Daily AncestorWatchman
A watchman guarded a building, yard or street, usually at night, against fire, theft and trespass.
Night watches patrolled town streets from evening until sunrise, examining suspicious people and guarding against fire and theft, long before organized professional police forces took over.
The 1910 census instructions use night watchman as a model occupation entry. The 1870 rules mention a watchman who slept in a store only to guard it, who was still to be counted with his own family.
As seen in a recordOccupation and industry columns of the 1910 to 1940 census
Patk. Shea, 61, Night watchman, Lumber yard
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Watchman." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/watchman. Last checked 2026-10-10.