They say that your job doesn't define who you are, it's just what you do. However, I subscribe to the theory that the jobs that our ancestors did often provide clues to who they were. The details of the occupations held by our ancestors can be found in census records, many of which are available online.
One of my favourite finds involves the TUCKERS, the BRISLEYS, and the HUDDLESTONS. All three families were ancestors of Archibald George Robert TUCKER, living in Sheerness, Kent. The men were shipwrights, joiners, and caulkers at the Shipyard there, and many of the women are listed as dressmakers. I feel this explains my career choice (a combination of boats and sewing), as well as my need to be near the ocean. Of course, a far larger proportion of our ancestors were farm labourers, and two of my 3x great grandmothers had 13 children. I have nothing to say to that.
Archibald George Robert TUCKER himself, was an assistant butcher in Sheerness, Kent as a young man, but when he immigrated to Canada, he found work as a steam engineer on a steamboat on Namican Lake (see map below). His engineering later brought him to Winnipeg, where he worked for McDonagh Shea.
Archibald George Robert TUCKER himself, was an assistant butcher in Sheerness, Kent as a young man, but when he immigrated to Canada, he found work as a steam engineer on a steamboat on Namican Lake (see map below). His engineering later brought him to Winnipeg, where he worked for McDonagh Shea.
Mining features heavily in both Mom's and Dad's sides of the family. On Mom's side, the COUMBES worked as tin and copper miners in Cornwall, and one of them (William COUMBE, Aunty Betty's father) moved to Australia to work in the mines there. On Dad's side, both the MISCOVITCHES and the ADAMSKIS came to Canada on the promise of work in the mines at Bankhead, Michel, Natal, and Fernie. Dad's grandfather Adamski was killed in a cave-in at the Coal Creek mine (Fernie) in 1929.
The BRIDGES family (Nannie DUREY'S ancestors) included several horse people. Mom might like to know that her 3x great grandfather, Edward BRIDGES was listed as a "horse keeper" in the census. His son, John Henry BRIDGES, became a blacksmith, and John Henry's son, Harman, became a harness maker.
Our ancestors also included a grocer, a taxidermist who later became a Master House Decorator, a millwright, and a confectioner/salesman of small wares.
Our ancestors also included a grocer, a taxidermist who later became a Master House Decorator, a millwright, and a confectioner/salesman of small wares.
So, although some ancestors had their occupations "for life", others held several varied jobs over the years, spanning counties and even countries.
This blog entry is just the tip of the iceberg. I will be researching and writing more about the jobs of our ancestors, and how they affected their lives. Watch this space...
This blog entry is just the tip of the iceberg. I will be researching and writing more about the jobs of our ancestors, and how they affected their lives. Watch this space...