Daily AncestorLighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper tended a lighthouse, trimming wicks, refilling fuel, winding the clockwork and cleaning the lens so the light burned all night.
Before automation, a keeper trimmed the wicks, replenished the oil, wound the mechanism that turned the light, cleaned lenses and windows, and ran the fog signal. Keepers were nicknamed wickies for their wick trimming.
Because lighthouses sat on remote coasts and islands, the keeper usually lived at the station with the family, and the post often passed from parent to child. Look for the whole family listed at the light.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1880 census
Edw. Sayre, 55, Keeper of light house, Maine
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Lighthouse keeper." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/lighthouse-keeper. Last checked 2026-10-10.