Daily AncestorPattern maker
A pattern maker built exact models, usually of wood, from which sand molds were made for casting metal parts.
Every cast part began as a pattern. Pattern makers worked from drawings to make precise wooden models, allowing for the metal's shrinkage as it cooled.
It was skilled, well-paid work in foundries and machine shops. In a dressmaking context the same word can mean someone who makes paper patterns for clothes, so check the industry.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1880 to 1920 census
Geo. Platt, 45, Pattern maker, Conn.
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Daily Ancestor. "Pattern maker." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/pattern-maker. Last checked 2026-10-01.