
I have been particularly fascinated by the occupations that my ancestors had; especially the terms that I had never heard of - such as busheler and gas fitter. What the heck are those? (At the end of this article is a link so that you can find out some of these occupational terms used decades and centuries ago.)
But what records and documents contain our ancestors occupations? Here is a list of many of these documents and records that I use to record my ancestor's "work" life.
- Census Records
- City Directories
- Draft Cards
- Death Certificates
- Passenger Lists
- Birth Certificate/Record of child - the parents occupations are often provided
- Military Enlistment and Other Records
- Photographs - although not written - if in some kind of uniform, this can be a good hint as to occupation
- Marriage Certificates
- Voter Registrations
- Mortuary Records
- Naturalization Records
- Passport Applications
- Patent Applications
- Social Security Applications - Employer's name is included often
- Obituaries
- Membership in Fraternal Societies
- Union Membership Documents
- Wills/Probate
- Newspaper Articles of all kinds - Legal notices, advertisements and classified ads are often useful
- Miscellaneous Court Documents
What others can you think of?
Here is a terrific list of occupation names of old:
Ranks, Professions, Occupations and Trades
So let's get to WORK and find our ancestors occupations! (pun intended)