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Searching for your female ancestors

Home » Genealogy » Genealogy - Difficult Searches » Searching for your female ancestors
Posted by Your Guide on July 6, 2006 9:34 PM

When searching for female ancestors, the logical first place to look is in the marriage records at the court house. Marriage records are the best way to find out a woman's maiden name. And in many places women were required by law to marry in the county where they lived to protect them from traveling salesmen and other wanderers from running off with them. If you can find a marriage certificate, chances are better that you will find other family members nearby. In rare cases when a divorce occurred, there may be clues to a woman's family, too.

You may find that there are few records about your female ancestors. Women had few rights and owned little property. They often left no other legal trail than when they were born, married, and then died. Personal correspondence can contain clues about your relative and it may be that your ancestor is mentioned in old letters from one family member to another. Diaries, journals, Bibles, and letters can be helpful, but don't just look for those belonging to your ancestor. The writings of others may tell you unexpected things.

Look for clues to your female ancestor's family in her husband's business dealings and among the information you find about her neighbors and friends. Families stick together and a wife's father, grandfather, or brothers may be listed as witnesses to legal documents or as bondsmen in her husband's business dealings.

Other places to look for clues about a female ancestor's heritage:

• Cemeteries are another place to find clues about your female ancestors. If you're able to visit the cemetery you may find relatives buried near her or find children buried with or next to her.

• A child's given name that seems uncommon or that sound like they could have been her maiden name or a family name. Search for families that have those names for a possible connection.

• Census records - Look for family members living in the same household who have different last names or that are listed as being a blood relative of the wife. Also take note of families living nearby.

• Land Records, Wills, Probate Records, and other Public Records - Don't neglect these sources by assuming there will be no mention of your female ancestors in them.

• Church Records - Church's keep membership records and records of business minutes. Many churches also kept records of those buried in the church's cemetery.

• Military Records - Family members are often mentioned in military records. Pensions, land grants, enlistment papers, and muster rolls often contain information about spouses and children.

• Pension Records - Pension records are a great place to find information about family members of the pension recipient whether or not the pensioner was involved in the military.



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