railroad worker

Where we worked: on the railroad.

Wilson Daily Times, 2 March 1950.

Though Wilson was not a railroad town in the way Rocky Mount was, the Atlantic Coast Line and Norfolk Southern railroads kept significant numbers of African-Americans employed. The work was steady, but often dirty and dangerous, especially for brakemen and switchmen.

City directories, census enumerations, draft registration cards, and other records yield this running list of railroad employees:

  • Tom Abram, laborer, A.C.L. R.R., 1917
  • Claude Albritton, laborer in freight depot, N.S. Ry. Co., 1917
  • Dock Applewhite, railroad section hand, lived in Stantonsburg, 1910
  • Frank Asbell, depot station hand
  • James Austin [Alston], brakeman, lived at 206 East Spruce, 1908; laborer for Norfolk Southern R.R., 1912
  • Romeo Bagley, baggage porter, A.C.L. baggage station, 1918; railroad laborer, 1920
  • George Barnes, railroad laborer, 1910
  • George Barnes, freight porter, A.C.L. station, 1920
  • George T. Barnes, station hand, A.C.L. R.R., lived at 632 Viola, 1916
  • John Barnes, station hand, A.C.L. R.R., lived at 808 Viola
  • Joseph Barnes, brakeman, lived on Daniel nr Spruce, 1908
  • Martin Barnes, section hand, N.S. R.R. Co., Cent. Div., lived in Stantonsburg, 1918
  • Pierce Barnes, railroad laborer, lived on the A.C.L. Railway near Spruce, 1908
  • David Battle, railroad crossing flagman, 1920
  • Frank Battle, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Harry Battle, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Millard Battle, railroad laborer, 1920
  • Jule Berkley/Julius Burkett, N.&S. Railway brakeman, 1920
  • Elijah Bishop, depot freight hand, 1920
  • Warren Brington [Brewington?], laborer, freight department, 1917
  • James Brown, yard switchman, A.C.L. Railway, lived at Viola near Reid, 1912
  • James E. Brown, fireman on A.C.L. railroad, 1918
  • Sam Brown, railroad laborer, 1917
  • Willie Bryant, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Julius Burkett, railroad yard switchman, 1920
  • Will Byrd, Seaboard Air Line Railway Company laborer, 1920
  • Brister Daniel, A.C.L. R.R. section hand “Contentnea to near Fremont,” 1918
  • Harry Draughn, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Dallas Dunford, railroad section hand, 1910
  • John Hardy Ellis, Norfolk & Southern Railroad section hand, 1917, resided in Stantonsburg
  • Fulghum Edwards, A.C.L. Railway brakeman, 1916, 1920
  • Swift Faison, mail porter, A.C.L. station, 1920
  • Leroy Farmer, section hand, N.&S. R.R., Central Division, lived in Stantonsburg, 1918.
  • George Frederick, section hand, 1924
  • Bud Gaston, brakeman, 1912
  • John H. Gaston, A.C.L. freight station, 1918
  • William Gates [Gay], brakeman, lived at 529 Church, 1908
  • Isaiah Gilyard, longshoreman, C.&O. Railway, 1918
  • Reid Hagans, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Robert Hall, railroad section hand, lived in Stantonsburg, 1910
  • Leslie Harris, freight hand, Atlantic Coast Line R.R., 1917
  • Charles Hayes, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Daniel S. Henry, labor, A.C.L. passenger depot, 1917
  • Eddie Herron, railroad laborer, 1920
  • Henrietta Hill, matron at A.C.L. passenger depot, lived at 134 Pender, 1908
  • Charles Hines, flagman, 1920
  • George Hobbs, section hand, 1917
  • Will R. Hockaday, section hand, A.C.L. Ry., Elm City, 1918
  • Eddie Hogan, section work, Norfolk So. R.R. Co., 1918
  • Edward Howard, laborer, A.C.L. R.R. Co., 1918
  • Will Jeffreys, railroad laborer, Sharpsburg, 1918
  • Hardy Johnson, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Allen Jackson, station hand, lived at 423 South Railroad Street, 1920
  • James Joyner, railroad laborer, 1920
  • James Mack, laborer, N.&S. R.R. Co., 1917
  • Charlie Macon, laborer, A.C.L. depot, 1918
  • Ulysses Martine, railroad postal clerk, 1920
  • Eziel McCoy, baggage man, A.C.L. station, 1918
  • John McDaniel, A.C.L. Railway laborer, 1920
  • James C. McLean, station hand, A.C.L. R.R., 1917
  • Alec McMillan, freight hand, 1920
  • Louis Miles, railroad laborer, 1917
  • Dave Mills, “extra track gang track man,” Norfolk & Southern Central Division, 1918
  • Gertrude Moss, cleaner, A.C.L. Railroad, 1910
  • James Moore, freight handler, A.C.L. R.R., 1917
  • James Nowling, railroad laborer, 1918
  • Tom Overstreet, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Menus Parker, railroad laborer, Norfolk Southern Ry. Co., 1917
  • James Peacock, depot station agent, 1920
  • Jimmie Pender, railway laborer, Norfolk Southern Ry. Co., 1917
  • Fred Pickens, laborer, freight depot, A.C.L. R.R., 1917
  • Robert Pittman, railroad employee, N.S. R.R. Co., 1918
  • Isaiah Procter, laborer, “S.L. Johnson’s section,” Lucama, 1917
  • Charlie Reed, railroad fireman, 1920
  • Will Reid, A.C.L. Railway Company laborer, 1920
  • Doc Richardson, railroad section hand, 1917
  • Roman Ricks, section hand, A.C.L., Lucama, 1917
  • John Roberson, laborer, N.S. R.R. Co., 1918
  • Ashley Sanders, laborer, A.C.L. freight depot, 1918; freight handler at freight depot, 1920
  • Carey Simms, laborer, N.S.R.R., 1918
  • Shafter Simpson, laborer, Norfolk Southern Ry. Co., 1918
  • John Spencer, depot freight hand, 1920
  • George Taylor, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Andrew J. Townsend, Norfolk & Southern Railway section hand, 1940
  • Lizzie Thompson, depot matron, 1920
  • Ed. O. Williams, laborer, 1918
  • Edward Williams, railroad laborer, 1910
  • Tom Williams, brakeman, 1892

In a dying condition.

Found Dead.

Last Sunday Coroner Wm. Harris received a telegram from the railroad agent at Elm City saying that a Negro man had been found there in a dying condition with a wound in his head, and telling the coroner to come over. The coroner went and obtained an affidavit from one John Rice that the body was that of James King, an employee of the Southern Railroad.

A jury was summoned, who, after examination of the body, rendered the following verdict:

That according to the evidence and after viewing the body of James King, (col.) that the deceased came to his death by some unknown cause.

The general supposition is that he was struck on the head by another of the train hands while he was on the top of the moving freight.

— Wilson Daily Times, 10 September 1897.