Finding out what your ancestors did for a living is not just a fascinating part of filling in the gaps and understanding more about the lives they led; it can be important for distinguishing between two people with the same name, or for providing plausible evidence of a family connection. Commercial or trade directories and almanacs, published occupational registers and government records are the most obvious specific sources of information on occupations and employment. However, many of the basic sources you will have used to build your family tree - certificates of birth, marriage and death, census returns, wills and parish registers - also contain clues to occupations. Electoral rolls, passenger lists, convict registers, obituaries and death notices in newspapers can also help provide this information.
The employment section of the Archives Office of Tasmania guide Records useful for genealogical research identifies the archival records of key interest to family history researchers, on this subject.
Related links: Almanacs | Census | Electoral rolls | Newspapers
Listed here is a selection of further resources.
