This 132-page volume is made up of the minutes of the proceedings of the St. Louis, Missouri, chapter of the Brotherhood of the Footboard (later Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers) railroad labor union. It contains entries from February 22, 1864-January 5, 1867, and April 1871-July 7, 1872. William J. DeGrummond, First Assistant Engineer, kept the meeting minutes until May 12, 1866, when Frank Lewis took over pro tem. William Facer kept the minutes from April 1871-April 1872.
The ledger documents the election of officers, membership issues, committee appointments, local disciplinary actions, blacklisted members, other union business, and occurrences such as the death of Thomas Higgins while working on the Pacific Railroad near Labadie, Michigan (March 1865).
The Brotherhood of the Footboard is the oldest railroad union in the United States. It formed in Detroit, Michigan, on May 8, 1863, and changed its name to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers the following year. Funded by member dues, the organization promoted and protected the rights, interests, and safety of its members through group representation, elevation of the character of its members, and improvement of work efficiency.
William Vermillion, Chief Engineer of Div. 24 of Vincennes, Indiana, organized Division 48 (St. Louis, Missouri) of the Brotherhood of the Footboard on February 22, 1864. The division reorganized on May 28, 1864, with Frank Lewis as Chief Engineer, and again April 1871, with John Hurst and later John Leahey as Chief Engineer pro tem.
