Railroad Employee Records
Researching former railroad employee records
Like most railroad historical societies we do hot have access to records of former employees.
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Searching for Railroad Employee Records
It’s a question we often hear: “My great relative used to work for the MoP. How can I get information on him?”
The MPHS Archives does not have employment records for the former employees. In fact, employment records for most railroads are almost impossible to find. Many records were lost in a fire by the Railroad Retirement Board. We also do not have employee photos – the photos we have which do show employees, we usually do not know the names of the people in the photos.
We welcome research inquiries, but the majority of our archives is focused on railroad equipment, structures, and operations. What we do have for genealogists are some seniority rosters from a few years and territories, but these are not easily searchable and very limited. Sometimes the Missouri Pacific Employee Magazines feature employees and these can be of some use. We are in the process of getting these scanned and they will eventually be online.
The MPHS stands for many things and the employees who operated and managed the railroad from start to finish are always important to the MPHS. After all, without the collective work of these individuals the MPHS wouldn’t exist. Discussion and/or stories about the employees of the MP, T&P and other affiliated railroads in “The Eagle” magazine and the MPHS BB Forum is encouraged. Also many former employees have posted their stories and memories to our site – https://www.mopac.org/category/our-stories/
Some Suggested Routes to Follow
Missouri Pacific Employee Memories – https://www.mopac.org/category/our-stories/.
Check with local libraries and historical societies in the towns the former employee worked, they may have local records, or a local genealogy specialist who could help.
Census records are available online and often list occupations.
www.ancestry.com. The main section will enable you to check on almost everyone who’s had a Social Security card. You can then click on the Railroad Retirement section for deceased railroaders. We have discovered a community within Ancestry.com called RootsWeb. It may be worth investigating, as well.
U.S. National Archives. The web address is www.archives.gov. One document, in particular, will be of interest. It is Reference Information Paper 91, titled “Records Relating to North American Railroads,” which is found at https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/184.html. In addition, they offer some general genealogy tools and information at https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy.
Here is another National Archives link for the Atlanta office
https://www.archives.gov/atlanta/public/railroad-retirement-board-records.
Other Links You Might Find Useful
Records relating to North American railroads Compiled by David Pfeiffer https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011326037
Riding Grandfather’s Paper Express: Genealogical Research in U.S. Railroad Records http://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2016/05/riding-grandfathers-paper-express-genealogical-research-in-us-railroad-records.html.
