Help in deciphering occupation, please!.....

Post by **Anne H** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 6:13 am

Hello everyone!

Can someone please tell me what the following occupations might actually be?

1. Hawker (I'm assuming a seller of some sort of goods?)
2. Drapery Traveler (Selling curtains?)
3. Broker on own account (no idea!) and
4. the last one looks like his wife was employed as a Paleroom Keeper (or maybe it's Saleroom Keeper--I can't make it out and haven't a clue as to how to upload it for viewing).

Many thanks!

AnneH

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:48 am

Hi Anne
Some of these are in the list at the Scotlands People site: on the home page go to "Help & Other Resouces", then click on "Research Tools" then "Working Lives".

according to the list,
a hawker is a person who goes round houses or streets selling their wares

a draper is a seller of cloth and thread
a traveller is a Dealer who travels and sells to customers in their own homes - so I guess you put the two of these together!

a broker is not mentioned, only "Brocker" - which they say is a "Mispelling of "broker"" - with no definition! "On his own account" means that he was self employed as far as I know. I should think a broker is much the same as now days - a person acting as an agent for another person, buying or selling goods on their behalf. But I'm sure someone else may be able to come up with a more precise meaning.

Saleroom Keeper isn't mentioned either, but I would guess its just as it says - she kept a sale room. Maybe she worked for someome else or could she maybe have been the owner of the saleroom? I wonder if "Saleroom" maybe indicates a certain type of goods (I would guess maybe larger items, things like furniture?) - I have a "Bazaar Proprietor" as an occupation on a census return and supposed this referred to a "mixed small goods" kinda set-up, but I don't know enough about the distinctions.

There is another list of occupations at:
http://cpcug.org/user/jlacombe/terms.html

Best wishes
Lesley

Post by **Anne H** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 6:11 pm

Hi Lesley,

Many thanks for the information and reminding me of the occupations list on SP (I’ve been so busy concentrating on finding people that I’ve neglected to look at the other information on the site). You’re probably right about the definitions for Broker and Saleroom Keeper…sort of makes sense since it seems in line with the rest!

I had a look at the other web site you mentioned and realized my assumptions of a few occupations I had were incorrect…I know better now, so again, thanks very much.

By the way, maybe your “Bazaar Proprietor” had a stall in a place like the “Barras Market” in Glasgow…just a thought!

Regards,
Anne

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:12 pm

Hi Anne

By the way, maybe your “Bazaar Proprietor” had a stall in a place like the “Barras Market” in Glasgow…just a thought!

Possibly - it conjours up pictures of Aladdin and carpets from the Middle East etc. However, this lady who was aged 77 at the time, lived in Leith so I doubt it was very exotic! Although, being a port I'm sure from time to time some wierd and wonderful objects found their way there!

I checked the census entry and I'd mis-remembered it - it was her son who was mentioned as the "Bazaar Proprietor", she was a "Bazaar keeper" - this maybe gives some clues as to your "saleroom keeper" - maybe "keeper" does not imply ownership?

Best wishes
Lesley