Opinions please (changing occupations)

[nanniep]

I was fairly sure that I had identified the parents of a descendent ie until receiving the marriage cert when the occupation recorded was carpenter for both groom and his father.

The occupation I was expecting to see for at least for the groom was housepainter/painter as this was the common thread throughout later census, marriage and birth records which I have todate for this family member.

Question : would a person obviously following a family occupation such as a carpenter and I imagine this was classed as a skilled ,change jobs and become a housepainter, has anyone else found this happening within their own research.

My own conclusion being that it would have been unlikely and that I have the wrong groom eventhough dates,place of birth etc tally but I would welcome other opinions on this one.

As always thanks for reading and for any feedback..

nannie

 

[pejay]

Yes I think it was possible that people changed their occupations, sometimes it was more beneficial [financially] to change. I had a master joiner who changed to market gardener! a big change indeed

 

[sterico]

Hi,
in times past and indeed present , it was not uncommon to change professions, and at the time of registering a birth or marriage, the profession at that particular moment was the one that was recorded , for example , I at the time of my first born, was a skilled vehicle builder, but at the time of his birth I was a driver and this is what is recorded on his birth certificate.
My grandfather was a joiner by trade , but like your ancestor ,he was working as a painter and decorator when my dad was born , so painter and decorator was recorded as his profession .
Hope this helps .
best regards sterico (super moderator )

 

[p.risboy]

I was fairly sure that I had identified the parents of a descendent ie until receiving the marriage cert when the occupation recorded was carpenter for both groom and his father.

The occupation I was expecting to see for at least for the groom was housepainter/painter as this was the common thread throughout later census, marriage and birth records which I have todate for this family member.

Question : would a person obviously following a family occupation such as a carpenter and I imagine this was classed as a skilled ,change jobs and become a housepainter, has anyone else found this happening within their own research.

My own conclusion being that it would have been unlikely and that I have the wrong groom eventhough dates,place of birth etc tally but I would welcome other opinions on this one.

As always thanks for reading and for any feedback..

nannie

Hi Nannie,

What was on the grooms birth cert for occupation of father.

I have had rellies change jobs, but as a precaution I have confirmed with birth certs.
I've had an Ag.Lab change to Drayman, Soldier to Joiner plus a few others.
It happens quite a lot, especially with 'allied' trades.

Steve.

 

[Kerrymac]

Hi Nannie,
Yes, rellies can change their occupations for sometimes unknown and obscure reasons and also at odd times.For example, one of my family lines where generations of weavers, father to son over a century.That is, until one suddenly became a rent collector.Why?, the bottom fell out of the cotton market due to the American civil war and that was the only work available locally. So you can get some dramatic changes sometimes, with no link to what they did before.The same person is also listed on another certificate as a Sunday School teacher.So don't always write off, what might seem implausible at first.Good hunting kerrymac.

 

[nanniep]

A huge thankyou for all the replies to this query,I greatly appreciate all the help and support given here.

Best wishes.

nannie

 

[Ellie]

Question : would a person obviously following a family occupation such as a carpenter and I imagine this was classed as a skilled ,change jobs and become a housepainter, has anyone else found this happening within their own research.
As always thanks for reading and for any feedback..
nannie

Hi Nannie,
I think its likely that a person would change occupations. Especially if its a case of making 'ends meet'. It doesn't make tracing ancestors any easier when you find thats happened though

 

[duckweed]

Especially when times were hard in their own trade then obviously you take what job you can get. My grandfather was a quarryman like the rest of his family and lost his job in a union dispute with management due to a reduction in wages. He trained as a gardener but could not make ends meet from this and at the same time was a bank caretaker and cleaner and knitted socks on a machine. When my mother was born he is down as sock knitter her eldest brother has his father down as quarryman and the middle brother has his father's occupation as gardener.

 

[writer-ros]

You don't give any dates or locations - but my guess is that this happened during the big building boom of the mid 19th century?

There was probably more money in house painting given all the new houses going up, so perhaps your ancestor saw that a change of job was a good idea!

Ros

 

[benny1982]

I have come across people who alternated between jobs. It could depend on the season.