Daily AncestorStationer
A stationer sold writing paper, envelopes, ink, pens and account books, and in older times also books.
The word comes from Medieval Latin stationarius. It was first used of a bookseller who had a fixed station, especially near a university, as opposed to the traveling peddlers and chapmen who sold at markets and fairs. The goods he sold became known as stationery.
Wiktionary defines a stationer today as a person or business that sells stationery.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1900 census
Wm. Hollisford, 49, Stationer, N.Y.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Stationer." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/stationer. Last checked 2026-10-12.