Finding Female Ancestors
As genealogists most of us have stone walls: could be any right time, destination or location. There is absolutely no one solution for re solving an end that is dead our lineage. Every issue has to be approached differently. Because many documents generally in most areas and cycles are focused around males, we quite often have actually just a very first title of the spouse, or usually, no title at all. We simply understand she ended up being the spouse of Thomas Jones. To resolve this kind of dilemma we should figure out the right time, location and circumstances in accordance with our feminine ancestor. We should lay the groundwork for attacking the situation in a unique means.
Possibly the many way that is straightforward strike such a challenge is always to make a schedule of her life. Collect all given information understood about her. Or even much is known, give attention to her spouse. Where had been they whenever, from wedding as well as delivery, to your time that they had kids, towards the close of the everyday lives.
1. Seek out the wedding record it self. Discover the marriage record that is original. The wedding licence or application could be more valuable compared to initial. In the event that you can’t discover the marriage, look for it in surrounding areas, or always check different wedding indexes.
2. Check always all records that are possible spouse to obtain clues to greatly help figure out who she ended up being.
3. If ancestor fought within the military, check retirement papers for the widow. Military Pension Papers important, especially if spouse outlived spouse. Advantageous to Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, Union Civil War, Spanish-American War, Indian Wars, etc.
Ancestry.com has Union Pension Papers. A lady needed to show that she had been wife that is lawful widow of soldier. Refused Pension Applications frequently contain much more details than accepted people.
4. Land records, deeds., homestead documents or other court documents might provide wife’s first name, if not her maiden name. Land Records: One of major sources for determining maiden title. They are perhaps maybe maybe not useful in big urban centers or if the grouped family rented. If guy passed away with out a might, their estate that is real had be split among heirs. Included all young kids, also daughters with married names. See them in grantor-grantee indexes. Court Public Records Test.
Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Court of Sessions of Peace 26 Dec 1710
Rachel Codury of Marblehead seems and confessed herself responsible of ye
criminal activity of fornication with Andrew Tucker Jr. Of Marblehead.
5. Immerse yourself in every the documents associated with the area. Learn other families, specially her husband’s family, their career, socio-economic status, etc. Did spouse go usually, or result from a well-established category of the location? Did he cope with individuals of other surnames? He might been employed by together with wife’s dad, therefore learn with whom he previously company transactions. Whom did he purchase and to/from/with sell land? Don’t simply concentrate on the partners. Broaden your hunt. Just exactly What took place towards the kiddies? Possibly another descendant has information.
6. Trace the household in every census that is possible. US or Canadian censuses, particularly 1841 or 1851 and soon after. Husband’s sibling hitched in nj, therefore check always N.J. and also you will dsicover his wedding here also. Census: U.S. 1790-1930 could possibly get access to most census returns on line. 1940 or later on can be had for the cost.
British census 1911, 1921 could be searched by communication.
Canada through 1901; FamilySearch 1880 and 1881 census
Old girl managing household in census, may be mother-in-law. Look for her DC
7. Always check personal papers: your very own household documents and histories, household Bibles, etc.
8. The marriage may well not anywhere have been recorded that endures, especially if in N.Y., PA, Southern States, or any frontier. Also a wedding in brand brand New England might not endure.
9. As soon as a lady ended up being widowed, she became mind of this home. She turn to act as a surety in a bond or witness to land transaction when she needs assistance as a single woman or a widow, who will? She shall probably visit her brothers or daddy in your community. Names on appropriate documents coping with a widow may be her loved ones.
10. Sources to test to discover her title:
a. Church documents
HENRY IRISH IMMIGRATED FROM BRITISH ISLES TO NYC IN 1819. HE LIVED IN NYC AND QUEENS. 1850 CENSUS STATED BOTH HE AND WIFE BORN ENGLAND. LOST TABS ON FAMILY IN 1920’S. DISCOVERED A COUSIN INTERESTED. UNCOVER WHAT SHE KNOWS CONCERNING THE IRISHES. A LARGE was had by her PULPIT BIBLE WHICH CLAIMED:
HENRY & ANN IRISH MARRIED 1 JAN 1807 KINGSTON, PORTSEA, ENGLAND. HENRY WAS SON OF JOSEPH AND SARAH (LANGE) IRISH. HENRY WAS CREATED 15 NOV 1787 AT HAVANT, HAMPSHIRE. ANN IRISH WAS DAUGHTER OF JOHN AND MARY (REED) HILL, BORN PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND.
GENEALOGICAL EPIPHANY. ! It struggled to obtain David Dearborn, it may meet your needs. Seek relatives and bibles on online, etc.
c. Newspaper notices of wedding, delivery, death, going, etc.
