Cowboys and Coffin-Makers: One Hundred 19th-century Jobs You Might Have Feared or Fancied »

Laurie Coulter is the author of five other non-fiction books for young people, including To Be a Princess: The Fascinating Lives of Real Princesses and When John and Caroline Lived in the White House.

Martha Newbigging is a graphic designer and film animator, and the illustrator of several books for children.

An original and humorously illustrated guide to 100 historically accurate 19th-century American careers. The 1800s saw sweeping changes that are reflected in each career's description. The book includes timeline, further readings and index.

Lucinda Snyder WhitehurstCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

Gr 3-6
Short job descriptions, usually one or two per page, are written in an entertaining style and grouped according to headings. The entries range from the expected-"Frontier Jobs" such as storekeeper, farmer, farmer's wife, miller, peddler, and schoolteacher-to the more unusual. "Sweet-Tooth Jobs" include sugar-plantation owner, maple-syrup producer, candy maker, hokey-pokey seller, and dentist. The author considers a variety of economic and social classes, from robber barons to forced laborers and slaves, and acknowledges how locations affect available occupations. She also takes a global view, describing how explorers such as Lewis and Clark benefited from Native people who already lived in the area, as well as early French Canadian and Spanish explorers and tradesmen. Occasional mention is made of on-the-job dangers, but for the most part, a light tone is maintained. The book could be used in social-studies units about the 1800s, the Westward Movement, and comparisons of cities to rural areas. Bright watercolor, cartoon-style illustrations accompany each job description. The characters' expressions and occasional comments inject additional bits of humor into the text. Furthermore, the illustrations are helpful in depicting some jobs with which children may be unfamiliar, such as glassblower, milliner, and rag picker.

Introduction

Powerful Changes

No Idle Hands

"The Most Beautiful Sight"

The Clock That Fired the Sun

Weird Job Titles of the 1800s

Choosing a 19th-Century Career

1. Exploration Jobs
   • Mountain Man
   • Mountain Woman
   • Explorer
   • Cartographer
   
   
2. Frontier Jobs
   • Storekeeper
   • Frontier Farmer
   • Frontier Farmer's Wife
   • Peddler
   • Schoolteacher
   • Miller
   
   
3. Life and Death Jobs
   • Midwife
   • Doctor
   • Pharmacist
   • Horse/Cow Doctor
   • Coffin Maker
   
   
4. Artisan Jobs
   • Basket Maker
   • Blacksmith
   • Wheelwright
   • Cooper
   • Butcher
   
   
5. Factory and Mill Jobs
   • Seamstress
   • Mill Worker
   • Shoemaker
   • Glassblower
   • Machinist
   
   
6. On-the-Water Jobs
   • Cut-tail
   • Shipbuilder
   • Ship Biscuit Maker
   • Lighthouse Keeper
   • Dory Fisherman
   • Whaleboat Boatheader
   • Steamboat Pilot
   • Canal Hoggee
   
   
7. Going West Jobs
   • Stonemason
   • Wagon Train Leader
   • Military Post Commander
   • Prospector
   • Boardinghouse Operator
   • Laundress
   • Forced Laborer
   
   
8. Traveling-Here-and-There Jobs
   • Stagecoach Driver
   • Circuit Lawyer
   • Lightning Rod Man
   • Limner
   
   
9. Sweet-Tooth Jobs
   • Sugar Plantation Owner
   • Maple Syrup Producer
   • Candy Maker
   • Hokey-pokeySeller
   • Dentist
   
   
10. Slave Labor Jobs
    • Field Slave
    • House Slave
    
    
11. Change-the-World Jobs
    • Social Reformer
    • Leader
    • Inventor
    
    
12. Wartime Jobs
    • Military Surgeon
    • Doughboy
    • Nurse
    • Submarine Commander
    • Spy
    • Photographer
    
    
13. Railroad Jobs
    • Locomotive Engineer
    • Brakeman
    • Construction Laborer
    • Bridge Engineer
    • Waitress
    
    
14. Rock-Hard Jobs
    • Salt Maker
    • Coal Miner
    • Ice Maker
    • Breaker Boy
    • Dinosaur Hunter
    
    
15. Great-Outdoors Jobs
    • Ranchwoman
    • Cowboy
    • Chuckwagon Cook
    • Lawman
    • Lumberjack
    • National Park Ranger
    
    
16. Up-and-Down Jobs
    • Cable-Car Gripman
    • Lineman
    • Sandhog
    • Elevator Man
    
    
17. Fashion Jobs
    • Milliner
    • Department Store Owner
    • Sweatshop Worker
    • Ragpicker
    
    
18. Working-for-the-City Jobs
    • Firefighter
    • Police Officer
    
    
19. Entertaining Jobs
    • Telegraph Operator
    • Newspaper Publisher
    • Dime Novel Writer
    • Soda Fountain Owner
    • Professional Baseball Player
    • Wild West Show Performer/86, Snake Charmer
    • Actor
    
    
20. Big-Business Jobs
    • Robber Baron
    • Socialite
    • Architect
    • Stenographer-Typist
    • Office Clerk
    • Telephone Operator
    
    

Recommended Further Reading

Acknowledgments

Index