World Archives Project: California, Railroad Employment Records, 1862-1950 (Part 5)

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About this project This collection contains employment information for individuals who worked for the railroad in California.

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Project Instructions This collection contains employment information for individuals who worked for the railroad in California. Many records detail the type of employment engaged in, as well as information regarding misconduct. We will be keying name, occupation, marital status, employment dates and city, reason for leaving as well as birth and death information when available. It is important to identify whether or not a social security number appears on the image.

Project-specific sample images and form field help:
Choose a sample image from below to see the corresponding form field examples.
Employee Card
Employee Card Page 2
Employee Record
Microfilm
Cover page, Section header, etc
Image with no data

Employee Card

CaliforniaRailroadER EmployeeCard 1.JPG

Choose the "Employee Card" form type for images of pre-printed 3x5 type cards with the name of the railroad employee at the top of the card.

Additional Image Samples

SSN

Key "Yes" or "No" using the dictionary provided based on whether or not a social security number is present on the image. A social security number is a nine digit number separated by two hyphens like the following: 123-45-6789. If present on the image, this number often appears by the initials "SS No.," SS#" or something similar.

Prefix

Key any titles before the given name, such as "Dr," "Mr," or "Mrs," of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Only prefix values should be keyed into the prefix field. The primary name may be found on the line labeled "Name [In Full]", "Personal Signature-Full Name" or just "Name."

Given

Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Initials should be keyed with a space between them and without entering periods. The primary name may be found on the line labeled "Name [In Full]", "Personal Signature-Full Name" or just "Name."

Surname

Key the surname as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. The primary name may be found on the line labeled "Name [In Full]", "Personal Signature-Full Name" or just "Name."

Suffix

Key all titles, such as "Jr" or "III", following the surname of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. The primary name may be found on the line labeled "Name [In Full]", "Personal Signature-Full Name" or just "Name."

Alias Given

Occasionally an alternate name may be recorded for a given individual. This name may be denoted by parentheses, quotation marks, or may be preceded by the word "nee". Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the alias of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance.

Alias Surname

Key any Alias Surname which appears. Occasionally an alternate name may be recorded for a given individual. This name may be denoted by parentheses, quotation marks, or may be preceded by the abbreviation "for" or the words "nee" or "formerly". Key the alias surname as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance.

Occupation

Key the occupation as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Occupation may be found on the line or column labeled "Occupation." On images where the occupation is in a column, multiple occupations may appear. In this case, key the first occupation at the top of the list.

Employment Start Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the employment start date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. Employment start date is the date the employee started his or her service.

Employment start date may be found on the line labeled "Date Employed" or the column labeled "Date Effect", or "Date Eff." If there are multiple dates listed, key the first, or earliest date. In columns, this should be the date in the top column. Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Employment Start Day

Key the day from the employment start date as seen on the record. Employment start date is the date the employee started his or her service.

Employment start date may be found on the line labeled "Date Employed" or the column labeled "Date Effect", or "Date Eff." If there are multiple dates listed, key the first, or earliest date. In columns, this should be the date in the top column. Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Employment Start Year

Key the year from the employment start date as seen on the record. Employment start date is the date the employee started his or her service. The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly.

Employment start date may be found on the line labeled "Date Employed" or the column labeled "Date Effect", or "Date Eff." If there are multiple dates listed, key the first, or earliest date. In columns, this should be the date in the top column. Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Employment End Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the employment end date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen.

Employment end date is the date the employee ended his or her service. Employment end date may be found on the line labeled "Date Left Service" or "Date of Leaving." Many cards do not have pre-printed place for the employment end date. On these cards the date may be found next to a stamped or written "Reason for Leaving" or it may also be stamped on the card.

Employment End Day

Key the day of the employment end date as seen. Employment end date is the date the employee ended his or her service.

Employment end date may be found on the line labeled "Date Left Service" or "Date of Leaving." Many cards do not have pre-printed place for the employment end date. On these cards the date may be found next to a stamped or written "Reason for Leaving" or it may also be stamped on the card.

Employment End Year

Key the year from the employment end date as seen on the record. Employment end date is the date the employee ended his or her service. The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly.

Employment end date may be found on the line labeled "Date Left Service" or "Date of Leaving." Many cards do not have pre-printed place for the employment end date. On these cards the date may be found next to a stamped or written "Reason for Leaving" or it may also be stamped on the card.

Birth Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the birth date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Day

Key the day from the birth date as seen on the record. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Year

Key the year from the birth date as seen on the record. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly. Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Place

Key the birth place as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Separate any geographical locations with a comma. Ex: Perris, California. Birth place may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Birth place often appears after the date.

