What's that Job
October 9, 2023 10:15 AM - 12:30 PM at Online
This is a Zoom meeting starting at 10:15am (UK Time) with the talk starting at 11am (UK Time)
Speaker: Dr Sophie Kay
Summary: Butcher, baker, candlestick maker: some occupational terms are an instantly recognisable part of our social fabric. When we find these familiar jobs in our family tree, we usually have a good sense of the kind of work they involved and the industry we need to explore if we’re to discover more. But what if you encountered a labbet amongst your ancestors? A lumpman? Or a water gilder?
Far more than just a quick cross-checking point between record sets, occupations can yield rich insights into an ancestor’s daily existence, social status, and role within their local community. In this talk, we’ll delve into a range of resources and strategies for demystifying unfamiliar historical occupations, including some Oxfordshire-specific jobs and industries. We’ll see how sound occupational research is about more than just understanding a job title – and how it can yield an evocative picture of ancestral life and all manner of interesting research leads along the way!
Speaker Background: Dr. Sophie Kay is a professional genealogist and geneticist at Khronicle®. You may know her from her family history blog, The Parchment Rustler, or from avid discussions during Twitter’s Ancestry Hour, where she’s part of the behind-the-scenes team. She is also a tutor for Pharos Tutors, where her course, Mapping Strategies for Family Historians, shows researchers how to transform their family history work using historical maps.
Her specialisms include DNA, maps, historical occupations & research methodology, and she loves developing new techniques to provide fresh perspectives on genealogical investigations. She says: “it’s always a pleasure to connect with an audience over genealogical stories, spectacular maps or fascinating nuggets from the annals of history, so I’m looking forward to some great discussions with you all after my talk!”
To register for this talk visit the corresponding page in the Member’s Area.