Here is this week's edition of "Ancestors in the News" - a weekly feature from the historical newspapers about ancestral persons that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.
This week's entry is from the Leominster [Mass.] Enterprise newspaper dated 24 December 1879, Page 2, Column 2:
The transcription of the article is:
"Mr. Editor -- It is a duty I owe to myself, to the Northern Division of Old Colony Railroad and the public, that I acknowledge the receipt of fifty dollars (50.00) and a pass for mself and wife for one year for services rendered that Company in preventing a collision on the morning of the first of November last where possibly lives and property were saved. EDWARD HILDRETH
Leominster, Dec. 22d, 1879
"I will say here, that the rumors that have been affloat that the B.C. & F Railroad officials presented me with three hundred dollars and a pass for life for signaling the Worcester passenger train in 1872 on account of a broken rail is without any foundation, as they never recognized it in any way whatever. The rail I discovered broken was where I cross the railroad to and from my work; it was broken about 7 feet from the end, the spikes being about all thrown out, so I could have thrown the broken piece out with one hand; it was in a curve, and the outside rail of the curve, and on an embankment about 15 feet high for a number of rods, and it is for people to say whether a train at full speed could have gone over safly or not. It is my opinion they could not. So much then for saving life and property and no notice taken of it.
"I rather think that if I had been caught puting a sleeper across the track to destroy they property Manager Blood would have found a way to approach me if the act was printed in a paper in the city where he resided, as it was in this case. E.H."
The source citation is:
"Mr. Editor," Leominster [Mass.] Enterprise newspaper, 24 December 1879, page 2, column 2, Edward Hildreth article; imaged, OldNews.com (https://www.oldnews.com/en/record?record_id=record-12013-46814237-&ocr_panel=1&referred=mh_record_page : accessed 3 January 2025).
Note that this article was found by searching the Names & Stories in Newspapers from OldNews.com (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont) collection on MyHeritage.com for "Edward Hildreth" and "Leominster."
This article is a letter written by my 2nd great-grandfather, Edward Hildreth (1831-1899) of Leominster, Massachusetts to the editor of the Leominster Enterprise newspaper on 22 December 1879, and published on 24 December 1879. In the letter, Edward admits he received a $50 payment and a free pass for two on the railway for a year, and recounts how he found the broken rail. He also complains that there were rumors that he received more, and that the railroad company did not acknowledge his action until it was printed in the newspaper.
My guess is that Edward Hildreth found this rail problem near his home at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster (on the east side of the railroad track that ran in back of his house) and that his place of employment was on the west side of the railroad track, perhaps on Central Street in Leominster.
I am in the process of searching on MyHeritage in their Newspaper collections for all of my ancestors back to 3rd great-grandparents for articles that may provide more information about the lives of my ancestors.
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Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to MyHeritage.com and OldNews.com and have used it extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.
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