Example:
Montrose Democrat, PA. 9 Apr 1873
Hitched at Franklin township, Susquehanna, PA 28 Mar 1873, Henry Dearborn to skip Cordelia Annis, child of Mr. Robert Seamans (just source of wedding for the time frame). 24. Private Documents
d. Private journals, diaries, letters in family’s possession, etc. Families have actually records, MS or printed. Samplers – needlepoint and cross-stitch, Asia ink or watercolor. Includes Family Group, parents and children’s names, delivery dates, view of household farm.
Banton Family (masonic rock symbols)
Samuel Banton (passed away, age) md. Rebecca Gilham (passed away and age)
ag ag ag e. Gravestones or cemetery documents. Took 30 years to discover the moms and dads also after discovered the death rock. Found descendants a couple of generations later on to obtain needed information.
Esther spouse of William Barth died Feb 28, 1832 age 78 years
child of Thomas and Tabitha Barlow of England
Had currently traced William Barlow to Esther Bantin. Rock stated, “Esther Barlow had three or four kids.”
f. Death certificate of a female needs to have her maiden title on it, along with her moms and dads’ names and birthplaces. Her husband’s death certificates must have her maiden name. Her children’s death certificates additionally might have her maiden name. Her children’s wedding documents additionally might have it. Civil or records that are vital for instance, California Death Index: Pembrook Banton passed away 1940 in Ca. Marital Reputation: Divorced. Searched divorces and discovered them. Divorce papers suggested:
Hitched in Dubuque, Iowa 14 Mar 1887
We never ever knew they ever lived in Iowa. Their siblings also had been present in Iowa.
g. Obituaries of husband, spouse or family relations.
Brand New Hampshire Morning Celebrity, Dover, N.H.
Died in Jackson, N.H. 16 Dec 1850 Mrs. Martha, spouse of Moses Anderson and youngest child of Mr. George and Mrs. Catherine Johnson, aged 17 years 8 months. An infant was left by her child. (Death certificate doesn’t offer some of this information. Obit much more valuable)
h. Divorce records: often give wife’s maiden name, or inform where so when hitched. May inform wherever from
i. Probate record of her dad or her brothers. You might have to read all wills into the county to ascertain her name. Probates could be published, indexed and abstracted . brand New Hampshire has all wills abstracted and published having an every title index. NH State Papers, vol. 31-39.
11. Prepared or published Indexes:
- IGI or FamilySearch.com
- VRI
- FHL surname catalogue
- NEHGS or any other libraries that are major regional towns, universities, etc.
- There are numerous CDs with marriages for a continuing state or province
- United states Genealogical & Biographical Index (AGBI) has a huge selection of volumes. Indexes all true names in 1790 census, includes all soldiers whom fought in Revolutionary War. Indexes countess county records, esp. Brand Brand New England. It really is at NEHGS.
- Every-name index to NEHGR – available on CD or posted. This quarterly published continuously since 1847. It really is a treasure trove of data.
- PERSI – index of journal articles from 19thC to the current. Can look for all entries of one’s surnames, yet not indiv >County histories, particularly Midwest – OH, IN, MI, IL, PA, NY my ukrainian bride areas. Called Midwest “mug books” by Vanity Press Publications. Information ended up being self-serving, flattered visitors to put your bio that is own and of self, family members or farm. Never accurate.
NEHGS has CD along with information within their number of bibles.
13. Other Sources to get maiden title:
- Transcribed or posted monograph or article in log in your surname.
- That which was faith? Today Don’t assume same as you are. RC, Protestant, Jewish, which branch?
- Variance in documents: Church record calls her Harriet Irish; civil enrollment calls her Sarah Irish.
There are numerous sources, documents and methodologies for locating a maiden title.
*Your ancestor would not appear away from nowhere. Possessed life and lived somewhere ahead of wedding.
*When ancestor married her family members didn’t disappear completely – they probably are now living in the exact same area.
*Learn in regards to the area: history, topography, religion,
*There is not any guarantee we shall find name that is maiden. We look and appear, look for recommendations and sources and techniques to approach a issue.
*Look in the family that is whole all kids, siblings, of husband. The partners might have hitched siblings of 1 another. Seek residing descendants, bibles, death certification of family relations, to resolve a maiden title problem.
Bibliography
Allen, Donna Murray, “12 How to Find an Ancestor’s Maiden Name, Family Chronicle, 7:1 (Sept/Oct 2002);62
Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo, A Genealogist’s guide to Discovering Your ancestors that are femaleCincinnati: Betterway Books, 1998).
Deerborn, David C., “Methods to recognize a Wife’s Maiden Name,” The Essex Genealogist, 12 (1992):3-15
Dollarhide, William, “Identifying Female Ancestors: Some Case Records,” Heritage Quest, 17:3 (May/June 2001):8-17.
Hogan, Roseann R.. “Female Ancestry,” Ancestry, 12:2 (March/April 1994): 26-28.
NEHGS Lectures on Tape
- Methods of Finding a Wife’s Ma >Schaefer, Christina Kassabian, The concealed half the household: A sourcebook for women’s genealogy (Baltimore:Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999)