JTRR "Railroad" Carroll

“Railroad” Carroll

   One of our earliest teachers, J.T.R.R Carroll, sometimes known as “John Railroad Carroll” because of his initials, was described as one of HoCo’s “picturesque and venerable characters.” Carroll was born in HoCo in 1838 and was the oldest son of Thomas and Cena Carroll. In the 1850 census his father was listed as a 60-year-old pauper which is probably why Carroll ended up in the Thompson household with his younger brothers and sisters by 1860. He started his early work life farming and then as a brakeman for the B&O railroad. When he was 27 he was listed among the first official teachers in HoCo in 1865, the same year as the Maryland Teachers Association was initiated.

Carroll moved to Guilford shortly after he began teaching. In 1878 a new public school was built there where Carroll taught until he retired in June 1901at 63 years old after 35 years of teaching. In 1904 the Maryland Teacher’s Pension Law was reenacted providing a pension to teachers who had spent at least 25 years in the classroom and who were at least 60 years old along with a spotless record. Carroll was more than qualified and became HoCo’s first teacher pensioner on August 27, 1902.

Carroll was not only a teacher and family-man, he learned to become a surveyor and was so proficient he was elected to become County Surveyor by 1879. When he was announced again for candidate in 1907 it was reported that the crowd celebrated with one speaker referring to him as “John Thomas Railroad Carroll”. In case you were curious, J.T.R.R. stands for John Thomas Ridgely Randolph.

Carroll retired as County Surveyor after 31 years in 1909 and went back to tending his farm. While reported to be active and in good health, on June 18th, 1923, a neighbor Ida Collins went to his home to deliver a telephone message when she found his body in the yard near his water pump.  Railroad Carroll died at the age of 85.