August 1, 2025

I’ve never paid much attention to the occupations of my ancestors. Like many family historians, I’ve assumed that most of them were farmers. I’ve recently realized that this means I know less about my ancestors than I might. Knowing someone’s occupation can help us understand why an ancestor lived where he did, why he married who he did and even why he died when he did.

 

In earlier eras, it’s true that most people were farmers – at least at a subsistence level – but many people also had other occupations. As people began to move to towns and cities, they were more apt to hold jobs.

 

There are lots of sources to help us find an ancestor’s occupation. Some of the easiest sources to access are the U.S. Censuses. The censuses from 1850 forward are the most informative since they list every person. This is important since not only men worked outside the home. Many women and even children held jobs, and this will be noted in the censuses.

 

Apprentice records can also be helpful in determining what jobs an ancestor had. Remember that training for a job did not mean that someone eventually did that job. Not everyone finished an apprenticeship. Some finished the training but decided to do something else. In the United States, this often meant moving west where opportunities were thought to be better.

 

Military records such as World War I Draft Registration cards include information about someone’s employment. Military pension records sometimes listed a person’s employment after they left the service.

 

Vital records such as birth records, marriage and death records sometimes list occupations. Other death records such as obituaries and wills and probate records are also good places to find out about the jobs an ancestor held. Wills and probates may not specifically list an occupation, but the lists of possessions may give strong hints as to the person’s job. For example, one of my ancestors left a large selection of shears and scissors, needles, various types of thread and material, several measuring tapes and a seam gauge. These tools pointed to the fact that he had been a tailor.

 

Some of the jobs an ancestor held may puzzle you. I once found a female relative who was listed in a census record as a “black borderer.” This made no sense to me, but I googled the term and learned that in Victorian times notices of deaths were mailed to friends and relatives. To prepare the recipients for the grim news, the edges of the envelope or postcard were inked in black. Young women, including my relative, did this piecework to help support themselves.

 

If googling doesn’t give you a satisfactory answer, you can try looking on the Family Search Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Main_Page ). Search for the place and time you are interested in and then search for occupations.

 

If you’ve always believed that your ancestors were “just farmers,” you may be surprised at the variety of jobs an ancestor worked. Many of our ancestors were probably farmers, but some of them held other jobs as well. Checking out these occupations can give you new insights into an ancestor’s life.

 

Carol Stetser

Researcher

Larimer County Genealogical Society