Genealogy Chat

Sounds quite likely doesn't it Louise? I can't quit remember what the licensing laws were but I seem to think by the early 1870's you had to be licensed to sell beer. Jeanette x

Thanks Jeanette, Very interesting. In this case, I guess that she could have been just touting around the local area selling German yeast to whoever wanted to spice up their home brew. This makes sense as she does not appear to be educated and as indicated earlier switched to mill work shortly afterwards. The plot thickens (as always!), Louise

Hi Louise It was also quite common in those days for everday people to make and sell beer from their own houses. You didn't have to be a brewery or pub. Jeanette x

Thanks Geoff, That angle hadn't occurred to me. Either way beer and beer are two of my favourite things so I very keen to find out more about this particular ancestor. I have obviously inherited my passion for yeasty food and drink from her and not the family who took The Pledge! Louise

She could have bought yeast from a brewery and sold it to people so that they could make bread, I suppose.

I’ve come across one of my ancestors on the 1861 whose occupation is German yeast dealer. From a search on Google it appears that this is someone who buys/sells German yeast to brewers to make German-like beer. Has anyone else come across this occupation? It is certainly one my more unusual ones. Even stranger is that is a women with this job. I’d be interested if anyone has any similar jobs in their tree or can otherwise shed some light on this. On later censuses she is a cotton mill worker! Thanks, from a rather baffled Louise

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