James J Ward, Freeland, philadelphia

[Redroger]

The LVRR stands for Lehigh Valley Railroad, they will have a historical society too!

[mcghee67]

I think this could be the same person with the uniform as the one above

[Redroger]

Could well be, I am not certain if it was possible on an American Railroad to progress from Conductor to Locomotive Engineer, but I do know it was very difficult in the UK and impossible if over 25!

[mcghee67]

Here is a piece of information on one of my ancestors Francis P Malloy he maybe had something to do with James getting a job

Francis Patrick Mulloy worked in the coal mines until he was 17 in Hazelton, PA area. There was a mine accident. Many died. He survived. But at that point, he decided he did not want to be a coal miner. He moved to New York and worked as a bar tender.  (Not sure how long he stays in NY, but by 1900 census we find he has moved to Philadelphia.) He works for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. He was very successful in this company eventually becoming Chief Engineer. He was very involved in the fraternal order of the Railroad Brotherhood. He held district and statewide offices.  The trains that he drove were coal-burning steam generated locomotives. He was able to work the Presidential train for Teddy Roosevelt on several occasions when the President was leaving out of  Philadelphia. The one trip that was spoken about occurred in 1902 when President Teddy Roosevelt had to be in Atlantic City as soon as possible. The railroad company cleared the tracks; Francis Mulloy was given a green light all the way, and he proceeded to break all speed records to get the president to his destination. He retired about 1930.

[Redroger]

Great stuff. There was and to a less extent is a strong family succession in the railway industry, certainly in the UK and I feel the world. I think it is almost certain that Francis had at least a part in the appointment of James to a job on the railroad.People like him generate a lot of records, and I think it would be worthwhile contacting the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in the USA giving the detail you have posted and asking if they can add to the information.

[mcghee67]

Thanks for the advice and helping me find records

Jane

[Redroger]

pp34-5 of "The Virginian Railway" by H.Read has a picture of a group men including a Virginian Railway conductor in an almost identical suit to that worn in your photo. Afraid the book is too wide to scan, but you might find a copy in a local library, or even on *bay.

[Family Mysteries]

Hello, This is my first time on this website.  I'm not sure if this will help you or not but there was a James J Ward, of Freeland, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA who was a photographer.  I have access to 2 photographs that he did about 1882.  The photos were of my husband's relatives who lived in nearby Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pa.  I believe that at the time, circa 1882, my husband's great-grand uncle, Thomas J Fitzpatrick, was possibly working as an intern for James Ward, to learn the photography trade.  Thomas relocated several years later to Bessemer, Alabama, USA, where he operated a successful photography studio. 
There is some online information about James J Ward's photography business.  Is the photo that you have identified as James J Ward, or is that just the printed info from the bottom of the picture?  Sorry if I have led you down a "rabbit trail" but sometimes relevant information comes along from these unexpected sources.