Riding The Rails: Discovering the Hobos and Vagabonds in Your Family History
Following the completion of the transcontinental railroad, an army of itinerant laborers descended upon America, supplying the manpower and muscle that helped fuel our country’s industrial growth. It is possible that your ancestor may have been one of these men. This presentation will cover the history of hobos and records that you can use to tell their stories.
Following the completion of the transcontinental railroad, an army of itinerant laborers descended upon America, supplying the manpower and muscle that helped fuel our country’s industrial growth. It is possible that your ancestor may have been one of these men. This presentation will cover the history of hobos and records that you can use to tell their stories.
Hobos, tramps, and vagabonds, collectively known as itinerant workers, constituted a population of close to 100,000 people. They comprised a grouping of individuals who traveled and worked across the Midwest, Great Plains, and Mountain West between the years 1870 and 1940. This presentation will introduce the audience to the history of this subculture using documents like tramp ledgers, letters, and diaries and assist them in locating the hobos in their families and telling their stories.
Prsenter: Amber Oldenburg is a genealogist, lecturer, and social media manager at Your DNA Guide, with a degree in Family History Research from Brigham Young University-Idaho. She currently serves as an online instructor in the Family History Research program at BYU-Idaho. She specializes in Midwest and Great Plains research, and she is passionate about pioneers and homesteaders and is currently pursuing accreditation in the North Central Region from the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists.
