Daily AncestorShipwright
A shipwright designed, built and repaired ships, especially wooden ones, shaping and fitting the heavy timbers of the hull.
Shipwrights were the skilled carpenters of the shipyard. They laid the keel, raised the frames and fastened the planking, working closely with caulkers, riggers and sailmakers.
In many records the same men appear as ship carpenters. In shipbuilding towns along the coast and the Great Lakes the trade often passed from father to son.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1880 census
Elisha Hall, 39, Shipwright, Conn.
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Daily Ancestor. "Shipwright." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/shipwright. Last checked 2026-10-01.