Friday August 15, 1930

In the early morning hours of Friday August 15, 1930 Josephine, having finished all the preparations for her trip, awakened her husband, Joseph. He had to take her to Morganza to catch the 6:54 train to New Orleans. The family lived in Schwab, Louisiana, a tiny community about five miles away from Morganza (Schwab has been entirely wiped from history – it was swallowed up by the Morganza Spillway – I can find no mention of it anywhere on the Internet). I wonder what means of transportation Joseph used to get Josephine to Morganza.

Did anyone else in the family go with Joseph to see Josephine off? At the time, their sons, Earl and John were living with them in Schwab. Her daughter, Claudia (Bee), was working as a stenographer in an advertising firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All the other children were married and living in various places.

Who else could have been there to say goodbye to Josephine? Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Adolph (Joseph’s brother) and his wife and six children and Eugenia, (Joseph’s sister) were living in Pointe Coupee. Another brother-in-law, Cleveland, along with his wife and four children, also lived in Pointe Coupee Parish.

But this was 1930. People back then could not go somewhere at the drop of a hat like some of us do today. So it may have been only Joseph who was with Josephine at the train station to bid her farewell.

Josephine departed Morganza at 6:54 am on Friday, August 15. She traveled this first leg of the journey in a coach car. She arrived in New Orleans at 12:15 pm at the station for the Texas-Pacific and Missouri-Pacific railways. If I am reading my old New Orleans history correctly, until the Union Passenger Terminal was constructed in 1954, the major railroad lines each had their own individual stations, though a few shared a station with another line. A person’s destination (or favorite rail line) determined which station would be used. Railroad personnel made sure that Josephine and any other Louisiana pilgrims who were on the same train with her at the Texas-Pacific Station arrived at the Southern Railway terminal.

Josephine had almost an 8½ hour layover in New Orleans. She made contact with some of the other Gold Star Mothers and Widows from Louisiana. There were 10 Louisiana pilgrims who were on the same pilgrimage as Josephine (other pilgrims from Louisiana might have gone on subsequent pilgrimages).

Two of the pilgrims were widows and eight were mothers. Four of the ten ladies were from New Orleans so they met the other ladies at the Southern Railway terminal. These other ladies were from Ruston, Ansley, Mangham, Georgetown, Crowley and Baton Rouge. The pilgrims could recognize each other by the badge (1) furnished to each pilgrim (the pilgrims were instructed to wear this badge in a conspicuous place at all times while on the pilgrimage).

Changing from T&P Railroad Train 46, to Southern Railway Train 42, the Louisiana contingent probably traveled from New Orleans on The Pelican, a named train of the Southern Railway, which ran from New York City to New Orleans and back until 1970. After leaving New Orleans at 8:40 pm, the Southern Railway Train 42 made major station stops in Meridian, Mississippi, Birmingham, Alabama, Chattanooga, Tennessee and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Josephine traveled in a coach car until she got to New Orleans. Then when she changed trains, she traveled in a sleeper car, lower berth. She slept while the train continued on to Virginia.




Source: written by Carolyn Ourso