I am seeking information about my GG-Grandfather, Varcellus J. Olds. He would have married in 1880 (probably around Juneau/Sauk County. I believe he was killed between then and 1885 as my GG-Grandmother, Melvina (Lavine) Olds is listed as a widow after that. Family lore claims that he was killed while working on the RR. The store claims that he was a brakeman and was on top of a train and was killed when the train went under a trustle or tunnel? knocking him off. I do not know this to be fact nor do I know what RR company he may have worked for or where this accident may have occured. I have not been able to locate a death/burial record for him to verify his death. His parents were living in Russell County, Kansas in the 1880s census and had been living in Whiteside County, Illinois in the 1870 census so this accident may have occured anywhere between Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin. His widow lived in Elroy, Juneau County in the 1885 Wisconsin State Census and my G-Grandfather was born January 21, 1881 in Elroy, Juneau County, so I am assuming he met my GG-Grandmother in that area and had made that his home base. Any information about him, this supposed RR accident or where I might find such information would be greatley appreciated.

Karen,

Your link to Elroy would suggest he worked for the Chicago & North Western. Its former line between Elroy and Sparta today is a bike trail and features several tunnels. It's very possible, then, that he could have been swept off the top of a box car by a tunnel portal. The job of brakeman in that era, by the way, was actually more dangerous than below-ground anthracite coal mining, statistically. It's very common to see reports of such accidents in the press of the day, and that is perhaps your best chance of finding something (keep in mind also that some papers stopped carrying such reports because they were so common, but a local paper reporting a local death would certainly have something). I would suggest you check with the Elroy library to see if there are any local newspaper or death indexes from that time, or perhaps local historians that might have other ideas:
http://www.elroywi.com/library.htm

More on the trail at:
http://www.elroy-sparta-trail.com/

Hope that helps somewhat!

Jim

Thank you for all your information. I will check with the library in Elroy

Hello Karen,

Did you have any luck with the Elroy Library? I've been looking for info about my great uncle, Patrick Fitzgerald, who was killed in a boiler accident [after 1883 before 1910] while working for the C&NW. Keep running into a brick wall since the C&NW destroyed all accident records when they sold out to the Union Pacific. Someone, somewhere must have some records.

Ann C Fitzgerald [fitzgeraldacf@yahoo.com]

Living in Elroy, he probably worked for the C&NW. They destroyed all their accident reports when they sold out to Union Pacific. Don't even bother to contact them. Try the local newspapers.

If he isn't listed in the death index at the Wisconsin Historical Society, you could check the Juneau Tombstone Project. You might get lucky.

Ann C Fitzgerald

I think there were three tunnels and tunnel number three was the longest and most dangerous. Probably was the Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway that your ancestor worked for. If you haven't found anything in Elroy, Monroe the next county along the line would be a good bet. The Monroe County, WI Rootsweb page has a newspaper index for Sparta, Wisc.

Also, if you find nothing, post your query on the railroad accident board. There are two very competent people on the board that go out of their way to help.

Have you tried to find an obit in the local papers where his parents lived?


Ann C Fitzgerald