John D. Maupin's Retirement Papers

 Thanks to Billie (John D.'s great granddaughter in-law), these retirement papers answered several questions I had.  First it confirmed his middle name as being Dabney which we had never had a written record of.  His mother's name was Jane Dickerson (some have her as "Dickenson"

These papers confirm he was with Missouri Pacific from 1892-1909 as the Roundhouse Foreman (which my great grandfather, his brother, eventually had)  I also confirms that the Trinity and Brazos Valley railroad became Burlington Rock Island which is what cousin K. Rockne recalled.  Click on any of these documents to make them larger.

.The photo below was found in a book,Teague Texas Centennial Celebration Commemorative book (April 21, 22, 23, 2008).  The second person on the left is identified as Mrs. Maupin (Minnie Campbell?) and the third is "Mr. Maupin" which we assume is John D. Maupin since the book was about Teague Texas and the railroad. Billie has this correction upon careful examination of the photo:

Mrs. Maupin “Minnie” is from left to right....the SECOND WOMAN.I looked at some of his photos at that is HIM for sure. Mr Maupin "J. D." is on the left, the SECOND Man.

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.

Railroads and Trains

My father had a collection of railroad spikes that I decided to give to my grandsons this year.  But, I thought they (and their parents) needed to know why trains are so important.  My father, LeRoy Long and Grandfather, Roy Long worked for Missouri-Pacific railroad when I was a child. At one time they were both boilermakers although Dad later became an Electrician.   I went with them to the shops (where the trains were being repaired) and I took advantage of passes by getting on a train (unaccompanied by an adult), riding to DeSoto, Mo (about an hour away from St. Louis) where my parents and/or relatives would meet me. 

Once we even took an over-night trip to Oklahoma City to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins.  I can remember waking up on the train, looking out the window and being amazed by red soil of Oklahoma. I also made trips to Boston with my mother, but I was too young to remember that.

My grandparents and my grandmother's family all rode on passes since most of them worked for Missouri-Pacific.  Uncle Walter Maupin brought me two gifts from one of their frequent trips to Texas to visit family.

 The soft suede cow-girl outfit pictured above has been worn by me, my daughters and my granddaughters.   The tag says it is from Muskogee, OK.  I suspect my great-uncle bought it and the doll below at a vendor while the train was stopped in Muskogee.

Maupin Siblings

Apparently I'm not the only one with boxes of mystery photos. A cousin in Texas sent me this photo asking if I thought these were Maupins. Together, we have concluded that these are the children of John Dabney Maupin and Jane Dickinson Maupin: Mattie Maupin Maupin and Henry Maupin (my great-grandfather) are seated in the front; on the porch are John D. Maupin, Oliver Maupin and Ira Maupin (not necessarily in that order, but we're pretty sure Ira is on the far right).

We believe this photo was taken in Teague, Texas in the 1920's (Mattie and Henry died in early 1930's). We don't know what the occasion was, but with all of them working for the railroad and having passes, it wasn't that hard for Henry (from De Soto, MO) and Ira (from Kansas City, MO) to hop on a train to visit their three siblings in the Waco/Teague area of Texas.

This is the third mystery photo cousins and I have cracked in one month! One is so bizarre, it deserves its own blog posting. (The third one is "Valle Girls?")

Isaac Henry Fry and the Virginian Railway

Isaac Henry Fry (Dave's maternal grandfather) worked for the Virginian Railway in West Virginia and was in the Virginian Railway Feature Magazine in June, 1933. It's been transcribed below:
I. H. Fry, Yardmaster, Virginian Ry., Elmore, W. Va. Born: Monroe County, W. Va. Married: Alice Alderson, Nicholas County, W. Va.; nine children. Entered railway service with the C. & O. in 1901 as telegraph operator. In 1904, went with the B. & O. as agent and operator, and in June 1906, he came to the Virginian (then known as the Deepwater) as agent and operator at Page; July 1, 1907, he was made timekeeper and clerk to the division superintendent; next served as second-trick dispatcher and traveling auditor west of Princeton. In April, 1909, he entered train service and in August of the same year was promoted to conductor.

