Maupins and Railroads

Mattie, Henry
John D, Oliver, Ira

Each of these Maupin siblings worked or had a spouse that worked for railroads.

Although Henry Wesley Maupin was originally from Wellsville, MO, he and his brother John Dabney Maupin settled in the DeSoto, MO in 1899 because Mo-Pac had a large round house and shop there.  Henry Wesley Maupin became the foreman of the roundhouse---in charge of all of the mechanics and workers. In 1885, he was listed as a Railroad Fireman.  The 1900 census lists him as a machinist; 1910 and 1920 “Foreman with Railroad”.  He died before the 1930 census.

John Dabney Maupin, his brother, moved his family to Teague, Texas where they prospered.  His obituary reads:

Mr. Maupin will be remembered by the people of Teague as one of the old-timers, having moved here when the city was still in its infancy, and has seen Teague in it's good days and its less prosperous. Being of a congenial spirit, he numbered among his friends all who came to know him. He was always ready to contribute his time and efforts to the advancement of the city. Since early in life, he was an active member of the Presbyterian Church.

He came to Teague in January of 1909 and was Superintendent of Motive Powers with the T. &; B V Railroad, and served in this capacity until his retirement in June 1939, after 30 years of service.

As near as I can tell the T. & B.V. railroad was Trinity and  Brazos Valley, which became a part of the Burlington-Rock Island Railroad.

Another brother, Ira Maupin, lived in Kansas City where he was also the Foreman of a Roundhouse for the Railroad (KATY).

Brother Oliver, who lived in Waco Texas, was also the Foreman of a Roundhouse in Kansas and Texas with the Cotton Belt Railroad.

Sister Martha (Mattie) Maupin married a cousin David Rice Maupin who was a “blacksmith for the railroad” in Kansas City in the 1900 census.  They eventually moved to Texas with Oliver and John D. Maupin.  It’s not clear what railroad line he worked for but it was probably the same as family members.

Railroad Jobs

The shop foreman would be the person in charge of the shop. The shop was the area where railroad cars were repaired or rebuilt Most common repairs were replacing wheels. doors and different parts of the braking equipment which required maintenance very often.

The roundhouse was the area that repaired and did periodic maintenance on the railroad engines such as refueling lubricating changing oil and such. The size of the facility determined the number of people that a foreman was in charge of.  Large facilities would have three shifts a day with maybe 10 men on a shift. 

The superintendent would be the man over all the workers and foremen at a facility.  Often the superintendents would be over a large area with several facilities under his supervision. 

The fireman:  Steam locomotive crew who feeds the firebox with fuel. On diesel locomotives, the firemen would monitor controls and assist the engineer.