contact each library along the railroad's route to ask if there are such uncatalogued items.

Search out books about railroads, local histories, military histories, and commercial histories for businesses that may have used the railroads you are researching. Even locating photographs and picture postcards depicting a railway station and showing a train with a name on the side may be a clue.

Another excellent Web-based resource for researching railroad history is that of the University of Connecticut Libraries, located at Storr, CT. The Railroad History Collections Web page at www.lib.uconn.edu/DoddCenter/ASC/raillist.htm is the portal into their own collection of railroad materials. In addition, the library has compiled an exceptional compendium called "Sources for Railroad History Research in the United States" at www.lib.uconn.edu/DoddCenter/ASC/BLC/Railroadlinks.htm. Likewise, you can locate a multitude of railroad history sites on your own using your Web browser and a search engine such as Google (www.google.com). I wanted to learn more about railroad history in Alabama and therefore entered the following search:

alabama + "railroad history"

Among the results I found were the Web pages of the North Alabama Railroad Museum (www.suncompsvc.com/narm/restored.htm), the Railroad History page (members.nbci.com/generanch/rails/), and the Railroad History Links by State (www.trainweb.org/wyomingrails/rrhist.html), among others.

Using Maps - Printed and Electronic
There are many map collections available for your research, and railroad lines are common features of many topographic maps. Check with libraries and archives of all types for atlases containing historical maps showing railroads. Don't overlook military histories, which include maps. Railroads were key military targets and landmarks, and they are usually clearly identified in these period maps. Scanned images of maps are abundant on the Internet, and can be located using search engines. The historical maps in the Ancestry.com subscription databases can be invaluable for pinpointing railroads too (www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/maps/main.asp).

Locating What Records Might Exist
Your historical quest should next include learning the disposition of the railroad itself. If all or part of it was sold to or merged with another railroad, try to determine the identity of the new railroad. One of the railroads would have ended up with personnel records at the time of the combination. You want to keep asking the question, "What happened to the personnel records?" They may have moved from one company to another, and even to yet another; they may have gone into storage; they may been lost or destroyed; they may have become the property of an historical or genealogical society; they may have been donated to a state library, a public library, or an archive; a railroad enthusiast or club may have them in their possession. The point here is that you should leave no stone unturned, and you should always use your creative instincts to determine where records may have ended up.

Records after 1936
All of the research described above applies to old railroads' records before the mid-1930s. However, the same technique can be used to trace more recent records. I recently wrote about requesting records from the Railroad Retirement Board. Copies of your more recent ancestor's railroad service may reveal his employment history with various railroad lines, therefore making it easier to trace the disposition of the records. Check the RRB's genealogy Web page at www.rrb.gov/geneal.html for details about obtaining copies of their records for your ancestors.

Don't Expect Miracles, But Do Not Write Those Letters!
When searching for your railroading ancestor's personnel records, set your expectations realistically. The older the records may be, the greater the chance that they have been lost or destroyed. Newspapers and gazettes, particularly those published by the actual railroad may provide information to you. However, the failures, sales and mergers of railroads increase the possibility that records may no longer exist.

Don't be disheartened, though. When you have thoroughly traced the history of the railroad line, write letters to the old AND new railroad(s) to request any records that might exist for your ancestor. In addition, express your interest in the history of the railroad and ask for copies of whatever materials are available. You will find that many railroads have published brochures or bound commemorative histories not ordinarily found in libraries, and these may be additional resources for your research. Even if you don't find actual documents, you will have learned a great deal about the railroad for which your ancestor worked, the history of the area and the people, and gained valuable insight into what your ancestor's life must have been like. And that can be the most valuable information of all.

Happy Hunting!
George

George G. Morgan is a proud member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, Inc. (ISFHWE) at: www.rootsweb.com/~cgc/cgc2.htm. He would like to hear from you at atl@ahaseminars.com but, due to the volume of e-mail, he is unable to answer every e-mail message received. Please note that he cannot assist you with your individual research. Visit George's Web site at http://ahaseminars.com/atlfor information about speaking engagements.

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