Daily AncestorAlderman
An alderman was a member of a city or town council, the governing board of many American cities and towns.
The word comes from Old English ealdorman, elder man, a title of the chief nobles who presided over the shires. In the United States a board of aldermen governs many cities and towns; in New York City it was once the upper house of a two-chamber city legislature.
The 1900 census instructions said a city or town official was to be returned by the title of the office only if he depended on it chiefly for a living, and otherwise by his usual trade. An alderman may therefore appear in the census under another occupation.
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Daily Ancestor. "Alderman." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/alderman. Last checked 2026-10-12.