Daily AncestorPriest
A priest was an ordained clergyman authorized to perform the sacred rites of his church.
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion. Priests are found in many religions, including branches of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism. A priest's duties may include hearing confessions, giving marriage counseling, teaching catechism and visiting the sick.
The 1850 census instructions asked enumerators to write the initials of a clergyman's denomination before his profession, as R.C. for Roman Catholic, so a priest may appear as R.C. clergyman rather than priest.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 census
Rev. Patk. Donnelligan, 38, R.C. clergyman, Ireland
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Priest." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/priest. Last checked 2026-10-12.