September Topic: Occupations

September Topic: Occupations

In honor of Labor Day, the Genealogy Forum Topic of the month for September is Occupations. Everyone did something, whether they were paid for there work or not, everyone held an occupation if they were out of school. An example of unpaid work would be the homemaker, women who would wake up as early as 4am to get the household started. Below is a list of some occupations. You may have seen some of these occupations listed in census records for your ancestor and wondered what in the world that was.

An "Accomptant" was an accountant
An "Almoner" was a giver of charity to the needy
A "Bailie" was actually a bailiff
Bet you'd never guess and "Avernator" sold hay
Ever wondered what a "Baxter" was? They were a baker
A blacksmith, one who shoes horses
A "bodger" made chair legs
Hard to believe a "Boniface" was a keeper of an inn
No, a "Brazier" did not work with women's undergarments, they were people who worked with brass!
"Brightsmith"? What's that? That was a metal worker
A fortune teller was often called a "Cartomancer"
Ever wonder what a "Chaisemaker" was? They built carriages
A "Chandler" was one who makes or sells candles
A "Chiffonnier" was a wig maker
A "Clerk" was a clergyman or cleric
Was your ancestor a "Collier"? That means they mined for coal
A "Cooper" was one who made or repaired vessels made of "staves and hoops". Examples were casks, barrels or tubs
Now I had an ancestor who was a "Cordwainer", or in other words a shoemaker.
Now this one looks like a no-brainer, but a "Draper" was actually a dealer in dry goods
So what was a "Drayman"?? They drove a long cart without sides used for carrying heavy loads
A "Farrier" was a blacksmith who shoed horses
A "Fish Monger" sold fish
A "Gaoler" was a keeper of the goal (jail)
A "Hillier" was a roof tiler
A "Hind" was a farm laborer
A "Hooker" was not a prostitute, they were a reaper
A "Hooper" made hoops for casks and barrels for "Coopers"
Some of us have seen this term used, a "Husbandman" was a farmer who cultivated the land
A "Joiner" was a skilled carpenter
I know some of us think of Doctors as leaches (because they leach us of money!), and maybe that is because they were called a "Leech"!
Sometimes farmers were called a "Malender"
A "Mason" was a bricklayer or a stone carver
A "Mayer" was another term for a doctor
An "Ordinary" ordinarily meant an innkeeper
An "Osler" caught birds
You might often see a "Paling man" carrying a Pail since they sold eels
A "pigman" dealt crockery
In the olden days, there were no planes, so a "piolot" referred to someone who steered a boat
A "Plumber" used to apply sheet lead for roofing and set lead frames for plain or stained glass windows.
A "Pynner" sold pins
A "Saddler" made, repaired, or sold saddles for horses
No, a "Sawyer" wasn't an old term for a lawyer, they were carpenters who used saws
Ever wondered about the "Schumacker" surname? they were probably originally shoemakers
A "Snob" didn't used to refer to a stuck up person, they actually reparied shoes for a living!
Althought a "Spinster" could refer to an unmarried woman, it could also mean a who who spun cloth
A "Squire" was a country gentleman, farm owner, and/or a justice of peace
A "Tanner" was a person who tanned or cured animal hides into leather
A "Teamster" didn't used to mean a union leaders, they were ones who drove a team for hauling
A "Tinker" was a traveling repairman
A "Tucker" was a cloth cleaner
An "Upholder" could be either an upholsterer or seller of secondhand ware
A "Virginal Player" was a musician that played an instrument similar to a harpsicord
A blacksmith might also be referred to as a "Vulcan"
A "Wagoner" was a teamster not for hire
Ever heard of a "Wainwright"? They made wagons
A "Waiter" was actually a customs officer who waited on the tide to collect duty on goods brought in
A "Wanter caught moles
A "Wheelwright" made or repaired wheels and wheeled carriages
A "Whitesmith" was a tinsmith
A "Yeoman" was a farmer who owned his own land

Here are some other articles that have been written in honor of labor day about actual people and what they did. Enjoy!

Sources for old occupations: