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Note: SSN: 411-52-2845 Issued in TN Military Service No. World War I: 4445354 Service, Pvt. Draft Hqs, Nashville, TN from discharge. Service from June 1918 to 23 Dec 1918, honorable discharge.
Obituary: Wayne County News 19 May 1968 Funeral services for Mr. Edgar Byler, 79, of Collinwood were conducted Sunday, May 19, at 2:00 from the Collinwood Church of Christ with Roger Villines officiating. Burial was in McGlamery Cemetery with Middle Tennessee Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. / Mr. Byler died May 17 at Colonial Manor Nursing Home in Florence, Alabama. He was a native of Izzard Co., Ark, a son of Shadrach E. and Lauraetta Downing Byler. He was a retired pharmacist and a member of the Church of Christ. Survivors are a son Edgar D. Byler, Collinwood, two daughters, Laua Jane Walrond of Rochell, VA and Naomi Ruth Parker of Downey, Calif., two step-sons, Robert Walsh of Marianna PA and Joseph Walsh of Houston, Texas. two sisters Mrs. C. J. Farris and Mrs. A. Brown of Collinwood. Six grandchildren.
1930 Wayne County, TN 140 147 Byler, Edgar H O 2500 M 41 M 31 W AR AR TN Civil Engineer General Practice Y WW , Sarrah J. W-H F 41 M 31 W AL Eng Eng , Laura J. D F 9 W Y MI AR AL , Edd S M 8 W Y TN AR AL , Ruth D F 7 W Y TN AR AL Walsh, Joseph SS M 17 W Y MS MS AL , Robert SS M 15 W Y MS MS AL
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A Railroad Accident by Edgar Byler (1888-1968) written 1896 Iron City, TN
It was on the night January the first 1896 that a south bound train was running at full speed coming around a curve. The engineer was all unconscious of danger which threatened to his train. The bridge had washed away during the night. It had been raining for a week or more and Shoal River was up higher than it had been in years. The bridge that spowed [sic] the little river was an iron structure and had stood several floods but on this night it had washed away and seemingly nobody knew it to save the train from plunging on to a little town beyond the bridge. The train being an hour and twenty minutes late when it left Columbia, a little town about eighty miles from Iron City, the place where the train was to stop. The engineer to determined to make up for lost time was going full speed when they dashed around just one mile from the bridge. Just as the train came around the curve a boy dashed out of the darkness into the light thrown from the headlight of the engine clashing along the side of the track toward the oncoming train but with good intentions but failure never entered his youthful mind. On on he went until within one hundred feet of the train he stopped and waited for the shock that might prove fateful for him but save the lives of others on came the train until the engine was abreast of the boy. He caught hold of the handle bar swung on the steps his efforts had proved successful. He climbed into the engine shouted out stop engine bridge gone there sank upon the floor of the engine unconscious the engineer when he heard the words bridge gone he stood roted to the floor spellbound with fear then recollecting that the engine was speeding on to destruction he jumped to his side of the engine and reversed the throttle with the suddenness that the engine was nearly thrown from the track. Conducter and brakeman rushed from the caboose to the engine to learn the cause of so sudden a stop meanwhile the engineer had jumped from his cab and was rushing toward the place where the bridge ought to have been but it was not there. He turned and ran and just got there in time to meet the conductor who asked what's the matter. Bridge gone said the engineer at these words the conductor turned pale and said what how did you know it. The engineer pointed to the motionless figure on the floor of the cab then the engineer recited what had passed at the end of the engineer's story the conductor stood roted to the spot pale as death untill the engineer spoke and said we must get this unconscious form was carried to a farm house not very far off there they stayed untill he regained his senses then they asked who his name was and he replied Jerry Dickson. Then they left him. Just one moth afterwards he was handed a large envelope with his name on the back of it tearing open the envelope he saw to his surprise a one hundred dollar check running to his father he showed it to him and said to him see here then his father with a tear in his eye replied my boy it pays to be brave and honest.
Original in possession of Edgar D. Byler, III 201 First Ave N. Collinwood, TN 38450
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