Daily AncestorClergyman
A clergyman was an ordained minister of a church; the 1850 and 1860 census told enumerators to add the denomination, as Meth. for Methodist.
In census returns clergyman covers ministers, priests and pastors of any church. The 1850 and 1860 instructions said to put the initials of the denomination before the title, such as R.C. for Roman Catholic or O.S.P. for Old School Presbyterian, which can point you to the right church records.
From 1910 a man who both farmed and preached was to be returned under whichever work brought him more of his income.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 and 1860 census
Jas. Hurd, 45, Meth. Clergyman
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Clergyman." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/clergyman. Last checked 2026-10-10.