Death Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the death date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. When present, death date may be found next to words like "Died"or "Death." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Death Day

Key the day from the death date as seen on the record. When present, death date may be found next to words like "Died"or "Death." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Death Year

Key the year from the death date as seen on the record. When present, death date may be found next to words like "Died"or "Death." The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly. Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Reason for Leaving

Key the reason for leaving as seen on the record. Reason for leaving is the reason given on the card for why the employee ended service to the railroad. Reason for leaving may be found on the line labeled "Date Left Service" or "Date of Leaving (date) Cause." Many cards do not have a pre-printed place for the reason for leaving. On these cards the reason may be found stamped or written on the card, usually towards the bottom. Typical reasons include: Resigned, Quit, Retired, Pensioned, Dismissed, etc.

If the reason for leaving is wordy such as "Discharged Jul 3, 1903 due to showing up for work intoxicated," you will only key the basic reason. In this case "Discharged" should be keyed.

Keying Image Samples



Employee Card Page 2

CaliforniaRailroadER EmployeeCardP2.JPG

Choose the "Employee Card Page 2" form type for images of pre-printed 3x5 type cards with "Date of Birth" at the top. These images should follow an "Employee Card" form type. Do not choose "Employee Card Page 2" form type for all images that directly follow an "Employee Card". Only choose this form type for images where birth information is present.

SSN

Key "Yes" or "No" using the dictionary provided based on whether or not a social security number is present on the image. A social security number is a nine digit number separated by two hyphens like the following: 123-45-6789. If present on the image, this number often appears by the initials "SS No.," SS#" or something similar.

Birth Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the birth date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Day

Key the day from the birth date as seen on the record. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Year

Key the year from the birth date as seen on the record. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly. Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Place

Key the birth place as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Separate any geographical locations with a comma. Ex: Perris, California. Birth place may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Birth place often appears after the date.

Keying Image Samples



Employee Record

CaliforniaRailroadER EmployeeRecord 1.JPG

Choose the 'Employee Record' form type for images with names to key that are not an 'Employee Card' or an 'Employee Card Page 2' form type.

Additional Image Samples

SSN

Key "Yes" or "No" using the dictionary provided based on whether or not a social security number is present on the image. A social security number is a nine digit number separated by two hyphens like the following: 123-45-6789. If present on the image, this number often appears by the initials "SS No.," SS#" or something similar.

Prefix

Key any titles before the given name, such as "Dr," "Mr," or "Mrs," of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Only prefix values should be keyed into the prefix field. If there is an abbreviated and a full form of the same name, key the full form, even if the full form is written as opposed to being typed. Primary name may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, the name will appear in the top right of the two page spread, i.e. "Record of Barrows G.L."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, the name will appear in the top right of the two page spread next to the words "Record Of."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, name is typically found in the top right corner, sometimes next to the word name.


Given

Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Initials should be keyed with a space between them and without entering periods. If there is an abbreviated and a full form of the same name, key the full form, even if the full form is written as opposed to being typed. Primary name may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, the name will appear in the top right of the two page spread, i.e. "Record of Barrows G.L."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, the name will appear in the top right of the two page spread next to the words "Record Of."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, name is typically found in the top right corner, sometimes next to the word name.


Surname

Key the surname as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. If there is an abbreviated and a full form of the same name, key the full form, even if the full form is written as opposed to being typed. Primary name may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, the name will appear in the top right of the two page spread, i.e. "Record of Barrows G.L."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, the name will appear in the top right of the two page spread next to the words "Record Of."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, name is typically found in the top right corner, sometimes next to the word name.


Suffix

Key all titles, such as "Jr" or "III", following the surname of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. If there is an abbreviated and a full form of the same name, key the full form, even if the full form is written as opposed to being typed. Primary name may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, the name will appear in the top right of the two page spread, i.e. "Record of Barrows G.L."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, the name will appear in the top right of the two page spread next to the words "Record Of."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, name is typically found in the top right corner, sometimes next to the word name.


Alias Given

Occasionally an alternate name may be recorded for a given individual. This name may be denoted by parentheses, quotation marks, or may be preceded by the word "nee". Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the alias of the primary person as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance.

Alias Surname

Key any Alias Surname which appears. Occasionally an alternate name may be recorded for a given individual. This name may be denoted by parentheses, quotation marks, or may be preceded by the abbreviation "for" or the words "nee" or "formerly". Key the alias surname as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance.

Occupation

Key the occupation as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. If there are multiple occupations, key the first or top occupation, or the one nearest the employment start date. Occupation may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, occupation may be found in the column labeled "Employed As."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, occupation may be found in the column labeled "Employed As."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, occupation may be found near the words "Employed" or "Occupation", or near the employment start date.


Marital Status

Key the marital status as seen from the field or column labeled "Married or Single" using the dictionary provided for assistance. In some cases, the marital status is pre-printed and the applicable status is marked with an x.

Employment Start Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the employment start date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. If there are multiple employment dates, key the first or top one. Dates should be in month-day-year format. Employment start date may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, employment start date may be found in the column labeled "Date."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, employment start date may be found in the "Date" column under the word "From."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, employment start date may be found near the word "Employed" or "Employed From", or it may appear next to the first occupation of the individual.


