America's top 10 and Most Unusual Jobs from 1880
September 04, 2006 at 12:03:00 PM, by Thai Tan
The 1880 U.S. Census shows interesting and most popular occupations.
Information Technology, programmers, and lawyers are probably the hottest occupations these days but what about in 1880?
Ancestry.com released the top 10 most unusual and most popular occupations in 1880. Some include "Saloon keeper", "Cattle Herders", "Cowboys", "outlaw" or even "Artificial Flower Maker".
Ancestry.com has a complete source of U.S. Federal Census from 1790 to 1930. Here are some of the interesting occupations at the time:
- More than 20 percent of the population listed their occupations as some form of laborer with the top three occupations listed as employed on a farm, laborer or servant.
- Additional occupations among the top 10 include carpenter, dressmaker/tailor, clerk, school teacher, blacksmith, miner and cotton mill worker
- Some were more creative in answering census takers' questions. Rather than simply listing "laborer" as their occupation, their occupations were "Sandwich Man," "Soda Dispenser," "Inspector of Lunch," "Collector of Eggs" or "Prepares Fruit"
- The 1880 Census reveals the lure of the "Wild West" during that time period. Almost 30,000 individuals reported their occupation as "Saloon Keeper." There was also a significant number of "Cattle Herders," "Cowboys," "Saddle and Harness Makers," "Horse Dealers," "Street Sweepers" (to clean up the after the horses on the big city streets) and even an "Outlaw" appeared on the census takers list
- Some people showcased their seeming lack of occupation, listing jobs such as "Old Bachelor," "Good Talker," "Reading the Bible," "Bird Fancier," "Buggy Riding" and "Gent at Large"
- The top three occupations in the U.S. were identical to those listed in the UK (1881 Census) where almost 10 percent of the English population were working as servants, on a farm or as laborers
- Other top 10 jobs in England were dressmaker/tailor, working in the cotton industry, coal miner, carpenter, laundress, annuitant (someone who receives annuity) and finally, "no occupation"
- Other quirky English jobs included "Artificial Flower Maker," "Capsule Maker," "Coffin Maker," "Corset Maker," "Fancy Box Maker," "Powder Puff Maker," "Surgical Instrument Maker." To think Tom Hanks' grandfather whose occupation was listed as "Rodent Control" in the 1930 Census and later, "Squirrel Inspector," raised eyebrows!
- A variety of occupations sounded more like machinery than jobs people would perform. "Button Polisher," "Envelope Folder," "Feather Curler," "Silk Winder" and "Boot Clicker" (someone in charge of lace holes on a shoe) were among those listed
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Comments
unknown at 17:19, January 28, 2010
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