Daily AncestorHarness maker
A harness maker made and repaired the leather harnesses, collars and straps that hitched horses and mules to wagons and plows.
A working horse or mule needed a harness to pull a plow, wagon or carriage. The harness maker built these sets of leather straps, collars and traces, and repaired them when they wore out or broke.
The trade was often combined with saddlery, and many men were listed as saddler and harness maker.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1880 to 1920 census
John Ruff, 56, Harness maker, Ohio
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Daily Ancestor. "Harness maker." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/harness-maker. Last checked 2026-10-01.