Reader asks about Philly’s first black trolley operators

Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources for them to determine the value of the items that they own. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do some preliminary research to get them started. So, these are market values, not appraisals for insurance purposes that I suggest for items that have been determined to be of great value.

This week’s question is from a reader trying to find out if her grandfather was one of Philadelphia’s first black trolley operators. She sent me the message on my Auction Finds Facebook page after reading a blog post I wrote about a photo of the men that was sold at auction. I’m using our conversation to show some of the things I recommended and the steps she’s taking to find the answer. If you recognize any of the men, please let me know in the Comments box below.

Question:

I saw an old photo you purchased of 8 black trolley car operators in Philly 1944. The hiring of these blacks sparked a strike by white workers who refused to accept the promotion of these blacks. My question: Is there ANY record of the names of these 8 workers?

Answer:

I didn’t find the names via Google, but they’re probably available through documents at a historical society, the public library, and local and national newspapers from that period. They also might surface with a little deeper digging through the Google results on the strike. Unfortunately, I didn’t buy the photo. I walked away momentarily and it had been sold by the time I returned. Sigh.

Reader’s response:

O wow! Thanks for your response. I have Googled everything and they list these men repeatedly as “8 black transit workers.” I will dig deeper as I suspect one of them may be my grandfather whom I am researching.

My reply:

Wow to you, if one you find out one of them may be your grandfather. I’m sure their names are listed somewhere, especially in the newspapers. There are several historical societies and museums in Philadelphia and I’m sure one of them can help you. A researcher at the Free Library should be able to help, too. There must also have been books and articles written about the strike. I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding the eight men’s names. Here’s an article I came across about the strike with some references/sources at the bottom.

Reader’s response:

Big thanks!

My reply:

Please let me know what you find out. I’d love to write a blog post about your search. Interestingly, I was at an auction with tons of documents, books, Bibles and genealogical info. From the notations, someone in the family had done some research on the family’s history, but there it all was on the auction table, discarded. Some folks have an easy time of researching their family; most of us do not. It’s a pity to see it tossed away so carelessly. I can only assume that there were no heirs or family members didn’t want it.

Reader’s response:

Yes. I will keep you posted. To date I have researched my maternal grandmother’s family to 1830. Prior to that, it gets sketchy – difficult to find ancestors in the slave schedules due to their less-than- human-value and importance. Slaves were pretty much numbered or listed by gender only in the Census. I also have DNA evidence of my maternal family from 3 areas of West Africa (courtesy of Tom Joyner, radio host). I won a writing contest and my reward was to go to the family reunion event in Florida and to learn of my family’s African heritage. I recently learned that my grandfather was a skilled laborer for the PTC (Philadelphia Transportation Co.) in Philadelphia in the 1940s. I CRAVE family history!

My reply (about three weeks later):

A friend had a Septa newspaper ad that included the names of seven of the men:

Mr. Allen
Rufus Lancaster
Lou Thompson
William Barber
Mr. Wigginsworth
James Stewart
Joe Jones

Reader response:

Thank you very much! I don’t see my granddad’s name. However, I visited the Charles Blockson Library (Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University in Philadelphia), and they not only helped with my research, they also gave me information of an African American PTC transit worker who was promoted to trolley operator after the original 8 were (to see if he knew my granddad during the 1940s). PS: Joe Jones was a well-known jazz artist, a drummer who played with Miles Davis. He was lovingly known as “Philly Joe.”

When the reader mentioned that Joe Jones was a jazz musician, I was obviously intrigued. In looking at the photo again of the eight men, he looked to be the second one from the left.

Jones played with jazz pianist Tadd Dameron in the late 1940s to early 1950s, and then with Miles Davis – an association that propelled his career. A recording artist, Jones was also a drummer with John Coltrane, Gil Evans, Cannonball Adderly, Wes Montgomery, Dexter Gordon, among others. Jones lived in Europe during the 1970s before returning to Philadelphia. He died in 1985.

Jones was described by other musicians in one article on the website Jazz Profiles as being one of the best drummers of all time and one of the funniest. In an interview on the website, guitar player Tom Ferguson related this story from the period when Jones was a trolley operator:

“Joe had a job driving a trolley car – the 21 line that extended from Chestnut Hill, at the very top of Philadelphia at the North End, all the way through the city down to South Philadelphia. That was the longest trolley ride in the city.

It ran on 11th Street, right past the Downbeat (nightclub), which was on the second floor.

Joe often stopped the trolley in front of the club. He’d grab the controls, jump out, and sit in for a number or two. The people hung out the window of the trolley, growing more and more impatient. They wanted to get home, or wherever they were going. When Joe got back to the trolley, everybody would cheer, and off they’d go to South Philly.”