Tennessee Occupation and Business Records

United States   Tennessee    Occupations

Larger companies sometimes preserved records about their employees over the years. These usually contain the hiring and termination details and may include biographical data about the employees and possibly their families. If the company where an ancestor worked is still in business, you may be given limited access to their historical employee records. Few employee records have been made public, so contact the individual companies regarding their records.

In Tennessee in the year 1820, the top 11 manufactured products were (ranked from largest to smallest):


 * Whiskey and other spirits
 * Blacksmith's work
 * Flour, meal, plaster, and grain
 * Leather and leather products
 * Saddles, bridles and harnesses
 * Hats and bonnets
 * Cabinetware
 * Shoes and boots
 * Textiles and yarn
 * Firearms
 * Houses and building materials

Biographies or lists are sometimes compiled of members of specific occupations. Examples of occupational records for Tennessee include:


 * Caldwell, Benjamin Hubbard. Tennessee Silversmiths. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1988. (Family History Library book 976.8 U2c.) The record includes an index.
 * Keever, Rosalie Ausmus. Some Pioneer Preachers and Teachers of Tennessee. Johnson City, Tennessee, 1974. (Family History Library book 976.8 U2k).
 * Miller, Alan N. East Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1778 to 1911. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2m. Purchase at Genealogical.com.
 * Miller, Alan N. Middle Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1784 to 1902. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2004. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2ma. Purchase at Genealogical.com.
 * Miller, Alan N. West Tennessee's Forgotten Children: Apprentices from 1821 to 1889. Baltimore, Md.: Printed for Clearfield Company, Inc., by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. FHL US/CAN 976.8 U2man. Purchase at Genealogical.com.