Using Railroad Maps and Timetables to Discover How Ebenezer Moved to Texas
Today’s lesson about railroads in the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in the “Sea to Shining Sea: Researching Our Ancestors’ Migrations in America” course got me thinking how my Loveless ancestors traveled from Conway, Arkansas to Stephenville, Texas.
Ebenezer Loveless came to Texas sometime between 31 Dec 1904
when he sold land outside of Conway, Arkansas to his son, Thomas M. Loveless[1]
and 12 Sep 1908, when he married Melissa M. Blount (nee Settle) in Erath
County, Texas.[2]
Route to Texas
By this time, railroads crossed many parts of the United States. One could
travel to almost any town by rail. Using a railroad map of the Louisiana and
Arkansas Railroad, I can find the lines between Conway and Stephenville.
I used the map of the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway Company
found on Wikipedia.[3]
Conway is not on the map but is located just north of Little Rock on the line
along the Arkansas River. From Conway, he would have ridden to Little Rock. Changing
trains at Little Rock, he would have traveled to Texarkana. He then changed trains
again to ride to Fort Worth, Texas. From Fort Worth, he would have taken
another train to Stephenville.
Louisiana & Arkansas Map from Wikipedia |
Now, to be sure where this all worked and with which railroad company, I checked The Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States, Porto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Cuba, 1905 Jan-Feb.[4] This guide, found on HathiTrust, gives timetables for all of the railroads and steam lines in the above countries.
Official Guide from HathiTrust |
The Guide also has maps at the front showing these railroads and the branch lines. Here are the two cropped images showing Arkansas and Texas with our route.[5]
Official Guide p. 24 Official Guide, p. 23
Also, in the Guide are timetables with listings of stops on
the lines and the times they stop. If Ebenezer got on in Conway, he had a
choice to two trains, one in the morning and one in the evening. Our ancestors
had much more choices for riding than we do today. Let’s say he wanted to take
the morning train. He would leave on the St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern
Railway Co. train no. 54 at 5:02 and arrive in Little Rock at 6:00 AM.[6]
Official Guide p. 780 |
He would have about an hour layover to catch the same
company’s No. 5 to Texarkana and arrive at 11:40 AM. Then as you can see at the bottom, he boards
the Texas and Pacific Railway at 12:10 PM toward Fort Worth.[7]
Official Guide, p. 771
His last train would be Train No. 9 on the Fort Worth &
Rio Grande Railway (Frisco System), leaving Fort Worth at 3:25 PM and arrived
in Stephenville at 6:07 PM.[8]
Official Guide p. 723.
Conclusion
[1] Faulkner County, Arkansas, Circuit Clerk records, Conway,
Bk 29, p 89, Warranty Deed, E. Loveless to T.M. Loveless.
[2] Erath County, Texas, Marriages, Bk L, p. 42, 1908, E
Loveless-Mrs. MM Blount; FHL film 1,026,028.
[3] “Louisiana
and Arkansas Railway,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_and_Arkansas_Railway),
1903 system map of the L&A.
[4] The
Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States,
Porto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Cuba, 1905 Jan-Feb, digital image, HathiTrust
(https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.096493241&view=1up&seq=32).
[5]
Ibid, p. 23 & 24.
[6]
Ibid, p. 780.
[7]
Ibid, p. 771.
[8]
Ibid, p. 723.
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