Employment Start Day

Key the day from the employment start date as seen on the record. If there are multiple employment dates, key the first or top one. Dates should be in month-day-year format. Employment start date may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, employment start date may be found in the column labeled "Date."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, employment start date may be found in the "Date" column under the word "From."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, employment start date may be found near the word "Employed" or "Employed From", or it may appear next to the first occupation of the individual.


Employment Start Year

Key the year from the employment start date as seen on the record. If there are multiple employment dates, key the first or top one. The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly. Dates should be in month-day-year format. Employment start date may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, employment start date may be found in the column labeled "Date."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, employment start date may be found in the "Date" column under the word "From."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, employment start date may be found near the word "Employed" or "Employed From", or it may appear next to the first occupation of the individual.


Employment End Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the employment end date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. If there are multiple employment dates, key the last or bottom one. If you cannot find an employment end date, you may leave this field blank. Dates should be in month-day-year format. Employment end date may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, employment end date may be found near the "Reason for Leaving." If there is no reason for leaving, key the last date in the column labeled "Date."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, employment end date may be found in the "Date" column under the word "To."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, employment end date may be found near the word "Employed" or "To", or it may appear near the last occupation of the individual.


Employment End Day

Key the day of the employment end date as seen. If there are multiple employment dates, key the last or bottom one. If you cannot find an employment end date, you may leave this field blank. Dates should be in month-day-year format. Employment end date may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, employment end date may be found near the "Reason for Leaving." If there is no reason for leaving, key the last date in the column labeled "Date."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, employment end date may be found in the "Date" column under the word "To."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, employment end date may be found near the word "Employed" or "To", or it may appear near the last occupation of the individual.


Employment End Year

Key the year from the employment end date as seen on the record. If there are multiple employment dates, key the last or bottom one. If you cannot find an employment end date, you may leave this field blank. The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly. Dates should be in month-day-year format. Employment end date may be found in the following locations:

  • On images with "Record of" in the top left of a two page spread, employment end date may be found near the "Reason for Leaving." If there is no reason for leaving, key the last date in the column labeled "Date."
  • On images with "Santa Fe" on the right side of a two page spread, employment end date may be found in the "Date" column under the word "To."
  • On images that appear as 8x11 sheets of paper with three ring binder holes on the left side, employment end date may be found near the word "Employed" or "To", or it may appear near the last occupation of the individual.


Employment City

Key the employment city as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Employment city may be found in the column or near the word "Location". If there are multiple locations, key the first, or top location.

Birth Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the birth date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Day

Key the day from the birth date as seen on the record. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Year

Key the year from the birth date as seen on the record. Birth date may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly. Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Birth Place

Key the birth place as seen on the record using the dictionary provided for assistance. Separate any geographical locations with a comma. Ex: Perris, California. Birth place may be found next to words like "Date of Birth", "Birth" or "Born." Birth place often appears after the date.

Death Month

Key the month in its three-letter abbreviation from the death date using the dictionary provided for assistance. If the month appears as a number, key as seen. When present, death date may be found next to words like "Died" or "Death." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Death Day

Key the day from the death date as seen on the record. When present, death date may be found next to words like "Died" or "Death." Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Death Year

Key the year from the death date as seen on the record. When present, death date may be found next to words like "Died" or "Death." The expected year range for this project is 1862-1950. Two digit years should be expanded accordingly. Dates should be in month-day-year format.

Reason for Leaving

Key the reason for leaving as seen on the record. Reason for leaving is the reason given on the card for why the employee ended service to the railroad.

Reason for leaving may be found in the column labeled "Reason for Change" or "Cause of Termination" Many images do not have a pre-printed place for the reason for leaving. On these images the reason may be found stamped, written or typed and is often found next to the employment end date. Typical reasons include: Resigned, Quit, Retired, Pensioned, Dismissed, etc.

If the reason for leaving is wordy such as "Discharged Jul 3, 1903 due to showing up for work intoxicated," you will only key the basic reason. In this case "Discharged" should be keyed.

Keying Image Samples



Microfilm

CaliforniaRailroadER Microfilm 1.JPG

Choose the "Microfilm" form type for all images that contain information about the microfilm reel. These are images that were introduced to the collection when it was microfilmed, and are not part of the registers. See the wiki page for examples.

Additional Image Samples



Cover page, Section header, etc

CaliforniaRailroadER Capture 1.JPG

Use the "Cover page, Section header, etc' form type for images that do not contain data, but might be interesting to look at because they provide context for the image set. Example: historical notes, affidavits, etc.

Additional Image Samples



Image with no data

CaliforniaRailroadER Blank 1.JPG

Use the 'Image with no data' form type for images that do not contain data or any useful context that might be interesting for someone to look at. Example: An image containing a blank background.