Daily AncestorDrayman
A drayman drove a dray, a low heavy cart without sides, hauling goods such as barrels and crates around a town.
A dray was a strong, low wagon for short heavy hauls, like moving barrels from a dock or depot to a store. Draymen were the local delivery men of the horse age.
Breweries employed many draymen to deliver kegs, so the word is sometimes tied to the beer trade.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1880 to 1920 census
Fredk. Kurz, 29, Drayman, Wis.
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Daily Ancestor. "Drayman." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/drayman. Last checked 2026-10-01.