Daily AncestorWarden
A warden was an official in charge of something, most often the head of a prison, but also a game warden or an officer of a church or institution.
In the United States warden is the usual title of the official in charge of a prison or penitentiary, supervising its staff, security and inmates. Some states used superintendent instead.
The word also names other supervising officials, such as a game warden enforcing hunting laws, or the governing head of certain colleges and institutions. A churchwarden is a separate church office.
As seen in a recordInstitution pages of the 1880 to 1940 census
Geo. Hale, 55, Warden, State prison
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Daily Ancestor. "Warden." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/warden. Last checked 2026-10-10.