Wm. C. Walstrum, Supt. of Telegraph 1888-1915

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On Fri, Oct 20, 2017, at 7:01 AM,
​abram
 wrote:

> Can anyone send me the Roanoke obituary for William C. Walstrum, the N&W
> Superintendent of Telegraph from 1888 to 1915, who died May 8, 1915, at
> Roanoke?
>
​Didn't find an obituary as such (other than what was in the
Times-Dispatch) but did find several articles about Walstrum, his death,
and funeral. A search on "Walstrum" and May 1915 in the Virginia Chronical (
https://virginiachronicle.com/ -- the Library of Virginia newspaper
archive) turned up the results.

Bruce in Blacksburg

----
World News, Volume 25, Number 92, 8 May 1915, pg 1
[shares front page with news of sinking of Lusitania]

W. C.WALSTRUM
RESPONDS TO
LAST CALL

William C. Walstrum, sixty years old, a native of Charlottesville, and for
twenty-six years superintendent of telegraph of the Norfolk & Western
railway system, died at 5:55 this morning in his apartments at the Hotel
Roanoke, where he had been ill since Saturday last. Death waa due to
congestion of the brain. It had not been known generally that Mr. Walstrum
was ill, although his condition had been critical for a day or two.

Funeral services will be conducted at Hotel Roanoke at 9 o'clock Sunday
evening, by the Rev. Arthur Rowbot-

(Continued on page eight)

W. C. Walstrum Responds
To Last Call.
(Continued from page one )
ham, of the Second Presbyterian church. The body will be taken to
Fredericksburg, Va., for interment, accompanied by members of Mr Walstrum's
family and a few friends The funeral party will leave Roanoke on train No
16. Sunday night.

PALL-BEARERS CHOSEN

The pall-bearers will be Mr. L. E. Johnson, Mr L. H. Cocke, Mr. J. E.
Crawford, Mr. D. E. Spangler, Mr. J. W. Cook, Mr. J. R. Ruffin, Mr. W. W.
Coe, Mr. N. D. Maher, Mr. A. C. Needles, Mr. W. H. Lewis, Mr. V. A. Riton,
Mr. Joseph W. Coxe, Mr. W. S. Battle, Mr. George W. Jett.

Representing the Masons: Mr. E. G. Caldwell, Mr. Walter German.

Representing the Royal Arcanum, Mr. Thomas Spratt, Mr. James McCreedy.

Representing the Knights of Pythias: Mr. R. A. Buckner, Mr. E. W. Speed.

SKETCH OF LIFE.

Mr. Walstrum was born at Charlottesville, Va., April 19, 1855. At the age
of sixteen he was employed as telegraph operator at Alexandria, and has
since been continuously in the service of the Western Union Telegraph
Company. February 1, 1899, he was appointed superintendent of telegraph of
the Norfolk & Western Railway Company, and from that time to his death,
represented jointly the interests of the railway company and the telegraph
company.

In 1872, he married Miss Laura Cudlipp, of Fredericksburg, who died in
1897. Mr. Walstrum is survived by his daughter, Mrs. A. G. Kindred, of
Roanoke, four sisters, and two brothers.

He was a member of Pleasants Lodge, No. 63, of Masons, Knights of Pythias,
and Royal Arcanum.

VETERAN OFFICIAL.

Mr. Walstrum was among the oldest in point of service whose names appear on
the official calendar of the Norfolk & Western. Being thoroughly familiar
with the subordinate as well as the official side of commercial and railway
telegraph service, he was peculiarly well fitted to discharge the duties of
his important position.

Frank in his dealings, easy to approach, and in a position to sympathize
with the ups and downs of the men who served under him, he always was
regarded as a friend to the telegraph fraternity on the railway, and in his
long service as head of the telegraph department, he has maintained a high
standard of efficiency and loyalty. Mr. Walstrum was a veteran of the key,
and was widely known in the ranks of the Old Time Telegraphers' Association.

