Daily AncestorHog reeve
A hog reeve was a town officer who caught pigs running loose and impounded them, or fined their owners.
Pigs that roamed free damaged crops and gardens, so New England towns elected hog reeves to enforce the rules on ringing and yoking swine and to impound strays.
You find it in annual town meeting lists of officers, alongside fence viewers and pound keepers.
As seen in a recordNew England town meeting records
Hog reeves: Jona. Hall, Ezra Pike
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Daily Ancestor. "Hog reeve." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/hog-reeve. Last checked 2026-10-01.