Daily AncestorStonecutter
A stonecutter shaped rough stone into building blocks, steps, gravestones and carved work with hammer, chisel and later machines.
The stonecutter took blocks from the quarry and dressed them to exact size and finish. Some specialized in ornament or lettering, including the carving of gravestones.
Breathing stone dust caused lung disease, so a stonecutter's death at a young age from consumption or lung trouble was sadly common. A family gravestone may even be the work of an ancestor.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1880 census
Alex. Ross, 40, Stonecutter, Scotland
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Stonecutter." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/stonecutter. Last checked 2026-10-01.