C. E. Welch

C. E. WELCH, of Parsons, Kansas, has a fine record as an engineer and conductor, and has distinguished himself in these capacities on various roads. He is a nephew of L. W. Welch, superintendent of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, at Parsons.

Mr. Welch was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, in 1851, and is a son of Stephen S. and Fayette (Edwards) Welch, who were descendants of English ancestors. His father was a native of New York, and died in Pennsylvania, in 1879. The mother of C. E. Welch came, with her people, from Rhode Island, her father having been a port inspector for over fifty years. C. E. Welch is one of a family of three children. One sister, Louise, is deceased, and another sister, Frances, is now Mrs. W. D. Whittaker, and resides at Waverly, New York. The family moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where the subject hereof attended the common schools. He joined the 50th N. Y. Vol. Engineer Corps, as a drummer boy, and was mustered out with his regiment, in 1865, having sustained no injury during the whole time of his army service.

In 1866 Mr. Welch returned to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and began work as fireman on the Delaware Lackawanna & Western Railroad, and later on the Geneva, Ithaca & Athens Railroad. He was promoted to be an engineer, in 1871, and ran an engine on the Geneva, Ithaca & Athens Railroad until 1875. He spent the following year on the Missouri Pacific Railway, - running on the Sedalia division. In 1876 he entered the employ of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway as brakeman on the Sedalia Division. After working thus one year, he returned to the Missouri Pacific Railway, as engineer, - running out of Sedalia to Kansas City; he remained on that road until 1890. Returning to service on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, with headquarters at Parsons, he spent the following year as engineer, covering runs to Muskogee and Denison, Texas. Mr. Welch then became a conductor, and served as such in the freight department. He has been in charge of the chain-gang running out of Parsons for the past seven years. Mr. Welch is interested in property in Parsons, and has a comfortable home. He was married at Sedalia, Missouri, to Mary Lynch, a native of that city. Three children were the result of this union: Stephen G., formerly of Deliver, Colorado, who was employed on the Denver, Texas & Fort Worth Railway, and later enlisted in a volunteer company and sailed to the Philippines; and Mary Esther and Charles W., who are at school.

Mr. Welch is a Democrat, in politics. Fraternally, he is a member of the 0. R. C., and also of the B. of L. R., Division No. 179, of Parsons. Mrs. Welch is a member of the auxiliaries of both orders. In their religious views, they are Catholics, and are devout and faithful members of that church.