Daily AncestorTenant farmer
A tenant farmer rented and ran a farm owned by someone else, paying in cash or a share of the crop.
A tenant farmer made the decisions on the farm he rented and usually supplied his own animals and tools. Rent might be fixed cash or a share of the crop.
The census counted tenants as farmers, not laborers. From 1890 the census asked whether a home or farm was owned or rented, which helps tell an owner from a tenant.
As seen in a recordOccupation, industry and home columns of the 1910 census (R = rented, F = farm)
Wm. Pace, 34, Farmer, General farm, R, F
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Tenant farmer." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/tenant-farmer. Last checked 2026-10-01.