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In the 19th century railroads did give pensions to widows of management killed on the job. They were structured similar to the pensions that went to soldiers and widows of Union soldiers. It was in a range of 20-50 dollars a month. It was at the discretion
of the company, in a few cases that I knew of on the Rock Island and one on the Q, that the family continued to live in the section foreman's house close to the rails coming in or out of town. My father pointed out the old section foreman's house along the
tracks in Ottawa just north of Norris Drive and the newer one along the tracks closer to the north yard in Ottawa. The old one had been occupied by the widow and children of a section foreman. The newer one had been sold by the railroad when my father didn't
want to move into it with my mother. He expected to be moved to Chicago as an assistant superintendent, which he did, and ran a construction crew in the early 1950s expansion of Clyde yards.
Again, the treatment of management widows while still at the discretion of the company, so I can't point to any standards or policy structures on this practice.
Ordinary workers on the railroads might get 2.50 to 10 dollars for the burial and for the family. Usually, it was the other workers or the Brotherhood that came up with money for the widows and orphans.
Edward V. Carroll
Distinguished Professor of History - Emeritus
Heartland Community College
1500 West Raab Road
Normal IL 61761
ed.carroll@heartland.edu
_____________________
Understanding the past requires pretending that you don't know the present.
Paul Fussell
From: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io> on behalf of Dennis Popish via groups.io <qchooch=aol.com@groups.io>
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2021 10:01 AM
To: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io>
Subject: [External] Re: [CBQ] Survivor Pensions
Peter:
This discussion group is informal for those with an interest in the CB&Q Railroad with no official railroad affiliation.
The Railroad Retirement Act establishing pensions for railroad workers was not enacted until 1935 around the same time that the Social Security system was being enacted. Railroad employee survivor and spouse pension benefits were not provided for until
enacted in 1946 and 1951.
So in 1888 it would have been highly unlikely that any survivor’s pensions were available nor provided by any railroad. You might reference the web site for the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board for specific historical information on that retirement system.
I hope this has been of some benefit to you.
Dennis Popish
On Apr 19, 2021, at 8:44 PM, Peter S Weber via groups.io <owl_man_2000=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
I am hoping someone can answer this question. My 2x great grandfather was a section boss on the Q, based in Monmouth, IL. In February 1888, he was hit by an incoming locomotive and died of his injuries. I am wondering if his surviving spouse
would have received a survivor's pension. If so, how would that pension be structured?
Thank you in advance.
--
Peter S. Weber
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