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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: LizzieL on Wednesday 15 March 17 17:21 GMT (UK)

Title: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: LizzieL on Wednesday 15 March 17 17:21 GMT (UK)
I have often come across a person having two occupations listed on the same census, but frequently they are connected
e.g farmer and butcher - presumably raises the livestock, slaughters them and sells the meat.
also farmer combined with miller would probably grow grain as well as milling his own and other peoples crops.

Beer house keepers often had a side line, presumably they couldn't support the family on a single occupation.

But today I came across an unconnected combination on the 1871 census: Photographer and shoemaker. (Adam Duncan age 32 born Scotland living in Lancashire.) Apart from it being quite early to be a professional photographer, the two professions seem completely unconnected.

Has anyone else come across such an odd mix?



Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: youngtug on Wednesday 15 March 17 18:19 GMT (UK)
1870's is not realy early for a photographer. Seems like he was not the only one to diversify into photography. http://www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/Hailshamphotgrs.htm
I do have coal merchant and chicken farmer, farmer and baker, Inn keeper and music seller and also cattle dealer and baker in my tree, amongst others
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: Treetotal on Thursday 16 March 17 00:04 GMT (UK)
I have a "Druggist and Commision Agent" in 1871 And in 1891 a female listed as a "Herbalist and Medium"....I've never come across this before.
Carol
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: iluleah on Thursday 16 March 17 00:23 GMT (UK)
Insurance agent, 'Braver's' Traveller and Photographer is about the only one which doesn't seem to fit together......... (I think 'Braver' was really a 'Brewer')
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: Ayashi on Thursday 16 March 17 02:03 GMT (UK)
I have one ancestor who, to my eternal confusion, appears to have married as a weaver (his father's trade), and has children variously as a butcher (his brother's occupation) or a labourer. Of course, the obvious conclusion is "probably more than one man!" except I've only found the one birth, the one marriage and the one death... Still scratching my head over that one.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: Rosinish on Thursday 16 March 17 02:19 GMT (UK)
married as a weaver (his father's trade), and has children variously as a butcher (his brother's occupation) or a labourer. Of course, the obvious conclusion is "probably more than one man!" except I've only found the one birth, the one marriage and the one death... Still scratching my head over that one.

Ayashi,

That made me laugh  ;D

It makes you wonder when people do have the 'wrong' person with different occupations, why they don't double check as it's an obvious thing to look for although as in your case it's different but sometimes when people come across similar names of married couples etc. in same areas they often miss/dismiss the occupation & concentrate on working out why people with same names have discrepancies with their ages as well as their occupations?

I do have one 'on hold' can't remember the details but it was to do with his occupation!

Annie
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: youngtug on Thursday 16 March 17 07:16 GMT (UK)
People did, and do change their occupations, annoying though it is, I have a person who went from ag, lab, to coal miner and ended up a watchmaker on succesive census but for the purpose of this thread I listed people who where noted to have dual occupations on the one census, except the one on the 1939 register.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: clairec666 on Thursday 16 March 17 08:45 GMT (UK)
The only "multitasking" relative I can find is a publican/butcher, which I guess isn't particularly unusual. His pub was called the Shoulder of Mutton.

I've found loads of people who've changed occupations - particularly railway-related jobs having started out as a farm labourer. A reflection of the economy at the time, I suppose.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: Ayashi on Thursday 16 March 17 11:05 GMT (UK)
Ayashi,

That made me laugh  ;D
[...]

Annie

My only real theory at this point is that the brother died a couple of years after my ancestor's marriage and perhaps my ancestor inherited the butcher's shop. Of course, that doesn't help with the labouring part. So far the changing occupations are the ONLY thing suggestive of more than one man. That said, even one thing bothers the heck out of me.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: coombs on Thursday 16 March 17 15:04 GMT (UK)
One ancestor was a soap boiler and shoe black at the same time. He always seemed to be on the breadline, he was an army pensioner so probably got a measly pension after 25 years service.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: mauricej on Thursday 16 March 17 16:07 GMT (UK)

I have one in the 1881 census who gives his occupation as "Local Methodist Preacher, Provision Dealer & Forge Engineer"

Wonder what he did in his spare time.  :)

 
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: tetryon on Wednesday 24 May 17 03:20 BST (UK)
One of my ancestors switch to being a "Pauper" lol.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: coombs on Wednesday 24 May 17 13:27 BST (UK)
My multi tasking ancestor was called Thomas Roberts as well. Not very helpful and it gave me many headaches trying to prove I had the same person.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: ThrelfallYorky on Thursday 25 May 17 16:33 BST (UK)
There are loads of Ancestry Trees where one of my ancestors is hijacked, and two different families blended together - wonder who copied who? As "my" man and his wife was an Innkeeper in Dumfries throughout his adult life, and the other man seemed to do bookbinding / publishing etc, and started in Stockport, ending up in East Lancs, I can only imagine that lazily someone grabbed at the first "Thomas with wife Janet" and slapped down the first censuses offered, without thinking. Otherwise, he would've been a busy lad, in two places at once over 40 years, two sep birthplaces, and wives, and two broods of children, one lot born in Dumfries, the others in Stockport!
BUt I'm sure he can't claim to have been multi-tasking as an Innkeeper/ Bookbinder, etc.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: lydiaann on Thursday 25 May 17 17:04 BST (UK)
Cattle dealer and publican.
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: brigidmac on Thursday 25 May 17 17:45 BST (UK)
 General store
Draper traveller in 1900 and 1901
Family all in draper dressmaker trade
postcard seller artist in 1906
Salesman 1911
Debt collector and
False teeth salesman in1915
Working in armaments 1916
Labourer in 1920

 Yes its the same man !
I can see that collecting debts whilevtravelling to remote places in wales could be a useful combination
Wonder how he got into teeth and armaments ...
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: brigidmac on Thursday 25 May 17 17:48 BST (UK)
I thought I.d got 2 separate families with bakers and sailors

But eventually found the ships records and father and son were ships baker  s
Title: Re: Multi-tasking ancestors
Post by: lydiaann on Friday 26 May 17 08:40 BST (UK)
brigidmac:  I presume you mean "ship's baker"?? ???