Daily AncestorPurser
A purser was the officer on a ship who handled its money, accounts and supplies, and on passenger vessels looked after the passengers.
The purser kept the ship's money and books and bought supplies, and on merchant ships he handled the cargo and passenger papers. Cooks and stewards often answered to him.
In the old Royal Navy the purser was a warrant officer, a rank kept until 1852, who bought supplies on credit and acted as the crew's banker and private merchant, deducting what men owed from their wages.
As seen in a recordCrew lists and steamboat registers, 1800s
Geo. Bell, Purser, Str. Lucy Lane
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Daily Ancestor. "Purser." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/purser. Last checked 2026-10-10.