4 Replies Latest reply on Jun 27, 2017 12:55 PM by Jill Morelli

Canal Zone records of employment

Jill Morelli Jun 23, 2017 8:53 PM

Donald Deyon Cummings (b. 1905, d. 1963) worked for the federal government in the Canal Zone in the early 1930s.

Q1: Where would I look for his employment records?

Q2: After he worked for the government, he struck out on his own supplying goods to the federal government in the Canal Zone. Where would I look for these transactions?

I have already looked in the 1930 US census for the CZ and he is not there. The Passenger Mnaifests show him arriving in July of 1930, perhaps missing the enumeration both stateside and CZ.

Thanks.

Jill Morelli, CG

Re: Canal Zone records of employment

Darren Cole Jun 26, 2017 9:24 AM (in response to Jill Morelli)

The following is excerpted from the US National Archives Tumblr blog and may be of some help:
U.S. National Archives — Did your ancestors work on the construction of the...

Did your ancestors work on the construction of the Panama Canal? The records of these workers are a rich resource for genealogists.
All personnel records for the Panama Canal are a part of RG 185 Records of the Panama Canal, and are located at the National Archives at St. Louis.
The records may provide a lot of genealogical information such as the age, place of birth, parent’s names, occupation, and whether the employee was single or married.
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- Re: Canal Zone records of employment
  
  Jill Morelli Jun 26, 2017 12:58 PM (in response to Darren Cole)
  
  Thanks for the reply.
  
  Since the Canal was constructed in the mid 1910s, is it likely that employment records of the early 1930s would be found there? Was construction continuous after the canal was open, creating a longer time frame than I am thinking?
  
  Donald was part of the Commissary from mid-1930 to 1932, at which time he went out on his own and supplied (probably) the government and others for a couple of years before returning to the USA permanently.
  
  JIll
  
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Re: Canal Zone records of employment

Darren Cole Jun 27, 2017 11:27 AM (in response to Jill Morelli)
There are also several blog posts covering research in the Panama Canal Personnel Records,which have been compiled in the "Rediscovering Black History" blog:
Black History Month 2017: Blogs Related to the Panama Canal
“How to use Panama Canal Personnel Records at the National Archives: My Grandfather worked on the Panama Canal” by Patrice Brown
“Panama Canal Employees: Service Record Cards (Part 1)” by Patrice Brown
“Panama Canal Employees: Service Record Cards (Part 2)” by Patrice Brown
“A Callin’ from Colón: Photographs of Black Employees Working on the Panama Canal” by Barbara Lewis Burger
“In Celebration of 100 Years of the Panama Canal: West Indian Canal Employee Records” by Patrice Brown
“Accidents, Injuries and Deaths in the Canal Zone, 1884–1999” by Patrice Brown
“All We Demand is Justice: Caribbean Union Leaders on the Canal Zone” by Sonia A. Prescott
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- Re: Canal Zone records of employment
  
  Jill Morelli Jun 27, 2017 12:55 PM (in response to Darren Cole)
  
  Thanks! Several of these look very interesting and germane. Jill
  
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