Of all the jobs people avoided, feared, or whispered about, the gravedigger stood near the top of the list. Working in quiet corners of churchyards, behind iron fences, or in the shadows of city...
Category - Tracing Dirty Jobs of the Past
Ashes, Bones, and Grease: The Rag-and-Bone Collector
Long before cities had garbage trucks and recycling centers, there were the rag-and-bone collectors—wandering figures with pushcarts, sacks, and sharp eyes trained on the gutters and alleys of the...
The Tanner’s Trade: Skin, Stink, and Skill
Of all the historical occupations that could be found in a family tree, few were more pungent, more physically difficult, or more socially isolating than tanning. While farmers, blacksmiths, and even...
Coal Dust and Danger: Life as a Miner in the Family Tree
Coal built the modern world. It powered trains, lit homes, fueled factories, and kept furnaces burning during the coldest winters. But that power came at a steep cost. For every train that ran and...
The Night Soil Man: Digging into the World of Human Waste
Before the comforts of indoor plumbing and municipal sewage systems, someone had to do the dirty work. And by dirty, we mean truly revolting. The Night Soil Man was the one tasked with removing human...