A mud clerk was a helper or all-around worker aboard a

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

during the period before and after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, on rivers west of the Appalachian mountains, particularly aboard steamboats on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. According to

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

in his autobiography, "Mud clerks received no salary, but they were in the line of promotion. They could become, presently, third clerk and second clerk, then chief clerk -- that is to say,

purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

". If the mud clerk left before they completed their

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...

ship, and thus did not become a first clerk or purser, they could use their transferable skills to be a hotel clerk or similar position. Mud clerks were always male, and typically in their early teens or younger. Duties included such things as running errands for the officers of the steamboat, carrying messages around the ship, keeping watch, loading and offloading freight in poor weather, and fetching food or beverages. As the name itself implies, mud clerks would often be given the dirtiest jobs aboard ship .

References

Mississippi River Obsolete occupations {{Job-stub

See also

References