McAninch Employment Records from The Pullman Company

 

Research into Pullman Company records by Lillian McAninch --

new address: 1917 N. Fleet St., Prescott Valley, Arizona 86314-2027 (previously Oak Lawn, Illinois)

 

George Pullman, The Pullman Palace Car Company, and the Town of Pullman, Illinois

 

George M. Pullman was a farmer's son, born in Brockton, New York, in 1831, one of eight children. At 17 he moved to Albion, N. Y., to work with one of his brothers in a cabinet-making business. After 10 years as a carpenter, Pullman made a bold move. When the Erie Canal was widened in Albion, he took on the job of moving warehouses to their locations on the new banks. This led him to Chicago in 1855, a town of 100,000 where buildings were often flooded after rains. He made a good business out of moving buildings to higher ground. This was also where he started building railroad cars [Note 1].

 

In the 1880s George Pullman built the model town of Pullman, near Lake Calumet, to manufacture his famous railway sleeping cars. All buildings in the town were company owned and rented to workers, churches and stores. The town and surrounding areas were annexed to Chicago in 1889 [Note 2].

 

Some of the early employment records of the Pullman Company are now in the “Pullman Collection” at the South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society (SSGHS), South Holland, Illinois. This collection contains information from the Pullman Car Works (1900-1949), located at 111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in Pullman (Chicago), Illinois, one of the largest employers in the area. There are approximately 200,000 individuals represented in this collection [Notes 3, 6].

 

Three McAninch men have been found in these records --

1. David McAninch, immigrant from Ireland, at the Calumet Works, south-east side of Chicago, and

2. Bert and Frank McAninch, two brothers from Davenport, Iowa (worked for Rock Island Railroad).

 

 

1. David McAninch, Chicago, Illinois, in April, 1904  [age 43, so, born circa 1860-1861, in Ireland]

 

Office file card:

 

Name: McAninch, David

Address: ________ [blank]

Department: Yd. Laborer

Age: 43

 

 

 

 

 

Country of birth: Ireland

Boards, Single

Family of __ Children & _____

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Service with Co.: 8 years

How Long in U.S.: 23 yrs

Citizen: Yes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Last

How

Where

Occupation

Foreman

Reason for Leaving

Employed by Co.

Long?

 

 

Anstrom[?]

“own a/c” [sic]

 

1902

1 year

Calumet

Truck Builder

[spelling?]

[own account (?)]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Employment during past 12 months:

 

Relatives in Company’s  Employ:

 

Farm for self

 

 

 

None

 

Payroll card:

 

Name: David McAninch

Address: 418 Watt Ave.

Age: 43       [Watt Ave., Note 4]

Check No.: 2299 [Note 5]

Dep’t and Occup’n: Yard lab [Laborer]

 

Rate: 19½

Hired: 1 8 4 [Jan. 8, 1904]

Dropped: 4 22 4 [April 22, 1904]

 

McAninch Family History Newsletter VII-2  April 1999  Copyright Frank McAninch   page 1999-14

 

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