He was at one time chief operator for the Western Union at Richmond, and in
that position came into contact with many of the best-known telegraphers of
the period when the calling developed some of the strongest men in the
country's later history.

-----
World News, Volume 25, Number 92, 8 May 1915, pg. 2

PERSONAL MENTION.

Samuel Walstrum, of Ridgewood, N. J., is in the city because of the illness
and death of his brother, W. C. Walstrum. Mr. Walstrum was at one time
employed in the telegraph service of the N. & W. here and is well known in
the city.

----
Pg. 10

NOTICE TO MEMBERS
of Osceola Lodge, No. 47, Knights of Pythias: This is to announce the death
of Brother W. C. Walstrum. A short service will be held in the parlor of
Hotel Roanoke at 9 o'clock p. m. Any members of our order who are frlends
of Brother Walstrum and who desire to attend are requested to do so.

J. C. COOKE, K. OF R. C.

----
Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9 May 1915, pg. 4

DEATHS IN Virginia

William C. Walstrum.
[Special to The Times-Dispatch ]
ROANOKE, VA., May 8. -- William C. Walstrum, sixty years old, a native of
Charlottesville, and for twenty-six years superintendent of telegraph of
the Norfolk and Western Railway System, died this morning in his apartments
at the Hotel Roanoke, where he had been ill since Saturday. Death was due
to congestion of the brain. It had not been known generally that Mr.
Walstrum was ill, although his condition had been critical for a day or
two. Funeral services will be conducted at the Hotel Roanoke at 9 o'clock
Sunday evening. The body will be taken to Fredericksburg for burial. Mr.
Walstrum was stationed in Richmond for several years, being associated with
the Western Union Telegraph Company.

----
Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9 May 1915, pg. 30

DEATHS

WALSTRUM.--Died, in Roanoke, Va., Saturday morning, 8th inst., MR. WM.
P.[sic] WALSTRUM, aged fifty-nine. He leaves one daughter. Mrs. Margaret
Walstrum Kindred, of Roanoke, and two brothers, Samuel S., of New York, and
Peter A., of Huntington, W. Va.

Funeral and interment at Fredericksburg, Va., TO-MORROW (Monday) MORNING,
May 10, 10:30 o'clock.

----
World News, Volume 25, Number 93, 10 May 1915, pg. 2

DEATHS AND FUNERALS

W. C. Walstrum's Funeral.

Funeral services for William C. Walstrum, who died Saturday morning in his
apartments at Hotel Roanoke, were conducted in the parlors of the hotel at
9 o'clock last night by the Rev. Dr. Arthur Rowbotham, of the Second
Presbyterian church. The body was placed aboard Norfolk and Western private
car 101 and with the funeral party left here on N. & W. train No. 16 for
Fredericksburg, where interment will be made.

Many of the men who knew Mr. Walstrum during his long career with the
Norfolk & Western were present, among them practically all the resident
officials of the company. Floral offerings were profuse in quantity and
beautiful in design. Pall bearers were selected from among Mr. Walstrum's
associates in the central offices and there were present representatives of
the Masons, Knights of Pythias and Royal Arcanum, of which Mr. Walstrum was
a member.

----
World News, Volume 25, Number 94, 11 May 1915, pg. 1

GEORGE W. JETT FILLS
N. & W. VACANCY

It was announced at the Nofolk & Western general offices this morning, that
George W. Jett is appointed superintendent of telegraph, effective May 12,
1915, to fill the vacancy caused by the recent death of W. C. Walstrum.

Mr. Jett is a native of Washington, D. C., where for a number of years he
was an operator for the Western Union Telegraph Company, and for a while
was general operator for the United States senate. He was first connected
with the Norfolk and Western, 26 years ago, in the capacity of manager of
the general telegraph office, which has been his position during the whole
period of his service with the company.

It will be with some pleasure that the announcement of his new appointment,
will be learned by a host of friends and admirers of Mr. Jett throughout
the city.

​
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