How to Discover Your Ancestor's Occupation • FamilySearch

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How to Discover Your Ancestor's Occupation • FamilySearch

Ever wonder if your family tree was filled with sturdy, salt-of-the-earth farmers; skilled, meticulous craftsmen; hardworking laborers; or p…

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JanetBurnsed

Great educational article.

Thank you

StevenWayneBruner

I had known about finding occupations in the census records but had really not known much about FamilySearch Wiki or Family Search Catalog. Thank you for the info and for encouraging me to dig a little deeper.

ComptonTracy1

There are so many more types of record to search out than I was aware of. Thank you so much for sharing this information.

TomShutt

Thank you for the information. However I am aware of it.

Tom Shutt

belizabeth4106694

Thank you for your great, insightful, timely, helpful, informative sharings! Much needed.

Ginger Ashby Weibell

Thanks so much for all these helpful tips! I really enjoy the holiday specific research ideas sent out from Family Search!

Marvin Sands

Interesting information that can be used to determine how a family member attempted to eke out a living for their family. Very insightful and useful. Thanks for sharing.

MaryE4756

Yes, finding or knowing occupations can help one identify ancestors. Just yesterday, I found an uncle in the 1930 census as his occupation was listed as an entertainer. He was using the name of Harry instead of his given name of Walter Henry. Find a grave too has been the most prolific in my family genealogy. I cannot thank you enough for all the wonderful data!

Judy Ann Wolfley Shumway

thank you so much for all the great ideas you give us in helping to find our ancestors thank you

David Egeler

My Great Grandfather (Friedrich Egeler) was born in Germany in 1871, and came to America when he was 18 years old with a chest full of woodworking tools and a full apprenticeship for Cabinet Making and Wood Carving. He worked at several Cabinet shops before he worked at a Cabinet shop in Detroit called the Pullman Brothers and he worked in the Henry Ford Mansion in Dearborn called Fairlane. He did all of the wood Carving on the Main Floor Fireplace and also did Carving on the Main Curving Staircase along with 4 others from the same shop. This I learned from my father who lived with his Grandfather and his only son (his father). I went to Cabinet Making Trade School and I would come home every 2 weeks and teach my brother (Randy Egeler) what I had learned from school, so he learned how to do cabinet making from me and he had a wood shop in his garage that he made all kinds of wood products and repairs. He took an old Singer Sewing machine that was in ruff shape and repaired it like it was brand new. I showed him how to make Jigs to do repeat cuts and he used it so much that he got the Nickname of “The Jig Man” where he worked. So my brother and I were continuing in our Grandfather’s footsteps even before we knew about him and I was able to gather some of the tools that he owned and used in his workshop. I have a photo of Friedrich Egeler and his young son in a Group Photo of all of the Workers in the Cabinet Shop that did a lot of the work in the Henry Ford Mansion.