MY ANCESTOR WAS A WHAT???
How many times have you come across an occupation in the census or other record and all you could do was scratch your head. This list was compiled by Dan Burrows and graciously has allowed us to post this. Thank you Dan for your hard work in putting this collection of occupations together!
 | Accomptant - Accountant |
| Almoner- Giver of charity to the needy |
| Amanuensis - Secretary or stenographer |
| Artificer - A soldier mechanic who does repairs |
| Bailie - Bailiff |
| Baxter - Baker |
| Bluestocking - Female writer |
| Boniface - Keeper of an inn |
| Brazier - One who works with brass |
| Brewster - Beer manufacturer |
| Brightsmith - Metal Worker |
| Burgonmaster - Mayor |
| Caulker - One who filled up cracks (in ships or windows or seems to make them watertight by using tar or oakum-hem fiber produced by taking old ropes apart. |
| Chaisemaker - Carriage maker |
| Chandler - Dealer or trader; one who makes or sells candles;retailer of groceries, ship supplier |
| Chiffonnier - Wig maker |
| Clark - Clerk |
| Clerk - Clergyman, cleric |
| Clicker - The servant of a salesman who stood at the door to invite
customers; one who received the matter in the galley from the compositors and arranged it in due form ready for printing; one who makes eyelet holes in boots using a machine which clicked. |
| Cohen - Priest |
| Collier - Coal miner |
| Colporteur - Peddler of books |
| Cooper - One who makes or repairs vessels made of staves & hoops,such as casks, barrels, tubs, etc |
| Cordwainer - Shoemaker, originally any leather worker using leather from Cordova/Cordoba in Spain |
| Costermonger - Peddler of fruits and vegetables |
| Crocker - Potter |
| Crowner - Coroner |
| Currier - One who dresses the coat of a horse with a currycomb;one who tanned leather by incorporating oil or grease |
| Docker - Stevedore, dock worker who loads and unloads cargo |
| Dowser - One who finds water using a rod or witching stick |
| Draper - A dealer in dry goods |
| Drayman - One who drives a long strong cart without fixed sides for carrying heavy loads |
| Dresser- A surgeon's assistant in a hospital |
| Drover - One who drives cattle, sheep, etc. to market; a dealer in cattle |
| Duffer - Peddler |
| Factor - Agent, commission merchant; one who acts or transacts business for another; Scottish steward or bailiff of an estate. |
| Farrier - A blacksmith, one who shoes horses |
| Faulkner- Falconer |
| Fellmonger - One who removes hair or wool from hides in preparation for leather making |
| Fletcher - One who made bows and arrows |
| Fuller - One who fulls cloth;one who shrinks and thickens woolen cloth by moistening, heating, and pressing; one who cleans and finishes cloth |
| Gaoler - A keeper of the goal, a jai |
| Glazier - Window glassmanHacker - Maker of hoes |
| Hatcheler - One who combed out or carded flax |
| Haymonger - Dealer in hay |
| Hayward - Keeper of fences |
| Higgler - Itinerant peddler |
| Hillier - Roof tiler |
| Hind- A farm laborer |
| Holster - A groom who took care of horses, often at an inn |
| Hooker - Reaper |
| Hooper - One who made hoops for casks and barrels |
| Huckster - Sells small wares |
| Husbandman - A farmer who cultivated the land |
| Jagger - Fish peddler |
| Journeyman - One who had served his apprenticeship and mastered his craft,not bound to serve a master, but hired by the day. |
| Joyner / Joiner - A skilled carpenter |
| Keeler - Bargeman |
| Kempster - Wool comber |
| Lardner - Keeper of the cupboard |
| Lather - Installer of lath strips in old-time walls |
| Lavender - Washer woman |
| Lederer - Leather maker |
| Leech - Physician |
| Longshoreman - Stevedore |
| Lormer - Maker of horse gear |
| Malender - Farmer |
| Maltster - Brewer |
| Manciple - A steward |
| Mason - Bricklayer |
| Mintmaster - One who issued local currency |
| Monger - Seller of goods (ale, fish) |
| Muleskinner - Teamster |
| Neatherder - Herds cows |
| Ordinary Keeper- Innkeeper with fixed prices |
| Pattern Maker - A maker of a clog shod with an iron ring. A clog was a wooden pole with a pattern cut into the end |
| Peregrinator - Itinerant wanderer |
| Peruker - A wig maker |
| Pettifogger - A shyster lawyer |
| Pigman - Crockery dealer |
| Plumber - One who applied sheet lead for roofing and set lead frames for plain or stained glass windows. |
| Porter - Door keeper |
| Puddler - Wrought iron worker |
| Quarrier- Quarry worker |
| Rigger - Hoist tackle worker |
| Ripper - Seller of fish |
| Roper - Maker of rope or nets |
| Saddler - One who makes, repairs or sells saddles or other furnishings for horses. |
| Sawbones- Physician |
| Sawyer - One who saws; carpenter |
| Schumacker - Shoemaker |
| Scribler - A minor or worthless author |
| Scrivener - Professional or public copyist or writer; notary public |
| Scrutiner - Election judge |
| Shrieve / SheriffSlater - Roofer |
| Slopseller- Seller of ready-made clothes in a slop shop |
| Snobscat / Snob - One who repaired shoes |
| Sorter - Tailor |
| Spinster - A woman who spins or an unmarried woman |
| Spurrer - Maker of spurs |
| Squire - Country gentleman; farm owner; justice of peace |
| Stuff gown - Junior barrister |
| Stuff gownsman - Junior barrister |
| Supercargo - Officer on merchant ship who is in charge of cargo and the commercial concerns of the ship. |
| Tanner - One who tans (cures) animal hides into leather |
| Tapley - One who puts the tap in an ale cask |
| Tasker - Reaper |
| Teamster - One who drives a team for hauling |
| Thatcher - Roofer |
| Tide waiter - Customs inspector |
| Tinker - An itinerant tin pot and pan seller and repairman |
| Tipstaff - Policeman |
| Travers - Toll bridge collection |
| Tucker - Cleaner of cloth goods |
| Turner - A person who turns wood on a lathe into spindles |
| Victualer - A tavern keeper, or one who provides an army,navy, or ship with food |
| Vulcan - Blacksmith |
| Wagoner - Teamster not for hire |
| Wainwright - Wagon maker |
| Waiter - Customs officer or tide waiter; one who waited on the tide to collect duty on goods brought in. |
| Waterman - Boatman who plies for hire |
| Webster - Operator of looms |
| Wharfinger - Owner of a wharf |
| Wheelwright - One who made or repaired wheels; wheeled carriages,etc. |
| Whitesmith - Tinsmith; worker of iron who finishes or polishes the work |
| Whitewing - Street sweeper |
| Whitster - Bleach of cloth |
| Wright - Workman, especially a construction worker |
| Yeoman - Farmer who owns his own land |
Compiled by Dan Burrows
"I put these 130 items together from many sources and used it as a
handout for our local Orange County (NY) Genealogical Society."
Dan Burrows -