November 8, 2024
As any genealogist knows, it’s difficult to trace female lines. In fact, it’s so hard that many earlier genealogists didn’t even try. They concentrated on the male lines and omitted the women. If they did mention the women, it was usually in much less detail than the men.
There are a lot of reasons for this omission. The biggest one is, of course, that it’s not easy to trace women. In most places women lose their maiden names when they marry. If they’re mentioned at all on a document, it’s with their husband’s name.
In earlier times women were not legally even separate people. They were called “femmes couvertes” which means “covered women.” A husband and wife were considered as one legal entity with almost all the power in the entity invested in the man. A woman could not be sued or sue on her own, vote, own property, make a will without her husband’s consent, serve on a jury, or serve in public office. Since most of the records left by our ancestors deal with one of these activities, it’s no surprise that there are few records for women.
There are some records that will help you when you are looking for your female ancestors. One of the easiest to find is often a marriage record. This will give a woman’s maiden name and sometimes even her father and mother’s names. Marriage records were kept from an early period in most places since they were a legal contract which had implications for the transfer of property.
Obituaries are another good way to trace the women in your tree. Obituaries were common for women in the last quarter of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century. They usually name a woman’s parents and thus include her maiden name. Headstones are another potential source of a maiden name.
Deeds and other land records can be helpful in tracking female ancestors. Depending on the time and place, a woman may have dower rights in property. This means that she would have a share of the land were the husband to die. If the husband sold his property, his wife would need to agree to release her dower rights. Although a woman’s birth name is seldom mentioned, her first name is given when she releases her dower rights.
Starting in 1850, U.S. censuses named each person in a household. Women’s birth names are not usually given, but first names are. Sometimes other members of a household are named who offer clues as to a woman’s maiden name. For example, if a member of the household is listed as father-in-law to the male head of the household, he may be the wife’s father. His surname may be her birth name.
Your female ancestors represent half of your family history. You will miss a lot if you ignore them. It may take some extra research, but learning about the female half of your family can open the door to all sorts of amazing family insights.
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society