For this week’s mission (should you decide to accept it), answer the question:
1) What were the occupations of your ancestors?
2) Please go back several generations (say parents or grandparents or great-grandparents) and list the occupations that they had in the records you’ve found for them. You could do this, say, by ancestor table number.
1. Me
- Teacher
- Librarian
- Technology Coordinator
2. my dad
- Teacher
3. my mother
- Medical Secretary
4. Leon Russel Crawford
- worked for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in Dodge City, Kansas
5. Winnie Letha Currey Crawford
- Clerk for Eckle’s Department Store in Dodge City, Kansas
6. Edward Osmond Briles
- 1918 – ran a threshing machine
- 1923 – Owner Briles Garage in Iola, Kansas
- 1927 – manager of local feed grinding and shelling plant in Iola, Kansas
- 1930 – manager of a picture show in Buffalo, Kansas
- 1932 – owner of Lyric Theater in Emporia, Kansas
7. Pauline Edith Mentzer Briles
- Babysitter after death of husband
8. Judson Foster Crawford
- worked for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in Dodge City, Kansas
9. Josie Winifred Hammond Crawford
- Homemaker
10. Hiram Miles Currey
- 1900 – Magnetic Healer (according to census) – Delaware Township, Leavenworth County, KS
- 1907 – carpenter – Lansing, Kansas
- 1910 – farmer – Rooks County, Kansas
- 1915 – teamster – Kansas City, Missouri
- 1919/1920 – baker at a cone factory – Kansas City, Missouri
- 1925 – section hand – Logan, Gray County, KS
- 1930 – carpenter – Dodge City, KS
11. Winnie Mae Hutchinson Currey
- Homemaker
12. Edward Grant Briles
- farmer – Coffey County, Kansas
13. Frances Arlissa ‘Artie’ Ricketts Briles
- homemaker
14. Charles Oliver Mentzer
- farmer – Woodson County, Kansas
15. Nettie Adell Wells Mentzer
- homemaker
16. Washington Marion Crawford
- farmer – prior to civil war
- attempted farming after civil war – but disabilities made this difficult
- built boarding house in Dodge City, Kansas
- “selected to look after soldier’s home” at Fort Dodge, Ford County, Kansas
17. Mary Foster Crawford
- homemaker
- caregiver – took care of husband after his return from the civil war
- Boarding House operator
18. Richmond Fisk Hammond
- farmer
- carpenter
19. Sarah Ellen Ralston Hammond
- homemaker
20. Hiram M. Currey
- farmer
21. Angelina Jane Burke Currey
- homemaker
22. Albert Hutchinson
- farmer
23. Julia Harding Hutchinson
- homemaker
24. Noah Washington Briles
- farm laborer
- farmer
25. Sarah Jane Thompson Briles
- homemaker
26. James Marshall Ricketts
- farmer
27. Rachel Elmeda Christy Ricketts
- homemaker
28. George Mentzer
- farm hand
- clerk in grocery store
- helped establish first hotel in Kewanee
- domestic servant
- farmer
- Stockholder – Yates Center Creamery Association
29. Emeline Minnick Mentzer
- homemaker
30. Thurston Kennedy Wells
- carpenter – Madison County, New York
- laborer – Lykins County, Kansas
31. Salome Adell Crandall Wells
- homemaker
32. Nelson G. Crawford
- farmer
34. Zebulon Foster
- farmer
36. Horatio Hammond
- farmer
38. James Barr Ralston
- farmer
40. Hiram M. Currey
- lawyer
42. Henry F. Burke
- likely a farmer — owned land in Platte County, Missouri before his death
44. Aaron Hutchinson
- unknown
46. William Gillies Harding
- farmer
48. Alexander Briles
- farmer
50. William Taylor Thompson
- farmer
52. John Lewis Ricketts
- farmer
54. Samuel Christy
- farmer
56. Phillip Andrew Mentzer
- unknown
58. John Minnick
- shoe maker
60. Ozias Wells
- Unknown
62. Lewis Crandall
- likely a farmer in Van Buren County, Iowa
64. James Crawford
- farmer
68. Richard Foster
- likely a farmer in Pike County Ohio
70. Dr. Edward Ostrander
- Doctor
72. Jason Hammond
- Unknown
74. Jonathan Fisk
- Unknown
76. David Franklin Ralson
- farmer
78. James B. McCormick
- Unknown
80. Hiram Mirick Currey
- preacher
- teacher
- Ohio state treasurer
82. Peter Harris
- Unknown
84. John Burke
- employed in agriculture
86. Eli Bland
- likely a farmer – Cumberland County, Kentucky
88. Aaron Hutchinson
- engaged in agriculture
90. _____ Merry
- Unknown
92. William Harding
- Unknown
94. _____ Fowler
- Unknown
96. John Briles
- farmer
98. Noah Rush
- farmer
100. John Thompson
- farmer
102. James Evans
- farmer
104. Edward Ricketts
- landowner – likely a farmer
106. John C. Reed
- farmer
108. Ebenezer Christy
- Unknown
110. Isom Gallimore
- farmer
112. Phillip Andre Mentzer
- Unknown
114. Oliver Miles
- Unknown
116. _____ Minnick
- Unknown
118. _____ Jones
- Unknown
120. Green Wells
- farmer
122. John Kennedy
- Unknown
124. Hampton Lillibridge Crandall
- farmer
126. _____ Nafus
- Unknown
This exercise pointed out:
- Many of my ancestors engaged in agriculture
- My use of the ‘occupation’ fact is too infrequent
- Work is needed to identify all of the ‘unknown’ occupations
Thank you, Randy Seaver, for this challenge to look at my data in a different way!