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Subject: Re: [ARKANSAS] Re: ARKANSAS-D Digest V00 #220
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 01:33:38 EST

Wendy,

Pertaining to railroad pensions.

The Source, a guidebook for genealogy states that

Railroad workers of the twentieth century received special Social Security
numbers (the first three, or area, numbers 700-729 until 1964) and their own
pension plan.

A ancestor who received a pension from certain railroad lines should be on
record at the Railroad Retirement Board, 844 N. Rush St. Chicago, IL
60611-2092 The board is very helpful in answering requests for information
if you can provide the employee's name, postion, the railroad worked for, and
where and when employed. There is a fee for a search, whether successful or
not. p. 346 under Business, Employment, and Institutional Records.
***p. 646 The Source Tracking Twentieth Century Ancestors

Nine types of records maintained by the Railroad Retirement Board.
1. employee's death certificate
2. application for employee (age and service) annuity under the railroad
retirement act.
3. Description and certification as to eligibility of evidence submitted.
4. Certification in support of employer service for which no records are
available.
5. Application for employee annuity under the Railroad retirement Act.
6. employees statement of compensated service rendered
7. Record of employee's prior service
8. Employee registration
9. Employee's certificate of termination of service and relinquishment of
rights.

In the 1960's, the board initiated a policy approving destruction of
individual files thirty years after the last payment is made to the claimant
or any beneficiaries in accordance with federal record retention schedules.
The destruction was put on hold after genealogists protested. A decision
regarding future retention or destruction had not been made as of late 1995.
(The Railroad Retirement Board does not maintain personnel or retirement
files of former Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway employees who died
prior to 1970.

the accessibility and retention of railroad personnel records varies from
company to company. Museums and historical societies often house records of
local or regional railroads.

p. 677 The Source -Tracking Urban Ancestors, states
Rail transportation workers may be traced through corporate archives, union
records, or government agencies. The Newberry Library in Chicago has
manuscripts from the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy R.R. and some from the
Pullman Standard Care company.
It also states that the Railroad Retirement Board did not begin operations
until the mid 1930's..

Hope this helps some
Patricia L. Hall

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