September 1928

In 1921 he was made assistant trainmaster, and in 1928 was promoted to trainmaster; in August, 1932, he was made yardmaster in Elmore. After years of experimenting, Mr. Fry devised the system of handling trains down heavy grades without the use of the retaining valves, and without changing the equipment on either cars or locomotives, a system which is now used and known as an overcharge trainline. this method of braking eliminates the necessity of stopping the train at the top or bottom of the hill to turn up or down the retainer valves in order to apply or release the brakes. This system of braking facilitates the uninterrupted movement of traffic.

Below is an engine which turned over on the Virginian between Page and Deepwater. Alice Fry was in the caboose of the freight train.

G.D. Morgan's Memories of 1929 Trip West and Back to WV

Don't worry, Dave re-typed this so you can double click on the photo below, or read what Grover wrote further down the page.


FILE: MORGAN 1929 TRIP WEST FROM WEST VIRGINIA

H. B. MORGAN FAMILY – EVENTS LEADING TO TRIP WEST – AUGUST 1929

In 1928, Harry (H.B.) Morgan, while Gen. Supt. of BY PRODUCTS POCAHONTAS COAL CO. at Big Four, WV, was offered the position of GEN. SUPT. of a new coal mine to be built near Bartley, WV in McDowell County. The mine (with employee living quarters to be built as a new coal camp would be called “HARMOR”), and would be a deep “shaft” mine as was the present mine at Bartley a mile or so distant. Harry Morgan was familiar with the dangerous “gassy” conditions of the Bartley mine and was also aware of the physical dangers of “shaft” mines since the only egress from such mines in case of an explosion was up to the earth’s surface via the shaft. This condition as opposed to a “drift” mine in which the entrance and exit could be traversed at any time by just walking in or out. H. B. wanted no part of a “gassy” shaft mine and turned down the offer, which then passed to the then-Supt. of the Bartley mine, Raymond Salvati, and the coal camp was subsequently named “RAYSAL.” Tragically, the Bartley mine “blew up” a few months later killing at least 65 miners.

The mine explosion coupled with the long pent up desire of H. B. to get out of the coal business and buy a small farm and raise chickens led to a plan to go west and “settle” near Chandler, AZ. So, after purchasing a “tent trailer” (Gilkey), he quit his job at Big Four in August 1929, and with the trailer behind the 1927 seven passenger Packard sedan the entire family left WV to seek whatever fortune awaited them in Arizona. Fortunately or unfortunately the plans to buy a chicken ranch did not come to fruition, and after six weeks of looking and visiting the C. E. Smith family (Mrs. H. B.’s brother Charlie) in Riverside, CA. The family returned to WV around Oct. 1, 1929 to Princeton, WV. Just why H. B. picked Princeton was never explained to anyone of the family.

Anyway, with very limited funds remaining H. B. was able to rent a house in Princeton and obtain enough “used” furniture to enable his family to get along while he went back to the coal field to find a job doing the only thing he knew he was good at. Within two days he was hired as General Superintendent of a coal mine located at Thacker Mines, WV (Mingo county), and the family was moved there within a few days of his getting the position.

Sometime during 1930 H. B. (thru Princeton Bank & Trust Co.) purchased the “defunct”Crotty dairy farm (52 acres on the Eastern outskirts of Princeton) and later named the spread “Five Oaks” because of five large oak trees which surrounded the springs which furnished water for the farm needs.

Various members of the Morgan family lived and worked at the “farm” until H. B. and Ellice could no longer take care of the place by themselves during 1952. The entire farm was sold via auction and H. B. and Ellice moved to North Miami, FL.

-30-

[H. B. Morgan below 1932, Thacker Mine West Virginia.]