John F. Hodges - Oakwood Cemetery - Fort Worth, TX
N 32° 46.224 W 097° 20.912
14S E 654679 N 3627040
The broken column headstone of John F. Hodges, a conductor on Santa Fe railroad passenger train No. 42, who died tragically when he lost his footing and fell under a passenger sleeper car near Ballinger TX on 22 Dec 1890.
Waymark Code: WMFX0G
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 12/10/2012
Views: 4
A clue to Mr. Hodges' occupation is found on his tombstone, which is inscribed with the emblem of the Order of Railroad Conductors, the predecessor of today's United Transportation Union.
Dallas Morning News 23 Dec 1890 page 1:
CONDUCTOR HODGES KILLED
San Angelo, Tex. Dec 22 -- John Hodges, conductor on passenger train 42 was accidentally killed this morning as the train was pulling out. He attempted to board the train when his foot slipped and he fell beneath a sleeper, causing almost instant death. Conductor Hodges leaves a wife and several children living at Temple, Texas, to which place the remains were sent on a special train. [end]
Note: This article is incorrect -- later editions corrected the residence of his family to show that they lived in Fort Worth.
Dallas Morning News 24 Dec 1890, page 9
BURIAL OF CONDUCTOR HODGES
Fort Worth Tex., Dec 23 -- The funeral of Conductor John Hodges, who was killed by falling between cars on the Santa Fe near Ballinger, took place to-day and was attended by the different railroad employees in bodies. The attendance was very large and the procession of vehicles to the New Cemetery (renamed Oakwood Cemetery in 1912 -- BMB), where he was buried, was fully a mile long. Conductor Hodges was one of the most popular railroad conductors on the Santa Fe, and the immense turn-out to his funeral to-day testifies to the high esteem in which he was held in this city by all classes of people who knew him. [end]
UPDATE 02 OCT 2014: Thanks again to QuarellaDeVil for better coordinates -- free of fumbling fingers.
Headstone/Monument Text:
Tis hard to break the tender cord
When love has bound the heart,
Tis hard, so hard, to speak the words
Must we forever part.
Dearest loved one, we have lain thee
In the peaceful grave's embrace,
But thy memory will be cherished
Til we see thy heavenly face
Website with More Information: Not listed
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