Daily AncestorStenographer
A stenographer took down speech or dictation in shorthand and typed it up, in an office, court or newspaper.
Shorthand, or stenography, uses symbols and abbreviations so a trained writer can keep up with speech. A stenographer took letters from dictation, recorded court testimony or meetings, and transcribed the notes.
The 1930 census instructions say not to return a stenographer as a secretary, and tell enumerators to report typists, bookkeepers and similar office workers by their own title rather than as clerks, so look for the word stenographer itself in the occupation column.
As seen in a recordOccupation and industry columns of the 1910 to 1940 census
Florence Hart, 22, Stenographer, Law office
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Stenographer." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/stenographer. Last checked 2026-10-10.