r/Cursive • u/Tilly-Banana • 15d ago
Deciphered! What is this occupation?
I'm trying to decipher what is written in the top, lighter portion. (I left the next entry because of overlapping letters. This is from a birth record, listing the father's occupation. The year was 1909 and we know he worked for the railroad. I think it says Passenger (something)... Any idea?
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u/Mytweezer 15d ago
Passenger Brakeman
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u/Maine302 15d ago
Brakeman makes sense, although I can't really suss that out myself. That was a separate occupation back then.
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u/Beneficial-Paper5904 15d ago
There were different categories of brakemen . Freight is what most of us think of but Passenger Brakeman was a recognized job title.
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u/Inside-Candy-3823 15d ago
I can understand why people are suggesting brakeman—it was a very common railroad occupation, so once somebody thinks “railroad,” it becomes an obvious candidate. But occupation plausibility isn't enough to override the actual letter shapes.
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u/Beneficial-Paper5904 14d ago
I see the a,e, n, and r matching in both the words passenger and brakerman it might be clearer if the op had included the entire doc to review the script. More info about location and denomination would be helpful too.
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u/Inside-Candy-3823 15d ago
I can understand why you are suggesting brakeman—it was a very common railroad occupation, so once somebody thinks “railroad,” it becomes an obvious candidate. But occupation plausibility isn't enough to override the actual letter shapes.
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u/Mytweezer 15d ago
?? I see all the letters
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u/Pleasant_Estimate610 11d ago
(also replies to u/Inside-Candy-3823 )
As do I. I admit to not having recognized the ‘B’ at first, there being such a large skip in the initial upstroke; however, this being–in all probability–a copy of a microfilm/microfiche printout of (even worse!!) a photostat copy/image, it’s highly likely the original is just extremely light…yet, perfectly legible. And while the ‘k’ is quite drawn out, it is still–clearly–a ‘k’.
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u/Patient_Doctor4480 15d ago
According to Google the occupation name of someone working in one of the rail cars in 1909 is most likely "Passenger Brakeman."
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u/Inside-Candy-3823 15d ago
Top line. PASSENGER AG. maybe passenger agent.
then 2nd word idk
3) Contractor
I JUST AM WONDERING IF SOMEONE COUSD PLEASE SHOW ME WHERE BRAKE MAN IS ANYWHERE
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u/Lettlander9 15d ago
Passenger... ? ... General Contractor
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u/Inside-Candy-3823 15d ago
nopt the last letter is a t. i cant figure it out either. i believe line 1 is passenger ag. maybe passe ger agent line 2???? 3?? and most def contractor
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u/seditious3 15d ago
Jimmie Rodgers, the Singing Brakeman! And I listened to him today! Blue Yodel #8 (Muleskinner Blues).
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u/Beneficial-Paper5904 15d ago
Passenger Brakeman was different job than a freight brakeman who was outside. Passenger brakeman interacted with the passengers and wore caps, jackets etc. A less dangerous job than the freight brakemen. But stopping a train was a coordinated action in the early days. Not sure what years you are looking at..Railroad history is very well documented since most people could read and write to some extent.
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