Genealogy Chat

The occupation on a certificate I have is what looks like 'Hasrdresser, Journeyman'. The Journeyman bit is clear as a bell. It is definately an H, definately a dr and almost certainly a double s. It's the first half of the word that it really stumping me - it might even be two words, the writing is so tiny and smudged that the fourth letter might not really be a letter at all.

What about hairdresser? I have several males described as hairdressers in the early 1800s. I suppose they just did hair and weren't barber surgeons. Caroline

I hadn't thought of that. Could you be a journeyman hairdresser? I thought the third letter was s, c or x, but hairdresser would make sense because he did live in the town. Thanks.

Hi Kathryn, You could try this website: http://rmhh(.)co(.)uk/occup/h(.)html I found it quite useful for occupations. Lucia

Hi, I was only guessing, but I should think that as you can have apprentice hairdressers you can have journeymen like you would have (used to have) in building and carpentry?? Caroline

Could it be habadasher ? a hat maker. Bob

A haberdasher is someone who sells thread, materials and things for sewing - someone who makes hats is a milliner! Sorry Bob! ;-)) Maz. XX

Hi Because my ggrandfather said his father was a hairdresser so when I found a family with several hairdressers and the same surname, I followed them through several censuses trying to tie them in with my family - no luck. I assumed that they were people who cut hair, and that may be the case, but in one census they were not listed as hairdressers but fibredressers so it seems there might be another meaning to that occupation. More like someone in the fabric industry who worked with fibres perhaps. Sandra

Alright Maz you are right about the miliner but I am not wrong totally, apparently habadasher was also a term for a Hatter (seller not maker). see here http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/Haberdasher Bob

Thanks for all your suggestions. This is the first time I have heard about this person (and even then he was dead) so I have no idea what sort of trade he was in. His daughter was a dressmaker but that doesn't prove anything as occupations for women were limited anyway.

Possibly hedgedresser? Jan