Occupation of the Day | Dr. Sophie Kay

Transcript:

Host (Heather Haunert):
Hi everyone, and welcome to The Family Treehouse, a podcast series brought to you by Storied, where I chat with people that have a passion for genealogy, storytelling, or both. I am your host, Heather Haunert, and today I am very excited to chat with our guest, Dr. Sophie Kay.

Sophie is a pro genealogist and scientist from the UK, and one of my personal favorite things about Sophie is her Twitter and her hashtag Occupation of the Day. So, welcome Sophie! We’re so excited to have you on today.

Guest (Dr. Sophie Kay):
Oh, it’s a pleasure to be here, Heather. Looking forward to a good chat.

Host:
Yes, me too! So, why don’t you just start by telling us a little bit about your background and how you got started in the field of family history in general?

Guest:
Oh, I love that question because I think it’s one that always amazes me—and continues to amaze me—the more time I get to spend in this wonderful family history community.

It’s seeing the diversity of backgrounds that people come to it from. We’ve each got our own path that brought us here. One thing that a lot of us have in common, certainly for me, is that we start asking questions early about our families.

For me, that’s where the germ of family history began—in those narratives, those stories that would be shared as oral history in my immediate family. That piqued my interest from the age of about six or seven. It encouraged me to ask more questions, and in a sense, that’s where my initial interest grew from.

Later, it became something more formal. Professionally, I’m actually a scientist by training. I started off in mathematics and later biological sciences at the University of Oxford here in the UK.

When I was doing my doctorate at Oxford, I specialized in cancer research problems. As part of my training, I trained in genetic extraction and analysis. It’s fabulous fun when you’re already interested in family history to get put into a wet lab, extract your own DNA, sequence it, and analyze it.

That really allowed my original narrative-based interest in family history to meld with the science side. I think that was the moment that brought my career path to being a professional genealogist today.

Host:
I love that! I can’t imagine how exciting it must have been to do your own DNA.

Guest:
Oh, absolutely. It’s exciting enough when we send a sample off to a testing company nowadays and get the results back. But when you’re actually looking at it yourself—even when you’ve trained professionally—it never ceases to amaze you.

You always end up stepping back mentally and going, “This is really beautiful stuff. Absolutely incredible.” It’s a pleasure to work with every single day.

Host:
I love that you mentioned being bitten by the genealogy bug early on. I think everyone I’ve spoken to has had that experience as children, talking to parents or grandparents.

So, Sophie, tell me about your Occupation of the Day. How did that come about? Tell our audience about it.

Guest:
For people who haven’t encountered it, Occupation of the Day is a hashtag I started on Twitter back in—oh, I think it was the 8th or 9th of September 2020. That year, with lockdowns and the pandemic, everyone needed something to lighten the day.

I’ve been interested in historical occupations for years, both professionally and as part of my amateur research. I’ve always felt we can’t look at our ancestors in isolation. Storytelling for our ancestors requires more than names and dates—it’s about putting flesh on the bones. Occupations do that because they anchor a person to the place they live.

Some occupations only existed for a short window in history, and once our collective cultural memory fades, it’s like stepping into another world. Often, the terminology is strange—if someone is a shoemaker, we have a rough idea. But if they’re listed as a “mushfaker,” most of us would think, What on earth is that?

The hashtag was meant to pique interest with one historical occupation every day—bite-sized history to keep learning alive. I intermingle familiar occupations with obscure ones to give a little moment of learning in the middle of the week.

Host:
That’s my favorite thing about it! I’ll see one and think, I have no idea what that is. It’s so fun to learn.

Guest:
I’m glad to hear that. Some of my favorites are terms that don’t mean what you think. Usage changes over time, and it’s a way of constantly surprising ourselves.

Host:
Yes! Even at my work, people will be talking about Occupation of the Day—it’s a great conversation starter.

So, Sophie, why do you think storytelling is such an important part of family history?

Guest:
We could talk for an hour about that! Names and dates give us a basic tree, but not much about who those people were. Family history helps reclaim ancestral stories, binding families and communities together by handing down a collective narrative.

Most of us aren’t looking for highborn or famous ancestors—we want to understand who we are and how we came to be. That’s the result of countless decisions made before us.

Storytelling is important whether you’re sharing genetic family stories or the stories of stepfamilies and adoptive families. It helps us understand our identity.

Host:
Beautifully said. So how do you go about writing one of your family history stories?

Guest:
First, start from what you know. Establish the facts from historical evidence. Evidence is the bedrock.

Next, add context—that’s the most important word in family history. Context brings everything to life.

Explore the time period and place. Newspapers are fantastic for this. Don’t just look for named ancestors—read the whole paper to see what was going on. Street directories and historical maps are great too.

Think about sensory aspects—weather reports, sights, sounds, smells. Weave those into your story for a rich narrative.

Host:
Those are great tips. I think people often overlook the rest of the newspaper beyond their target article.

Guest:
Exactly. Using all five senses helps us move beyond just trusting records to truly imagining the world our ancestors inhabited.

Host:
How do you think storytelling helps bridge the generational gap—especially to engage younger people?

Guest:
It’s very powerful for that. You can’t start too young. Talk to children about family history even before they can respond.

One of the biggest regrets people have is wishing they’d asked their elders more questions. Passing down stories creates a strong emotional bond that’s independent of age. Every family has its storytellers who keep traditions alive.

Host:
This is my favorite part—do you have a particular family story you love?

Guest:
Yes. My great-great-great-grandmother, born in 1860, was the illegitimate daughter of a servant girl in Cheshire, England. She married young, divorced in 1890—rare at the time—and married her husband’s business associate, likely a love match.

Her second husband was very successful, and by the 1920s, she was a millionaire (adjusted for inflation). None of that money came down my side! But what I love is that her story is so improbable given her humble beginnings.

I’ve checked the facts over and over—it’s definitely her. She raises so many questions about who she was. My favorite ancestors are the ones that provoke questions.

Host:
That is incredible. I love that you included the love match—it makes her so real.

Host:
Sophie, what tips or advice would you leave for our audience about storytelling?

Guest:
Write about your mistakes too. We only ever see the research that worked, but mistakes help others learn.

Give yourself time—don’t rush a story. Let it sit, then read it with fresh eyes. Look for the “negative space”—the gaps in your narrative—and acknowledge them. If there’s a 15-year period with no information, confront that. Speculate cautiously, but be honest.

Host:
You have been full of such great advice today. Your passion really shines. I’m honored you spent time with me today.

Guest:
It’s been great. Thank you.

Host:
Until next time, friends—embrace the power of your family’s untold tales. Start writing your stories today so their voices echo through the generations.

That brings us to the end of this episode of The Family Treehouse. Thank you for joining us on this storytelling journey. Your stories matter—keep uncovering your family’s history and keep the spirit of storytelling alive with Storied.