So you have found the occupation of your ancestor, now what? Ancestral occupations can give clues to who our ancestors were, how they lived, where they lived, and most importantly, give them individual identity and personality. The sources that identify occupations are numerous. Church records, city directories, census records, wills, and land records are just a few that may list professions. Once you know how your ancestor earned a living, what’s next? This is where the inquisitive personality of a genealogist proves most valuable. The time spent researching can prove very rewarding. There is much we can discover about our families from their occupations and allow them to live again so that future generations can come to understand their heritage.

Presenter: Nancy Waters Lauer is a researcher, lecturer, college instructor, and award-winning author. She has extensive speaking experience throughout the Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia area. She has presented at national and regional conferences including NGS, FGS, and Rootstech. The 1997 Heart of America Genealogical Society Award of Excellence was awarded to Nancy’s first book, and she earned the 2007 National Genealogical Society Genealogical Writing Competition Award for Excellence: Genealogy and Family History for her second book. This book also earned the 2007 Maryland Historical Society, Sumner A. Parker Award, for best genealogy of a Maryland family. Nancy is the current Managing Editor for the Maryland Genealogical Society Journal and is an instructor for continuing education at Howard Community College, Columbia, Maryland, teaching Microsoft Office applications. She is a certified Microsoft Professional and member of multiple genealogical and historical societies.

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