Historical Railroad Employees Database Search
In the 1850s railroads hired thousands of working people to build and operate their growing lines. In 1857 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad recorded every employee on the line. Over 6,000 individuals worked for the B & O in a variety of roles. At least one woman was employed by the company, Sarah Mally, as well as many free blacks and Irish immigrants. Our database will track these individuals over time and in coming months we will add more data from different railroads on slave laborers, Irish, and other workers.
Results:
There are 14 records.
| First Name | Last Name | Railroad Company | Occupation | Location | Total Pay | Gender | Rate per Day | Race | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mart. | Reynolds | United States Military Railroad | Carpenter | 63.75 | M | 2.500 | W | 1864-00-00 | ||
| Hugh | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Laborer | Wheeling Station | 30.50 | M | 0.000 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Charles | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Tonnage Conductor | 1st Division | 28.00 | M | 0.000 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| William | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Tonnage Engineman | 1st Division | 60.00 | M | 2.500 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Howard | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Tonnage Fireman | 1st Division | 26.25 | M | 1.750 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| John | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Laborer | First Sub-division | 30.00 | M | 1.000 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| James | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Laborer | Tenth Sub-division | 23.00 | M | 1.000 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Barnard | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Laborer | Twelfth Sub-division | 25.50 | M | 1.000 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Martin | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Laborer | Welling Tunnel | 18.00 | M | 1.120 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Thomas | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Laborer | Northwestern Virginia Road Tunnels | 20.35 | M | 0.870 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Briant | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Laborer | Northwestern Virginia Road Tunnels | 25.60 | M | 1.120 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Jos. | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Blacksmith Helper | Baltimore | 19.25 | M | 1.150 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Columbus | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Blacksmith Helper | Baltimore | 14.25 | M | 1.000 | 1857-00-00 | ||
| Michael | Reynolds | Baltimore & Ohio | Axeman | construction of road west of Harpers Ferry - First Division | 0.00 | M | 1.000 | 1842-00-00 |
Sources: A List of the Officers and Employees of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroads with the Amount of their Pay for 1857 (Baltimore: John Murphy and Co., 1868), Maryland Historical Society; Illinois Central Railroad Records, Newberry Library, IC 3.9 Box 262 Folder 3644 Employee List; Second Auditor, Internal Improvements Entry 91, Payrolls, Blue Ridge Railroad Records, Library of Virginia; Union Pacific Railroad Company Collection, Nebraska State Historical Society, MS 3671, Box 1, Box 9, J. S. and D. T. Casement Payrolls, 1867, and Union Pacific Payrolls for Green River Work, 1868; U. S. Military Railroad Records, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 92, Paryroll Books, 1861-1865, subgroups 1548 (USMRR payroll dated April to May 1861), 1718 (Letters received by W. J. Stevens, time report for USMRR March 1865), and 1738 (payroll of the USMRR Construction Corps, Dept. of the Mississippi); University of Iowa Digital Library Special Collections, Levi Leonard Collection, Union Pacific Casement payrolls.
Funding: worker mobility research made possible by a grant from the Economic Social and Research Council (UK)
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