How To Trace An Occupation Within Your Family History

How do I trace an occupation within my family?

Occupational history is usually best done at the local level, because records of local businesses or trades will actually be kept at the county archive. You can start looking at trade directories, which show you street by street, and place by place who was working in which profession. If you want a more general level, it's probably worth thinking of a specialist museum or institution. If you had a relative working in the cotton industry in Lancaster, Weaver's Triangle is the best place to go. If you had a miner, the National Coal Mining Museum will show you what life was like underground. The National Railway Museum at York will show you what life was like either building or working on the railways. Certain occupations do have specific museums, archives, and institutions, whereas the rest, you probably need to go to looking at a local or county level to see what's been deposited.