There are some jobs that thousands of Americans had in 1900, but very few, if any, have today. Some of your ancestors probably had jobs you wouldn’t recognize, even within the last century. I bet you haven’t seen many elevator tenders (operated elevators), hostlers (watched people’s horses at inns), or milkmen (delivered milk multiple times per day before refrigerators were common in homes) on the streets recently.
When my grandfather told me we come from a line of glass cutters, I had no idea what glass cutting even was.
Cut glass was a luxury during the 1800s and 1900s — known for its beauty, elegance, and style. Even if your ancestors weren’t glass cutters, maybe they had a cut glass punch bowl for a fancy occasion or passed cut glass clocks and lamps on store window displays.
In 1900, exactly 49,999 people in the U.S. were glassworkers, including my 3rd-great-grandfather Jacob Westermeyer. Technically there were 50,000 because Jacob’s son (11) worked for his father off the books. Working as a boy in glass-cutting factories was hot and dangerous. Thankfully, Jacob B. got through it. A picture even survives of them on Jacob Sr.’s crew!
Jacob Westermeyer cut this clock sometime in the 1890s. For 125 years, my ancestors have passed it down our family tree. Today, it sits above my bed.
Your ancestors probably did something for work that would surprise you, too. And maybe, there are existing heirlooms from their shops, companies, or industries. eBay has live actions selling cut glass from J.D. Bergen Co.’s Meriden, CT branch, where my ancestors worked during the 1890s — there’s no reason you couldn’t have the same luck with your family.
Start by finding your ancestors in the census — it’ll tell you their occupation — searchable on databases like Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage. Then, go looking for artifacts your ancestor might have handled. Reach out for help!
Jack Palmer has done genealogy research since he was ten years old and loves writing about it for family, friends, and anybody else who might enjoy research stories and advice. He graduated from Duke University in May 2023, majoring in History and Psychology, and is the author of Helen & Frank: A Biography, a biography about his great-grandparents.
