Reading French Occupations
When transcribing documents where the originator was francophone special care should be taken to accurately transcribe the occupation field.
There are some special concerns with regard to this column:
- Canadian French is not now, and never has been, the same as Parisian French. Conventional French dictionaries do not contain many of the words which were in usage quotidienne in Canada. In addition words may have different meanings in Canada than in France.
- Particularly in a border region, like Eastern Ontario, French is frequently corrupted by English influences. For example postal clerk should be commis de malle, but an enumerator incorrectly wrote commis de maille in one case in the 1901 census, probably because of the influence of the English "mail".
- French clerks were no better at spelling than English enumerators, except where they were either priests or notaries.
The following is a partial list of French occupations as encountered in the 1901 census of Ottawa/Carleton:
| Artiste | artist | Avocat | lawyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbier | barber | Boucher | butcher |
| Boulanger | baker | Briquetier | brickmaker |
| Carrier | quarry worker | Cellier | storekeeper |
| Charetier | teamster | Charpentier | carpenter |
| Chauffeur | railroad fireman or driver | Cocher | coachman |
| Colporteur | commercial traveller (travelling salesman) | Commis | clerk |
| Commis de malle | postal Clerk | Commis-hotel | hotel clerk |
| Commis-Marchant | sales clerk | Commissionaire | agent |
| Conducteur | conductor | Contremaitre | foreman |
| Cordonnier | shoemaker | Couturier | dressmaker (male) |
| Couturière | dressmaker (female) | Cuisinier | cook (male) |
| Cuisinière | cook (female) | Électricien | electrician |
| Épicier | grocer | Étudiant | student |
| Fermier | farmer | Ferblantier | tinsmith |
| Forgeron | blacksmith | Géologiste | geologist |
| Hotellier | hotel keeper | Imprimeur | printer |
| Ingenieur | engineer | Jailleur | jailer |
| Journalier | day laborer (male) | Journalière | day laborer (female) |
| Journalist | newspaperman | Journaliste | newspaperwoman |
| Laveuse | washwoman | Libraire | book seller |
| Machiniste | machinist | Marchant | merchant |
| Masson | mason | Mécanicien | mechanic |
| Menuisier | joiner, cabinet maker | Messager | messenger |
| Minier | miner | Modiste | hair dresser |
| Musicien | musician | Notaire | notary |
| Peintre | painter | Pharmacien | pharmacist |
| Platrier | plasterer | Plombier | plumber |
| Postillon | coachman | Reparation | handyman |
| Restauranteur | restaurant owner | Secretaire | secretary |
| Servant | servant (male) | Servante | servant (female) |
| Tailleur | tailor | Tailleuse | tailoress |