Daily AncestorClerk of court
A clerk of court kept the records of a court, filing papers, recording judgments and administering oaths, and in many counties also kept other public records.
The clerk accepted documents for filing, kept dockets and minute books, issued writs and swore witnesses and jurors. In many American counties the same office also recorded deeds, probate papers or marriage licenses.
For family historians, the clerk of court is often the person whose handwriting fills the volumes you search. As an occupation it marks a literate man, often elected.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1880 census
Wm. Gray, 48, Clerk of court, Va.
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Clerk of court." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/clerk-of-court. Last checked 2026-10-01.