Walter Boyd Townsend Family papers

Title: Walter Boyd Townsend Family papers

Dates: 1890-1950s

Collection Number: MS 627

Creator/Collector: Townsend (Walter Boyd) Family

Extent: 1 box

Repository: California State Railroad Museum Library and Archives

Abstract: This collection (1890-1950s) contains a scrapbook, membership cards and passes pertaining to Walter Boyd Townsend's career as a traveling and freight agent for several railroads and information regarding his father, Henry Clay Townsend, who was also a railroad man. Also includes a baby book for his daughter Jeanne.

Language of Material: English

This collection is open for research at our off-site storage facility with one week's notice. Contact Library & Archives staff to arrange for access.

Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Capital District Collections Manager. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the CSRM as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Walter Boyd Townsend Family papers. California State Railroad Museum Library and Archives

Gift of Ruth W. Savage, 2005.

Contains a scrapbook begun in 1902 by Walter Boyd Townsend (1875-1956). The scrapbook contains newspaper and magazine clippings, business cards, photographs and correspondence relating to his career as a traveling freight and passenger agent for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, Missouri Pacific, Denver & Rio Grande, Texas & Pacific, and Western Pacific Railroads. He worked in Salt Lake City and the San Francisco Bay Area. Also contains information regarding his father, Henry Clay Townsend (1847-1908) who was General Passenger Agent for the Missouri Pacific and President of the American Association of General Passenger & Ticket Agents. Includes two letters, 1890, from Jay Gould (1836-1892) to Henry C. Townsend. There are photographs of W. B. Townsend, his travels, and his wife, and an interesting print of a theatre screen lavishly decorated with railroad advertisements. There is also a baby book for Jeanne Townsend, daughter of Walter Boyd Townsend and Leila McKillican Townsend, circa 1900.