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First cousin of Margaret E. Pflieger. Pennsylvania Railroad employee from June 28, 1869 to
March 1, 1921. Transcription of a letter to Margaret E. Pflieger, dated Aug 21, 1919: Dear Cousin Margaret, Your letter of a recent date was received. Since then I have been suffering terrible with my eyes which I think was largely due to my suffering with neuritis. I was scarcely able to do my work in office as it requires very close examination and checking of train sheets. I am now beginning to see somewhat better. Was glad to hear so nice a picture was taken from the 1800 one. Hope you have succeeded further in accomplishing your work, and when finished the book must or at least I think should show who has gotten it up and all the trouble you had in doing so. The credit is yours and yours alone. I hope by this time you have heard of Mrs. Carter's [Eula Willis was married to Jesse Singleton Carter at this time] coming to Penna as I should very much like to see her. Hope you and sister have been well. With kindest regards to both, I am your cousin, Ed Transcription of a letter to Margaret E. Pflieger, dated Jan 19, 1920: My dear Cousin Margaret, I suppose you have wondered why you do not hear of me. With a very bad heart I will try and tell you of my loss. On my return home from my vacation in [illegible] I found my very dear daughter Bertha complaining of not being well. I immediately sent for our doctor. Upon his examination he found she had chronic Brights' and told her to take her bed at once. She did so, and later found or said she had gall bladder trouble, also a very weak heart and entirely too weak to undergo an operation with the condition of her heart. On two occasions the Dr. said she would pass away at any minute but for weeks she rallied and seemed to improve until the 2nd of this month when the Dr. thought her in a condition to stand a local anesthetic operation. They took her to the Hospital and on the morning of the 8th they performed the operation, at 5:30 am 9th she passed away. I will enclose a statement the Dr. gave me which I will kindly ask you to return as I wish to keep it for myself. With all her untold suffering she was rational to the moment she died. The Drs. statement will explain. She leaves two dear little girls, three brothers and one sister. Sister Florence will continue to stay with me and assist in bringing up the little girls. We buried the dear one at Rockville on the 12th, aside of her husband. I cannot realize she has been taken from me only 30 years of age. In deep distress I am Your cousin, E.A. Pfliegor From a Williamsport, PA, newspaper article upon the completion of his 50th year of service with the Pennsylvania Railroad, ca 1919: Mr. PFLIEGOR R. R. VETERAN Williamsport Man Has Served Fifty Years with the Pennsylvania Yesterday E. A. Pfliegor, of 643 Fifth avenue, completed his fiftieth year of continuous service with the Pennsylvania railroad. Mr. Pfliegor entered the employ of the company on June 28, 1869, as a telegraph operator, and served in that capacity until May 9, 1892, when he was appointed yardmaster at Rockville. On Aug. 18, 1895, he had his right arm taken off at the shoulder. Three months later he went into the telegraph department as an operator and continued at that work until 1908, when he came to Williamsport and entered the division operator's office, where he is employed at the present time. From a Williamsport, PA, newspaper article upon his retirement from the Pennsylvania Railroad Mar 1, 1921: ON ROLL OF HONOR Edward A. Pfleiger, Native of York, Goes on Pennsy Retired List After Serving Half Century Edward A. Pfleiger, a native of York, who has been in the operating department of the Pennsylvania railroad for over half a century, has been relieved from active service on March 1, 1921, and his name added to the "Roll of Honor." Mr. Pfleiger was born in York, on March 2, 1852. He entered on his railroad career as telegraph operator at Osceola Mills, on the Tyrone division, June 28, 1869. He accepted a position the following year as operator at York, Pa., on the Northern Central railway, a subsidiary line. He also worked at the Relay house, now Holland, Md., and at Millersburg, Pa., on the Susquehanna division of the Northern Central railway. When the Baltimore and Potomac tunnel was opened in 1872, he was the first operator at the north end of the tunnel at Baltimore. On December 26, 1873, Mr. Pfleiger was transferred to the position of telegraph operator on the Philadelphia and Erie railroad, now the Central division. He worked "extra" for a few months, when he was regularly assigned to old "MR" office at Marysville. On February 5, 1882, when the piece of track was put in service between Dauphin and Rockville, and the Dauphin bridge was abandoned, Mr. Pfleiger was moved to Hecks tower, there being but one track between Dauphin and Hecks. The movement of all eastward and westward trains between these points was controlled by the operator at Hecks. On May 5, 1892, Mr. Pfleiger was placed in Rockville yard as yard master, and held this position until Aug.18, when an engine and three cars knocked him down and ran over him, cutting off his right arm at the shoulder. On the first of the following November, when he was able to return to duty, he was again placed at Hecks as operator. On May 24, 1906, on account of his failing to pass the required examination in sight, color and hearing, he was not permitted to work in a train order office, and was transferred to the yard master's office at Rockville, as clerk. In January 1908, when the operation of the yard was taken over by the Philadelphia division, Mr. Pfleiger was moved to Williamsport as clerk in division operator's office, which position he held until the time of his retirement on March 1, 1921. During his half-century of active service, Mr. Pfleiger was not responsible for an accident of any kind, and retired with a clear record. Letters, newspaper clippings with photo describe numerous positions held during his employment with the PRR. Historical Society of York County has correspondence regarding his retirement from PRR. Information from Historical Sketch of the Goodykoontz Families in Virginia and U.S. by Wells Goodykoontz and research by Margaret E. Pflieger and David R. Stephenson III |