Search Results for: blog occupations of our ancestors

Was Your Ancestor an Indentured Servant?

Some of our European – born ancestors came to America by themselves, when they were in their teens or early twenties. Many times, these young men and women did not make the passage to rebel against or run away from their families, but rather to establish a foothold in America so that the rest of the family could join them later on. Many of these young people were able to make the trip to America despite the fact that neither they nor their families could afford to pay for the voyage outright thanks to the option of indentured servitude. The … Continue reading →

Job Titles From the Days of Your Ancestors

What did your ancestors do for a living? Times have probably changed quite a bit between now and and when your ancestors were alive. There are job titles that exist today that were never even dreamed of several generations ago. Conversely, there are some jobs that have ceased to exist. Genealogists spend a great deal of time digging into the past. This means there is a good chance that you will come across a word or two that you are unfamiliar with. Some of these words relate directly to the types of occupations that your ancestors held. If you cannot … Continue reading →

Did Your Ancestors Move Often?

If you think that families change residences more often today than ever before, you may only be partially correct. While it is not uncommon for families to move quite a few times these days, you may not know that families also moved frequently during the 1800s and early 1900s. When I learned this, I was surprised. I tended to think of ancestors from that time period as fairly attached to one place, having a homestead and passing on the family place from generation to generation. While this may have been true for some families, it certainly was not the case … Continue reading →

Occupations of Our Ancestors

One of my favorite things about genealogy is the language. I am a self-professed lover of words, and I’m always looking to increase my vocabulary. Today I came across some fun words that come from occupations that our ancestors may have had back in the day. You just don’t run into many chiffoniers these days, and even those people who do make wigs for a living may not call themselves that anymore. Do you work in an office that employs an amanuensis? If the secretary greets you as you walk in the door, then you most certainly do. Just today, … Continue reading →

They Did What? Things Your Ancestors May Have Done For Work

Sometimes your genealogy research may take you pretty far back in time. That is a good thing. If you are able to trace your roots back far enough, you may come across some unfamiliar terms as far as what your ancestors did for employment. Here is a sampling of what kinds of things people used to do for work. If one of your ancestors was an ordinary, that does not mean that they were typical or boring. In fact, depending upon what kinds of guests frequented their inn, their days as an innkeeper may have been far from mundane. Some … Continue reading →

This Halloween, Why Not Dress Up As Your Ancestors?

Okay, so I know that it is a little bit last minute to be discussing Halloween costumes. I also know that as many of us as there are that already have our kids’ costumes in hand, there are still plenty of us that are looking for a great last-minute idea because the kids have either not decided what they want to dress up as yet or have decided that the costume that they had you buy a while ago is not what they want to wear this coming Sunday. Perhaps you have just been invited to a Halloween party and … Continue reading →

Job Titles From the Victorian Age

There are plenty of occupations that no longer exist. Genealogists who have family trees that include ancestors from the Victorian era in London may not understand what, exactly, that person did for a living. Either we no longer have a need for that job, or, we call it something different today. What were your ancestors employed as? It might have been a job that has disappeared between when your ancestor was alive and today. Or, it could be possible that the job still exists, but has been given a new title. Some of these terms relate to health care. An … Continue reading →

Archives.com Adds Collection of U. S. Census

It is always a good thing when a genealogy website adds collections of records to its website. Archives.com has just added a full set of the U. S. Federal Population Census indexes to its collections. Data from the census is extremely useful for genealogists. Archives.com is a family history website. They have more than 1.5 billion historical records available to genealogists who use their service. The website first launched in 2009, and it has a tendency to team up with other genealogy websites in order to add new collections of records to their database. This is one of the more … Continue reading →

Thoughts on a Tiny Cemetery

Yesterday, I took a long walk on the beautiful country roads near my house. The pleasant weather (not too hot nor too cold) and beautiful views made it a very nice experience. Along the way, I passed by not just one old cemetery but two of them. One was located at an historic meeting house built in 1845. The other was located only about a ten minute walk away on a back road. It is perched high on a hill and if you were in a car and not walking by it, you may not even notice that it is … Continue reading →

History Comes to Life Through Reenactments

Today I met an interesting individual who, among other things, has a very active interest in the Civil War. Many Americans, including myself, have ancestors who fought in the Civil War. Today I learned a little bit about how the history of the war that our ancestors fought comes to life every year through Civil War reenactments. The gentleman that I was speaking with today has been a part of many Civil War reenactments and they are a staple of his summer vacation plans each year. Historic battles like Gettysburg and Fort Sumter are reenacted by passionate folks who truly … Continue reading →