52
Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 28 (July 8-14)
Prompt:
Trains
#52ancestors
I don’t know of many connections my family had to trains except for my grandfather, Thomas Osa McCarley, aka T. O., aka Ocie.
I haven’t found any documentation other than a story that my grandmother wrote about her courtship and first year of marriage. Other oral stories that she told me added to the details of grandfather’s time working for the railroad.
Grandpa must have started working for the railroad not too long after they married or maybe before they were married. They lived in El Reno, OK while he worked for the railroad there. Grandma never mentioned what he did for the railroad or his employer’s name. However, the Rock Island Railroad had tracks, depot, and a roundhouse in El Reno at that time. The depot houses the Canadian County Historical Museum now. As far as I can tell, the Rock Island was the only railroad with a presence in El Reno.
When someone had more seniority, they could “bump” someone with less seniority and take their job. Grandpa was bumped from his job in El Reno. He had to go to Ft. Worth, TX to “bump” someone and still have a job with the railroad. They lived in Ft. Worth the winter of 1929-1930. After they discovered that their first child was due, Grandpa took Grandma back to his home in Marlow, OK to his parent’s house. She spent several lonely months there before Gwonda was born.
About that time Grandpa was bumped again. That appears to have ended his career with railroads and trains. After this bump, they moved to Bridgeport, TX where he had relatives. He worked in one of his Niblett relative’s restaurant making pies before they moved back to Marlow.
Rock Island Depot (El Reno, Oklahoma) - Wikipedia
Rock Island Depot - El Reno, OK - Train Stations/Depots on Waymarking.com
