Daily AncestorLineman
A lineman strung and repaired overhead wires, first for the telegraph and later for telephone and electric power lines.
The job began in 1844 with the first telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore, and wooden poles soon carried wires across the country. Telephone and electric companies later hired linemen to climb poles, run wire and fix storm damage.
The 1900 census instructions name telegraph lineman and telephone lineman as proper entries, telling enumerators to report such workers by the work they did. A railroad sense, a worker who repaired track, also exists, so check the industry.
As seen in a recordOccupation and industry columns of the 1910 to 1940 census
Frank Dolan, 27, Lineman, Telephone co.
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Daily Ancestor. "Lineman." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/lineman. Last checked 2026-10-10.