Daily AncestorErrand boy
An errand boy ran errands, carried messages and delivered small parcels for a store, office or other business.
The 1900 census told enumerators to distinguish an errand, office or messenger boy in a store from a porter or helper, and to add the business, as in errand boy, dry goods or messenger boy, telegraph.
Census instructions also warned that children were seldom real skilled tradesmen or managers. A boy's job title in a return is therefore often a modest one like errand boy, cash boy or newsboy.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1880 to 1930 census
Willie Platt, 13, Errand boy, Dry goods
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Errand boy." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/errand-boy. Last checked 2026-10-10.