It seems a little ghoulish, perhaps, but the records created when someone dies  
can be a treasure trove of genealogical information. Hence my current fascination with 
the England and Wales National Probate Calendar for 1858-1966. Probate
records are the legal documentation of the human stories of a family.
While the record confirms the date of death and (often) full name of the person
who has died, it also provides clues to their relationship to others in the
family, and their financial status at the time of their death.

The best thing I've found in the probate records (so far), is the index 
listing of the Will of Elizabeth Huddleston (the great grandmother of
Archibald George Robert Tucker).

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.