Under a Northern Star

Railways: Black Porters

When the Canadian government established a provident fund for retirees of the Intercolonial and Prince Edward Island Railways in 1907, it became necessary to keep painstaking records of the pay rates, breaks in service and personal information of employees, many of whom were Black. Using a searchable database, you can now access these records of 21,700 names that contain details of the employees' lifetimes of service, such as date and place of birth, records of discipline and reward, and changes in pay and occupation over time. Of particular interest to genealogists are many records with information regarding the cause and date of death, and the estate executor.