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Track Down A Gandy Dancer

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By SHARON TATE MOODY

Tribune correspondent

Published: February 15, 2009

I fell in love for the first time when I was 4 years old.

No, the object of my affection wasn't the little boy down the road - it was the railroads. It began when I traveled with my parents from Rome, Ga., to Chicago. More than 50 years later, the memories of that trip are still vivid.

As I grew into a serious genealogist, imagine my dismay at not finding a single ancestor with a connection to the iron horses so significant to our national Western history. There isn't a single gandy dancer (railroad maintenance worker), conductor or engineer in my family tree. Even family lore that we were related to Jesse James, whose only connection to trains was robbing them, proved to be disappointingly untrue.

If you have a rail man in your family tree, you may have learned about him through an occupation listing in the census. Perhaps the rail man's stories are a part of your family lore. You can have lots of fun augmenting that knowledge by exploring the history of the rails while uncovering your ancestor's adventures.

Your research will be two-fold. First, you should try to find records specifically about your ancestor - you can't trust the family stories that might have entertained you as a child. If you're going to be the family historian, you've got to prove or disprove the hand-me-down tales.

Second, you want to learn more about railroads in general and the parts they played in our country's history. From the laying of America's first gravity road (as it was called in 1764) in Lewiston, N.Y., until today, thousands of miles of tracks have been laid.

To get started, study the history of specific railroads that operated in the area where your ancestor lived. Explore the Internet, visit libraries, and check out special collections at colleges or universities in the area to learn as much as you can about the company that might have employed your ancestor.
Old newspapers are filled with colorful stories about characters associated with the rails in their heyday of Western expansion. You may even find your ancestor there. But if not, you'll learn about the escapades of co-workers and life working for a rail system.

Explore historic newspapers through Internet sites and in libraries. You can find them at www.ancestry.com, www.footnote.com, and www.genealogybank.com. If you aren't sure which newspaper to search, find some old maps that show the rail routes.

Another good site to visit in the early stages of your research is www.cyndislist.com. On the Main Category index click the "R" and you'll see a listing for railroads. You can spend days linking and exploring the resources from this site.

If your ancestor was a modern-day railroad man as opposed to one of the pioneers, you might begin your research with the Railroad Retirement Board at www.rrb.gov/mep/ genealogy.asp. This entity's records begin in the mid-1930s.

Enjoy your research - I'm jealous!

Life Writing Classes

Every genealogical project should begin with the researcher's own life and knowledge and work backward through generations of ancestors. But sometimes it's hard to write about ourselves and what we've done. If you need help writing your own story, local writer and teacher Joan Shalleck can give you a boost.

Her eight-week beginner's memoir writing class, Life Writing, runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday in room 222D of the new Continuing Education Division of Hillsborough Community College on Shell Point Road in Ruskin. The college fee is $55. If you're interested, call (813) 259-6512 to register.

Land Cruise Set

It will be interesting to see how many folks set sail on Wholly Genes' 2009 "land cruise." The software company sculpted quite a reputation as the leader in genealogy cruises for the past four years, headlining stars of the genealogy world under the Caribbean sun.

It's changing that successful format, though, because of the economy. This year's conference is Aug. 26 to 30 in the 19th century Shrine Mont Conference Center in Okney Springs, Va.

While it's losing the Caribbean backdrop, it has chosen an unusual setting. While genealogy conferences generally are held in urban high-rise hotels, Shrine Mont is a 19th century hotel in the foothills of the Great North Mountain, two hours west of Washington, D.C. The wooden structure was built in 1873 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Four impressive lecturers should wow the conference participants. They are John Colletta, Marie Melchiori, Patricia Shawker and Craig Scott.

Attendance will be limited to 200. For registration information and other details, go to www.whollygenes.com and click on the link at the top of the page.

Got A Good Story?

Do you have an interesting North Carolina research story to share with others? The National Genealogical Society is looking for stories to promote the 2009 annual conference to be held in Raleigh on May 12. If you're interested, contact Vickie Burns at vickiburns@nc.rr.com

The society already has announced its 2010 conference will be April 28 to May 1 in Salt Lake City. That venue should be a huge draw for those who want to combine conference fun and learning with research in the LDS Church library, the Mecca of Genealogy. Keep an eye on this column or www.ngsgenealogy.org for hotel and registration announcements. Rooms always go like hotcakes, so it pays to register early.

Sharon Tate Moody is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Send your genealogy questions and event announcements to her in care of Getaway, The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa FL 33606 or stmoody0720@mac.com. She regrets

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