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