the FRISCO PAPERS and more

The ST. LOUIS SAN-FRANCISCO RAILWAY - RAILROAD never made it to California. The first track laid was in 1855 and in 1876 was ogranized. Shortly afterward the name FRISCO and the coonskin logo would appear as a product of its early employees. Management liked it. The above map gives you an idea of the states its 5,000 miles of track covered.
This no-frills web site is set up to exhibit the FRISCO PAPERS I collected in the '70s from the old FRISCO EMPLOYEE RECORDS BUILDING in SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI as it was vacated and employee records hauled to a landfill.
I would like to find descendants of the men who's lives these papers represent. If your relative is here, please e-mail me.
GENEALOGY is the ONLY reason for this page. I also added a collection of OLD PICTURES of FRISCO EMPLOYEES sent in by FRISCO descendents. Recently I have started accepting and adding old pictures of employees of other RRs. For the links to these old pictures, scroll down to the picture of the two ladys standing by a locomotive.
Other Rail links have been added also because of their genealogical value.
The collection of personal papers of employees number more than 500 names. They are divided into three lists and there are other pages that represent more employee files. I have most of them on line now, but I am looking for more to add.
In the beginning, these employee files represented a lot of soul searching for me as what should I do with them. By the time I figured that out, I had let many thousand get away. If only I had a crystal ball and could see the INTERNET coming down the road.
To read how I came by these records and to see an early employment application, CLICK HERE

NOTE: THE SPRINGFIELD/GREENE COUNTY LIBRARY IS NOW ON LINE WITH A WEB PAGE OF PUBLICATIONS OF PAST FRISCO EMPLOYEE MAGAZINES. THESE DATE FROM 1902 TO 1935. THERE ARE STORIES ABOUT EMPLOYEE'S RETIRING AND PICTURES OF THEM IN THEIR JOB. FOR RESEARCHING YOUR DECENDENTS, THIS IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION. AFTER GETTING TO THE MAGAZINE PAGE, YOU CAN SEARCH ANY WORD AS WELL AS THE NAME YOU ARE RESEARCHING.
GO HERE FOR THE FRISCO LIBRARY PAGE.

These papers date from the late 1800s to the WW II years and are only a fraction of the many FRISCO employee records that once were. I have arranged them alphabetical so you can search for your FRISCO relative. You should also use your EDIT/FIND function too. If you find a relative, I will pass that record on to you for the simple fee of postage and handling.
There are a couple of files that are compelling in their content and insight into the working life of the early railroaders. If you find your relative here, please do not take offence. Write me. I will make every effort to pass these records onto you for their genealogical value in your family.
This page was born Dec. 23, 2000. I am constantly adding to it. Check below for some of the other interesting papers I have found besides the FRISCO PAPERS, the tombstone picture and the many early pictures that friends of this page have sent in to me to post. The pictures are the property of the person credited with the picture or if no credit, then mine. Please, No reproduction without written permission
I wish I could identify the underpass picture to the right, but can only think that it may have been the Lyon street underpass in north Springfield.

Toward the bottom of this page is a GUEST BOOK where others have signed in with their relative's name and employment history with the FRISCO. You may want to do the same.

Let me suggest in your search to save time, that you use http://www.google.com/as a search engine. With GOOGLE, you can put in the title of this page "frisco papers" then type in the name you are researching. If it is here, google will bring it up. Be sure to put " on each side of frisco papers.

GOOD HUNTING:

FRISCO PAPERS pg 1 Bar_ to McKen_
FRISCO PAPERS pg 2 Med_ to Zum_
MORE PAPERS 1/11/01 More employee footprints,

STUDENT'S RECORD to qualify as Fireman. Signatures of Engineers 1943
A LETTER FROM J. M. KURN president Frisco 1921
LETTER FROM H HAMILTON other holdings of the FRISCO 1918
"SOMETHING HURTS ABOUT THOSE FRISCO WHISTLES"
NON UNION PLEDGE
PINK TELEGRAM New!
EMPLOYE'S KINDLING In triplicate New!

