MAMIDDLE-L Archives

Archiver > MAMIDDLE > 2008-04 > 1208211214


From: Vital Records Project <>
Subject: Re: [MAMiddle] teamsters
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:13:34 -0700


A teamster, in short, is a driver. In the days of horse and wagon they
drove the wagons or the teams of horses/mules/oxen. Now, the motive
power are diesel engines of several hundred horsepower. The idea is
still the same.

When I've been paying attention to the occupations of a specific person
and see it change, I recollect that they started as laborer and
eventually moved up. As a laborer they did the bulk of the loading and
unloading as well as other menial tasks related to taking care of the
wagon and team. Something like an apprenticeship.

John & Jodi
Massachusetts Vital Records Project Administrators -
http://MA-VitalRecords.org

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [MAMiddle] teamsters
> From: "Cheryl Dynan" <>
> Date: Mon, April 14, 2008 2:48 pm
> To: <>
> Many of the men that I research have their occupation listed as teamster on the records that I look at, for the time period 1850-1900. They also have laborer listed on some of the records. Did the occupation teamster have a specific definition? Certain men had more specific occupations listed - wheel wright, carriagemaker and clerk. trying to figure out what made a teamster and what didn't and when did it become to mean a member of the teamster's union?
> Cheryl
>
> -------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

This thread: