United States Occupational Information in Land Records, Diaries, Journals, Passenger Records, Passports, Additional Resources (National Institute)

Land Records
Early land records often identify the grantor and grantee by their occupation, such as yeoman, trader, or blacksmith. These land records might be the only identification as to occupation that is available in public records. The land description compiled with other records will give a more complete picture of an occupation.

Diaries and Journals
This can take the form of the personal diary, business journal, to the daily household or farm journal. When these records have survived they are often located with a family member or at a private repository such as a historical society or university library. This is when the use of NUCMC will be of benefit for the broadest search available.

Some diaries and journals can give so much detailed material that it will be difficult to absorb and may take a large amount of time. However a good business or farm journal will give the researcher the ins and outs of the working life of the person you are researching.

Passenger Records
The passenger record will give you the occupation of the immigrant in the “old country”. This will give you a lead to connecting them to an occupation in the United States. Or the reverse, matching the new citizen to the immigrant records.

Customs Records of Passengers Manifests Inbound, Port of Seattle Washington, November 10, 1894 – November 12, 1894; M1484 roll 1.



There is much more information on the passenger lists that just the listing of occupations. Depending on the year of immigration will depend on the information available.

Passport Records
The amount of information on a passport will depend on the time of issue and to whom the passport was issued. The following is a good example of information related to occupation from the passport of Herman Speelman.

The passport of Herman Speelman



Resources
Cyndi’s List category Religion and Church websites includes:


 * denominations
 * articles
 * histories
 * resources

Adherents.com is a growing collection of over 41,000 adherent statistics and religious geography citations.

National Institute for Genealogical Studies for Course Material


 * U.S. Religious Records Part 1 and Part 2
 * Vital Statistics Records
 * Land Records
 * Court Records

Religions of the United States in Practice, Volume 1 and 2 Edited by Colleen McDannell, Princeton University Press

Luebking, Sandra Hageaves, “Research in Land and Tax Records”. In The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, revised edition, edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. Salt Lake City, Utah. Ancestry Incorporated, 1997

Eakle, Arlene, “Research in Court Records”. In The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, revised edition, edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. Salt Lake City, Utah. Ancestry Incorporated, 1997

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Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online course US: Occupational Records offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. To learn more about this course or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. We can be contacted at [mailto:wiki@genealogicalstudies.com wiki@genealogicalstudies.com]

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