Daily AncestorLocomotive fireman
A locomotive fireman shoveled coal into a steam engine's firebox and kept up the steam; he was not a firefighter.
On a steam locomotive the fireman stoked the fire and watched the water level and steam pressure, while the engineer ran the engine. Many firemen were later promoted to engineer.
In a census, fireman alone can mean this, a stationary boiler stoker, or a city firefighter. The 1900 instructions asked enumerators to tell stationary and locomotive firemen apart, so check the wording and industry.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1880 to 1920 census
Jno. Watts, 24, Fireman, R.R.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Locomotive fireman." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/locomotive-fireman. Last checked 2026-10-01.