The Social Media Guide for Ancestral Research: byu

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Ancestral Occupations...

When doing research for ancestors one of the most common records to check first, depending on the country, can be the census taken by that country.

Usually a census was taken for reasons in no way connected with genealogical research. Some of the reasons may be:

1) The growth of a nation
2) How many eligible males are available for possible miliary service
3) Property ownership to determine taxes
4) Type of defenses owned in their land
5) Types of trades in the nation

Of course there are additional reasons but the information provided has helped ancestral researchers for years. The ability to view these records online makes them even more helpful in putting families together.

One of the problems with census records is that often the occupation of the head of household was something that couldn't be understood. Often the reason is that the occupation may still exist but it is known by another name or that particular trade no longer exists.

A few examples are:

Baxter - Baker
Chaisemaker - Carriage maker
Hillier - Roof tiler
Tapley - one who puts the tap in an ale cast
Tipstaff - Policeman
Yeoman - Farmer who owns his own land

There are many different types of old occupations which are also by country. Here are some:

Rootsweb has a site with a list of "Old Occupations Explained"
Ancestral Roots provides a list of "Old Occupations in Scotland"
Genuki has a section entitled "United Kingdome and Ireland Occupations"
BYU has put together a French Occupation List in PDF format.
JewishGen provides a "German Occupation Definitions - English Translations" list
ScotlandsPeople have a large list of Occupations available online

The occupation of your ancestor tells a story of how they lived and their life style. If they worked in a mine and the mine closed, they would have to pull up roots and settle in another area where there was another mine in order to support their family. This could explain their movements and why they lived in the location they were found in the census records.

Learning about these occupations helps to understand one's ancestor and perhaps explains why some tendencies may have been handed down through the generations. A mother or father who enjoy gardening today may have had ancestors who were dedicated farmers or nursery men in an earlier century. Someone who enjoys sailing and the oceans may have had an ancestor who was a 'Ship Master' or a 'Shipwright' or even in the Navy defending their country again in an earlier century.

Discovering additional information about one's ancestors helps to make their life's history that much more interesting.

Comments and Suggestions are always welcomed!

Building Bridges for All Generations!

Claire (*)

Timeless Genealogies

We're Your Family is "No. 1"

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claire@timelessgen.com

Monday, February 20, 2012

Convenient Online Classes

Today's technology has brought with it many opportunities for individuals who are not able to attend a class to learn a new subject matter or brush up on their skills, to do so in the convenience of their home at a time that works with their schedule.

As genealogists and family history researchers struggle to learn the finite details of their trade, it often becomes necessary to seek additional help, however, that may not always be easy with their current schedule, one the following locations may just be an answer to their dilemma.

FamilySearch: Over 300 courses online of varying lengths
YouTube: Over a 1,000 hits on both 'Genealogy' and 'Family History'
ICAPGen: 12 Mentoring research classes
BYU Independent Studies: 10 online courses
FamilyTree Maker: 95 Lessons done by Karen Clifford of Genealogy Research Associates
About.com: Has 4 basic introductory classes with multiple lessons in each by Kimberly Powell
NGS: Has a few Home Study Courses

While there are many other course available, these are a few of what is available, some are free and others require payment. Depending on one's skill level and need will help to determine the best course for the need.

The '5 minute Genealogy Series' has taken off and provided a quick peek into the world of research and locating ancestors. Each short lesson takes 5 minutes to focus on just one aspect of research. There are currently 25 different episodes.

Some of these titles include "Find a Record in Five Minutes", "The Circle of Success", "Record What You Know", "Learn from Family", "Using Indexes to Find a Record", "Get Help with Locations", "Get Help In-Person" and many others.

No matter where you are researching one should be able to locate a class online currently or within a reasonable amount of time as new classes are being added all the time to a large variety of providers.

Locating help today is so much easier with all of these online classes available with a few mouse clicks!