Old Employment Records/Timecards/Personnel Files/Company Photos

[Pryderi]

Does anyone know where one would go to find documents of employees of businesses/factories that have closed?

Is it even possible to find records of employees of a company that no longer exists?

[CBHagman]

1. Here are some ideas.

I don't know that every company has some kind of archive (I think it really depends on where everything goes when a business closes), but you can use:

1. Old city directories (often available on microfilm at libraries).
2. State and county genealogical websites, which sometimes have photographs of buildings, groups of people, events, graduating classes, etc.
3. Websites that focus on nostalgia.
4. Local libraries.
5. Historical societies.
6. Archived newspapers of all kinds.

Obviously, the level of detail of the information is going to vary. A city directory might identify an ancestor by occupation and perhaps even by company, but not give much more than the location of the business.

A newspaper article, however, might describe a strike or an industrial accident and thus provide information on one of your relatives.

Then there are unions, socities, and various other organizations to consider. I don't know how many of them keep lengthy records, but you might consider what affiliations your ancestors had.

I seem to recall that Family Tree magazine had some article on employment records and how to locate them. You might check their website for information.

[Pryderi]

2. Thanks! That's very useful information.

[CBHagman]

3. David A. Fryxell wrote an article on this in 2005.

http://www.familytreemagazine.com/mags/display.asp?id=1665

It has some tips on finding records, identifying unfamiliar occupations, where to look for old records, and how to find information on companies that no longer exist. PM me if you think you want some more information, or if you've got a specific idea of where you want to start looking.

[jwirr]

4. Having worked as an archivist in a museum I have seen books that

list names of boat owners and sailors on the Great Lakes but not sure where you would find them.

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. I tried this with an old hospital...

checked with the system that had bought them.

All the records from the era I needed had been destroyed. Nothing left. :cry: