Daily AncestorRigger
A rigger fitted a ship's rigging, the ropes, wires and blocks that hold up the masts and work the sails; later riggers also moved heavy machinery.
In a shipyard or port, riggers set up the standing rigging that supports the masts and the running rigging used to raise and trim sails. It was skilled work done high above the deck.
As sailing ships faded, the title passed to workers who lifted and moved heavy loads with cables and hoists, in shipyards, steel construction and theaters.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1880 census
Geo. Sears, 36, Rigger, Maine
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Daily Ancestor. "Rigger." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/rigger. Last checked 2026-10-01.