Many of our forebears had a side hustle in addition to their main job or occupation. Sometimes it can be difficult to document these activities.

Two generations of my Ufkes ancestors sold Pioneer seed corn to supplement their farm income. My knowledge of my grandfather’s having done it was simple: I was aware of it. There were also pictures of seed plots and other visual evidence documenting the connection–including a few pencils with their names on it that were used for advertising.

They also occasionally advertised in the local newspaper. My grandmother Neill, who sold “farm-fresh” eggs for years, occasionally advertised her chickens in the classified ads section of the local weekly newspaper. Newspapers are a great way to document some of these activities–particularly sections devoted to advertising. There may be other newsletters or advertising material available digitally on GoogleBooks or other sites that host digital images of out-of-copyright print materials. Advertisements in city directories, yearbooks, and other items may provide document of your ancestor’s entrepreneurial activities.

Census records may list an occupation for an ancestor of which you were unaware and estate inventories may suggest what activities your ancestor undertook.

Never assume your ancestor had just one job. Side hustles are nothing new.

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