Workday Wednesday: Who's minding the store?

Workday Wednesday is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers that encourages family historians to document their ancestors’ occupations (they weren’t all farmers) through photos and stories of ancestors at work.

Twenty-nine men and one woman in my family tree could sing “I’ve been working on the railroad” and mean it. 

Most of their jobs are what you’d expect:  conductor, engineer, brakeman, mechanic.  But storekeeper?

My maternal grandfather’s brother Millard Davis was an assistant storekeeper for Norfolk & Western Railroad and later THE storekeeper for N&W in Shenandoah, Virginia. I amused myself imagining that my great-uncle Millard was selling toy train whistles, beer koozies and “I heart trains” t-shirts in a company store.  Then I got serious.

N&W Railroad Yards and Main Street
photo of a photo in Shenandoah: A History of Our Town
and Its People

The Shenandoah Division was one of the longest divisions on the N&W railroad, considered quite important as the midway point between Hagerstown, Maryland to the north and Roanoke, Virginia to the south.  Shenandoah averaged 18,000 - 20,000 freight cars per month with significant tonnage. 

Besides the car and engine repair shops, the Shenandoah yard had a 30’ coal tipple, a 253’ concrete stack, power house, storehouse, a 50-thousand gallon water tank, and office building.  Over 400 employees would “rise up so early in the morn” to clock in at the railroad yards off Main Street.  Another 100 worked at points along the line.

The coal tipple and water tank
photo of a photo in Shenandoah: A History of Our Town
and Its People

Then during World War II train traffic more than tripled as materials were shipped between Roanoke and Hagerstown.  By 1943, the volume of freight was six times that of pre-war years.  Four freights a day plus four passenger runs plus troop trains made Shenandoah a busy place to live and work and visit.

Millard Davis

And Millard was in the middle of that busy-ness as storekeeper.  He likely performed a number of duties including issuing parts and tools to other workers, receiving materials from carriers, unloading and inspecting shipments. He probably prepared materials for shipment along with the required documentation. Inventory control probably was also part of his job description.

In pictures I’ve seen of Millard, he was always a sharp dresser. This makes me think his job did not require him to get very dirty at the railroad working “all the live-long day.” 

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.