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William MacRae
Superintendent
Biography
William MacRae (September 9, 1834-February 11, 1882), a native of North Carolina, was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War.
After the Civil War, MacRae began a successful career as a railroad manager. He was the general superintendent of the Wilmington & Manchester, the Macon & Brunswick and the Western & Atlantic railroads.
John P. Mays
Conductor
Biography
John P. Mays joined the Western and Atlantic Railroad before the Civil War. However, there is some debate about the date, with either 1851 or circa 1857 given as possible start dates.
Mays was born on July 11, 1832, in Cobb County, Georgia. He was educated at an old field school for two years. A newspaper account indicates that at the age of 19, around 1851, he moved to Atlanta and began working as a train hand for the Western and Atlantic Railroad.
During the Civil War, Mays was entrusted with overseeing the railroad’s rolling stock, a critical responsibility he fulfilled with great care and competence. After the war, he resumed his work as a conductor.
He continued in that role until he was appointed claim agent for the railroad following the 1897 death of Sanford Bell. At the time of his appointment, Mays was the oldest living conductor on the line, having served in that capacity for more than 40 years.
Despite suffering from a chronic bronchial condition for 25 years, Mays remained active and committed to his work until his health declined in the final months of his life. He died on October 5, 1899.
M. P. McCrary
Engineer
Biography
M.P. McCrary joined the Western and Atlantic Railroad circa 1856.
Robert Meek
Superintendent
Biography
Robert Meek was born on November 22, 1823, in Dutchess County, New York. He entered the railroad industry in 1848, initially working as a machinist and later held other roles, including engineer and master machinist.
From September 1886 until 1870, he served as the assistant superintendent and superintendent of the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad. He then went to the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, serving as a division superintendent of the line between Bowling Green, Kentucky, to Paris, Tennessee, until 1873.
Between 1873 and 1881, he was the superintendent of the South & North Alabama Railroad. Later, he was the general superintendent of the Paducah & Elizabethtown and the Chesapeake & Ohio railroads. From 1884 to 1885, he worked with the Wabash, Chester & Western Railway.
In 1885, he was appointed superintendent of the Chesapeake & Nashville. He held the position until he died in Gallatin, Tennessee, on December 10, 1903.