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New! Train wrecks have always attracted the curious. There were plenty of accidents in the early years to keep the locals and the wrecking crews busy.
Here (not the picture on the left)is a WW-2 accident. A TRAIN WRECK 100+ NAMES 1942 with employee dates back to 1872 & early 1900s.
I have received requests for information of relatives hurt or killed in train accidents on the FRISCO. I wish I could help, but other than local newspaper accounts, there are no good records of the human side of the seriousness of these tragedies.
A reader sent in the following set of pictures with the date and I was able to put them together with the Department of Transportation report. Here is a picture/story of one such accident with names. WRECK OF ENGINE 4023 March 29, 1928
(NOW the picture on the left)Little is known of the picture on the left and the sender would like to know more about it. If the picture looks familiar, click here to help identify it.
I will be adding more pictures and information as they are given to me.

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The more things change, the more they stay the same. Working for the RR back then still met lay offs and traveling to where the work was. Then there was credit. Many lost their job over the threat of garnishment. Here are 550 business names in St. Louis, MO. Names from Alaska Fur Co to Zollinger Furniture, members St. Louis Credit Union Nov. 18, 1922 on the back side of a letter found among these records.

Good news: as of March 2001, we have a FRISCO RR MAILING LIST on rootsweb. Briefly, you can SUBSCRIBE to the list in mail mode by sending a message to: FRISCO-RR-L-request@rootsweb.com
and in the message place the single word;
SUBSCRIBE
You can subscribe to the digest mode by sending a message to: mailto:FRISCO-RR-D-request@rootsweb.com" and in the message place the single word;
SUBSCRIBE
You can read archived postings by subscribers to this list by going to www.rootsweb.com and look for MAILING LIST, under it click on INDEX, next, click on OTHER, then click on OCCUPATIONS, then FRISCO RR.
Or you can go directly to the archives by Clicking here
If you have questions about this mailing list, e-mail me. Fred Veregge. I am the List Administrator.
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FRISCO RR NEWS CLIPPINGS with an everyname index

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INFORMATION on holders of FRISCO STOCK 1922/23
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Following are links to other interesting railroad genealogy sites and a guest book.
NOTE: There is no longer a FRISCO MUSEUM in Springfield, MO. E-Mail me if you have questions about what happened to the contents.
The FRISCO RESOURCE center has Frisco information mostly for the modeler as well as a general topic board.
ROOTSWEB.COM has a page titled RAILROAD WORKERSand a recent addition called RAILROAD ACCIDENTS where you can post and/or read messages from others who have a like interest. Click on either one.
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AND I must give a lot of credit for this page and the above research to Judy, and her love for genealogy. Visit JUDY'S STUFF at Judy's stuff. page and LAWRENCE COUNTY Missouri.

This 1913 picture with a train on the tombstone is unique. It belongs to my cousin Monica and her husband Marlyn Eshelman. Marlyn is related to Howland and loaned this picture in hope of finding relatives. They think the cemetery is in La Crosse Wisconsin. Can anyone tell me for sure, so I can pass it on to them?
" Lacrosse, Wis. May 29, 1913: Harry V Howland, engineer employed Burlington was killed this morning when locomotive tipped and his body crushed." This picture is of his children, father and thought to be his mother.
Here is a recent article by GEORGE MORGAN: RESEARCHING OLD RAILROADS as it appeared in Ancestry.com

Sources for Railroad History Research in the United States: http://www.lib.uconn.edu/DoddCenter/ASC/BLC/Railroadlinks.htm#Genealogy</a

Here is CYNDI'S LIST of Genealogy Sites on the Internet Cyndi's RAILROAD Page

Go here for Railroad Retirement Board Information genealogy search I am getting mostly positive feedback on this site for those of you seeking information in the time frame where the RR Retirement Board can help you

The picture to the right is my mother-in-law, Nellie (Miller)Yates holding the flowers. (Do not know who the other lady is.) Her husband, Alva Yates would go to work for the Frisco some time after they were married. After retireing with 25 years, he served as president of the local chapter of RR Retirees. For a record of the first meetings of the SPRINGFIELD, MO RAILWAY RETIREES, CLICK HERE.

