Have you ever wondered what your ancestors did for work? Labor Day is a perfect time to find out about your ancestors’ occupations. Here are some places you can look:
· US Census (the best source of occupation): https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Census_Online_Genealogy_Records
· U. S. City Directories (not all years of city directories include occupations, so look through them all): https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Directories
· Military Records (especially Civil War, Spanish-American War , WWI, & WWII): https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Military_Online_Genealogy_ Records
· Family photographs (FamilySearch Memories or family photographs)
· Diaries and Journals
· Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates
· Obituaries
FamilySearch is a good place to start. Your ancestor’s Sources and Memories may include many of these records. Remember, if an image is attached to a source, look at the image because it may contain additional information that is not indexed, including their occupation!
For example, I was able to find the different occupations of my grandfather, Frederick Benjamin Critchlow, in several records:
· Bookkeeper, accountant in hardware store (1910 census and WWI draft registration)
· Corporal and captain in army in WWI (veteran and transport ship records, photos)
· Manager, dealer and merchant of farm implements (1920, 1930 census, obituary, death certificate and city directory)
Have fun learning about your relatives’ occupations on Labor Day!
— Sister Marianne Bates