Daily AncestorTimekeeper
A timekeeper kept the record of workers' hours of attendance for the payroll, at a factory, mill, railroad or construction job.
In industry a timekeeper kept records of the hours each employee attended, later with the help of a time clock, so that wages could be figured.
The word can also mean a clock or watch, or an official timing a sporting event, but in a census with an industry column it is nearly always the clerk who kept the time books for an employer.
As seen in a recordOccupation and industry columns of the 1910 to 1940 census
Walter Pruitt, 29, Timekeeper, Steel mill
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Daily Ancestor. "Timekeeper." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/timekeeper. Last checked 2026-10-10.