Click on one of the links below and view the many FRISCO folks on the job and in their work place.
CLICK HERE for the first set of pictures. CLICK HERE for a seconed set of pictures. AND CLICK HERE for employee pictures of OTHER railroads.
If you have a picture that is identified as Frisco (or any other RR) and has employee or employees representing their work on the RR, and will let me post your picture(s) them please e-mail me. Simply write a short note to explain the picture and what it means to you.
It is my desire to place the human before the iron on this WEB page.

The St Louis-San Francisco Railway also had a TRUCK LINE.
It was identified with a FTC logo.
CLICK HERE for the FRISCO TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (FTC) picture and story page.

RR MAPS
Have you heard of the Railroad that never was, as in Dallas County Missouri? Here is a 1873 MO RR map that shows even the proposed RRs of the time. Evident here is the line proposed between Lebanon, Buffalo, and Bolivar. This is a story worth reading. Click here for the 1873 map and scroll down to Dallas county. Use your back-button to come back and read Dream of railroad turned into 70-year nightmare
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FRISCO MAPS
Here is the FRISCO Line from Kansas City thru Memphis when it was called:
KANSAS CITY FT. SCOTT & MEMPHIS R.R.
MORE FRISCO MAPS, Thanks to SOUTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
SMSU BUSINESS PAGE
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UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, ROLLA, has what they call their WESTERN HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION. In this collection, stored off campus, are many boxes filled with records of the FRISCO. Most are matters of the operation of the RR, but there are some scrapbooks and photos that make up the human side. To get an idea what there is, CLICK HERE Scroll half way down before you get into the heart of this RR. At the bottom of the page you will find more information about these boxes of records. I would love to find out more about these records. Any one who has seen them or done research here. please write me.
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GUEST BOOK
PLEASE SIGN THE GUEST BOOK? Enter your RR relative. The next person to view the guest book may have information for you.
Note that Web Search Engines will not pick out names in this guest book, so I have taken these names and made an ALL NAME INDEX that will work with search engines. To see the list, CLICK HERE.
I will add names as they are posted in the guest book.
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Here is a challenge: There are few Genealogy web pages relating to past employee’s of other old Railroads. I would like to see others take on a web page for their ancestors Railroad. Rootsweb.com will host your site free and help you set it up.
This Web page is not all that it can be. For you FRISCO folks I want you to know that I am open to ideas and any input that you may have. I know there are old company magazines out there that have a wealth of employee pictures and stories. To give you an idea how these company magazines can produce much employee history, let me direct you to:
The Erie Railroad, Personnel Records
Visit their page. I like it. I’m not sure I have the expertise to build any thing more than a no-frills Web page, but maybe that is all we need. What I do know is that there is a lot more information out there to gather. Any and all help is appreciated.
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The post card above of the FRISCO OFFICE BUILDING, SPRINGFIELD, MO is postmarked Aug 5, 1911 and received CREIGHTON, MO Aug 6.
MAUDE(?) sent the card to JAS. EURING, Creighton. "Arived O K. Vira & Effie met me"
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If you came direct to this page and wonder who put this mess together, then I invite you to my PEANUT BUTTER JELLY SANDWICH & GALLON of GAS PAGE. It may confuse you more, but may entertain you too. There is a story of moving a house (GROWING A HOME), story of a cave, of an Indian, a dog, family genealogy, and other things will be added as time permits. So here is MY INDEX PAGE
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ That's all 4 now.
I will be happy to hear from you. e-mail Fred Veregge. (retired)