Railroad Records and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking by Paula Stewart Warren; Session part of the 1997 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States; Railroad records are usefull for genealogical research because they may include personel files, medical records, payroll records, newspaper clippings, accident reports, records of subsidiary lines, employee newletters, photos and drawings of the actual railroad lines, general correspondence, land records and surveys, wealth of printed literature on raillines about their history, buisness activities and their part in settling communities- many are complete w footnotes and endnotes, as well. Railroad maps can help give us information about where our ancestors went, who they visited, if they had kids on the way, etc. First learn about the place where your ancestor lived first- when did the railroad get to that town? Which lines came through? Can use this kind of information to cross check oral history in your family. Look at the genealogy of the railroads themselves, not just your ancestor- there may have been company mergers, bankrupcy, name changes, etc. that your family documents could help track down the history of the railroad line that your family member worked for- this can help with verifying personal information for your ancestor especially if that person worked in a company associated w the railroad company- may be hard to track, but important to get straight because those companies like restaurants, construction, etc. are so closely tied to railroads. Accident records give name, their residence and occupation, sometimes marrital status, date and time, place of accident, cause of accident, other railroad employees working at time of accident, what happened to body (where buired and what funeral home), description of injuries (could prove family stories). Railroads are private businesses and have record retention timelines, so some materials are not always easy to track down or they might not even be in existance anymore. Genealogy; MP3 Converted (no tape), 1997

Railroad Records and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking by Paula Stewart Warren; Session part of the 1997 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States; Railroad records are usefull for genealogical research because they may include personel files, medical records, payroll records, newspaper clippings, accident reports, records of subsidiary lines, employee newletters, photos and drawings of the actual railroad lines, general correspondence, land records and surveys, wealth of printed literature on raillines about their history, buisness activities and their part in settling communities- many are complete w footnotes and endnotes, as well. Railroad maps can help give us information about where our ancestors went, who they visited, if they had kids on the way, etc. First learn about the place where your ancestor lived first- when did the railroad get to that town? Which lines came through? Can use this kind of information to cross check oral history in your family. Look at the genealogy of the railroads themselves, not just your ancestor- there may have been company mergers, bankrupcy, name changes, etc. that your family documents could help track down the history of the railroad line that your family member worked for- this can help with verifying personal information for your ancestor especially if that person worked in a company associated w the railroad company- may be hard to track, but important to get straight because those companies like restaurants, construction, etc. are so closely tied to railroads. Accident records give name, their residence and occupation, sometimes marrital status, date and time, place of accident, cause of accident, other railroad employees working at time of accident, what happened to body (where buired and what funeral home), description of injuries (could prove family stories). Railroads are private businesses and have record retention timelines, so some materials are not always easy to track down or they might not even be in existance anymore. Genealogy; MP3 Converted (no tape), 1997, Box: 1. Albuquerque Bernalillo County Special Collections Library.

Railroad Records and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking by Paula Stewart Warren; Session part of the 1997 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States; Railroad records are usefull for genealogical research because they may include personel files, medical records, payroll records, newspaper clippings, accident reports, records of subsidiary lines, employee newletters, photos and drawings of the actual railroad lines, general correspondence, land records and surveys, wealth of printed literature on raillines about their history, buisness activities and their part in settling communities- many are complete w footnotes and endnotes, as well. Railroad maps can help give us information about where our ancestors went, who they visited, if they had kids on the way, etc. First learn about the place where your ancestor lived first- when did the railroad get to that town? Which lines came through? Can use this kind of information to cross check oral history in your family. Look at the genealogy of the railroads themselves, not just your ancestor- there may have been company mergers, bankrupcy, name changes, etc. that your family documents could help track down the history of the railroad line that your family member worked for- this can help with verifying personal information for your ancestor especially if that person worked in a company associated w the railroad company- may be hard to track, but important to get straight because those companies like restaurants, construction, etc. are so closely tied to railroads. Accident records give name, their residence and occupation, sometimes marrital status, date and time, place of accident, cause of accident, other railroad employees working at time of accident, what happened to body (where buired and what funeral home), description of injuries (could prove family stories). Railroads are private businesses and have record retention timelines, so some materials are not always easy to track down or they might not even be in existance anymore. Genealogy; MP3 Converted (no tape), 1997, Box: 1. Albuquerque Bernalillo County Special Collections Library. https://nmarchives.unm.edu/repositories/9/archival_objects/536115 Accessed November 22, 2024.