Pat, In the 1870s the L.S. & M. S. ( Lake Shore & Michigan Southern) Railroad ran through Ridgeville, south of Detroit Road (State Rt. 254). At that time, the area at the junction of current State Rts. 83 and 254, which was the main business area of Ridgeville, was known as Ridgeville Center. The area a little further south on State Rt. 83, where the railroad crossed, was known as Ridgeville Station. A depot was located at this location, on the west side of Rt. 83. Since the L.S.& M.S. was the only railroad that went through Ridgeville in the 1870s, and your ancestor lived in Ridgeville, there is a good chance that he was an employee of that railroad. A "railroad hand" was probably involved in maintaining the right of way, inspecting track, etc. The L.S. & M.S. later became the New York Central Railroad, and the line through North Ridgeville, currently exists as the Consolidated Railroad Corp., commonly known as "Conrail". The depot at Rt. 83 no longer exists at its former location. I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that the depot building was saved and moved to a new location. Interestingly, an abandoned section of the L.S & M. S. Railroad has been made into a bicycle and walking trail between Elyria and Kipton. The bicycle trail runs through rural country, and a couple of old bridges and stone crossings over creeks, make the ride a pleasant trip through early Lorain County railroad history. Richard