Occupations of
Our Ancestors

These pages updated September 9, 2016

For the most part, the majority of our ancestors were farmers or stock raisers. However, there were others who looked for work outside of the home. In considering the high cost of education and the need for these persons to remain on the homeplace working, it is sometimes amazing that they were able to become educated in some fields. Some trades though were learned from the father and passed down, such as blacksmithing; others were learned when young men were apprenticed out to others or in some instances, these young men were orphaned early in life and had no other options. I have tried to include most all of the most prominent occupations of the early days, with a short explanation of the trade. Some of these are simply positions that people held in ADDITION to farming such as a trustee.

I will attempt in each category to give a brief description of the occupation if I can. I will be adding a few names here and there as I gain more information on the "other percent" in some unfinished townships. Otherwise this listing has been completely updated.

Some occupations I have grouped together such as the "Stone Workers" includes mason, cutters, as well as stone quarry workers. Under topics stating "all kinds" I have divided those on the next pages. The names of the occupations are as the workers referred to them.