The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1938-03-31
c.. N. Vet
Retires After
48 Years
Married To Mae N. Bailey, Of
Sank Centre, In April
1893
RESIDENT OF ST. CLOUD
Served AS Conductor On st.
Cloud Division-Well-
Known. Here

Hervy G.. DeBill, resident of st.
Cloud since 1879, Great Northern
veteran trainman, retires after 48
years in train service on the st.
Cloud division.
H. G. DeBill was born in Med
field, Mass, December q, 1858.
Hervy, with a twin brother, was
brought to Minnesota when only a
few months old, by their parents,
George and Anvil DeBill. The family
settled on a homestead in Round
Grove township, Mcleod county, in
May, 1859, where they resided until
the winter Of 1873 when their log
house, with all their personal be-
longings, was destroyed by fire.
Lacking the money necessary to
make another start on their home
stead the father was forced to seek
other employment.
In the spring Of 1874 the DeBill
family was living in box-car and
the father employed as painter on
the Chicago, Milwaukee and st.
Paul railroad. In 1875 the DeBill
family moved to Evansville, Mimi,
where the elder DeBill was employ
ed by the Great Northern railroad
as wood piler. Wood was being
used to fire locomotives. In October
1879 the family came to st. Cloud
where the father CT III. G." receiv-
ed employment as cook in the West
hotel, the trade he had followed be-
fore coming to Minnesota.
Hervy G. DeBill started his life's
work in the transportation field
when, at the age Of IL years, he
was employed as driver In the
Charles Bowman livery stable, then
located near the present site Of the
old Miner theatre. He stayed on al
the livery stable until the spring o.
1890, when he entered the trair
service of the Great Northern Rail
road, which he has followed in it,
various branches until his recent
retirement.
In April 1898 Hervy G. DeBil
married Mae N. Bailey, daughter OF
]. B. and Katherine Bailey, Of Sank
Centre. They have two sons, Frank
H., who for the past q years has
been employed as trainman on the
st. Cloud division and Merle j., who
operates a barber shop in Monte
video. Mrs. DeBill is cousin OF
Mrs. Lee Johnson, of Sank Centre
Mr.. and Mrs. H G. DeBill reside al
11O-Ninth avenue north, st. Cloud
On Sunday evening, March Is, the
Brotherhood Of Railroad Trainmer
| entertained in the Wolworth Hall
in honor Of H. G. DeBill, who join
ed the Brotherhood in 1892. To this
party all train and enginemen as
well as representatives from the
labor unions of st. Cloud attended
The retirement of Hervy G. De.
Bill sewers the last connecting link
of relations with trainmen working
out of st. Cloud today and those
railroading in the days of the link
and pin couplers and the time
when trains were controlled by
hand brakes. When one long blast
of the engine whistle, instead OF
indicating the approach of train
/ to station limits as it does not
meant all men on top of cars, Ere
gardless of weather conditions)
and start winding up on hand
brakes as a stop was to be attempt
ed.
Hervy says that there have been
many hazards eliminated for the
brakeman today but that life for a
railroad man Is still far from being
| q had Of roses-St. Cloud Times,