L.P. Allen Collection of Railroad Labor Payrolls, 1839-1890
Collection Number: 5483

Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library


DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
L.P. Allen Collection of Railroad Labor Payrolls, 1839-1890
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5483
Abstract:
Payroll and financial records of historic Massachusetts and Rhode Island railroads.
Creator:
L. P. Allen
Quanitities:
0.83 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English

Biographical / Historical

The Old Colony Railroad [OC] was a major railway system that served southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island in the 19th century. Initially started to connect Boston with Plymouth, from which it took its name, the OC quickly expanded through a series of mergers with and acquisitions of other established railroads. By 1893, the OC ran over 617 miles of track servicing the Boston metropolitan area, branching out to both industrial and population centers, including Providence, Rhode Island; Newport, Rhode Island; Lowell, Massachusetts; Cape Cod; the South Shore of Massachusetts; New Bedford; Fall River; Fitchburg; and Martha's Vineyard. It even acquired the oldest railroad in the United States, the Granite Railway, in 1870.
In 1893, the OC was purchased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and was operated as the "Old Colony Division." Many of these lines are still in use today by Amtrak and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.

Inclusive date range: 1839-1890
Bulk dates: 1845-1888
This collection consists of the financial records such as payrolls, stock certificates, cancelled checks, payments received, and paid receipts, from historic railroads in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island areas around Boston and Providence. The records come from the Old Colony Railroad and its predecessor railroads. They were collected by L. P. Allen of Boston, Massachusetts and donated to the Kheel Center in 1975.
These records are an excellent resource for the study of early railroad development in North America. The various financial data found in this collection amply document the types of supplies, and their cost, which were used to construct these early railroads. Invoices include supplies like sperm whale oil, as well as coal and pig iron. The records also show how railroads initially made the majority of their profit off of passenger travel, such as in the 1845 financial reports, in which the revenue from passenger traffic is roughly three time greater than that for freight traffic. The financial statements from the second half of the 19th Century show the reverse, demonstrating the changing nature of the railroading business. The freight and passenger balances from 1888 reflect this change. Additionally, the greater scope of the business is shown by these records as well. The invoices from the early and mid-19th Century are records of business done on a local and regional scale. By 1888, the invoices and accounts paid include businesses from all over the continental United States, illustrating how quickly the railroads were able to span distances and communities that were unimaginable just fifty years previous.
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
Conditions Governing Use

This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.

INFORMATION FOR USERS

Preferred Citation

L.P. Allen Collection of Railroad Labor Payrolls #5483. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.

Related Materials

Related Collections: other railroad collections

SUBJECTS

Names:
Allen, L. P.
Boston and Providence Rail Road and Transportation Company.
Old Colony Railroad.
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
South Shore Railroad
Framingham and Lowell Railroad
Cape Cod Railroad
Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Albany Railroad.
Granite Railway.
Subjects:
Railroads -- Massachusetts -- History.
Railroads -- Rhode Island -- History.
Wages -- Railroads.

CONTAINER LIST
Container
Description
Date
Box 1 Folder 1
Boston and Providence Railroad Stock Certificates
1841-1842
Box 1 Folder 2
Bond Warrants
1870-1879
Scope and Contents
Fitchburg and Worcester Railroad; Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad.
Box 1 Folder 3
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1839
Box 1 Folder 4
Boston and Providence Railroad. Stock Sale.
1842
Box 1 Folder 5
Boston and Providence Railroad. Stock Sales.
1843
Box 1 Folder 6
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1844
Box 1 Folder 7
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1845
Box 1 Folder 8
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Labor.
1845
Box 1 Folder 9
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Taxes.
1845
Scope and Contents
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Box 1 Folder 10
Boston and Providence Railroad. Financial Reports.
1845
Box 1 Folder 11
Boston and Providence Railroad. Stock Sales.
1854
Box 1 Folder 12
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Labor.
1854
Box 1 Folder 13
Passenger Receipts
1855
Scope and Contents
For the month of November1855
Box 1 Folder 14
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1857
Box 1 Folder 15
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Labor.
1857
Box 1 Folder 16
Old Colony and Fall River Railroad. Insurance Policy for Shipment of Rail.
1857
Box 1 Folder 17
Boston and Providence Railroad. Stock Sales.
1858
Box 1 Folder 18
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, paid.
1858
Box 1 Folder 19
Old Colony and Fall River Railroad. Insurance Policies on Shipments of Railroad Iron and Coal.
1858
Box 1 Folder 20
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Labor.
1872
Box 1 Folder 21
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, paid.
1873
Box 1 Folder 22
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1874
Box 1 Folder 23
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1875
Box 1 Folder 24
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Labor.
1875
Box 1 Folder 25
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Taxes
1875
Box 1 Folder 26
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Paid
1876
Box 1 Folder 27
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Labor.
1876
Box 1 Folder 28
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Received.
1876
Box 1 Folder 29
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad. Cancelled Checks.
1877
Box 1 Folder 30
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1877
Box 1 Folder 31
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1878
Box 1 Folder 32
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad. Receipts, Labor.
1878
Box 1 Folder 33
Boston and Albany Railroad. Cancelled Checks payable to Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad
1878
Box 1 Folder 34
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad. Receipts, Labor.
1879
Box 1 Folder 35
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad. Cancelled Checks.
1879
Box 1 Folder 36
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Paid, to Warren Institution for Savings
1883-1888
Scope and Contents
Loan for $50,000 issued February, 1883. Repaid with $1,000 interest August 1888.
Box 1 Folder 37
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
1886
Box 1 Folder 38
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Received.
1886
Box 1 Folder 39
Old Colony Railroad. Stock Sales.
1886
Box 1 Folder 40
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Received.
1887
Box 1 Folder 41
Old Colony Railroad. Freight and Passenger Balances.
1888
Box 1 Folder 42
Old Colony Railroad. Receipts, Paid, to Merchants Natl. Bank
1888
Scope and Contents
$100,000.00 Loan
Box 1 Folder 43
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, Paid.
Scope and Contents
Undated
Box 1 Folder 44
Post Office's Department. Warrant for Payment.
Scope and Contents
Undated
Box 2 Folder 1
Boston and Providence Railroad. Payroll.
1845
Scope and Contents
Includes payrolls for Stoughton Branch and Dedham Branch.
Box 2 Folder 2
South Shore Railroad. Payroll.
1849
Box 2 Folder 3
Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad. Payroll.
1858
Box 2 Folder 4
Boston and Providence Railroad. Payroll.
1858
Box 2 Folder 5
Old Colony Railroad. Payroll.
1875
Box 2 Folder 6
Old Colony Railroad. Payroll.
1876
Box 2 Folder 7
Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad. Payroll.
1879
Box 2 Folder 8
Old Colony Railroad. Payroll.
1890
Box 2 Folder 9
Boston and Providence Railroad. Receipts, paid.
1845
Box 2 Folder 10
Old Colony Railroad, Receipts, paid.
1875