Daily AncestorCash boy
A cash boy or cash girl ran in a big store, carrying the customer's money from the sales counter to the cashier and bringing back the change.
Large stores kept all cash at one central desk so it could be watched. When a sale was made, the clerk called for a cash, and a child took the money and sales slip to the cashier and returned with the change and receipt.
It was a job for children and young teens. Overhead wires, cash railways and pneumatic tubes replaced most of them in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1880 and 1900 census
Lillie Brown, 13, Cash girl, Dry goods store
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Cash boy." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/cash-boy. Last checked 2026-10-01.