Genealogists often use occupation as a way to distinguish one person from another. Keep in mind that some individuals may have had more than one occupation during their lifetime. Some people may easily have had multiple occupations at the same time.
Your farmer ancestor may have also been the preacher at a local church. Your relative who was a teaching during the school year may have worked construction during their summer vacation. Your ancestor who worked for the railroad for twenty years may have later done factory work or had some other type of non-railroad job.
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